Hello,

We have a constellation of articles in this issue warning us not to attempt to get nutrients from supplements such as vitamin pills. Instead, just eat a healthy diet. Nature Cure and Natural Hygiene have said this all along, of course, but it's nice to hear more 'conventional' researchers discovering the same thing for themselves—maybe at last they will believe it, and that will help convince the general public too.

Of course, diet isn't the only lifestyle factor that affects your nutrient intake. Another one, as discussed by Al Gallo, is exposure to sunlight. This is the recommended way of getting your vitamin D (and who knows what else). After reading Al's article you may feel like whipping off your clothes and racing outside to get some good ole sunlight... 

Cheers,

Andrew Partridge
Note:
Articles originally included in this page and found to be published elsewhere on the Internet, have been removed.

Newsletter contents | Top of article  

At a time when people's attitudes towards sunshine have become almost hysterical, its real value must be highlighted, writes Al Gallo

I was shivering in that hot Summer night when I decided to put on the heaviest of my garments—an overcoat that was great to wear in the cold and windy days of the Uruguayan winters. I walked to the nearby pub, had a double Scotch whisky and ran ten blocks along the main street of Santa Lucia towards the town's main plaza.

My urge to get warm was certainly stronger than the embarrassment of looking crazy in the eyes of the locals.

I had sunbathed that afternoon in the sands of the local river and the shivering was an indication that my body had been badly sunburnt and fever had set in to start the repair job. The following day the upper part of my body was covered by blisters and later, as it had happened already in similar occasions, the burnt skin came off as soon as the healing process produced new skin beneath it.

That happened more than forty years ago, certainly due to my lack of wisdom; however, these days I love the Sun as I would a wise older brother and I meet him regularly at midday unless there is cloud cover—a frequent occurrence during the wet season in the tropical coastal areas of the far North of Queensland.

I wear only a pair of shorts, the meeting lasts a minimum of ten minutes and involves blinking my eyes open two or three times, in a way that is not very different from what the Hunzakuts from northern Pakistan and some of the old nature loving Germans have traditionally done.

I am aware that most people in our society would be shocked to read this, but I am a sceptic and do not believe in the pervasive campaign mounted by the health authorities, suggesting that between the hours of 10am and 2pm the only smart way to go into the sunshine is wearing an armour that must be as comfortable as that worn by a soldier going to war. This is no joke; the Queensland Cancer Fund recommends such practices as wearing sunglasses, legionnaire-style 10cm broad-brimmed hats, dark-coloured, closely woven clothes with collars and sleeves and of course, SPF 15 or higher, broad-spectrum, water-resistant sun screen to cover those areas of the body where wearing the type of fabrics mentioned could feel uncomfortable!

This campaign is the result of statistics showing that skin cancer claims 270 lives in Queensland each year at a cost of 40 million dollars; if this expenditure were shifted towards the public who in this case could buy the protective armour themselves, this would seem like a great idea, along with the assumption that the sun is the culprit for this state of affairs.

It is not surprising that so many people these days think of the sun as their enemy rather than their primary source of life. But, is the sun our enemy and a cause of cancer? It is certainly not.

Sixteen years ago I still was one of so many millions of believers in the 'church of modern medicine'—as it was called by a heretic American doctor, when I was diagnosed as suffering from arthritis. My arms hurt so badly that it was a painful effort to drive from Melbourne to Sydney returning from a holiday trip. I was prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle-relaxants, etc. After a few weeks on this treatment I did not feel a lot better and I asked the doctor for how long he estimated I had to go back to him for new prescriptions; his answer was: 'for as long as you live'.

I thank that doctor for the stupid answer, because to my benefit, my scepticism fired up like rockets lifting a 'shuttle' into orbit; from then on I became selective in my reading and books on natural methods to achieve health increasingly occupied my attention. Needless to say that soon I found a way to get well and got quite convinced, as Oliver Wendell Holmes, a 19th century American physician and writer, once wrote: 'If all the drugs were cast into the sea, it would be so much better for mankind and so much the worse for the fishes.'

