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02/29/2008: "Magnesium"
Each week as I go in for chemo treatments, I get a series of blood tests. I have a Vascular Access Port in my chest that taps directly into an artery. This bottle cap size device just below the skin, allows a nurse to push a special needle into it and avoid having to setup an IV in my arm each time. Once it is in place, they use it to draw blood for the test and also to hook me up to chemotherapy.
The blood test comes back as a full sheet listing everything from white and red blood cell counts to minerals and vitamin levels. This week showed that I was a little low in Magnesium. Since chemotherapy drugs can cause this mineral to drop, doctors are particularly watchful and quick to prescribe a supplement. Mine suggested that I get some Magnesium Oxide pills.
Foods with the highest level of magnesium are nuts and legumes, green leafy vegetables, cereals, potatoes and avocadoes. As expected, the American diet is low in these and thus the need to make sure we have enough is important. Magnesium is in every cell and needed for 300 chemical reactions in the body. Muscle and nerve function, heart rhythm regulation, strong bones and a strong immune system are all key to magnesium levels. Magnesium deficiency can include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. A good multivitamin will have magnesium. If you regularly eat right, then you are probably getting enough. If you are not sure, a standard CBC blood test can check your levels.
