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How do we pay for change

And the big question is . . . how do we pay for change?
“Oh . . . my taxes . . . oh my!” For starters, can we bring back the romantic days of IRS agents against big tax cheats like in the days of Al Capone. Let’s change tactics and recover tax dollars for the budget instead of raising tax rates. Empowering IRS agents with the time and resources necessary for examining big budget tax returns could help recover larger amounts of taxes than would be possible from examining many, many small returns. It is ridiculous that IRS inspectors have unreasonable accountability criteria to meet. Instead of going after a goal of recovering maximum tax dollars that had been withheld illegally, IRS agents are legislated to produce large numbers of audits without specific goals towards retrieving unpaid taxes. So lots of little easy audits get done by the overworked staff. Examining the tax returns of low income workers that may be claiming the Earned Income Credit may generate large numbers of cases but frequently those cases don’t result in any action or much recovered money if any.

Spark the public interest in tax cheats. If we pay, big business tax cheats should pay too.

If a retired business man has a half million in deductions alone, I would think an IRS agent might be curious about what types of expenses a retired person might have that required untaxed money.

Jumping to a potential new pot of taxable income – Medical marijuana dispensaries in some states have been trying to keep careful records and pay taxes on service related revenue but the discrepancy between federal and state laws have made it difficult for some to stay in business. Reasonable business deductions have been disallowed and excessive amounts of tax are being demanded from the health care services. [1, 2] However sales tax on a prescription medication isn’t legal anyway and donations to a non-profit cooperative would also seem exempt from standard business tax guidelines. [3]

Taxes can be used to help promote changes that reduce long term risks and costs. Preventing problems through education can be an inexpensive way to pay for change.

Reducing health care costs with improved preventative nutrition education programs has been proven both possible and cost efficient. The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,Infants and Children (WIC) has been found to save three to eight dollars in Medicaid costs for every one dollar spent on WIC. Actual savings may have been even better because some children on WIC have private insurance and their health care wouldn’t have been included in any Medicaid studies. The WIC program is a health program for working class families. A family making equal to or less than 185% of the poverty line with expected infants or children under age five may be eligible for WIC services.
  • About the WIC program: [fns.usda.gov/wic/]
  • “WIC Program Participation and Costs” (July 26, 2012) A chart showing the numbers of participants, the total food and program expenditures and the average value of the food package provided to the participants. [fns.usda.gov/pd/wisummary.htm] The program’s first full year served 344,000 participants who received health education and screening services and a food package valuing an average of $18.58 per participant per month. In 2010 the program served 9,175,000 participants and provided a food package with an average monthly value of $41.44.
  • Article by Douglas J. Besharov and Peter Germanis “Is WIC as Good as They Say?” (First published in “The Public Interest,” Winter, 1999) [welfareacademy.org] *this article is reviewing the cost savings claim of $3 dollars saved in Medicaid costs for every dollar spent for a pregnant woman participating in the WIC program. The following excerpt regarding the home visit maternal support program suggests that unseen cost savings could be incalculable:

A randomized experiment in Elmira, New York, found that the nurse home visitors achieved a 25 percent drop in smoking by the end of the pregnancy, a 75 percent reduction in premature births among pregnant women who had smoked, and large birth-weight increases for babies born to young teen mothers (nearly 400 grams for mothers aged 14 to 16). In addition, 15-year follow-up findings indicate almost a 31 percent reduction in the subsequent childbearing for low-income, unmarried mothers (1.1 versus 1.6 subsequent births). Verified cases of child abuse and neglect were 79 percent lower, drug and alcohol problems 44 percent lower, arrests among the mothers 69 percent lower, and welfare use 33 percent lower. As a result, the program led to large savings in government spending. (Replications of this study are showing similarly impressive results in Memphis, Tennessee, and Denver, Colorado.)

The article also suggests that a more authoritarian approach to the educational services provided in WIC could improve outcomes even more. I would be concerned that a more authoritarian approach could also decrease participation in a voluntary program and decrease the positive outcomes. Forcing change rarely works for long. Few people want to be told how they should behave or how they should eat or feed their children.

