Transdermal Magnesium Therapy

Posted by Mark Sircus on 21 October 2010

Lately I have been having my massage therapist heat my magnesium oil and it feels wonderful, especially when the air temperature dips. It seems to penetrate faster and deeper. Heat enhances the transdermal delivery by increasing skin permeability, body fluid circulation, blood vessel wall permeability, rate-limiting membrane permeability, and drug solubility. Diffusion through the skin is a temperature-dependent process, so raising the skin temperature adds thermodynamic drive.[1]

Many studies of transdermal and subcutaneous drug administration indicate that the total amount of drug absorbed and the consequent plasma drug concentrations increased during heat exposure. Heating prior to or during topical application of magnesium oil will dilate penetration pathways in the skin and increase kinetic energy and the movement of magnesium ions in the treated area. Heating the skin after the topical application of magnesium will also increase magnesium absorption into the vascular network, enhancing the systemic delivery. Increases in temperature will enhance absorption through the skin by increasing skin permeability, rate-limiting membrane permeability, and magnesium solubility in solution. Heat induces vasodilation and acceleration of skin blood flow, which impacts absorption and distribution of magnesium to the systemic circulation. This also occurs in heated bath water to which magnesium has been added.

I have been massaging five of my clients up to three times a week with the magnesium gel for a month now. I found the oil is a little too potent for direct massage on many elderly clients with thin skin especially in light of thinners, etc. The magnesium gel is much better received. For nearly four weeks one of my 86-year-old clients has been receiving the gel on his legs arms shoulders and chest via massage three times per week only. Some of this client’s maladies were: practically nonresponsive 90 percent of the time; difficulty walking; latter stages of retinal neuropathy; and was in consistent excruciating cervical pain. Recently he has been walking to the bathroom unaided and started reading again for the first time in a year. My client has not complained for over a week about his neck. He converses much more, and is more responsive. These are not my observations only. The home care nurses have all remarked upon the miraculous recovery he has made. I would love to take credit for it, but my massage has not changed. The only thing that has changed in my client’s vast medical protocol and diet preparation … is the Ancient Minerals magnesium gel. I am amazed. I have 28 years of massage therapy experience and so far what I am anecdotally observing regarding this magnesium gel is very impressive. I have been searching for a viable magnesium vector for my clients and now I have it.

Brian Hirsch, MA

The delivery of drugs transdermally (through the skin) provides several important advantages over traditional oral and intravenous delivery routes. Transdermally delivered drugs avoid the risk and inconvenience of intravenous therapy, bypass the liver in terms of first pass elimination, usually provide less chance of an overdose or underdose, allow easy termination, and permit both local and systemic treatment effects.[2]

Many years ago I wrote a chapter called Detoxification Through the Skin and we know how sweat, sauna, and clay create channels of elimination of chemicals and heavy metals from the body. The old saying goes here: whatever can come out can go in, and in fact we do find the skin very porous allowing a river of substances in or out of the body.

Dr. Norman Shealy [3] conducted a study that showed transdermal absorption with magnesium chloride, and Dr. R. H. Waring [4] did the same for magnesium sulfate. Both doctors found that their test results sustained the view that transdermal application of magnesium salts was a safe and easy way to increase magnesium levels in the body.According to Daniel Reid, the Epsom salts some people take as a magnesium supplement contains magnesium sulfate, which is much more rapidly excreted through the kidneys than magnesium chloride is, and is therefore more difficult to assimilate. The effects of magnesium chloride last much longer in the body. Compounds are thought to transfer through the skin by a predictable system of passive diffusion, defined by Fick’s Law[5] and the rate of permeation.

I have been a certified massage therapist for the past four years and operate my own private practice. Since opening my business, I have tried almost every massage lotion, oil, gel, cream, etc. out there and I’ve never found the “perfect” one… until now. I specialize in deep tissue massage so I was always finding that the products I purchased were either too oily or even too dry with not enough glide to help me perform at my optimal level. I started using Ancient Minerals Magnesium Gel for the last month on most all my clients and the results have been fantastic. My clients love the fact that on top of receiving therapeutic work in the form of massage, they are also receiving magnesium transdermally. One of my clients has been suffering with fibromyalgia for the past year, and she has come every week for the last month and she has never felt better. She can sleep through the night and her pain level has decreased drastically. Someone who came to me every week just to get through the following couple of days can now last the entire week feeling better… this means the world to her. I’m excited to see the clients that come into my office receive even more health benefits and improvements than from my bodywork alone.

Jennifer Rhodes, CMT

Dr. Gary Gordon wrote, “If you have compromised cell membranes or low ATP production for any reason, then the cell has trouble maintaining the normal gradient. This is because the usual gradient is 10,000 times more calcium outside of cells than inside; when this is compromised you will have increased intracellular calcium, which seems to always happen at the time of death. Whenever intracellular calcium is elevated, you have a relative deficiency of magnesium, so whenever anyone is seriously ill, acute or chronic, part of their plan must be to restore magnesium, which is poorly absorbed through oral means.”

Mg is basically the antidote to calcium. When
there is not enough magnesium, calcium runs wild, 
constricting arteries and making the body more rigid.

