Our society is one that thrives on conveniences and instant gratification. Because of this, we often find ourselves looking to speed up things that demand a slow and steady pace in order to function, grow, heal, thrive or even be successful. A fantastic example would be weight gain – something that may have taken a person years to put on, they try to remove in the course of a month. More often than not, this results in even more weight gain, stress, illness, nutrient deficiencies, mood swings…etc., as opposed to successful, healthful, long-term weight loss.
On that same thought, we also wish to inundate our bodies with nutrients once we discover a deficiency and make the decision to remedy it. Ramp up our dosage gradually? No way! We want it all fixed and better… right this very minute.
Well, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately, our biology doesn’t work that way.
Applying Too Much Magnesium
We often get faced with the question – “Can I put on too much magnesium?” Surprisingly enough, this isn’t as easily answered as you may think.
The short version is, you can’t really rub too much magnesium oil onto your skin… after all, it’s magnesium chloride – a compound found in abundance in sea water – and when’s the last time you heard “Don’t swim too long, you’ll get too much magnesium!”? Sounds a bit odd, right?
However, the longer answer is that your body may not be ready for what you’re suddenly inundating it with and, because of that, you may not like the way it reacts. Itching, stinging, and post-application skin dryness are all perfectly average reactions that first time [magnesium oil] users may experience, and there’s a chance you may not experience them at all. But, if you are experiencing skin irritation that surpasses simple itching, becomes a rash, causes prolonged redness and irritation, or causes you to break out, we recommend that you follow the Application Instructions and dilute the oil until your body has had a chance to adapt. You can then slowly increase the magnesium level in your solution as you become more accustomed.
You may also want to look into one of our more “sensitive skin friendly” options such as our bath flakes, lotion, or our new Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil Ultra.
Either way, your body is not going to absorb excessive amounts of magnesium through the skin in the way that it does with oral supplementation. The risks with oral magnesium supplementation are most often one of two things – diarrhea caused by your body’s reaction to an overabundance of magnesium being flushed out of the GI tract, or a build up of magnesium in the system (hypermagnesemia) usually caused by kidney malfunction.
Due to the difference in how your body absorbs magnesium topically, it’s highly unlikely that you will ever experience a laxative effect with this method. In fact, we have yet to hear of a single person who has experienced diarrhea through routine use of any one of our Ancient Minerals products.
As for those with kidney malfunction, we recommend conferring with your doctor prior to taking on these products. We’ve had some really positive feedback from dialysis patients – especially in regard to the management of their chronic pain – but please keep in mind that these patient’s mineral levels were being strictly monitored by their physicians.
****
Just remember, everyone, that we don’t get where we are (health-wise) in days, weeks, or even months… our current state of health is often the result of years. Now, building your magnesium levels back up may not take years… but it won’t happen immediately either.
As the saying goes: “Patience, Grasshopper.”