Providing guidance about risks and benefits of a variety of choices can help individuals make their own decisions about what best fits their lives and abilities. Being told what should be done and exactly how it should be done can backfire by adding a larger sense of failure or shame to a person that may be struggling in circumstances unimaginable to the average person. The wrong message at the wrong time might tip the person in difficult circumstances into giving up altogether. People choose to make changes and have to work at developing new habits. Tax dollars can be used to help people make affordable health decisions before chronic problems develop.

Consider what kind of legacy we want to leave our children. Do we want our children and grand children to suffer further health dangers from increasing levels of pollution in the air, water and food supply; increased numbers of infants born with birth defects or who are premature or low birth weight; worsening weather, storms and floods; desertification of farm fields; diminishing numbers of wildlife species; and infertility issues for humans and other species? Or do we want to reverse the reversals on policies that help protect the environment and health?

  1. Article by Robert W. Wood, “Taxes are Killing Medical Marijuana Like Roundup,” (Aug. 3, 2012) Forbes.com [forbes.com]
  2. Article by Robert W. Wood, “Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Keep on Truckin’ Despite IRS,” (May 24, 2012) Forbes.com [forbes.com]
  3. Article by Mike Baker, A.P., “State tax collectors audit medical pot dispensaries,” (Aug. 18, 2012) Seattle Times: [seattletimes]
  4. A video statement from a retired Deputy Chief of police regarding crime and drug policy, “You won’t believe what this cop says about the War on Drugs,” Youtube: [youtube.com]
Disclaimer: Eat to live, not eating doesn’t end well. I hope to have helped, not harmed. A blog spot is for informational purposes only and is not the same thing as individual counseling. Abruptly stopping medications can result in death.
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Yemen in the News

Our actions have consequences. The United States of America is a baby nation compared to most other countries. Stewardship of the land has been disrespected since white man first invaded America and now corporate outsourcing is sending bad business practices into other people’s back yards.
Why would citizens in Yemen want a pipeline that takes their limited resources, most of the profit and ruins their land? Some of them don’t like the pipeline that is owned and operated by foreigners but is located in their backyard.

  • A suicide bomber was killed along with 90+ Yemeni soldiers. The Al Queda response stated that the attack was in  “retaliation for the Yemeni army’s attacks and U.S. drone strikes in the southern part of the country.” [link(5/21/12)]
  • A spy infiltrated an Al Queda cell and brought out a bomb by pretending to be a suicide bomber. [link(5/8/2012)]

The law of supply and demand suggests that the Al Queda resistance won’t stop until the demand for freedom from foreign occupation is addressed.

/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use./

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Prostate and breast cancer and omega 6s and 3s