Many things affect magnesium absorption from the gut no matter what form of oral supplement is used, and this seriously compromises oral administration in medical treatment. Most drugs will adversely affect how magnesium taken orally is absorbed or how quickly it will be excreted. Since oral supplementation is touch-and-go in terms of retention, transdermal magnesium therapy becomes crucial to the allopath, the naturopath, and everyone in between.

“When people are ill and faced with magnesium deficiency and poor digestion, what do you think the odds are of fixing that problem with oral magnesium supplementation and digestive enzymes alone?” asks Dr. Ronald Hoffman.Mildred Seelig, Ph.D., renowned researcher of magnesium, predicts it would take six months to normalize magnesium levels in a woman who is magnesium deficient with oral supplementation. In his clinic Dr. Hoffman carefully measures magnesium and found that many patients with low magnesium who take just oral supplements do not normalize. The bottom line is that transdermal magnesium therapy speeds up the process of nutrient repletion in much the same way as intravenous methods. Like intravenous, transdermal application of magnesium can deliver higher doses of this key mineral to the cells.

Magnesium Promotion

I have again been able to talk the folks at LL’s Magnetic Clay Company into another promotion on the magnesium flakes for my IMVA readership. For two weeks they will give 40 percent off of their normal retail price for 32 pounds of bath flakes. That translates to 90 dollars for Ancient Minerals magnesium bath flakes which come from deep underground deposits that are the purest you can find. The special 40% off pricing on the 32-pound size of bath flakes is available via the discount code “imvabaths.”

• Ancient Minerals Magnesium Chloride Flakes – 32 lbs $90.00

Many parents of autistic children have already discovered the great power and grace of giving their children strong magnesium baths:

My daughter has autism, and she is now 12 years old. We recently tried the Ancient Minerals Magnesium Bath Flakes—we used it when we were out of town for a family wedding, hoping it would keep her calm and able to handle all of the new people, places etc… I have never seen her behave so well as she did at that wedding. A child who usually shies away from crowds was actually dancing in a room full of people. For me the night was flooded with compliments on how fantastic she looked (normal even!). But I know I must give the credit for that day to the magnesium bath we gave her the night before—she has never been so calm and relaxed! Thank you for making such a special day for our family enjoyable to everyone!

Amy Perry and Family

There is no replacement for magnesium—no getting around deficiencies—just as there is no getting around a lack of oil in the engine of one’s car. The correction of magnesium deficit should be considered first in clinical practice. In summary, magnesium is a safe and simple intervention and should be the first thing we recommend to our patients in most clinical situations.

Application methods for transdermal magnesium therapy:

• Body spray: Simply spray all over the body after a bath or a shower, before bedtime or anytime. If the salt solution is too strong making the skin feel uncomfortable, dilute it with water in a 1:1 ratio.
• Massage: Massage into the body 2-3 times a week. With the added benefit of a massage that softens and opens the skin, magnesium is absorbed even more readily, resulting in ultimate relaxation. Magnesium massage is a treatment fit for a queen, for Cleopatra herself.
• Body rub: Same as a massage, only done more quickly.
• Bath: Use 1-3 times a week. The most luxurious and relaxing experience. Use several cups to several pounds of magnesium bath flakes in very warm water before bed time for ultimate relaxation, relief of aches, pains, to promote sleep, replenish magnesium levels.
• Foot bath: Used daily, it will improve circulation in the legs and help heal ulcers, as well as replenish magnesium levels through the feet.
• Compress: One of the best ways to use magnesium chloride transdermally is in a compress—either hot or cold, depending on the condition. For inflammations and recent injuries where tissues are painful, hot and swollen, use a cool compress. To keep it cool, use an ice pack to apply on top of the soaked cloth. For chronic nagging aches, muscle tension, or back pain, use warm to hot magnesium compresses.A warm magnesium chloride compress applied on the forehead and the back of the neck and head will help relieve a tension headache and a migraine. The same compress will relieve aching muscles after strenuous exercise. Use locally on affected areas, such as legs, joints, etc. Use one part magnesium oil or flakes to 3-4 parts water or even use pure magnesium oil. Soak a cloth, apply on the area, wrap around with a cling film and then with a warm scarf. Leave on for 1-3 hours or even overnight.
• Gargle, mouthwash: Mix with warm water (1:3 ratio), gargle or rinse mouth in cases of an infection. When used in full strength in the mouth we strengthen both teeth and gums.
• Vaginal douche: Mix with water as above. Use for thrush or other minor infections with sodium bicarbonate.
• Body wraps: Use in body wraps to relieve aches, pains, stress, or to boost circulation or metabolism.

New Magnesium Lotion

And for sensitive children, adults, and women interested in beauty applications there is now Ancient Minerals Magnesium Lotion, which is a smooth, quickly absorbed emulsion of magnesium chloride in a skin-nourishing base of certified organic oils. Formulated for even the most sensitive individuals, Ancient Minerals Magnesium Lotion offers a gentler concentration of magnesium chloride than magnesium oil or gel products. Rich in plant moisturizers, including coconut oil and shea butter, this lotion soothes and hydrates without leaving your skin feeling waxy or greasy. It feels silky, goes on really nice, and feels great! It heals the skin, is good for acne, psoriasis, and eczema as it enhances the natural beauty of the skin.