Government Censorship of this Page
On 28 July 2006, a State Food and Drug Investigator for the Texas Department of State Health Services, previously the Texas Department of Health, in an inspection of my business, Eby Pharma LLC, found violations of federal law as follows: "A review of the firm's web site, http://www.coldcure.com, showed that the web site promotes and sells Cardiovascular Research Ltd., Magnesium Taurate, 60 capsules, as a product that is intended to prevent, diagnose, mitigate, treat, or cure a disease (disease claims). This is not an all-inclusive review of the web site and the products that the firm markets. For example the web site includes the following information: "...magnesium taurate is the preferred forms of magnesium for treating depression..." and "...magnesium taurate also is wonderful in helping to prevent the diarrhea normally resultant from high-doses of magnesium..." and "...this is also the form of magnesium best for heart and brain health...".
I promised the State of Texas investigator that I would stop selling Cardiovascular Research Magnesium Taurate. OK. No big deal, or is it? How have we as a nation come to legally forbid any reference to "nutrients" as being able to prevent, diagnose, mitigate, treat and cure any disease as mandated by United States law DSHEA - 1994? Can you imagine not treating scurvy with vitamin C? How about Prozac for scurvy? How about Prozac for depression? I am no legal expert, but a friend of mine, John Hammell, owner of the International Advocates of Health Freedom is a world-class expert and witness on what is going on in the Federal government concerning health freedom in the United States. I asked John the following questions:
John, why has there been no (apparently) effort to overturn DSHEA on grounds that it is overly broad? Seems to me that the US has often reversed "overly broad" laws that are not in the public interest. Seems to me that any law that would be in direct opposition to truth would be illegal too. Seems to me that someone needs to attack laws that make it illegal to claim that a nutrient can not be claimed to cure a nutritional deficiency disease. To say that nothing except a drug can cure, treat, prevent or diagnose a disease is "overly broad" because nutritional deficiency can not be cured, treated or prevented by anything except a nutrient. Doesn't make any sense to me that laws like this have not been attacked. Any comments?"
John responded with these words: "DSHEA was passed in direct response to an FDA rule making effort called "The Dkykstra Report". The Dkykstra Report was an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule making that showed exactly what FDA intended to do to DESTROY the dietary supplement industry in America, and they had a congressional mandate through the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 to do just that. NLEA was a stealth bill that was rammed through the House at High Speed during the summer when most people were on vacation. I didn't even know about it til August of 1989 when I jumped in with both feet in an effort to defend consumer access to dietary supplements. By the time I was aware of the bill, it was on its way to the Senate like a guided missile aimed straight for the heart of the dietary supplement industry. It would have had the exact same effect as Codex still could have unless we pull off a miracle and kill ratification in July through the last ditch campaign we are organizing. (Note: This may happen! CODEX dealt setback in June of 2005!) When I jumped into the fray to try to kill the NLEA, I was shocked and stunned to learn that the National Nutritional Foods Assn (NNFA) (the biggest vitamin trade association and the one which about half the health food stores belong to) was FOR this horrible bill. At the time, I was unaware that they were not enforcing their conflict of interest disclosure bylaw such that they were allowing pharmaceutical companies to be amongst their membership. NNFA didn't switch their position on this bill and turn against it til it was too late to stop its passage. I and millions of other people fought with every ounce of strength we had to try to kill it in the Senate, but it had too much momentum to stop. We failed, but we at least curbed some of its worst excesses, and we passed DSHEA as additional protection. No piece of legislation is perfect, any piece of legislation