     A study [1] found significant differences in the amount of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids levels in tissue taken from benign and malignant prostate cancer tumors from within the same prostate specimen. Malignant tissue samples were found to have less total omega-6 fatty acids then the benign samples. The tissue levels of the specific types were also different.
The malignant tissue had more of the dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) (C20:3w6) an omega 6 fatty acid and precursor to other omega 6 metabolites. There was significantly less of two omega 6 fatty acids. Arachidonic acid (AA) (C20:4w6), and adrenic acid, (C22:4w6) were at lower levels  in cancer tissue that was malignant compared to tissue that was benign. The abstract to the study concludes with the statement “These findings provide additional evidence that dietary fat is associated with prostatic carcinogenesis.”
     It seems to me that if the samples were simply from different areas of the same specimen that the same human would have been eating the same dietary fats. The two types of tissue from within the same gland would have received the same blood flow and nutrients. So  the malignant tissue had less AA and adrenic acid and less total omega 6 fatty acids but more DGLA than the benign tissue. So something is happening in that malignant tissue that isn’t happening in the benign tissue and the net effect is loss of total omega 6 content. Something else has to be associated with the malignant prostatic carcinogenesis because the dietary fat is going to both the benign and the malignant tissue.
     Elsewhere information has been discovered that malignant prostate cancer cells can make an enzyme that can convert Arachidonic acid into a form usable as a food source for the malignant growth. Increased intake of CLA and ginger may help preserve arachidonic acid from being converted to 5-HETE which the cancer cells can use as an energy source. [Ginger slows prostate cancer growth] (10/20/2011) So targeting the enzyme  that converts AA to 5-HETE would make more sense than wondering what omega 6 and omega 3 ratio on the person’s plate might turn malignant cells back into benign ones. /speculation – The fat ratio in meals may have some effect  on slowing or speeding the growth rate of the cancer cells but it is unlikely to be able to change it back to benign. Some information suggests that malignancy might be preventable and that cancer metastasis might be reduced by avoiding animal products that are rich in free AA. donmatesz
AA forms part of the structure of membranes under normal conditions. AA can be converted from lecithin and combined with ethanolamine to become anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid (eCB). Lab tests find free AA after it has been broken down from eCBs in response to inflammatory signals.
     The eCBs in times of health are part of the membrane structure and there would be little free AA. Controlling the diet for excess calcium and glutamates may help in addition to adding conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) and ginger. The omega 3s and omega 6s are groups of various chemicals that do not have the same functions and their risks and benefits may vary based on individual differences.
Adequate omega 3 fatty acid is important for heart health and mental health. They have been found helpful for depression, diabetes (ALA) and other diagnoses.
     /speculation/ Linolenic acid and omega 6’s may have gotten a bad name partially because larger research studies may not have excluded people with undiagnosed prostate or breast cancer. Their negative responses to a diet high in LA may have skewed the results of other people with normal tolerance for foods with LA or animal products rich in lecithin or AA (chicken, eggs and beef are the richest sources).
/speculation #2/ Over cooking the food source may increase the amount of free AA that is released. Differences in how foods were prepared for the different studies may have modified the results.
  1. A comparative study of tissue ω-6 and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in benign and malignant pathologic stage pT2a radical prostatectomy specimens.Schumacher MC, Laven B, Petersson F, Cederholm T, Onelöv E, Ekman P, Brendler C.  Urol Oncol. 2011 Mar 31. Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet Department of Urology, Stockholm, Sweden.PMID: 21414816  [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21414816]
  2. ***infertile men had more omega 6 (AA) and less omega 3  than fertile men. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19666200]
  3. ***supplementation with GLA in attempt to modify inflammatory blood chemistry. It worked somewhat.  [ajcn.org/content/77/1/37.full]
  4. [walnuts.org/alphalinolenic-acid/]
Disclaimer: This is provided for informational purposes only. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.
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original Prilosec warning edited

A recently released government statement states that some people using proton pump inhibitors for more than a year may end up with low magnesium levels. [1] Low magnesium can be life threatening but it can also just be tiring and painful. Magnesium helps block over active muscle cramping and reduces headaches and diabetic nerve pain. It is essential for white blood cell function and prevention of osteoporosis.

The proton pump inhibitor medications may be inhibiting the active absorption of magnesium in the intestines in some individuals. In other words, the drug may be blocking proton pumps in the intestinal cell membrane that are necessary to actively move magnesium from the intestines into the cell. Some people were not able to improve their magnesium levels  with supplements until after the medication was stopped. Magnesium levels dropped again when the medication was re-started.

A simple serum magnesium test only shows acute deficiency. If you are concerned about your risk of chronic magnesium deficiency then ask for a red blood cell or muscle cell biopsy lab test to check intracellular serum levels.  The serum lab test that is commonly used usually doesn’t show a chronic magnesium deficiency. Only one percent of the body’s magnesium is found in the blood serum. The concentration is carefully regulated and deficiency would be severe or acute before serum levels of magnesium would drop.
Basing a decision on observable symptoms may be more helpful and budget friendly. Skip the blood tests or look at calcium level in the CBC panel. Hypocalcemia is a protective measure the body will adopt if possible when magnesium is low. Potassium levels can also be low. [3]

If you are having symptoms then a magnesium foot soak or bath in Epsom salts can bypass the intestinal absorption problems and provide some relief- while you are working on stopping the medication with your medical provider. Magnesium containing skin creams like the Ahava line may also provide relief. (I still like the body lotion but had to stop the face product – sensitivity reaction).

