Total Health Magazine

Magnesium deficiency is very common because it has been removed from our grains and water supply. A deficiency in this mineral is the leading cause of many health concerns, including:

• High blood pressure
• Irregular heart beat/heart palpitations
• Muscle pain or cramping
• Restless legs
• Twitching eyelids
• Sleep disturbances
• Depression
• ADHD
• Headaches/or migraines
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Osteoporosis

Wild Bitter Melon Extract (Glycostat®) A full spectrum extract that is stable with a light color and mild aroma. Most bitter melon extracts darken with age and develop harsh aromas. (Image courtesy of Glykon Technologies Group, LLC.)

Bitter melon grows in the tropical and subtropical areas of the East Africa, Asia, India, South America and the Caribbean. It is used traditionally as both food and medicine in all of these areas. Momordica charantia goes by many names and is known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, balsam pear, karela, and pare. Most Westerners will identify bitter melon as looking like a pale green or green cucumber with warts. Indian varieties may be whitish to gray-green, as well. Commercial cultivars can range up to a foot or more in length, whereas wild bitter melon varieties may measure only an inch or so, more than making up for their small size with greater bitterness and intense flavor. The gourd becomes more bitter as it ripens. As a food, unripe bitter melon is used fresh in salads, cooked into soups and curries, employed as a flavoring for eggs, meat and so forth.

Taking Supplementation Seriously Part IV

In past articles, we presented the case for insuring nutritional sufficiency of the essential vitamins and minerals through supplementation. There is little debate that these micronutrients are requisite for human survival, and that their supplementation may be an apt course for some. A healthy diet also provides several other nutritionally-beneficial elements which, like the vitamins and minerals, are not always present at optimal levels and thus can potentially benefit from supplementation.

Dear Pharmacist,

I have high blood pressure and heart disease. I’m worried that I’m not doing enough. Do you have any recommendations?