Fibromyalgia and Magnesium
An All Too Common Misdiagnosis

Research shows that the Fibromyalgia and Magnesium connection is AMAZING, and that fibromyalgia is all too often misdiagnosed. The muscle weakness, fatigue and pain that is experienced could definitely be, in part, due to such severe magnesium deficiency that the muscles are in a constant state of spasm.

These microspasms that occur in Fibromyalgia are so severe that researchers call them'Tetany'. Tetany not only causes problems in and of itself, but uses up the energy stores in the muscles, which is the reason that Ribose for Fibromyalgia, an energy replacer, can be so effective for this condition. 

But this Fibromyalgia and magnesium deficiency and subsequent muscle spasms can actually explain MANY of the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Along with the almost identical symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Vitamin D deficiency, the Fibromyalgia and Magnesium Deficiency connection can ALSO go a long way in explaining many of the other symptoms of Fibromyalgia such as:

• Sleep Disturbances
• Headaches and the connection of Magnesium for Migraines
• Temporomandibular Joint Pain
• Anxiety Problems
• Muscle Aches and Stiffness

Unfortunately, the BIGGEST problem with Fibromyalgia and Magnesium is that blood Magnesium Levels are extraordinarily inaccurate and do NOT give information about who can benefit from taking magnesium. Magnesium blood tests, except in cases where they are HIGH due to kidney function, should be entirely ignored. Instead, relying only on the Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency is a much better, more accurate and research supported way to determine the need for magnesium.

When you take a look at the Fibromyalgia Cause and Diagnosing Fibromyalgia pages, you'll see that Fibromyalgia is NOT a disease- it is a SYMPTOM. And the connection between Fibromyalgia and Magnesium deficiency is strong enough to make it a suspect in being- at least in part- one of the causes of Fibromyalgia.

What's Stress Got to Do With
Fibromyalgia and Magnesium?

Across the board, it seems as though the ONE similarity that all Fibromyalgia patients share is the experience of having had an EXTREMELY stressful experience or series of lower level stressful experiences. Well, stress hormone production requires high levels of magnesium and stressful experiences can lead to magnesium deficiencies as well as Adrenal Gland Fatigue.

Not only can administration of magnesium help to improve adrenal gland function, but it can also lead to an improved experience of Stress and Fibromyalgia. Magnesium is well known to be a neurologic system relaxant, and has even been used intravenously in the hospital as a sedative in patients who can't be relaxed for procedures any other way! When you are under stress or you can't relax- magnesium can help.

What is Latent Tetany Syndrome,
And Why Should You Care?

What is ;Latent Tetany Syndrome' and what does it have to do with Fibromyalgia and Magnesium. The SURPRISING answer is: MAYBE EVERYTHING!! Latent tetany syndrome, also just called Tetany Syndrome, LTS and TS is a condition of an overactive state of the neurons and muscles- and it's caused by low magnesium levels.

Well, the signs and symptoms of LTS are almost identical to those of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia- including that they are both extremely difficult to diagnose and occur mostly in women. And there are researchers who believe that the two conditions ARE ACTUALLY THE SAME.

"…the parallels between these
two syndromes exist because
they may actually be one syndrome.
Might it be that in clinics where
Mg status is investigated, the
diagnosis is LTS; where it is not,
the diagnosis is CFS or FM?"
Might Patients with the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Have Latent Tetany of Magnesium Deficiency?

And this 'investigation of magnesium status' can make a HUGE difference in your life. Mainly because THE TREATMENT of LTS is taking a regular long-term Magnesium Dosage. While the treatment for Fibromyalgia is… well, to call it an 'incurable' illness that is all in your head and to give you antidepressants and mood regulators.

So, you might THINK that your doctor 'investigated your magnesium status'. You may even have a normal magnesium laboratory report sitting in front of you. But when you begin Understanding Blood Test Results, you'll see that Magnesium Levels have nothing to do with whether you need magnesium or not. Magnesium lives in your CELLS and not in your BLOOD. So checking magnesium blood levels is meaningless!!

And in the meantime, since your doctor isn't aware of the uselessness of magnesium levels and he's not even SUSPECTING LTS because it's not likely that he even knows what that is, YOU could be suffering from it while thinking you have 'Fibromyalgia'. So, if this is really true, then magnesium would help a lot of people with Fibromyalgia, right? 

Is There Really Research on This? 

The answer is a resounding yes. While these theoretical discussions of fibromyalgia and magnesium are interesting, you probably want to know if taking magnesium can help YOU. Well, there HAS been research done on this and it shows that magnesium can absolutely make a big difference in your experience of pain, fatigue, sleep problems, and other Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency.

There have been several studies done using either a combination of magnesium alone or in a combination with malic acid in a formulation called magnesium malate. Every study that has used magnesium has shown across the board improvements in the pain and fatigue associated with Fibromyalgia. Because these are studies these patients that improved had to use a 'standardized' dosage that may not have been the 'optimal' dosage for them. Most used a dosage of between 300 to 600 milligrams per day.

What to Do If You Suspect LTS

that these dosages are quite low and that patients with Fibromyalgia may need MUCH higher dosages to relieve pain and fatigue optimally.  You must take your magnesium in the RIGHT way at the RIGHT dosages and you can do that by reading the Magnesium Dosage page and following the instructions carefully.

"Correction of symptomatology by an oral physiological
magnesium load is the best proof that it 
was due to magnesium deficiency."
Neurotic, neuromuscular and autonomic 
nervous form of magnesium imbalance

Remember, ignoring magnesium levels- UNLESS they are high- is extremely safe and is being recommended more and more by doctors who see the benefits of this amazing mineral in Fibromyalgia and Magnesium usage in everyday practice and who understand the limitations of blood testing. So, there is a VERY HIGH potential for you to benefit from magnesium, but you'll have to not trust laboratory testing in this case – and trust in how you feel when you take it because that is the ONLY way that you are going to benefit from this research.

Keep reading to see why you should, however, rely on the blood testing of Vitamin D Levels- but ironically, doctors are still NOT using this EXTREMELY useful and accurate blood test to help them find this extraordinarily common and destructive vitamin deficiency….

Next --->
Fibromyalgia and Vitamin D

Magnesium Resources

• Jigsaw Health's Essential Daily Packs- most multivitamins contain little magnesium, if any. This high quality whole food multi packs a punch. With 500 mg of top quality easily absorbable magnesium in the form of magnesium chelates, this multi will meet your daily needs like none other.
• Transdermal Magnesium Gel- Just rub this magnesium right into your skin and it gets absorbed straight into your tissues- no pills required.
• Transdermal Magnesium The Book- See how and why transdermal magnesium is really an effective replacement for magnesium pills! 
• Magnesium Bath Flakes- Another surprisingly effective 'Transdermal' form of magnesium. A great way to get magnesium into kids and the elderly.

Research for Fibromyalgia and Magnesium

• Might Patients with the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Have Latent Tetany of Magnesium Deficiency
• EFFICACY of ORAL MAGNESIUM TREATMENT on PRIMARY FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME
• Latent tetany and anxiety, marginal magnesium deficit, and normocalcemiaMagnesium, Stress and Neuropsychiatric Disorders
• Tetany as a difficult diagnostic problem in the neurological outpatient departmentNeurotic, neuromuscular and autonomic nervous form of magnesium imbalance

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