involves compromises due to its being shaped by a real diverse group of people including those on the other side. Our biggest opponents during those days were Henry Waxman and John Dingle. They both inserted language into DSHEA that to this day is causing us problems. When Milton Bass, JD; Clinton Ray Miller, Gerald Kessler of Natures Plus, and I attempted to rectify some of the bigger problems found in DSHEA by introducing legislation that could have filled some of the more onerous holes, we didn't get far at all because we were shot down by the pharma dominated vitamin trade associations and also by a controlled opposition group called Citizens for Health. I can't recall the bill number now, its been so many years, but you'll find it on the scroll bar at http://www.iahf.com to this day, I haven't removed it. (The bill we were unable to pass that would have filled some of the worst holes in DSHEA.) Trojan Horse language was inserted into DSHEA by a 5th column group led by controlled opposition group "Citizens for Health." At the time, CFH's biggest financial backer was Nature's Way. Natures' Way was part of a coalition called the "European-American Phytomedicines Coalition" which was actively attempting to harmonize US to German law. They were operating in the US and Canada via two controlled opposition groups Citizens for Health in the USA , and Canadian Coalition for Health Freedom in Canada. IAHF was the sole voice attempting to expose both groups and I had death threats and constant threats of legal trouble for my efforts to expose them and for trying to stop CODEX. DSHEA does allow the making of structure function claims for dietary supplements. While not full fledged health claims, we also won a first amendment victory via Pierson v Schalala that should allow for the making of full health claims except the Supreme Court has refused to hear an additional complaint brought by Pierson that FDA refuses to obey the law. Against this backdrop of FDA refusing to obey current US dietary supplement laws we have the FDA violating US law at Codex meetings in Germany to set us up for harmonization of our laws to outrageously restrictive international standards. IAHF is going to be sending out an updated alert on this in the next few days. In the meantime, please see Suzanne Harris' latest article on Codex at http://www.thelawloft.com We're in a desperate race against the clock. Due to our membership in the WTO, we're no longer living in America. For all intents and purposes, America no longer exists because Congress lacks the political will to get us out of the WTO or the UN and Codex is rolling on us like a runaway freight train with very few people even aware of its existence or the threat it poses due to spin that's been done against my message for the past several years. We're hoping to pull of a miracle. Stay tuned. A new alert is coming very soon.
John Hammell, IAHF
Hummm. OK, that is a fine history of what happened, what is happening and what will likely happen. To sum it up in a nutshell, we are loosing our freedom of speech and our freedom of press and the public's right to buy and sell healthy products, perhaps mainly to continue our 15% GDP tithe to Big Pharma (pharmaceutical companies). As you read this article remember what is actually going on in America, and be warned. For a brief overview of the law, read DIETARY SUPPLEMENT HEALTH AND EDUCATION ACT OF 1994 and for a full review of this matter see the FDA's Dietary supplements review page. Click here for a brief review of CODEX within this page.
BUT! There is more. Turns out that the Life Extension Foundation can advertise and sell tons of nutritional supplements and describe exactly for what indication they are for and the FDA does nothing about it. Why? The Life Extension Foundation's people have sued the United States Food and Drug administration 3 times over freedom of speech issues and won each time at the Supreme Court level. Thank God for the Life Extension Foundation! It seems to me that the FDA had laws written that were in conflict with the United States Constitution. Read about it here. This is why you recently are seeing advertisements for foods and nutrients to "prevent" disease. Next, the Supreme Court will be asked whether or not the FDA can prohibit people from marketing nutrients to "treat"diseases. So, If you carry a big enough stick, it is possible to make the FDA bend over.