I have recently started using a Magnesium Glycinate supplement that I found at my local Food Coop . The tablet is quite large and sweet because it is a glyco-compound  which should help it dissolve and absorb better.  (See my blogs about the glycocalyx for more information about benefits of glyco-nutrients.) However it is more expensive than my mixed magnesium caplet, which contains magnesium oxide, citrate and malate. The only negative side effect that may occur with magnesium supplements is temporary loose stools (not explosive diarrhea, unless it was a really big dose like Milk of Magnesia, just really soft BM). The glycinate form may not trigger the smooth muscle fiber relaxation the way the free ions would. It is the rapid relaxation of the intestinal muscle lining that can trigger diarrhea/loose stools, so the magnesium glycinate may cost a bit more ($17 vs $6)  but if it is better absorbed and is less likely to cause side effects than it seems like a fair deal.

Click here to read more about magnesium and how six dollars a month could restore more function while reducing symptoms (aka side effects of dysfunction) 

A Government Statement you may not hear about [1, 2]:
Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs (PPIs): Drug Safety Communication – Low Magnesium Levels Can Be Associated With Long-Term Use
Prescription PPIs include Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium), Dexilant (dexlansoprazole), Prilosec (omeprazole), Zegerid (omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate), Prevacid (lansoprazole), Protonix (pantoprazole sodium), AcipHex (rabeprazole sodium), and Vimovo (a prescription combination drug product that contains a PPI (esomeprazole magnesium and naproxen).
Over-the-counter (OTC) PPIs include Prilosec OTC (omeprazole), Zegerid OTC (omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate), and Prevacid 24HR (lansoprazole).
[Posted 03/02/2011]
AUDIENCE: Consumer, Gastroenterology, Family Practice
ISSUE: FDA notified healthcare professionals and the public that prescription proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs may cause low serum magnesium levels (hypomagnesemia) if taken for prolonged periods of time (in most cases, longer than one year). Low serum magnesium levels can result in serious adverse events including muscle spasm (tetany), irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias), and convulsions (seizures); however, patients do not always have these symptoms. Treatment of hypomagnesemia generally requires magnesium supplements. In approximately one-quarter of the cases reviewed, magnesium supplementation alone did not improve low serum magnesium levels and the PPI had to be discontinued.
BACKGROUND: PPIs work by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach and are used to treat conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach and small intestine ulcers, and inflammation of the esophagus.
RECOMMENDATION: Healthcare professionals should consider obtaining serum magnesium levels prior to initiation of prescription PPI treatment in patients expected to be on these drugs for long periods of time, as well as patients who take PPIs with medications such as digoxin, diuretics or drugs that may cause hypomagnesemia. For patients taking digoxin, a heart medicine, this is especially important because low magnesium can increase the likelihood of serious side effects. Healthcare professionals should consider obtaining magnesium levels periodically in these patients. For additional information, refer to the Data Summary section of the FDA Drug Safety Communication.
Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events, side effects, or product quality problems related to the use of these products to the FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:
  • Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm1
  • Download form2 or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178
_____________________________________________________________________________
Bibliography

2. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/738442, PPI-Related Hypomagnesemia: Putting it in Perspective, David A. Johnson, MD, Posted: 03/07/2011, From: Medscape Gastroenterology > Johnson on Gastroenterology

3.    http://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/20/11/2291.long  Kevin J. Martin,  Esther A. González and Eduardo Slatopolsky, Clinical Consequences and Management of Hypomagnesemia,  doi: 10.1681/ASN.2007111194 (JASN November 1, 2009 vol. 20 no. 11 2291-2295)

