Autism and Magnesium

Autistic children and children with other autistic spectrum disorders had significantly lower plasma concentrations of Mg than normal subjects.
Dr. M. Strambi

Doctors underestimate autistic children’s needs recommending only magnesium in oral form even though children with gut problems can absorb only small percentages through their intestines.

The entire autism community needs to be acutely aware that dependency on oral magnesium is responsible for less than excellent results. A complete changeover to transdermal magnesium supplementation is called for.

Why Transdermal?

·        Bypassing the stomach and liver means a much greater percentage of the active ingredient goes straight into the bloodstream where it’s needed.

When dealing with autism spectrum and other neurological disorders in children it is important to know the signs of low magnesium:

·        Restless/can’t keep still

·        body rocking

·        grinding teeth

·        hiccups

·        noise sensitive

·        poor attention span/concentration

·        irritable

·        aggressive/ready to explode

·        easily stressed

If magnesium levels become dramatically deficient we see symptoms such as convulsions, gross muscular tremor, muscular weakness, vertigo, excessive irritability, hallucinations, confusion, and semicoma.

When it comes to children today we need to assume a large magnesium deficiency for several reasons:

1) The foods they are eating are stripped of magnesium because foods in general are declining in mineral content in an alarming way.

2) The foods many children eat are highly processed junk foods that do not provide real nutrition to the body.

3) Because most children on the spectrum are not absorbing the minerals they need, even when present in the gut. Magnesium absorption is dependent on intestinal health, which is compromised totally in leaky gut syndromes and other intestinal problems that the majority of autism syndrome disorders.

4) Because the oral supplements doctors rely on are not easily absorbed, they are not in the right form and because magnesium in general is not administered easily orally.

Doctors have consistently found in autism a combination of conditions including severe intestinal dysbiosis, systemic fungal and viral infections, mineral deficiencies, abnormal serotonin levels and an abundance of toxic materials including pesticides other chemicals, mercury and other heavy metals. Autistic children are suffering from a heavy metal instigated gut and brain infections that create neurological dysfunctions.

Many children are born at risk for autism because they lack a healthy inner ecosystem at birth, lack the glutathione which removes the poisons from the cells

Low magnesium is associated with dramatic increases in free radical generation as well as glutathione depletion and this is vital since glutathione is one of the few antioxidant molecules known to neutralize mercury.

Recent research has pointed to low glutathione levels being responsible for children’s vulnerability to mercury poisoning from vaccines. Glutathione requires magnesium for its synthesis.

Impaired antioxidant production provides a common rationale
for many features of autistic disorders.

Higher use of oral antibiotics in the children with autism may explain the high incidence of chronic gastrointestinal problems and may also have reduced their ability to excrete mercury.

We know that mercury displaces essential elements like magnesium, selenium, zinc and copper from cells causing disruptions of enzyme systems in the process. So we can expect, when we correct nutritional deficiencies, that we will see a reversal in symptoms.

Children with autism had significantly (2.1-fold) higher levels of
mercury in their baby teeth. Children with autism also had significantly higher usage of oral antibiotics during their first 12 to 36 months of life.

Magnesium in general is essential for the survival of our cells but takes on further importance in the age of toxicity where our bodies are being bombarded on a daily basis with heavy metals.

Magnesium protects the brain from toxic effects of chemicals. Without sufficient magnesium, the body accumulates toxins and acid residues.

It is highly likely that low total body magnesium contributes to heavy metal toxicity in children and is a strong participant in the etiology of learning disorders.

Because of its nerve and muscle support, magnesium is helpful for nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and muscle cramps. Thus magnesium is also given as part of a treatment for autism or hyperactivity in kids. Children and adults tend to sleep better when taking magnesium before bed.

Extracted from www.magnesiumforlife.com