Magnesium citrate, my friend

Yesterday I had a tension headache as a result of some leave-in conditioning hair spray which is supposed to be natural but contains some ingredient which has a strong odor. I sprayed it on my hair before going out thinking that the odor which irritates me would have time to dissipate before I came home.

However later in the early evening I got a serious tension headache. I got out my yoga-mat and trigger-point roller and did some work which helped. Then I thought about taking some Calm to help.

Calm was recommended to me as being good for someone who exercises a lot as being able to help the muscles calm down and relax. Also it is recommended to help with sleep difficulties which I regularly have. It definitely seemed to help with reducing the headache.

Calm is magnesium citrate. I later went out last night and, later in the night suddenly I felt like I really needed to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately there was a really long line where I was and I couldn’t wait, so I left and went home. I barely made it to my toilet in time.

I then read up about magnesium citrate and found out that its primary use is as a laxative. OMG. I just thought I would write this to caution anyone taking a magnesium citrate preparation before going out somewhere. Just be careful and make sure wherever you are going that you will have quick access to a restroom!

That said, I really love magnesium citrate. If what Calm claim on their website is true, most of us need more magnesium and it really benefits the body, especially active people who work their muscles a lot.

Even though the laxative effect was unexpected, I’m really glad it has a laxative effect because, in addition to often not being able to sleep well, I sometimes feel as if my body often does not process food as expeditiously as I would like it to, leading to a kind of bloated, constipated feeling.

I’m surprised thought that Calm do not seem to mention the laxative effect in their information.

Update: based on the article linked above, it looks like I already get a good amount of magnesium in my diet:

Kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, cashews, buckwheat, brazil nuts, dulse, filberts, millet, pecans, walnuts, rye, tofu, soy beans, brown rice, figs, dates, collard greens, shrimp, avocado, parsley, beans, barley, dandelion greens, and garlic

Taking a hot bath with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is a good way to absorb and get much needed magnesium.

I usually take an epsom salt bath at least twice a week! I like to add in a dropper of orange oil, tangerine oil, and lemon oil also. And I regularly eat most of the foods in the list above.