Ten years ago, as I still trusted doctors' ability to diagnose, got a couple of red patches in my forehead checked and was told that they were sun-related keratoses, which should be watched very carefully because they could become malignant and if so would have to be removed. The sceptic in me started functioning again, when I remembered what I had read about the goodness of sunshine in the treatment of a skin condition called psoriasis. Even though diagnostically these are supposed to be two different skin conditions, I decided to satisfy my curiosity by sitting in the midday sunshine of Sydney each clear-sky day for at least ten minutes, as uncovered as I could. To my amazement, it was not long before those two so called sun-related keratoses disappeared completely.

I am not trying to convey the idea that my skin is in perfect condition; I have several patches that were obviously damaged in the past. The truth is that my body seems to protect those spots by over-producing cells, with the excess remaining attached as dead tissue; I have honestly never bothered about that.

Anyone could be forgiven for thinking that the highest incidence of skin cancer would be located in the areas populated by sun lovers; the fact is that a recent Queensland study prepared by the Centre of Health Promotion and Cancer Prevention Research, showed that the lowest rates were recorded on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, home of some of the most popular beaches of Australia, while the highest rates were detected in the beef and grain producing areas of the central-west and south-west of the State.

We are told that it often takes 20 to 40 years for the excess sun exposure to develop into a skin cancer, when in fact accumulation of foreign molecules due to large amounts of cooked foods eaten and the exposure to other toxic elements, can take the same time to shape up as cancer as well as other degenerative diseases.

The sun, the same as fire, can burn and we should always be aware of that danger, but to suggest that it causes skin cancer is indeed very far from reality and that would certainly deserve a separate explanation; sunshine helps the human body to invigorate and stabilise its physical and mental capabilities, by opening up cholesterol-like molecules in the skin initiating a three to four hour process that also involves the blood stream, the liver and the kidneys, to produce vitamin D.

Vitamin D increases calcium absorption and favours its retention and utilisation by the body, which is necessary to maintain a healthy skeleton, relax nerves, induce sound sleep and decrease sensitivity to pain. About 95% of all our vitamin D comes from exposure to sunlight and unless you are prepared to have cod liver oil, salmon or other fatty fish daily, you will get almost nothing from your food.

Those of us who live in Cairns, at 16 degrees of latitude south, are very fortunate to enjoy adequate levels of sunshine throughout the year, but in cities at latitudes higher than 35 degrees (south or north) like Melbourne and Hobart or New York and Boston, no vitamin D will be produced in the skin during the four cold months, even if you were naked outside the whole day. So, building up reserves during the warmer months becomes very important. It is reassuring to know that it is not possible to produce too much vitamin D because sunlight itself will degrade any excess made in the skin.

But, what am I saying?. Am I crazy? Surely it may seem that way. We live in a crazy world, by and large regulated by manipulation of every possible element for the sake of material gain. But this world also has space available for the revival of nature and its simplicity.

Do I wear sunglasses? Oh... No! I have driven five thousand kilometres in return trips from Cairns to Sydney without wearing sunglasses with no discomfort, but most drivers do on sunny days with the expectation that they are protecting their eyes against glare and 'dangerous' ultraviolet radiation. So, again I have to defend my dear old brother; it takes up to twenty- four hours for the muscles of the pupil and the iris to contract to maximum efficiency after wearing sunglasses in bright sunlight. A very important element that has to be mentioned is the beneficial effect of sunlight entering the eyes while exposing our skin, by stabilising hormone levels. Those who wear glasses or contact lenses, should ensure that these are made without ultraviolet light inhibitors.

The sunlight that enters the eye causes a reaction with the pineal gland (located behind the eyes) influencing the production of the pineal hormone, melatonin, which interacts with other endocrine glands. Nerve impulses produced by the eyes have also been associated with the pituitary gland, triggering hormonal release. Many diseases, including cancer, are associated with hormone imbalance, but it is often difficult to pinpoint how long a period of imbalance has to be to contribute to those diseases. However, some reactions to under-exposure to sunshine are readily observable on some areas at high latitudes.

The Norwegian city of Tronso, at 70 degrees of latitude north does not see the sun from the end of November till the end of January, which leads to people feeling tired, having less concentration at work and showing some of the least desirable elements of human behaviour. 

