Address:

104 – 145 Asher Road,
Kelowna, BC

Clinic Hours:

7:30am – 6:00pm
Monday – Friday

Phone:

250-765-2665

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Please call clinic to book appointments for any Osteo, WCB, ICBC or MSP.

Rutland Physical Therapy is a Kelowna Physiotherapy, Osteopathy & Manual Therapy Clinic.

The Sleep Mineral

The Sleep Mineral

ARE YOU READY?
You might find the answer(s) to your sleep issues immediately or it may take a few tries.
There is some detective work required on your part to discover the root cause(s).  But with commitment and dedication plus the willingness to make some lifestyle changes as well as taking some specific nutritional supplements, you will soon be experiencing sound sleep.
Remember, sleeplessness is a very personal problem and so is its solution.  We cannot give a blanket formula that will work for everyone.  However, over the next few newsletters we will provide the most common root causes of sleep issues and what you can do about them.

THE MIRACLE MINERAL: MAGNESIUM
Magnesium is a mineral that is required in over 300 body functions.  Every organ in the body — especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys — needs magnesium. It also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones.
It activates enzymes, contributes to energy production, and helps regulate calcium levels (magnesium makes sure that calcium goes into your bones). Of its different roles in the body, the most important functions of magnesium in the body involve nerve conduction, glucose tolerance, blood pressure and sleep. Therefore, a deficiency can have a severe impact on your sleep.

MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY CAN EQUAL POOR SLEEP AND/OR RESTLESS LEGS
Low magnesium levels lead to poor control of electrical conduction in the neurons present in the muscles. This leads to increased muscular activity known as restless leg syndrome which in most cases gets worse at night and can, therefore, interfere with sleep.
Magnesium can also slow down neuronal (neurons are the basic building blocks of the nervous system) activities in the brain. By reducing the electrical conduction between brain cells, magnesium reduces the signals that cause anxiety and sleeplessness. Instead, it induces calm and promotes sedation.
Because even marginal magnesium deficiency can cause muscle spasms, irregular heart beat and hyper excitability, it is quite easy for low magnesium levels to set off insomnia.

IT IS EASY TO BE DEFICIENT IN MAGNESIUM
Unless you are eating a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of green leafy vegetables such as kale, collards, turnip greens, Swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens, and broccoli or drink naturally occurring mineral rich spring water daily, you are likely going to be deficient in magnesium.
In fact, you are more likely to lose magnesium faster than you can eat it.  Stress causes you to dump magnesium.  You also lose magnesium from drinking too much coffee, soda, or alcohol.  Large amounts of calcium in the diet will diminish magnesium absorption. Burns, surgery, excessive sweating, heavy menstrual periods, diuretics, and intensive exercise can also deplete your magnesium levels.

SHOULD YOU GET TESTED FOR A MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY?
The body of an adult human contains approximately 25 to 30 g. of magnesium.  Of this, the greatest part is deposited in the bones; much is also found in the muscles, in the liver, brain, kidneys and in the blood.  The concentration in the blood is only one sixth to one tenth that of magnesium in the cells making blood tests for magnesium levels quite useless unless you are suffering from a total depletion of magnesium.
So no, there is no point in getting tested.  You can determine your magnesium levels very accurately by monitoring your own symptoms.
If you have one of the * (asterisked) symptoms or have several of the symptoms listed below it is very likely that you are deficient in magnesium.

Common symptoms of a magnesium deficiency:
___ Anxiety
___ Apprehensiveness, confusion, disorientation
___ Asthma*
___ Constantly cold
___ Cravings for chocolate (not sugary candy chocolate or milk chocolate)*
___ Depression
___ Dimmed vision
___ Easy startle response
___ Excessive body odour
___ Hypersensitivity to noise
___ Irregular heartbeat, tachycardia
___ Jaw tension or grinding teeth (check this even if you have a night guard)*
___ Kidney stones (past or present)*
___ Loose/sensitive teeth*
___ Loss of appetite
___ Nausea, dizziness, or light-headedness
___ Nervous tics or twitches
___ Painful and cold hands or feet
___ Spasms, tremors, convulsions, or seizures
___ Menstrual cramps*
___ Osteopenia or osteoporosis*
___ Angina
___ Body pain or fibromyalgia*
___ Calcification in your body such as arthritic “bulged” knuckles, calcified joints, bone spurs or  breast calcifications*
___ Constipation
___ Cramping of your muscles, feet or toes*
___ Gall stones (past or present)
___ High blood pressure (check this even if you are on medication for high blood pressure)*
___ Restless leg syndrome*
___ Tendonitis, bursitis, or arthritis
___ Tension headaches or migraines*
___ Difficulty sleeping at night
___Tinnitus (ringing in your ears)

