Q: Several months ago I read a comprehensive answer in your column to the issues of pernicious anemia. The column also included the patient’s restless legs syndrome. As a physician, I have found a remarkable response to oral magnesium citrate, usually 170 mg, taking two capsules after dinner. It’s a very conservative dosage and extremely effective, almost immediately.
Although this is an anecdotal suggestion, there is an enormous amount of literature discussing this relationship. Up to 90% of the population has some deficiency in magnesium. A red blood cell magnesium level could be obtained for a more “scientific approach.” I have found it exceptionally helpful in relieving the muscle cramps.
I hope this proves helpful. Keep up the good work.
A: For those individuals that may not have read the original article, I will cover the disorders briefly. Anemia is a deficiency in healthy red blood cells that provide oxygen to bodily tissues. One type of the disorder is pernicious anemia – a B12 deficiency. B12 is readily available in the diet and can be obtained from eating shellfish, eggs, meats, poultry, and dairy products. A protein known as intrinsic factors helps the intestines absorb vital B12. However, when the stomach fails to make a sufficient amount of intrinsic factor, the intestines cannot absorb adequate amounts of the vitamin. There are reasons for pernicious anemia to occur, including atrophic gastritis (a weakening of the stomach lining), autoimmune disorders, or in rare instances, heredity.
Diagnosis is commonly determined through blood drawing for a vitamin B12 level, a CBC, an MMA (methylmalonic acid) level, and more. When the diagnosis remains questionable, a bone marrow exam may be appropriate.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition that presents with uncomfortable sensations in a person’s thighs, calves or feet. If lying down or sitting, the individual will experience an uncontrollable urge to get up and move about, rub the extremities, jiggle them, pace the floors for hours on end, stretch, and twitch. While questions remain unanswered regarding RLS, it is believed to be caused by an imbalance of dopamine, a brain chemical. Generally speaking, RLS does not have an underlying cause, although it may be accompanied by peripheral neuropathy, kidney failure, or an iron deficiency. Symptoms can be mild or almost incapacitating. Sleep may be totally interrupted because the individual is almost forced to walk most of the night away.
The RLS Foundation has four criteria that must be established in order to be so diagnosed. The first is the irresistible urge to move the legs. Symptoms will worsen while at rest, necessitating the complete need to get up to walk. Those symptoms may be relieved temporarily by walking or stretching; however, they will return once the individual ceases the exercise. Lastly, symptoms will worsen at night.
Treatment may begin with blood drawing to determine if an iron deficiency exists, followed by iron supplements. If sufficient relief isn’t found, prescription medications including Mirapex, Requip, and a combination carbidopa/levodopa commonly taken by Parkinson’s patients may follow.
Magnesium citrate is an essential mineral in the body important for muscles, nerves, and numerous other functions. It is often used as a laxative for combating constipation. Indications for a deficiency may include fatigue, weakness, vomiting, and appetite alterations. Patients may complain of numbness and tingling of the arms, legs, fingers, and toes. While deficiencies are less common than they are for anemia, they can occur – particularly when alcoholism, mal-absorption issues, and poorly controlled diabetes enter the picture. According to WHO the incidence of low magnesium is 10% in hospitalized patients, so your connection with anemia is extremely plausible. In fact, the NIH indicates the incidence of anemia in this country is 10%, while WHO places it at 25% worldwide. Whatever the statistics, laboratory testing can determine if a person’s levels are within normal limits or not.
Thank you for taking the time to write and offer what might be a valid treatment for countless readers.