The use of sunshine as a therapy goes back to the Greeks and the Romans, but it was not until 1877 that it was demonstrated that it killed bacteria and later it was realised that it produced vitamin D in the body, stimulating at the same time the immune ability of the skin. At this point it is important to mention that medical science these days prescribes that sunlight reduces this immune ability; how did this topsy-turvy situation come about? Was it to justify the fact that skin cancer also appears in parts of the body not exposed to sunlight?

Perhaps the explanation to all this has something to do with the delusion that nature can be beaten and manipulated by using a reductionist approach to medical science. The Nobel Prize, since it was created in 1901, has contributed to create many inflated egos; in 1903 Niels Finsen won the prize for the treatment of skin diseases using an ultraviolet light machine which he invented.

Ultraviolet therapy, however, had to give way to the use of drugs, after an 'exciting' medical achievement of which I was personally a victim. Gerhard Domagk had won the 1939 Nobel Prize for the discovery of the antibacterial effects of Prontosil, the first of the sulfa drugs. In 1943, even though I was only six years old, I was aware that a so-called 'world-war' was going on somewhere in far away places. But another war was having a more direct effect in me—the war that my body was fighting against other enemies. I had bouts of tonsillitis accompanied by fevers that at times made me delirious and was regularly treated with sulfa drugs plus rare beef-steaks, poached eggs and a sugary black beer-like drink called 'malta'. It is no wonder that I kept on getting sicker.

What really caused the illness was never an issue. The medical approach then was, as it is now, to earn quick kudos by trying to subdue symptoms, in the hope that the body would somewhat put up with the aggression mounted by the scientific concoctions. The sulfa drugs had the ability to destroy the red cells in the blood and not surprisingly I ended up with anaemia and the subsequent maiming act scientifically called 'tonsillectomy'.

Will the sun have a chance to regain possession of its original status early in this millennium? It is possible. Just think of the church of modern medicine and its campaign against smoking; it has sent the tobacco industry running in panic and seeking now sanctuary in the political parties—government and opposition—by offering donations that are gladly accepted, with the honourable exception of the Australian Democrats.

I mentioned at the beginning that I blink my eyes open at the tropical midday sun and that may seem like a dangerous thing to do, but nothing wrong seems to happen. I recently visited an optometrist to get a pair of glasses that could help me to read small letters in my computer screen; after determining what was the right type or lenses for that purpose, he performed a detailed examination of my eyes to check for warning signs of different kinds of ailments. When we finally walked into the waiting room, the optometrist said to my wife: 'He's sickeningly healthy!'

Although so many people spend a large part of their lives in sedentary occupations, the sun, my dear old brother, who has also the ability to be a dear old sister, will always be present at midday, to offer the exhilarating warmth of its life, to everyone.

Newsletter contents | Top of article

Village versus family

by Dr. Arthur B. Robinson, Ph.D

With about 32,000 children now using our curriculum, we have been interested to meet in person a number of the families who home school by our methods. Two months ago, we sent a brief invitation to visit our farm to the families using our curriculum. So, each weekend recently, we have been hosting a gathering of about 15 such families.

Our visitors are self-selected at random from the approximately 600,000 American families that now home school. They come from all levels of economic well-being including the very wealthy, upper income professionals, middle-income managers, and lower-income labourers and small farmers.

The weekend discussions are primarily about academic quality. The subjects revolve around the implementation of home schooling and how to do a better job of accomplishing it.

This is a very diverse group, but they have one special thing in common. They are unwilling to turn their children over to the village—any village—for even a few hours. The lectures and discussion sessions include everyone. Whether or not they have seven children 12 years of age and younger or two children both teenagers, the whole family attends every function—together.

There is a well-defined division today between those who are willing to give their children to the "village" (as Bill Clinton would designate it) and those who prefer to raise a close-knit, traditional family instead. In previous generations it was possible to do some of both, but this option is increasingly unavailable. The institutions of the village have now become virulently inconsistent with a quiet family life including obedient, well-disciplined children and traditional moral and ethical values.