Stomach and duodenal ulcer diet, herbs, vitamins, natural treatment with diet, supplements and home remedy by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
“Melatonin or l-tryptophan accelerates healing of gastroduodenal ulcers in patients treated with omeprazole. Three groups (A, B and C) of 14 patients in each treatment group with gastroduodenal chronic ulcers were treated with omeprazole (20 mg twice daily) combined either with placebo (group A), melatonin (group B) or with Trp (group C). On day 7, omeprazole by itself (group A) had not healed any ulcers, but four ulcers were healed with omeprazole plus melatonin and two with omeprazole plus tryptophan. At day 21, all ulcers were healed in patients treated with melatonin or Trp, but only 10-12 ulcers were healed in placebo-treated patients. Plasma gastrin level also rose significantly during treatment with omeprazole plus melatonin or Trp, but it was also significantly increased in patients treated with omeprazole plus placebo. Plasma ghrelin levels did not change significantly after treatment with melatonin or Trp, while plasma leptin increased significantly in patients treated with melatonin or Trp but not with placebo. We conclude that melatonin or Trp, when added to omeprazole treatment, accelerates ulcer healing and this likely depends mainly upon the significant increments in plasma melatonin. J Pineal Res. 2011.”
“Antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiulcer and analgesic activities of nettle (Urtica dioica L.).
Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2004.
In this study, water extract of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) was studied for antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiulcer and analgesic properties. The antioxidant properties of stinging nettle were evaluated using different antioxidant tests, including reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, and metal chelating activities. Stinging nettle had powerful antioxidant activity. The 50, 100 and 250 microg amounts of stinging nettle showed 39, 66 and 98% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively, while 60 microg/ml of alpha-tocopherol, exhibited only 30% inhibition. Moreover, stinging nettle had effective reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, and metal chelating activities at the same concentrations. In addition, total phenolic compounds in the stinging nettle were determined as pyrocatechol equivalent. Stinging nettle also showed antimicrobial activity against nine microorganisms, antiulcer activity against ethanol-induced ulcerogenesis and analgesic effect on acetic acid-induced stretching.”5. http://www.raysahelian.com/methylmethioninesulfonium.html
***cysteine and MMSC (methylmethionine sulfonium chloride) supplementation for ulcers6. http://www.gihealth.com/newsletter/previous/071.html

***This 2007 newsletters is assuring us of the safety of the PPI’s for the heart (but turns out not for everybody’s heart – the genetic canaries who handle magnesium and calcium a little differently do need to avoid PPI use.  The increased fracture risk reported would be related not just to decreased calcium absorption but also to the decreased magnesium absorption in the genetically more at risk individuals.

“There was one study reported from England last year that suggested that acid suppression from PPI treatment may reduce calcium absorption from the diet and increase the risk of hip fracture, especially in the elderly. The study found a similar but smaller risk of hip fractures for another class of acid-fighting drugs called H2 blockers. Those drugs include Tagamet, Zantac, Axid and Pepcid. So far, this conclusion seems true, but most doctors feel that this risk can be averted by properly monitoring the bone density of elderly people taking the drugs and recommending calcium-rich diets to all patients.”

 Vladimir Chubanov *,  Siegfried Waldegger †, Michael Mederos y Schnitzler *,  Helga Vitzthum ‡, Martin C. Sassen †,  Hannsjörg W. Seyberth †, Martin Konrad †, and  Thomas GudermannDisruption of TRPM6/TRPM7 complex formation by a mutation in the TRPM6 gene causes hypomagnesemia with secondary hypocalcemia doi: 10.1073/pnas.0305252101 PNAS March 2, 2004 vol. 101 no. 9 2894-2899§ To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Philipps University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Strasse 1, 35033 Marburg, Germany. E-mail: guderman@staff.uni-marburg.de.
Magnesium references From Bibliography for Dietitian Recommends Stop Vitamin D and Calcium ASAP 

 