Homeopathic Uses for Magnesium
Even though the Texas Department of Health doesn't like magnesium as a cure for depression, magnesium has a long record of use as a depression treatment and for many different disorders in homeopathy, including depression realated disorders. For example magnesium chloride (Magnesia Muriatica), magnesium carbonate (Magnesia Carbonica), magnesium phosphate (Magnesia Phosphorica), magnesium sulfate (Magnesia Sulphurica) are all listed for use in treating the many disorders (click on item of interest in left-hand columns). However, if we want to look only at "MIND", then magnesium chloride (Magnesia Muriatica) is listed as being suitable for treating:
MIND
- mind; aversions, dislikes; company;
- aversions, dislikes; indolence, aversion to work;
- aversions, dislikes; indolence, aversion to work; evening;
- aversions, dislikes; aversion to mental work;
- aversions, dislikes; to being spoken to;
- behavior; kleptomania; steals dainties;
- behavior; makes noises; growling like a dog;
- behavior; shrieking; during sleep;
- behavior; inclination to sit;
- conversation;
- dazed;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; creatures and animals; horses;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; visions of phantoms, figures, people; sees thieves;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; death; sees dead persons;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; death; corpse on a bier; mutilated body;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; environment and surroundings; clouds; before the fancy;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; environment and surroundings; clouds; clouds and rocks as if looking over;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; environment and surroundings; is on a journey;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; environment and surroundings; strange; familiar things seem strange;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; illusions of fantasy;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; illusions of fantasy; during heat;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; fire; visions of fire;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; hears sounds; growling, as of a bear;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; hears sounds; noise;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; delusions about other people; friends; being friendless;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; about self; circumstances; being friendless;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; unpleasant; sees mutilated bodies;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; visions or presence of phantoms, figures, people; someone is reading after her, which makes her read faster;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; visions or presence of phantoms, figures, people; thieves; sees;
- delusions, imaginations, hallucinations, illusions; desire for open air;
- desires, wants; to kill; on waking;
- symptoms follow intense emotions; anger;
- excitement;
- excitement; during period;
- mental exertion;
- fantasies; of exaltation;
- fantasies; of exaltation; on reading;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; boredom, dissatisfaction (see loathing of life);
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; cheerful, happy; daytime;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; forsaken feeling;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; impulsive; capriciousness;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; indecisive;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; indifference, apathy, etc.;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; indifference, apathy, etc.; morning, on waking;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; indifference, apathy, etc.; to pleasure;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; morning;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; morning; after rising;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; morning; on waking;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; late morning;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; evening;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; after sexual intercourse;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; during headache;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; before period;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; during period;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; irritability; on waking;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; loathing;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; loathing; morning;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; mirth, hilarity, liveliness, etc.; morning;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; mood; repulsive, bad mood;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; morose; morning;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; sensitive, oversensitive;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; sensitive, oversensitive; to noise;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; sensitive, oversensitive; to noise; voices;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; sensitive, oversensitive; to reading;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; sulky;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; unfriendly humor;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; unhappy; despair; discouraged;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; unhappy; discontent, displeased, dissatisfied, etc.;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; unhappy; sadness, mental depression;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; unhappy; sadness, mental depression; morning;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; unhappy; sadness, mental depression; before eating;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; unhappy; sadness, mental depression; eating;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; unhappy; sadness, mental depression; during period;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; weeping, crying, tearful mood (lamenting);
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; weeping, crying, tearful mood (lamenting); after eating;
- emotions, feelings, attitude, disposition; weeping, crying, tearful mood (lamenting); in sleep;
- home-sickness (see desires home);
- hysteria;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; chaotic;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; difficulty concentrating;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion; morning;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion; on rising;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion; open air;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion; after dinner;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion; after eating;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion; when lying down;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion; from mental exertion;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; confusion; wrapping up head;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; dull, sluggish;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; dull, sluggish; morning; on rising;