While the presence of 15 such families at once focuses my attention on these differences, it has been apparent to me for many years that I could, with good reliability, distinguish the home schooled, family-centred children and adults from the denizens of the village just by observing them in public places.

The primary differences are in demeanour. Village children are restless, noisy, and generally disrespectful of their surroundings. They are not immediately obedient to their parents, are often overtly disrespectful of adults, and are definitely not "seen and not heard."

Also, Village children are strict conformists. From the clothes they wear to the their haircuts and adornments, they reflect and parrot the most recent fads of the village—as communicated to them by their peers and by television Children learn by example, and by example the children of the village all follow each other.

By contrast, the family children follow the examples of their parents and brothers and sisters. They usually sit respectfully and quietly at their meals and seem unaware that it is their job to tear the restaurant down. They vary much more greatly in dress and appearance with as many individual customs as there are families.

By the "village" here, I do not mean solely home schools vs. tax-financed institutions. While these socialist schools are probably the greatest single source of antifamily behaviour in children, the problem of antisocial examples occurs everywhere groups of children supervised by non-disciplining adults gather.

Critics will say that these children are raised in isolation. Home-school academic performance is far better than public schools, but the children become misfits—not able to function in "society."

Actually, the reverse is true. A quiet, respectful, capable, and hard-working young adult is greatly prized by productive people and fits in far better where worthwhile work is being done. As far as socialisation before adulthood is concerned, the family-oriented parents have a simple response—they simply do not want their children to adapt to the mores and behaviour of the village.

It is tragic that our society has deteriorated so far that these two separate societies have been created—but the best hopes for the future probably lie within this division. The 'family' group is growing very rapidly. They cherish their faith, freedom, hard work, decency, honour, self-respect and the other values that built our country. They are the best hope that we will eventually return to these values and precepts.

Newsletter contents | Top of article

We continue the series on minerals by Dr John Fielder D.C., D.O., N.D. These articles are taken from lessons in John's Lifestyle Consultant's Course in Natural Living

Phosphorus | Magnesium

Phosphorus deficiency | Phosphorus assimilation

We often find comments to the effect that this or that element is 'the most important'. J. L. Rodale and staff in The complete book of minerals for health, pp61, write:

Phosphorus is present in all foods except refined sugars and fats. It is present in all body cells. Calcium and phosphorus stand first and second, respectively, in the quantity of mineral element present in the body. Phosphorus is perhaps the most important single element for a healthy soil and is the one most likely to be deficient in soils. The phosphorus of the Earth's soils is unevenly distributed in that some localities may contain ample amounts while others have a deficiency. Phosphorus in nature may exist as a soluble substance which can easily be taken up by plants as a food, or as rocks whose phosphorous is more slowly dissolved in order to become available to plant life.

They continue:

The use of phosphorus in the body is closely interrelated to the use of calcium, so that when we are speaking of one we must continually refer to the other.

Dr. Picton in Nutrition and the soil, pp17, writes on the same theme:

Of the many minerals, none is more important in nutrition than phosphorus. The virgin soils of the Midwest had enough of this mineral originally to produce one hundred crops of grain cereals, but much of this soil has been robbed. As a result, many diseases of animals grazing upon these deficient fields can be traced to the lack of phosphorus and its associated calcium.

Clearly, the different elements operate in concert. An element that is needed in very small amounts may appear to have an insignificant role, but it may be needed to enable another element, which is needed in large quantities, to play its role. Hence, all elements, in correct proportion, are vital for health. This is just another example of the Law of the Minimum.

In the past, people thought of phosphorus as being in its free form in our foods and biological tissues. Tom Brody in Nutritional biochemistry, pp694, dispels this myth:

One might keep in mind... the fact that phosphorus never exists as a free atom in foods or biological tissues. It usually occurs as phosphate.

Phosphorus only occurs in its free form under very special conditions. In nature the free form breaks down at normal temperatures. The most common biological form is as phosphate, which consists of a central atom of phosphorus, four atoms of oxygen, and between zero and three atoms of hydrogen. Tom Brody, pp762, writes:

Free phosphate is also called inorganic phosphate. It is abbreviated by P1. The phosphate covalently bound to sugars, proteins and other components of the cell is called organic phosphate.