8. http://www.ijkd.org/index.php/ijkd/article/view/140 Assadi, F., Hypomagnesemia, An Evidence-Based Approach to Clinical Cases, (Iranian Journal of Kidney Diseases, Vol 4, No 1 (2010)
18. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20081245 Magdalena Bujalska, Helena Makulska-Nowak, Stanis³aw W. Gumuka Magnesium ions and opioid agonistsin vincristine-induced neuropathy , Department of Pharmacodynamics, Medical University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieoecie 26/28, PL 00-927 Warszawa, Poland
19. Magnesium: an emerging drug in anaesthesia, , Editorial I, M. F. M. James, British Journal of Anaesthesia, 103 (4): 465-7 (2009) DOI:10.1093/bja/aep242
23. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17823441 Dai Q, Shrubsole MJ, Ness RM, Schlundt D, Cai Q, Smalley WE, Li M, Shyr Y, Zheng W., The relation of magnesium and calcium intakes and a genetic polymorphism in the magnesium transporter to colorectal neoplasia risk. ( Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep;86(3):743-51)
24. Joan L Caddell, Geriatric cachexia: a role for magnesium deficiency as well as for cytokines?, Letter to the Editor, , (Am J Clin Nutr 2000;;71:844-53. pp 851-853)
25. Carl J Johnson, M.D., Donald R. Peterson, M.D., Elizabeth K. Smith, PhD, Myocardial tissue concentrations of magnesium and potassium in men dying suddenly from ischemic heart disease, (Am J Clin Nutr 32: MAY 1979, pp 967-970)
29. Geeta Sharma and Charles f Stevens, A mutation that alters magnesium block of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels, Pub: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of The united States 93.n17 (August 20, 1996): pp9259+. InfoTrac General Science Collection.
30. Beasley R, Aldington S, Magnesium in the treatment of asthma..Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand., Richard.Beasley@mrinz.ac.nz, Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Feb;7(1):107-10
32. Maged M. Costantine, MD, Steven J. Weiner, MS, Effects of Antenatal exposure to Magnesium Sulfate on Neuroprotection and Mortality in Preterm Infants: A Meta Analysis, Obstet Gynecol. 2009 August; 114(2 Pt 1): 354-364 DOI:10.1097/AOG0b013e3181ae98c2
33. Burton M. Altura, Bella T. Altura and Anthony Carella., Magnesium deficiency-induced spasms of umbilical vessels: relation to preeclampsia, hypertension, growth retardation. Pub:Science, 221 (July 22, 1983): pp376(2)
34. Burton M. Altura, Bella T. Altura, Asefa Gebrewold, Harmut Ising and Theo Gunther, Magnesium deficiency and hypertension: correlation between magnesium-deficient diets and microcirculatory changes in situ.,. Pub: Science, 223.(March 23, 1984): pp1315(3).
37. http://ahavaus.com/site/dead_sea_wonders.html Line of skin care products containing magnesium.
42. Magnesium intake from food and supplements is associated with bone mineral density in healthy older white subjects. (elderly health), Kathryn M. Ryder, Ronald I Shorr, Andrew J. Bush, Tamara Harris, Katie Stone and Frances A Tylavsky. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53.11 (Nove 2005): p1875-1881. Academic One File. Web. 13 Dec. 2010
43. DASH Diet May Cut Heart Disease Risk, – source John Hopkins Medicine, Today’s Dietitian, Vol . 12, No. 10, Oct. 2010, p 25
44. Christine Feillet-Coudray, Charles Coudray, Zjean-Claude Tressol, Denise Pepin, Andrzej Mazur, Steven A Abrams, Exchangeable magnesium pool masses in healthy women: effects of magnesium supplementation, Yves Rayssiguier, Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75;72-8
45. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2180507851.html “Researchers Identify Protein that Regulates Magnesium and Can Restart Stem Cells.” Targeted News Service. Targeted News Service LLC. 2010. HighBeam Research. 16 Feb. 2011 . “An international team led by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has published new findings that demonstrate how a specific protein controls the body’s ability to balance magnesium levels. Magnesium is an essential element for good health and is critical to more than 300 biochemical reactions that occur in the body. “Currently more than half of the US population does not consume an adequate amount of magnesium in their diet,” said Alexey G. Ryazanov, Ph.D., one of the study’s authors and a professor of pharmacology and member of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Magnesium deficiency may be associated with many medical disorders including hypertension, atherosclerosis, anxiety, asthma and a host of other disorders.” “The team of researchers from the United States, France and Poland demonstrated for the first time that a protein called TRPM7 plays a key role in the maintenance of magnesium homeostasis (balance within the body) and is essential for proliferation of embryonic stem cells.”