HOW TO CORRECT A MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY
If you have a magnesium deficiency, I recommend taking magnesium citrate with l-taurine. The amino acid l-taurine helps drive the magnesium into your cells where it is needed. We carry this form of magnesium in our online store.  To date, it is the only magnesium that has consistently delivered results.
Start with 3 capsules of our magnesium citrate with l-taurine before bed (or any time after 8 PM). If after two weeks your magnesium symptoms are not lessening, take 4 caps before bed.  If after another two weeks your magnesium deficiency symptoms still aren’t lessening then try 5 capsules before bed.  If any dosage is too much for you, it will cause you to have loose stool.  If this happens, simply cut back on your dosage.

CAN YOU HAVE TOO MUCH MAGNESIUM?
In the short term there is no danger of too much magnesium because so many people are so deficient and even as they replace it, they are dumping it out just as fast due to stress.  The kidneys will also eliminate any excess but using very high doses over the long term could lead to a possibility of magnesium excess.

We advise clients to monitor their symptoms and as the body heals, you take less magnesium.  For example, if you clenched your teeth and found that you need 5 capsules to stop yourself from doing this, then after about 30 days, you might try 4 capsules a day.  Watch the results.  Do you start clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth again?  If so, you need more magnesium, but if not, you can try a lower dosage.  Some people will never be able to get their dosage any lower than 400 to 600 mg of elemental magnesium a day, while others may be able to use magnesium only as needed, and some may even need a higher dosage to be symptom free.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU NEED A HIGHER DOSE BUT IT CAUSES LOOSE STOOL
Sometimes you need a higher dose of magnesium than your bowel can tolerate. For example, if taking 3 capsules of our magnesium citrate each night isn’t helping you stop clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth and you increase your dosage to 4 or 5 capsules and this higher dosage causes loose stool, you can
1. Try taking your higher dosage in divided amounts throughout the day.
2. Continue to take a lesser dosage of magnesium citrate and also use magnesium cell oil body spray.

HOW TO USE THE MAGNESIUM (CHLORIDE) CELL OIL BODY SPRAY
Directions for use will be as follows: There’s 30 mg per spray; you need to apply 10 sprays in the AM and 10 sprays in the PM to get your 300 mg twice a day.  Doing this, one 120 ml bottle will last 6-8 weeks.

AN ADDITIONAL MAGNESIUM BOOST: MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE BATH SALTS
It is recommended that if you are deficient in magnesium to give yourself a “magnesium boost” by taking 6 baths in a row (can be foot baths). Then two baths a week after that.  You use ¼ cup for each bath.  Depending how accurately you measure, each 1 Kg bag will give you 18-20 baths. The baths are just to give you a “magnesium boost” although some people with a chronic health issue may need to continue with the baths for a longer period of time. The bath salts are also available through our online store.
**Note, you can use any combination of magnesium products simultaneously.

If you are deficient in magnesium, we recommend following the protocol in this newsletter.  It should help you have a better night’s sleep.  If it doesn’t, you will still reap the rewards because you will no longer suffer with other magnesium deficiency symptoms.
Try it.  What have you got to lose other than more nights of sleep!

All our products can be found in our online store.
Shipping is convenient and FREE to your door on all orders of $75.00 or more before taxes.
If you would like our expert guidance to find the root of your sleep issues, consultation packages are available HERE.

Brenda Eastwood is a holistic health expert who specializes in Women’s Health Issues.  Her expertise stems from over 35 years’ experience as a Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner.  This includes ongoing research, 17 years running a successful private practice, presenting hundreds of seminars and workshops, as well as coaching clients through her unique online Inner Circle program. Today she is reaching out to even more women through her regular article contributions to HANS (Health Action Magazine) and her book “”. For more information on Brenda Eastwood please visit or for information on her Total Health Packs visit

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