He then describes its function, pp763:

A universal function of phosphate is as a component of DNA and RNA. DNA is a polymer of deoxyribonucleosides. RNA is a polymer of ribonucleosides. The molecular glue in these polymers is the phosphate group.

He continues, pp763-764:

In addition to its functions in bone, energy transfer and nucleic acids, phosphate serves to prevent the leakage of biochemicals from the cell. The phosphate groups of nucleotides, intermediates of glycolysis and vitamin B6 greatly impair the passage of these molecules through membranes. The phosphate group increases the hydrophilicity of the compound reducing its tendency to enter into the lipophilic environment of the membrane's interior. In cases where phosphorylated molecules rapidly pass through membranes, the passage is mediated by a specific transport system, as in the example of the ATP transporter in the mitochondrial membrane. Other roles of phosphate groups occur in phospholipids and in the covalent modification of proteins.

Many researchers warn against disturbing the calcium-phosphorus balance. There should be approximately 2.5 times as much calcium as phosphorus. Melvyn E. Page, DDS, is reported by J. L. Rodale in The complete book of minerals for health, pp63 as writing in his book Degeneration and regeneration:

White sugar is one of the most powerful disturbers of this balance.

They report that:

Dr. Page believes that diseases such as pyorrhoea, tooth decay and so forth are brought about by disorders of the calcium-phosphorus balance.

The average adult body contains about 0.5 to 0.75kg of phosphorus, with 70 to 80 per cent of this in the bones and teeth and the rest distributed in muscles and nerves. It is an important constituent of the brain. Lack of phosphorus can cause malabsorption of the B vitamins niacin and riboflavin. Conversely, lack of vitamin D can cause malabsorption of phosphorus.

Tom Brody, pp769, under the heading 'Calcium phosphate ratios', writes:

The relationship between calcium and phosphate metabolism is very complex. The question of the ratio of calcium/phosphate in the diet may be raised when discussing diets needed to support maximal growth or when discussing pathological phenomena such as hypocalcaemia, osteoporosis, kidney stone formation and the calcification of soft tissues.

Deficiency of phosphorus is considered to be relatively rare. Tom Brody, pp773 writes:

Dietary phosphate deficiency is relatively rare because the phosphate content in plant and animal foods is well above the requirement and because of the efficient absorption of phosphate.

He then describes the conditions under which phosphate deficiency can occur:

It can occur with the chronic intake of aluminium based antacids, particularly with a low phosphate diet. These antacids forma a complex with dietary phosphate, preventing its absorption and resulting in the deficiency. Deficiency can occur with increased urinary excretion of phosphate that occurs with starvation and in diabetics experiencing keto-acidosis. Chronic alcoholics may be phosphate deficient because of decreased dietary intake, impaired absorption, and increased urinary excretion (Berner and Shike, 1988). Phosphate deficiency has been observed in the small premature infant... The small premature infant's requirements for phosphate cannot be fully supplied by human milk.

Phosphorus is assimilated through the small intestine. Deficiency may occur through faulty assimilation. J. L. Rodale and staff in The complete book of minerals for health, pp64-65, say:

Even though you get enough phosphorus in your food, there is a chance you may have a deficiency, for certain conditions are necessary in your body for you to assimilate phosphorus. In general, these are the same conditions necessary for proper calcium assimilation. In cases of diarrhoea, for instance, all the mineral elements may be lost to the body—calcium and phosphorus amongst them. Phosphorus must be in an acid medium to be properly absorbed, so there must be the correct amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach during digestion. Vitamin D must be present, for phosphorous, like calcium, is absorbed only in the presence of vitamin D. For this reason, either lack of calcium, phosphorus or vitamin D can bring about rickets, for all three are necessary to prevent this disease. High fat diets or digestive conditions which prevent the absorption of fat increase the absorption of phosphorus in the intestine, but such a condition is not healthful, because it also decreases the amount of calcium absorbed and throws off the calcium-phosphorus balance.

