Tremendous Recovery Aid

[left coaster]

Mike, the thing to keep in mind is that the participants used the transdermal Mg for 12 weeks.

Your situation is different i.e. one application. This does lead to speculation about a fluke resolution of your symptoms that coincided with the application, that the massaging of the oil is the reason or that there is a placebo effect in your case. A single application, single person, finding should always be treated with skepticism.

That said, it 'could' be that you are mg depleted, this was causing regional muscle spasms in your lower back after rowing and a single topical application of Mg in the region restored Mg levels in the muscles and relieved the cramps.

I'd like to hear from you after 2-3 more instances of muscle cramping under the same conditions i.e. not regularly supplementing with Mg topical. If you experience immediate relief consistently then perhaps there is something going on?

I like the most recent article you posted, I had reviewed it earlier. It does look like there is 'strong preliminary' evidence that topical Mg application raises whole body Mg levels...

[mdpfirrman]

Mike, the thing to keep in mind is that the participants used the transdermal Mg for 12 weeks.

Your situation is different i.e. one application. This does lead to speculation about a fluke resolution of your symptoms that coincided with the application, that the massaging of the oil is the reason or that there is a placebo effect in your case. A single application, single person, finding should always be treated with skepticism.

That said, it 'could' be that you are mg depleted, this was causing regional muscle spasms in your lower back after rowing and a single topical application of Mg in the region restored Mg levels in the muscles and relieved the cramps.

I'd like to hear from you after 2-3 more instances of muscle cramping under the same conditions i.e. not regularly supplementing with Mg topical. If you experience immediate relief consistently then perhaps there is something going on?

I like the most recent article you posted, I had reviewed it earlier. It does look like there is 'strong preliminary' evidence that topical Mg application raises whole body Mg levels...

That actually doesn't bother me. On the contrary, I like the idea that my wife hasn't seen the full benefits of it because she hasn't taken it long enough. We've only had it around three weeks now and she's told me, "eh, not much different so far...". Now, she's not that bad off because she really takes care of her diet (which is a huge issue for most fibro patients) so maybe that's why she's not seeing much difference so far. Perhaps I am magnesium deficient.

[Gammmmo]

I've come over to erging from cycling, and have been using magnesium oil periodically for several years now. It's up there with caffeine for me as to something that genuinely works i.e. it's not a placebo - and believe me I've tried lots of things. Rather than get bogged down on the science of magnesium (nothing wrong with that per se as I too like to know more, but the acid test is whether you feel it actually works) I'd urge the sceptics on here to just try it for the sake of a tenner. Frankly I couldn't care less whether someone adopts it or not, all I know is that it helps me when I use it. I will say though that it's benefit for me has been for recovery when training daily or more than once a day like I did when I was combining running and cycling, and training near my limit in terms of load.

[mdpfirrman]

I've come over to erging from cycling, and have been using magnesium oil periodically for several years now. It's up there with caffeine for me as to something that genuinely works i.e. it's not a placebo - and believe me I've tried lots of things. Rather than get bogged down on the science of magnesium (nothing wrong with that per se as I too like to know more, but the acid test is whether you feel it actually works) I'd urge the sceptics on here to just try it for the sake of a tenner. Frankly I couldn't care less whether someone adopts it or not, all I know is that it helps me when I use it. I will say though that it's benefit for me has been for recovery when training daily or more than once a day like I did when I was combining running and cycling, and training near my limit in terms of load.

Just curious what you feel it does. For me, if I had to describe it, it removes the feeling of "tightness" in muscles overnight. When you have a really bad knot in your muscle (for me in my back though my wife has used it for cramps in her legs and had success with that), overnight you will find the knot completely goes away. Was wondering if your experience with it is the same.

[jackarabit]

It appears that one or more are spraying magnesium de-icer salt (+CL) and one or more taking hot baths in some other molecule (+6hydrate or +sulphate). We all say we associate reduced stiffness/soreness with proximity to magnesium compounds. In the spirit of bad science, I'm going to relabel my stuff MGPL and enjoy the consistent benefits of the "swears by without the slightest evidence" approach. Where are my copper bracelets? Have I grounded myself today?