- intellectual faculties; impaired thinking; dull, sluggish; in open air;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; morning;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; morning; on waking;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; afternoon;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; afternoon; until evening;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; evening;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; evening; in bed;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; evening; in bed; on closing the eyes;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; night;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; night; before midnight;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; open air;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; in bed;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; on closing eyes;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; during dinner;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; after eating;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; burping, belching;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; during fever;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; about health;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; in house;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; while reading;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; anxiety; before stool;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; fear;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; fear; evening;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; fear; after dinner;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; fear; after eating;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; fear; after food;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; fear; of robbers;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; frightened easily; starting, startled; like electric shocks; shocks through the body while wide awake;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; frightened easily; starting, startled; during sleep;
- insecure, uncertain, scared; frightened easily; starting, startled; during sleep; starting from sleep;
- perception; time; time passes too slowly;
- preoccupied; absorbed, buried in thought; introspection;
- restlessness, nervousness;
- restlessness, nervousness; evening;
- restlessness, nervousness; evening; in bed;
- restlessness, nervousness; night;
- restlessness, nervousness; night; before midnight;
- restlessness, nervousness; night; 2 a.m.;
- restlessness, nervousness; anxious, etc.;
- restlessness, nervousness; forcing out of bed;
- restlessness, nervousness; tossing about in bed;
- restlessness, nervousness; on closing eyes at night;
- restlessness, nervousness; during heat;
- restlessness, nervousness; internal;
- restlessness, nervousness; while lying down;
- restlessness, nervousness; during period;
- mental symptoms from sexual excesses;
- talking, conversation; aversion to answering;
- talking, conversation; aversion to answering; morning;
- talking, conversation; contrary (see obstinate, irritable);
- talking, conversation; obstinate;
- talking, conversation; dislike of talking, desire to be silent, taciturn;
- talking, conversation; dislike of talking, desire to be silent, taciturn; morning;
- talking, conversation; of others;
- talking, conversation; in sleep;
- thoughts (see preoccupied); thoughtful;
- unconsciousness;
- unconsciousness; evening; when lying down;
- unconsciousness; after eating;
- unconsciousness; while lying down;
Consequently, to the regulators that think that magnesium is a
"new" drug treatment for depression, I say they are wrong. Magnesium has been around much longer than they, and humans have recognized it as treatment for many disorders and diseases much longer than the Food and Drug Administration and its lackeys have been in business. Fortunately, The Congressman who wrote the FDA law, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1939, was a homeopathy supporter named Sabath, from Illinois, and he made certain that homeopathy would remain legal. Consequently, any governmental regulator that says that we can not make drug claims for magnesium as a treatment for depression, a depression treatment, cure for depression, or means to prevent depression and a wide variety of related mental condition is on legally shaky grounds. All we have to do is use the proper Latin words!
Back to My Story
Back to my history and how I learned to cure my depression. When I purchased my first bottle of magnesium glycinate, it was not from intelligence that I chose that particular compound of magnesium. It was just what was available on the shelf at the store I visited. After considerable research, I found that the store provided the best form of magnesium that I could have chosen to treat depression. Both glycine and taurine have been used to effectively treat depression, and both should be taken with magnesium while treating depression. Also taurine has been shown to be low or absent in 100 percent of people with depression and chronic pain according to Shealy.
I quit taking and quit recommending magnesium glycinate without additive taurine because glycine, in the doses taken and while taken for a protracted period of time, will damage its delicate balance with another amino acid, taurine (unless it is also taken). Taurine is vital to mental and cardiac health and must not be disturbed, while glycine is ubiquitous and appears highly unlikely to be bothered by too much taurine. For example, diets with up to 1% as taurine had no adverse effect on test animals. Long term high doses of glycinate may cause cardiac arrhythmias, and will never allow total recovery from depression or other mood disorders. However, most people will find that magnesium glycinate works miracles for them in the short-term. Also, both magnesium and taurine have been proven to be low in depression in about 80% and 100% of depression cases respectively, so why not take glycine and taurine and magnesium? Read Shealy's article starting here. See sentence immediately before the Discussion section. This does not mean magnesium glycinate is harmful in the short- or near-term, it just means one shouldn't use it year in and year out (without taurine), and it must be IMMEDIATELY stopped if side effects, particularly cardiac arrhythmias (PACs) occur. Taurine is the antidote to many cardiac problems. See this page for the first and only scientific discussion on how taurine prevents and treats experimental extra systoles (pre atrial contractions PACs) and many other serious heart conditions.