Magnesium content of the body | Magnesium absorption | The role of magnesium | Magnesium deficiency

Magnesium has been described as the 'miracle mineral', although it has at the same time been said that there is a great deal of uncertainty as to its place in nutrition. Tom Brody in Nutritional biochemistry, pp795, writes:

Magnesium is distinguished by the fact that it is required by most ATP-using enzymes.

Koehler and Albrecht in 'Bioassays of forage and grain fertilized with trace elements', Plant & Soil, 4, pp336-344, report that when certain trace elements including magnesium were applied to lucerne, there was an increase in the tryptophane and methionine (the latter being an essential amino acid in which legume proteins are somewhat deficient). The increase did not occur when the trace elements or the magnesium were applied alone.

Karl Schutte and John A. Myers in Metabolic aspects of health, pp70, write:

In other experiments it was demonstrated that rabbits could differentiate between fertilised and unfertilised vegetation, and preferred fodder that had received trace-element applications.

They continue:

This information is no surprise to field experimentalists, who have known for a long time that rabbits and other animals can discriminate between vegetation receiving different fertiliser treatments and who tend to feed on the best nourished vegetation.

Dr. Albrecht in The Albrecht papers, pp195, writes on the relationship between soil fertility and human nutrition, including the role of trace elements:

Trace elements are focal points of research in the biotic behaviours and biochemical reactions with which they are connected. That trace elements function in the activities of the proteins, and possibly vice versa, is the suggestion from recent research.

They are tools in the plants' synthesis of carbohydrates and conversion of these into proteins and similar compounds. Hence the magnitude of the plants' ash content of magnesium, boron, zinc, copper, cobalt, chlorine, molybdenum, and even iron, does not represent the magnitude of their separate biochemical services.

Magnesium is found in most foods. J. L. Rodale and staff in The complete book of minerals for health, pp72, write:

Magnesium appears to be widely distributed in foods, chiefly vegetatables.

Dr. Daphne A. Roe, in Drug induced nutritional deficiencies, pp49, states:

Magnesium is widely distributed in articles of diet, including animal protein foods, cereals and green legumes and green vegetables where it is derived from chlorophyll.

Like calcium and phosphorus, most of the body's magnesium is in the bone. Tom Brody in Nutritional biochemistry, pp798, writes:

About 60 to 65% of the body's Mg is in bone, 27% in muscle, 6% in other cells, and about 1% in extracellular fluids.

Not all of this magnesium is available, that is, freely exchangeable. Tom Brody writes:

About 20 to 30% of bone magnesium is freely exchangeable and is in a rapid equilibrium with serum. The remaining bone magnesium is intimately associated with apatite crystal of the bone and is called non-exchangeable magnesium.

He then describes the plasma content of magnesium:

Normal plasma Mg ranges from about 1.6 to 2.1mM. Tetany may occur when plasma levels drop below 1.0mM. About half the plasma Mg occurs as the free ion, with about one third bound to albumin and the remainder occurring in complexes with phosphate citrate and other anions.

As with calcium, primary absorption of magnesium occurs in the small intestine. Dr. Daphne A. Roe, in Drug induced nutritional deficiencies, pp49-50, writes:

Absorption of magnesium apparently occurs in al portions of the small intestine, although there are some data to indicate that maximal absorption occurs in the proximal portion of the small intestine.

Clearly, magnesium is an important element in our bodies. It is widespread throughout the body, and contributes about 0.05 per cent of our total weight. Paul Bergner in The healing power of minerals, pp146, writes:

Magnesium is involved in the activation of at least three hundred different enzymes and body chemicals. It activates the B vitamins and plays a role in protein synthesis, muscle excitability and energy release. It is mainly found in the mitochondria, the energy centres of cells. Magnesium regulates the absorption of calcium and adds to the integrity of the bones and teeth. Deficiency of magnesium can lead to bone abnormalities including brittle bones and osteoporosis. The parathyroid gland, which regulates blood calcium levels, also needs magnesium to function normally (Marz, 1997).