[mdpfirrman]

It appears that one or more are spraying magnesium de-icer salt (+CL) and one or more taking hot baths in some other molecule (+6hydrate or +sulphate). We all say we associate reduced stiffness/soreness with proximity to magnesium compounds. In the spirit of bad science, I'm going to relabel my stuff MGPL and enjoy the consistent benefits of the "swears by without the slightest evidence" approach. Where are my copper bracelets? Have I grounded myself today?

I will say I'm more open to alternative methods. Statins haven't been proven to help any more than the harm they do (there was a huge VA study two years ago that proved that) but everyone is on them. Just this week, a new study said OBGYN pelvic exams on women don't do much but yet every woman in the US of age has them annually.

My Dad, Mom and nephew all died from contributed medical incompetence. My wife's fibro support group is loaded with nurses and medical people that conventional medicine has failed completely (let me tell you a secret - Lyrica and other pain meds for fibromyalgia destroy joints - they just disintegrate! Her support group is loaded with patients with deteriorated hips and backs in their 30s). Integrative medicine is the only method fixing a lot of conditions right now in the US without medication but through diet, supplements and other Holistic methods like acupuncture (which just started coming out with studies that prove it works after what, 2000 years!!). Websites like "Sciencebasedmedicine" were created by people that have a lot at stake with pharmaceuticals being taken by the masses in large doses. "GMOliteracyproject" is a Monsanto creation to make people think what they eat is actually safe... I don't wear tinfoil hats or even think that there were multiple shooters of JFK or think that apple cider vinegar solves every ill, but money in the US drives a lot of things that are "conventional" but certainly not healthy. I do high level consulting (a lot with Fortune 100s) and I've seen that ugly side of corporate America (and global companies too) and been in on conversations related to "damage control".

What I've learned is it comes down to what someone believes and how skeptical they are in general of conventional medicine. Perhaps it's because I had a mom, sister, sister in law and many aunts that were in nursing (and a few docs in my family) to realize that they aren't Gods. My Mom probably saved more than one person's life by standing up to a doc that was ready to make a life taking mistake. Many of the drugs in our society that we take without second thought have actually less "proof" scientifically than the magnesium oils. The "proof" is controlled by big pharma and 70% of the studies (the negative ones) never see the light of day. That's just the way it is. It's all about profit and even the good docs have 15 minutes to decide which prescription to give you and that's all they can do. There's a female "Viagra" about to be approved that has red flags all over it but it will get approved.

People need to be more self aware of what works and what doesn't and be a more active participant in their health care.

[jackarabit]

Mike, I must say I agree with much of what you say about "proven and approved" corrective medications. I stopped taking atorvastatin last month after two years on. My personal Dr. Goodpill and my cardiophotographer will be undergoing tests later this year to see if they can shake their rattles over my test results and detect an alarming trend in blood chemistry and plaque. If not, I'm on my merry way to the grave with my liver still operating.

[Gammmmo]

I've come over to erging from cycling, and have been using magnesium oil periodically for several years now. It's up there with caffeine for me as to something that genuinely works i.e. it's not a placebo - and believe me I've tried lots of things. Rather than get bogged down on the science of magnesium (nothing wrong with that per se as I too like to know more, but the acid test is whether you feel it actually works) I'd urge the sceptics on here to just try it for the sake of a tenner. Frankly I couldn't care less whether someone adopts it or not, all I know is that it helps me when I use it. I will say though that it's benefit for me has been for recovery when training daily or more than once a day like I did when I was combining running and cycling, and training near my limit in terms of load.

Just curious what you feel it does. For me, if I had to describe it, it removes the feeling of "tightness" in muscles overnight. When you have a really bad knot in your muscle (for me in my back though my wife has used it for cramps in her legs and had success with that), overnight you will find the knot completely goes away. Was wondering if your experience with it is the same.

Simply takes away or reduces the muscle soreness associated with hard endurance sport. Generally with "knots" I like to use more direct approaches e.g. self massage with a tennis ball.