"Afibbers" pdf file of discussion about minerals

Can You Hang on to Magnesium? For magnesium to get into cells it requires thiamine (vitamin B1). Try thiamine 100mgs daily – if you are already taking some in a multivitamin preparation, then take the B1 at 100mg a day. For magnesium to be retained inside cells you need good antioxidant status. Selenium is the main mineral antioxidant. Food tables are unreliable because food content is dependent on soil levels of selenium. Assuming good soil levels, (which is a big assumption), foods rich in selenium include wholegrains, organ meats, butter, garlic and onion. Seafoods are rich in selenium and obviously not dependent on soil levels. Boron is necessary for normal calcium and magnesium metabolism. I also find boron very useful for arthritis, perhaps because of its effect on calcium and magnesium. For arthritis you need 9mgs a day for 3 months, then reduce to a maintenance dose of 3-6mgs daily. At present the only way I know how to ascertain whether or not magnesium levels are replete is to measure a red cell magnesium. http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/id/2892 Richard Boron may not be advantageous for Mg. as stated above, or the site above could be altogether wrong. Boron and its involvement with attention deficit disorder is a concept that appears not to have been considered before. Boron, phenols and/or histamine may possibly cause thinning of the middle part of the brain where nerve fibres cross over. This part of the brain is called the corpus callosum. Damage to this area (prior to birth) causes learning disabilities. Boron increases copper in the body. High copper levels cause reductions in thiamine (vitamin B1). Lack of thiamine causes many problems associated with ADD. A lack of this vitamin reduces oxygen supply to the brain. Low cholinesterase levels are associated with a thiamine deficiency. Lack of thiamine may indirectly lower the neurotransmitter dopamine. There are below normal dopamine levels in hyperactive children. Low cholinesterase levels are sometimes associated with asthma. Boron interferes with the metabolism of phenols. Phenylalanine (a phenol) is able to reduce serotonin levels. Serotonin levels are reduced in children with ADD. The medication Ritalin used in the treatment of ADD inhibits the metabolism of coumarins (phenols). Low and high histamine levels are also discussed. Boron reduces pyridoxine (vitamin B6) levels in the body. The importance of this occurrence to the reduction of the symptoms of ADD is covered throughout the book. A brief description of how boron interacts with body nutrients is discussed. Boron has the ability to cause an excess or depletion of vital substances. This causes a spin off in alteration of other nutrients. For example, boron has an indirect effect of reducing zinc levels in the body. Boron increases calcium retention in the body. Calcium reduces zinc. As outlined in this book, boron plays a role in excreting pyridoxine (vitamin B6) from the body. Vitamin B6 is necessary for zinc absorption. Vitamin B6 and zinc play major roles in neurotransmitter function. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that relay messages between nerves in the body. Some neurotransmitters have a relaxing effect whilst others have a stimulatory effect. An imbalance of neurotransmitters (as discussed throughout this book) may cause symptoms of ADHD/ADD. Nausea during pregnancy is associated with a deficiency of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and zinc. Acute toxicity of boron presents with nausea, vomiting, lethargy, dermatitis and diarrhoea. ADD is possibly linked to the food the mother consumed during pregnancy. A diet (during pregnancy) giving a high intake of boron containing foods together with a high intake of calcium containing foods may be a contributing factor to the ADD symptoms of the child. Water supplies containing high levels of calcium and/or copper reduce zinc absorption in the body. Boron is found in apples, pears, grapes, nuts, leafy green vegetables and legumes. My levels of copper were high, and zinc was low. My hair analysis of Boron was fairly normal, but just a tad to the low side. Hmmmmm????? So is my problem more that I need B1 to absorb the Mg. Questions to ask Dr. Gersten.