Confused about Magnesium and the Heart

by Teatime

I want to thank you for answering my last question about the bad experience I had with vitamin D. You said you would bet I had a magnesium deficiency, as well as other health issues, which I have to tell you, you were right on about the other health issues, and in my own research I kept coming up with magnesium deficiency.

I read the articles you have on magnesium but I am confused about a couple things.

1. I saw if you have A-FIB you should not take magnesium or

2. if you have a slow heart rate.

The confusing part
is two-fold. I saw A-FIB is a side effect of not enough magnesium, so Why cant someone with A-FIB take mag.?

2. I actually have several heart rhythm issues--not a-fib but I have over 4,000 pvcs daily, as well as had a couple of supra-ventricular tachycardias, and also I have first degree heart block. Since the article says not to take magnesium with a slow heart rate, does this include 1st degree heart block?

I don't really understand the heart block I have, I know its 1st degree and it must not be always because my resting heart rate varies from 75-95--usually 85. (lousy conditioning I assume :(.

So is it safe
for me to take magnesium?

I am afraid I am forgetting one last question but if I think of it I will contact you again. I want to thank you so much for taking time to help. I am always skeptical when I see a site offering free help but they say you must buy their products. You have not said that, you merely ask if we are helped to then support you and purchase through your site. Can it be for real a person that actually wants others to get well?

Thank you!

Comments for Confused about Magnesium and the Heart

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Yes, I'm for real...
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Teatime,

Yes, I am for real. I really answer people's questions without an expectation of YOU necessarily giving in return. I do support myself with this website, but the model that I use for building a website is something like, "Build it and they will come".

The more people that come to my site, the more money that I will make because there are many ways to make money on websites and not just from people purchasing products.

So, while I created this site and answer questions without any expectation from anyone, this site is my full time profession- and ANYONE can make money simply by starting a website based on a niche that they are passionate about. If you (or anyone else reading this) would like to learn how to create a successful website with NO technical skills (I mean zero, zilch, nada!!)- only a passion about something, then I encourage you to take a look at the companySBI. If I could build a successful website with no web skills whatsoever, then anyone can do it- with the help of SBI anyway.

But back to your questions. I am not in a position to say that it's 'safe' for anyone to take magnesium, and as a rule of thumb, if you are being followed by a doctor for medical conditions, then you should discuss taking magnesium with your doctor first.

OK. Magnesium CAN slow the heart rate and it MAY not be safe to take for those with slow heart rates or who are taking medications that slow heart rates. But your heart rate is not slow, you just have abnormal rhythms.

As far as why I don't recommend people with Afib take magnesium (without being closely followed by their doctor), I've actually answered for someone else on the Atrial Fibrillation and Clots Breaking Loose thread.

Next, your PVC's. You might be interested in someone else's experience with their heart arrhythmias on the What Magnesium Did for My Heart thread.

Hope that these stories answered your questions and inspire you a bit...

Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System

PS: If you found this website helpful, please consider using the
Easy Immune Health Product Store the next time you purchase your supplements online. Your support allows me to keep this site running and educating as many people as possible. Thank you!

Irregular heart beat
by: kevin cook

Please let people who have an irregular heart beat to check and be sure they arent consuming any MSG. this has caused my brother and moms heart to beat irregular. it is being used in so many foods now! it is hidden under so many labels. I believe it is a very large contributer to this problem! It gives some people head aches as well from what i have heard. there's no telling how many problems are actually linked to this toxin!

Good Reminder
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Thanks Kevin,

Good reminder. I do talk about this on my Aspartame Side Effects page. But not everyone knows about that page.

Artificial sweeteners of any sort- and I include MSG in artificial anything- should simply not be consumed by humans in any amount...

Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System

bradycardia and magnesium
by: Anonymous

Hi, I have just started taking magnesium malate the past week and I have bradycardia - ie slow heart rate and bowel issues and already take laxatives to combat this. I have been having more loose stools to realised it could be the magnesium but more importantly i have been feeling unwell but i have developed tonsilitis the past week so thought it was just this, I feel fatigued, confused, no energy, glands up, swollen tonsils, so thought it was all the tonsilitis, but I have just read about the magnesium and slow heart rates problem and realised it could be this too? I started supplementing it due to tendonitis and tenosynovitis of the FHL in my foot after finding the link to this site from tendonitis expert

Yes, get your heart checked out
by: Kerri Knox, The Immune Queen

Yes, get your heart checked out. While it's rare, magnesium can cause bradycardia, so someone with serious bradycardia should be cautious about taking magnesium. My 'rule' is that if you have a cardiologist (or a heart problem, even if you are not CURRENTLY seeing a cardiologist) you should only take magnesium with the OK of said cardiologist.

Sincerely,

Kerri Knox, RN

re: bradycardia and magnesium
by: Anonymous

ok thanks Kerri, so what do i do if I'm magnesium deficient and need it to treat tendonitis when i have bradycardia?

confused a bit... talking to Josh
by: Kerri Knox, The Immune Queen

I'm a bit confused... are you the same person also talking to Joshua? If so, and you are an athlete with a slow heart rate, then taking magnesium is generally not a problem.

Athletes with a low heart rate pump blood just fine. They have strong hearts. People who are ILL with bradycardia and, for instance, take medications for it, have weak hearts.

So, for someone with a strong heart, taking magnesium is not a problem. For instance, my low nighttime heart rate is generally between 42-48 beats per minute. When I take magnesium, it has gone as low as 40 beats per minute, but usually does not change much.

Because I have a strong heart, this is not a problem for me even though I have had anethesiologists quite literally freak out when I had minor procedures done in the hospital. I even had to have a fairly major surgery done under local anesthesia because the anesthesiologist refused to put me under.

When the cardiologist came to see me, he laughed at the anesthesiologist and said that I was a normal healthy athlete and did not have any heart problems. My heart rate is just extremely low.

However, you said earlier that you were feeling poorly. And that was concerning. But you also said that it might have been tonsillitis as well. So, if you feel fine now that, presumably, the tonsillitis has passed, and if the magnesium makes you feel better, or at least doesn't make you feel worse, then you should be fine. You shouldn't ever feel worse taking magnesium. If you do, then stop or decrease the dosage.

If you are concerned, then get the OK from a cardiologist before taking it. But if you have a normal healthy heart, it should be fine. As I said, I have what would be termed 'bradycardia', however, it's not a pathologic condition of a weak heart, and I can take tons of magnesium and I don't worry about it one bit.

Joshua also has a ton of solutions that don't necessary require taking vitamin D.

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