Magnesium File, part 3 of 3, continuation of: But… what type of magnesium should I choose????

Far be it from me to tell you to stop medicating your children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). But what if you were told that it is proven that children (and adults, actually) are deficient in magnesium, and that the symptoms can be alleviated with supplementation in magnesium! Would you be tempted to try? Well, I was tempted, I tried, and I adopted.

The studies!

A study published in 1997 in the journal Magnesium Research demonstrated that 95% of children with ADHD had a magnesium deficiency (77.6% with an assessment in hair, 58.6% with an assessment in red blood cells, and 33.6% with a serum dosage).

Another 2016 study, conducted on children aged between 6 and 16 years diagnosed with ADHD, showed that 72% of the children tested had a magnesium deficiency; they found a significant correlation between magnesium levels in hair, IQ, and hyperactivity. 

Children with deficiencies were randomly selected for 2 treatment options. One was a standard medication treatment plus 200mg/day of magnesium, and the other was medication treatment only, both for 8 consecutive weeks. Children also taking magnesium saw a significant decrease in their hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention, opposition, and conceptual levels compared to those taking medication only.

Dr. Marianne Moussain-Bosc, a now-retired pediatrician, spent a large part of her career promoting magnesium as an alternative treatment to medication. According to her research, in 9 out of 10 cases, the cause is actually a familial anomaly related to magnesium transport. This can be proven by measuring globular magnesium levels.

Rare is the case when we ask our doctor for a blood count!!! So, why not try supplementation to see if the symptoms improve after 2 months of using a good magnesium?

The only contraindication: people with kidney failure should not take supplements without consulting their doctor.

What is meant by a family anomaly?

Still according to Dr. Moussain-Bosc, one should look among the grandparents, parents, and siblings of the children for a magnesium deficiency or symptoms of ADHD. Stress, nervousness, spasmophilia (muscle spasms or tics), hyperexcitability, migraines, emotionality, or thyroid pathology.

During pregnancy, the mother may have developed depression, fatigue, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, uterine contractions, or even a nutritional deficiency.

The ADHD

We are talking about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (or hyperexcitability) through these clinical signs:

-impulsivity: impulsive children often react aggressively, without controlling their actions. Far from doing it on purpose, they often regret their behavior afterward. They rarely have self-confidence, as they are more often reprimanded than praised. They often suffer and frequently feel rejected. Their anger can be intense and difficult to control. 

-hyperactivity: hyperactivity is noticeable by the way children cannot sit still, always needing to be in motion, whether at school, at home, or in sports, which are, of course, very beneficial for them.

-school concentration disorder: School concentration disorder is characterized by these children's difficulty in maintaining their attention, staying focused, and calm. They may show some delay in certain subjects, despite having normal intelligence and being interested in multiple activities.

-Sleep disorders: these children often have a recurring problem with difficulty falling asleep, and fears, accompanied by nightmares. They are sometimes sleepwalkers and sleep very restlessly. They often wake up tired in the morning.

-discomforts: they sometimes experience discomfort, which can occasionally lead to a loss of consciousness.

-abdominal pain: they sometimes have stomach pains, sometimes leading to repeated vomiting.

-fatigue sometimes unexplained: these are tired children, often with an inexplicable fatigue.

-ticks: many of these children have tics. They bite their nails, have facial tics or respiratory tics, such as sniffing, coughing, or clearing their throat.

-an anxiety: these are children who can be stressed, anxious.

-a depressive symptom: some of these children feel uncomfortable in their own skin, are afraid of people, afraid of getting sick, afraid of dying, etc.

Magnesium deficiency does not show up in regular blood tests, experts on the subject agree. Dr. Thérèse Ducroux, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital in Paris, suggests a fairly simple way to check if magnesium can reduce ADHD symptoms: the therapeutic loading test.

It provides 200mg of magnesium and about 20mg of vitamin B6 (for a 30kg child, to be adjusted according to weight), for a duration of 2 to 4 months. Afterwards, the supplementation is stopped to see if the symptoms reappear.

Difficult to measure, but simple as a technique. To choose the type of magnesium and how to take it, refer to article 2 of the series: But... which type of magnesium to choose??? .

On my side, I noticed a difference in the children's symptoms. It's up to you to try it and give us an update!

*** Above all, for any medical problem, consult a healthcare professional before self-medicating. ***

References:

1. Kozielec T1, Starobrat-Hermelin B. Assessment of magnesium levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Magnes Res. 1997 Jun;10(2):143-8.
2. El Baza et al. (2016). Magnesium supplementation in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics, 17(1), 63-70.
3. https://www.thierrysouccar.com/well-being/info/how-to-recognize-hyperactivity-linked-to-magnesium-deficiency-686
4. Mousain-Bosc, M. (2014). Hyperactivity, the magnesium solution.
5. https://homnes.com/magnesium-how-to-know-if-you-have-enough/

Article written by Audrée Hogue