Glycine (the second component of magnesium glycinate) chelates (removes) mercury from the body. Citric acid and cysteine also remove mercury. The first stability constants for mercury binding with glycine or cysteine or citric acid are in the log 10 to log 14 range, which are vastly stronger bindings than can be broken by any natural biology or chemistry event occurring in the body. Glycine is a non-essential amino acid, but for people with mercury poisoning, it, cysteine and citric acid may be highly important. Because of these amazing chelating, sequestering or binding powers, if they reacted with mercury in any form in the body, they should be able to bind them much more tightly, making mercury biologically unavailable in the body. Perhaps, consumption of large amounts of these amino acids from high quality protein sources, and consumption of citrus help protect from the toxic effects of mercury. Mercury is extremely toxic and can cause depression and many symptoms associated with depression. These symptoms include, insomnia, nervousness, memory loss, dizziness, anxiety, loss of self-confidence, irritability, drowsiness, weight loss, tremors, paraesthesia (numbness and tingling), hallucinations, headaches, fatigue, muscle weakness, hearing difficulties, emotional instability, skin inflammation, incoordination and kidney damage. The common areas where mercury is found are: auto exhaust emissions, used motor oils, pesticides, fertilizers, dental amalgams (silver fillings), drinking water (tap and well), leather tanning chemicals, felt, bleached flour, processed foods, fabric softeners, fish (tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tile fish), calomel (mercury chloride contaminant in talc, body powder), paint pigments and solvents, cinnabar (mercury sulfide - used in red jewelry items), inorganic mercury laxatives, mercurochrome/methiolate anti-infectives, cosmetics (mascara), floor waxes and polishes, wood preservatives, water plumbing & piping, adhesives, batteries, used air conditioner filters (better here than in the air), broken thermometers, and some electronic equipment. Consequently, supplementing several grams of these chelating agents daily is a good idea regardless of current mental health. However, DMSA is the drug, apparently a harmless drug, of choice for removing heavy metals. Succeed! Depression is not a psychosis!
Collected Thoughts on Dosage
Now, more than 3 years after my very rapid recovery, I still ponder the correct dosage for magnesium, perhaps because this is the number one question asked by readers. What are the facts? There are some in the
FDA who believe the U.S. RDA of 400 mg for men and 350 for women is too low, and that many persons need as much as 900 a day in their diet for a normal life. Canada, who pays for its citizen's health care, has a RDA of 600 mg magnesium for adults.
Dosage depends on the ligand, the thing to which the magnesium is attached. In the case of magnesium glycinate, the ligand is "glycinate or glycine". Absorption is largely a property of contact of the magnesium ion with the lining of the stomach and intestines. If magnesium is lightly bound to the ligand, then the acidity of the stomach can "ionize" the magnesium from its ligand and convert it to magnesium chloride (from the stomach acid hydrochloric acid) and finally into a positively charged ionic form for transfer into the blood where it is then picked up by various other ligands for transport to cells. Stomach acid can reduce the magnesium compound to the ionic form for metal complexes that have low to modest chemical stability, releasing both the magnesium ion and the ligand. The following magnesium compounds have sufficiently low stability that they offer very high absorption and are well tolerated. Magnesium acetate, chloride, citrate, gluconate, glycinate, lactate, malate, succinate and sulfate are all very good, ionizable sources of magnesium. Intravenously, hospitals give magnesium sulfate. Magnesium chloride would be best, but it is very hygroscopic and difficult to properly package, but it makes a wonderful oily skin lotion when present in more than 25% concentrations in water and is readily and beneficially absorbed. I like the "Ancient Minerals" magnesium chloride product sold by LL's Magnetic Clay. It is supposed to be from an ancient European mineral deposit called the "Zechstein magnesium salt bed" in Europe.
On the other hand, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium stearate and magnesium carbonate are totally useless (and potentially dangerous) because they are too tightly bound together for the stomach acid to dissociate into ionic form and they will not benefit humans at all. If you rely on them for your daily magnesium, you will soon die or become so ill that you will change your ways. This medical journal article abstract reported that "taking magnesium citrate was best absorbed, and that magnesium oxide was no better than taking placebo." This medical journal article reported that "Results indicated relatively poor bioavailability of magnesium oxide (fractional absorption 4 per cent) but significantly higher and equivalent bioavailability of magnesium chloride, magnesium lactate and magnesium aspartate." Another article reported "The increment in urinary magnesium following magnesium citrate load (25 mMol) was significantly higher than that obtained from magnesium oxide load (during 4 hours post-load, 0.22 vs 0.006 mg/mg creatinine, p less than 0.05; during second 2 hours post-load, 0.035 vs 0.008 mg/mg creatinine, p less than 0.05). Thus, magnesium citrate was more soluble and bioavailable than magnesium oxide." This can be interpreted to mean that magnesium oxide raised blood levels of magnesium only 1 / 37 that of magnesium citrate. NOTE: I personally know someone that took 500 mg of magnesium from magnesium oxide every day for 40 years and died of a massive heart attack. These dirt cheap inorganic forms of