Just Between Us...

I am going to go out on a limb here.

Some things you just don't discuss with anyone except a close friend, spouse, or doctor.  Some times you go for years without help for a simple problem, just because you don't want to broach an uncomfortable subject.

Can we talk?

Everybody does it, and sometimes, doesn't do it.

I am talking about going to the bathroom.

For many years I tried to find a solution to chronically not doing it.  There is nothing in the drugstore aisle that I haven't tried.  I even tried some weird tea that my friends called "bulimia tea." (I hope I don't have to explain why.) I tried drinking more water, exercising, deep breathing, not eating before bed, eating before bed, no bananas, no dairy, more fruit, probiotics, prune juice (ugh), fiber bars, and icky granules you mix with liquid and drink.

Then, quite by accident, I noticed things were consistently coming along naturally.

Could I have grown out of the problem?  Or had I stumbled on an easy solution?  Through the process of elimination (oh, please, I couldn't resist the pun!), I figured it out. 

I had read that a small dose of magnesium helps with sleep because it calms the nerves. It also is good for the leg twitches that keep me awake.  So I started popping about 250-500mgs of basic magnesium before bed.  It did help me sleep (or it could have been a placebo effect, I don't really care, as long as it worked), but the really life changing effect happened after I woke up.

Let's just say it's been smooth sailing ever since.

Now, if you are already taking magnesium with your calcium, you can't count it unless you are taking more than 1/2 of the calcium dosage of magnesium. In other words, if you take 500mg of calcium and 250mg of magnesium, there is only enough magnesium to counteract the constipating effects of the calcium, nothing more. I take a nightly supplement of 1000mg calcium/500mg magnesium and then add a 300mg capsule of magnesium when I "need" it.

If you are taking calcium with NO magnesium, start taking magnesium at 1/2 of the calcium dosage and see what happens. If a week passes (and nothing else passes), add an additional 200-300mg every other night.

Magnesium works gradually, so don't get discouraged if you don't notice anything at first.  This is a life long solution to a chronic problem, not a quick fix.

I get my magnesium at Whole Foods and the drugstore.  I like the Country Life brand but I am not picky. I pay about $6 for 60 capsules of 300mg.

You don't need to thank me for this nugget, I'll know by the smile on your face and the pep in your step.