77. Neuromed Phamaceuticals and Merck & Co., Inc. Announce Agreement for Novel N-type Calcium channel Compounds, from Business Wire, March 20, 2006, High Beam Research – **Neuromed is a pharmaceutical company focusing on calcium channel blockers. “blocking pain signaling through the N-type calcium channel is a novel approach for the treatment of pain” said Christopher Gallen,MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neuromed. **Providing adequate magnesium would be a less novel way to block nerve pain caused by overexcitation by excess calcium. Citation #9 demonstrated that diabetic neuropathy pain could be reduced by magnesium injection alone – why bother with the opioid or the synthetic calcium channel blocker. They are an expensive and dangerous class of pharmaceuticals that would be pretty much not necessary if we weren’t being drained of magnesium reserves by excessive calcium and acidity intakes.
95 [also 3 above].      http://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/20/11/2291.long  Kevin J. Martin,  Esther A. González and Eduardo Slatopolsky, Clinical Consequences and Management of Hypomagnesemia,  doi: 10.1681/ASN.2007111194 (JASN November 1, 2009 vol. 20 no. 11 2291-2295)
96.      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2639130/?tool=pubmed  Karl T. Weber, William B. Weglicki, and Robert U. Simpson, Macro- and micronutrient dyshomeostasis in the adverse structural remodelling of myocardium,  (Cardiovasc Res. 2009 February 15; 81(3): 500–508.) Published online 2008 October 3. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvn261.
More Magnesium references:
  1. “Possible Interactions with: Magnesium,” http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/magnesium- 000968.htm.
  2. B Grimaldi, “The central role of magnesium deficiency in Tourette’s syndrome: causal relationships between magnesium deficiency, altered biochemical pathways and symptoms relating to Tourette’s syndrome and several reported comorbid conditions,” Medical Hypotheses 58, no. 1 (1, 2002): 47-60.
  3. G Eby, “Rescue treatment and prevention of asthma using magnesium throat lozenges: Hypothesis for a mouth–lung biologically closed electric circuit☆,” Medical Hypotheses 67, no. 5 (2006): 1136-1141.
  4. “Nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease… [Curr Atheroscler Rep. 1999] – PubMed result,” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11122711.
  5. “Magnesium deficiency and metabolic syndrome: stres… [Magnes Res. 2010] – PubMed result,” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20513641.
  6. “Magnesium and the inflammatory response: potential… [Arch Biochem Biophys. 2007] – PubMed result,” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16712775.
  7. “[Magnesium and inflammation: lessons from animal m… [Clin Calcium. 2005] – PubMed result,” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692164.
  8. P Chambers, “Lone atrial fibrillation: Pathologic or not?,” Medical Hypotheses 68, no. 2 (2007): 281-287.
  9. “Complementary vascular-protective actions of magnesium and taurine: A rationale for magnesium taurate,” http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(96)90007-9/abstract.
  10. Abe E. Sahmoun and Brij B. Singh, “Does a higher ratio of serum calcium to magnesium increase the risk for postmenopausal breast cancer?,” Medical Hypotheses 75, no. 3 (9, 2010): 315-318.
  11.  “Epidemiological evidence associating dietary calci… [Am J Nephrol. 1986] – PubMed result,” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2950755.
  12. “High fructose consumption combined with low dietar… [Magnes Res. 2006] – PubMed result,” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17402291.
  13. ..AppDataRoamingMozillaFirefoxProfiles5z5xh8vb.defaultzoterostorage4MGSRXSW9789241563550_eng.pdf   Cotruvo J, Bartram J, eds. Calcium and Magnesium in Drinking-water : Public health significance, Geneva, World Health Organization, 2009.
  14. “Protein peroxidation, magnesium deficiency and fib… [Magnes Res. 1996] – PubMed result,” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9247880.
  15. E Planells et al., “Effect of magnesium deficiency on vitamin B2 and B6 status in the rat,” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 16, no. 4 (August 1997): 352-356.
  16. Sivan Ben-Avraham et al., “Dietary strategies for patients with type 2 diabetes in the era of multi-approaches; review and results from the Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT),” Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 86 Suppl 1 (December 2009): S41-48.
  17. “Utility of magnesium as antiarrhythmic agent reviewed. – Health & Medicine Week | HighBeam Research – FREE trial,” http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-121345520.html.
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