He continues, pp147:

Concentrated eighteen times greater in the heart muscle than in the bloodstream, magnesium regulates the heart's ability to beat. It decreases blood coagulation and acts as a calcium channel blocker, helping the heart to pump more effectively. in addition, magnesium has a relaxing effect on smooth muscle and possibly blood vessels. Uterine relaxation in response to magnesium may lessen the intensity of menstrual cramps. Magnesium is vital to energy production on the cellular level. It is also required for the proper transmission of nerve impulses (Marz, 1997).

Tom Brody in Nutritional biochemistry, pp801 writes about magnesium's role in relieving hypertension:

Magnesium supplements may reduce hypertension in some persons. The issue of magnesium and the control of blood pressure has been difficult to establish conclusively.

J. L. Rodale and staff in The complete book of minerals for health, pp73, write:

From the research that has been done it appears that magnesium is responsible for the health of the nerves and muscles; it is necessary to maintain the normal structure of growing tissues; it participates in the formation of bone in children; it activates certain enzymes in the body—a process very important to digestion, especially the digestion of carbohydrates.

There are mixed views as to the prevalence of magnesium deficiency. Dr. Daphne A. Roe, in Drug induced nutritional deficiencies, pp49, states:

Limited intake of magnesium may occur in milk based diets and also in binge drinking alcoholics whose total food intake is very low (Aurand and Woods, 1973).

J. L. Rodale and staff in The complete book of minerals for health, pp73, write:

It is difficult to plan a diet that will not include some magnesium.

Tom Brody in Nutritional biochemistry, pp800 says:

Magnesium deficiency is rare for two reasons. First, the mineral is plentiful in plant and animal foods. Second, the kidney is able to adjust its reabsorption of filtered magnesium to attain a high efficiency of tubular reabsorption. Persons at risk for Mg deficiency include those suffering from prolonged diarrhoea and those taking loop diuretics.

However, Paul Bergner in The healing power of minerals, pp146, writes:

Magnesium deficiency is the most common deficiency in the US diet.

My view, supported by laws such as the Law of the Minimum, is that no deficiency occurs in isolation, nor can a deficiency be corrected in isolation.

Tom Brody in Nutritional biochemistry, pp800 writes:

It is doubtful that a deficiency purely in magnesium and not in any other nutrient ever occurs outside the laboratory.

This all supports my view that magnesium deficiency can be both avoided and corrected by adopting a correct diet. Magnesium is widespread in the foods which should constitute the basis of our normal diet, viz: chiefly in vegetables and particularly in green leafy vegetables, as it is present in the green colouring matter, chlorophyll.

Publishing information

Publisher: Raw Energy & Alternative Lifestyle Society Inc., PO Box 8166, Cairns QLD 4870, Australia
Ph: (07) 4093 7010
Mobile: 0407 163 238
E-mail: al_gallo@bigpond.com

Editors: A. Partridge, Al Gallo, E. Sapphire

Advertising: REAL News carries no paid advertising. Please enquire if you wish to advertise on our web site.

Submissions: Contributions of material are most welcome, but are subject to editing at the discretion of the editors. Unless otherwise agreed, all material submitted becomes the property of Raw Energy & Alternative Lifestyle Society Inc. If you wish material to be returned (including books submitted for review), or if you wish to have the opportunity to comment on your submission after we have edited it, include a stamped self-addressed envelope with your submission. Where possible, articles should be submitted by email.

Reproduction policy: Copyright in material in this newsletter may be held either by the author of the material or by REAL News. Please contact REAL News to obtain permission to reproduce any material from the newsletter. In most cases we will give permission freely.

Disclaimer: There are many factors, diet included, that may affect the state of a person's health. While the purpose of this newsletter is to provide encouragement and support, details of other peoples' experiences, and information relating to health, none of the editors, the publisher or any contributors to the newsletter will be liable or responsible to any person or entity for any loss, damage, injury or illness which that person or entity may, allegedly or actually, suffer or sustain as a result of acting in reliance on anything contained in the newsletter. Any advice, opinion or information contained in the newsletter is not intended to be individual medical help or therapy—any changes made to a person's lifestyle are that person's responsibility and not the responsibility of anyone associated with the printing, production and content of the newsletter. Statements and opinions contained in the newsletter are not necessarily those of the editors or the publisher.

Newsletter contents | Top of article