I came across this blog post Our Gluten Free Family: Epsom Salts, Magnesium Deficiency and Sensory Integration Disorder about how SPD, chronic conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder, Asthma, Allergies and Migraines have all been linked to magnesium deficiency.
Does anyone use epsom salts regularly in the bath for yourself/children? Have you noticed any changes/benefits? It's all very interesting!
I take a magnesium calcium supplement and regularly have epsom salt baths. They do help but I need to do more. I'm still deficient in magnesium. Btw, I have ADD. My DH doesnt but he's magnesium deficient too.
I don't but it's very interesting, think I'll give it a go in my house I have 1 ADHD child, 1 aspergers child and 1 fetal alcohol syndrome child. Could hurt could it. My 2 foster children (ADHD and the fetal alcohol syndrome) seem to be deficient in many vitamins and minerals. I'll try and see what happens. Thanks for the read
My dr told meabout this last week, she had been at a conference where a very respected psychiatrist (not sure if it was a child psychiatrist), spoke about some research coming out of the states to do with a defeiency is the uptake or re-uptake of neurotransmitters. It produced behaviours that were exactly the same as kids on the autism spectrum, and ADD-ADHD etc (she didn't mention what else as we were discussing my son). She said that the dr said they had great success in treatment using magnesium supplements (she was going to research how much, but I think it was around 400mg daily), along with Sodium valproate (available here as epilim - and normally used for epilepsy but also as a mood stabiliser - but it was something in the make up of the drug which helped overcome the neurotransmitter problem), which she thought was a better option that other medication as a first try for my son as they have less side effects. I have been meaning to email her for a copy of her notes from the lecture so I can do more research into it, in the mean time we are going to start magnesium supplements (just looking for chewable ones), and trying to get into a child psychiatrist to discuss the epilim and other medication issues.
Will keep you guys posted when I hear back about the name of the paper published.
We bath our children (ASD and NT) in a rotation of baths. Every second night is Epsom salts. The other nights are either apple cider vinegar, seaweed or bicarb.
You've really got to read Gut & Psychology Syndrome- it's all in there :D
Fascinating. Can you have a blood test done to indicate your magnesium status? How else would you know if you were deficient?
A way to test for magnesium deficiency is get some magnesium spray or oil. Spray it on your skin. If it itches or tingles, you're deficient. If it feels ok, you have enough magnesium.
I did it once and it felt like it was burning, so like a wuss, I stopped doing it. You're supposed to keep spraying until it doesnt tingle any more.
Doesn't that mean it would itch in the bath if you were very deficient?
No, because it's diluted. The magnesium spray/oil is concentrated. 200gm or so of Epsom in 10+ litres of bath water isn't a lot.
How long does it take to absorb into the skin, ow long should I leave the kids soaking? I have just gave them a bath in the salts and at the very least their skin feels soo soft.
Also how long before the deficiency is made up?
It's probably worth consulting a naturopath. I know we've been doing it for months and we're still deficient. Although we're not consistent about taking our supplements.
Remember, you use up minerals in daily life. Stress, grief, etc, use them up faster. So if you're already deficient, you need to build up over time. Depending on the problem, it could take months or years. An example is, is takes 2 years of gut healing to overcome the damage to the gut from a course of antibiotics. It may be the same for other things.
It depends on the individual. As for a bath, I soak for at least 20 minutes but I don't know for kids.
wow that's crazy!:
Thanks for the reminder about all this. You're quite right... I think I may look at other ways to boost our magnesium given these connections to spectrum disorders.:
Thanks everyone for a great discussion- lots of great info here!
I was put on magnesium for my headaches but I wonder if or how much I am deficient...
Can you get a blood test?
It's extremely likely you are magnesium deficient as most people are. I would try and boost your magnesium in any case.
I read this today:
The REAL Cause Of Morning Sickness « The Mommypotamus:
Magnesium rich foods such as bone broth, seaweed, leafy green vegetables, properly soaked seeds and nuts, unrefined sea salt and soaked or sprouted whole grains. And because Vitamin D, Vitamin B6 , Vitamin B12, and a little calcium are essential for magnesium absorption you’re going to want to eat foods that contain those nutrients, too.
Perhaps that's why when we introduced real salt in our salt (not refined sea salt) I went nuts on it... actually, 11 months later I'm still pretty nuts over it!
Real salt?
Mmm interesting thread. I don't have kids (yet), or have anyone in my family with ADD/ADHD. I have been told when you get cramps to take magnesium, and also some people with heart issues. Apparently it helps the blood flow around your system better and transports the other vitamins.
As in, the stuff that has all the nutrients in it still- not refined salt. I used to buy rock salt crystals and I thought that was good, but it's still not good enough. Now we eat himalayan pink salt and celtic sea salt.