How do you measure your magnesium level? There are different stories about this.
Your doctor will suggest that you first measure whether you have a magnesium deficiency in your blood. However, magnesium experts like Dr. Richard Danel of the Magnesium Health Institute, Jaap van Slooten (owner of Zechsal) and others dismissed this. As only about 1% of the magnesium in your body is in your blood and your body is very accurately at keeping the magnesium at this level. According to these experts, the magnesium value in your blood means nothing at all.
The value that they believe is of interest, is the amount of magnesium in the fluid between your cells. This is the magnesium that is available to all cells. The magnesium that is available over the counter for Norrie, Addie and all other pain dancers.
According to Dr. Ben Van Cranenburg and Dr. Ronald Van der Vlies, this magnesium between the cells is in a direct relationship with the magnesium in your blood. They indicate that a so-called whole blood measurement does indeed give a good indication of your magnesium deficiency. This is different for the magnesium that is in the cells and, according to the Magnesium Health Institute, provides good insight into your magnesium levels. This can also be measured (intracellular magnesium measurement), but it is difficult, expensive and is only done by hospitals. Unless there is a great need for it, this test will not be done for you.
The question is therefore: “how should you measure magnesium and what does this measurement indicate?” In addition, every person may need a different amount of magnesium.
I especially noticed the following. A number of chronic pain patients I know, have had their magnesium levels in the blood measured by their own regular GP and were told that they were not deficient in magnesium. Yet these pain patients would have benefited greatly from supplementing magnesium through the skin.
That's why I recommend every pain patient to try magnesium therapy and just experience whether it works or not. If you don't notice a difference, just stop taking it. If you notice a positive effect, continue with it and see every now and then whether you can reduce the amount of magnesium supplemented.
Supplementing magnesium can easily be done through the skin with magnesium oil or foot baths (magnesium flakes) or other products derived from magnesium oil. The advantage of this is that magnesium is absorbed through the skin and therefore greatly reduces the risk of an overdose.