Today, due to intensive agricultural crops our soils are depleted of minerals such as magnesium, being this mineral essential for our physical and emotional health. The lack of minerals and especially the four main alkalizing minerals salts such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are the cause of many physical ailments and mental issues.
MAGNESIUM
Our current western diet is deficient in magnesium and this essential mineral salt is crucial to have good health as it contributes among other things to preserve the natural alkaline design of the body.
A lack of magnesium can cause many problems related to the nervous system such as anxiety, restlessness, irritability, difficulty in focusing attention, depression, etc.
Magnesium is also involved in muscle relaxation, so when we don’t have enough of it we tend to suffer muscle cramps, pain in the precordial area, spasms, arrhythmias, tachycardia, difficulty in breathing and sometimes hypertension.
Magnesium is essential to create proteins and to repair cartilage, bones, tendons and soft tissues in the body. In addition, magnesium will help prevent the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones.
CALCIUM
Calcium is also a very important alkalizing mineral that intervenes in bone and teeth health and therefore will help prevent osteoporosis. Calcium reduces blood pressure and participates in proper muscle and nerve function.
Calcium also can help us lose weight as it promotes fat loss.
Therefore, a lack of calcium can cause bone weakness, coagulation problems, weakness in general and fatigue. In addition to all that it can also cause delay in children’s growth and cardiovascular problems.
POTASSIUM
Potassium is another essential alkalizing mineral that participates along with sodium in the sodium / potassium pump responsible for generating micro electricity in the entire body.
Our body needs potassium to produce proteins and to promote good muscular and nervous communication. It controls the electrical activity of the heart and also helps eliminate the excess of water in the body.
When there is a potassium deficiency we can suffer from muscle weakness, cardiac arrhythmias and blood pressure can increase.
SODIUM
Is the most abundant alkaline mineral in our body and is essential since it regulates blood pressure, proper distribution of water in the entire body and blood volume aswell.
Sodium contributes too to digestion and provides energy. It is also essential for normal muscle and nerve function.
Its lack produces neuralgia and pain, as well as alterations both in nerve impulses and muscle contractions thus unbalancing the heart rhythm. It also produces lack of energy, fatigue, mental confusion, and finally, dehydration and low blood pressure.
Calcium and magnesium work in tandem and must keep a balanced proportion. They are the two relaxing minerals by excellence and activate the parasympathetic system, so too much of these two would relax too much, while the other two minerals, sodium and potassium are the minerals that activate the sympathetic system therefore, too much of these two minerals would produce the contrary, irritability, tension and rigidity.
In addition, a good proportion between these four minerals salts along with phosphorus is going to be essential for the proper functioning of the endocrine glands and to balance the hormones.
And not to forget that our pH is also going to depend on the balance between these four minerals and if not we will become more acidic.
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by Gogo Bela MacQuillan
Holistic Therapist
Naturopath
Chinese traditional medicine
Expert in alkalinity
