Dr. Carolyn Dean Live

HOUR 2

Kidneys Require Magnesium- Carolyn Dean MD ND 

The NIH acknowledges a “growing burden of kidney disease.” Statistics show a sharp increase with kidney disease affecting one in ten American adults. 

More and more people are looking for alternatives to improve the structure and function of their kidneys. That’s why one of the most requested sections from my book, The Magnesium Miracle (2017), is entitled, “Kidney Disease” and it’s partly because kidney patients are being told that they can’t take magnesium!  

Magnesium and Kidney Disease: The Issue 

I’ve been writing about kidneys and magnesium supplementation for years to clear up the confusion about how and when to use magnesium if you have any degree of kidney disease.  

My article, “Kidney Artery Calcification Causes Kidney Disease,” gives a simple explanation of why doctors, who may be uniformed about magnesium, tell patients to avoid taking it. That is because patients with no kidney function, who are on dialysis, can build up high levels of magnesium if they are given IV magnesium. That’s right, if the kidneys are badly damaged, magnesium is not released. Those cases led to doctors giving "blanket" advice that patients should avoid magnesium if they have ANY level of kidney disease. 

Magnesium is necessary for 80% of metabolic functions, that’s why everybody, including people with kidney disease must have magnesium. But it has to be in a bioavailable form. If it’s bioavailable, which means it goes directly into the cells, then it’s not building up in the blood and blocked from being eliminated through the kidneys. 

What Causes Chronic Kidney Disease? 

Modern medicine says Chronic Kidney Disease ("CKD") is epidemic because of obesity, hypertension, smoking, and lipid disorders. But they admit they really do not know exactly what is causing it. The lab findings are: elevated levels of serum phosphorus, serum calcium, PTH, and FGF-23 (Fibroblast Growth Factor). CKD develops as the kidneys slow down their filtration of urine and hold onto calcium and phosphorous. 

Even though medical texts say that calcium and magnesium compete with each other, and an excess of one can lead to excretion of the other, there was absolutely no mention of magnesium in these writings. 

What if the calcium and phosphorus elevation come first and then cause kidney damage? Holding onto calcium is something the body does naturally. Whereas magnesium is flushed out through the urine or bowels when the body is under stress or in at times when you have saturated yourself with magnesium. The likely reason is that early mankind lived near oceans with access to fish, seaweeds and thus plenty of magnesium, but with few calcium sources, like dairy and green leafy vegetables. Ocean water has three times more magnesium than calcium and twice more magnesium than phosphorus. Therefore, enhancing calcium absorption and preventing magnesium excess were survival mechanisms that were encoded in our wiring millennia ago. Current promotion of calcium as supplements and fortified foods makes us a very calcified population. 

Elevated calcium and phosphorous trigger an alarm in the endocrine system which responds by trying to keep calcium and phosphate serum concentrations in balance. However, elevated PTH (parathyroid hormone), even though it does decrease phosphorous, also increases calcium. Vitamin D3, which is processed in the kidney, will decline, and that decreases calcium. So, there is a great push and pull in the midst of all these balancing mechanisms. As kidney disease progresses, the rise in serum calcium and phosphate leads to calcification in soft tissues, particularly in blood vessels. 

Supplementing Magnesium Improves Kidney Function and Is Safe 

Not only do I believe using magnesium is safe I believe it’s necessary. In “Kidney Artery Calcification Causes Kidney Disease,” I discuss the problem of calcification of the renal arteries and the role magnesium plays in dissolving calcium: 

Another scenario plays out in the kidneys and bladder. If there is too much calcium in the kidneys and not enough magnesium to dissolve it, you can develop kidney stones. Calcium deposited on the bladder wall can make it rigid, lower its capacity, and lead to frequent urination and leaking. A 2015 study confirms magnesium’s role in dissolving calcium crystals in artery calcification.  

Kidney artery calcification is common in chronic kidney disease and may be as common as coronary artery calcification in the heart, but it has been neglected because it cannot be treated with stents or artery bypass. 

Let me simplify my view. If any of you know my work with magnesium, you know that too much calcium will knock out magnesium. So, my first thought would be to treat CKD with ReMag, which would naturally diminish calcium and phosphorus. Since magnesium is required by over 1000 enzymes systems in the body, you can be sure it is required by the kidneys. Magnesium also has about 4,000 receptor sites on body proteins. However, as I mentioned above, doctors have been conditioned to avoid magnesium in kidney disease. 

I even have kidney failure as a contraindication in my Magnesium Miracle book. However, there is a great deal of difference between kidney disease and kidney failure. So, I think doctors are avoiding it to the detriment of patients' health, and their treatment approach is actually increasing magnesium deficiency. 

How Do I Improve My Kidney Health? 

1. I continue to lobby for ionized magnesium and calcium testing for the public. You can use these tests as guides to balance your magnesium to calcium ratios (I usually suggest 1:1.). So, I urge you to lobby for this type of testing, too. 
2. I also suggest you consider using ReMag to saturate your body with magnesium. Over time, your body will use the magnesium to dissolve the calcium in your arteries. 
3. Keep a food diary of the calcium rich foods you eat. Aim for ingesting 600 mg of calcium per day from your food. If for some reason you cannot do this (You don't eat dairy, fish, or green leafy vegetables, for example.), then supplement your shortfall with ReCalcia. 
4. Consider adding other minerals that may be deficient with our ReMyte multiple mineral.  
5. Since kidney disease and diabetes often march hand-in-hand, investigate a low carb/medium protein/high fat meal plan. I point you to my interview with Dr. Jason Fung, internationally-known nephrologist who suggests the keto diet with modified fasting to improve pancreas and kidney function. 

About Dr. Carolyn Dean   

Dr Carolyn Dean MD ND has been featured on national media for over 30 years offering practical strategies to improve health, vitality, and well-being the natural way. As a medical doctor, naturopath, certified clinical nutritionist and master of many modalities including acupuncture and homeopathy, Dr. Carolyn Dean MD ND has authored over 33 books and 100 publications including The Magnesium Miracle, 3rd Edition, Hormone Balance, Future Health Now Encyclopedia and Heart Health. Please note that the information and opinions expressed on these broadcasts are not designed to constitute advice or recommendations as to any disease, ailment, or physical condition. You should not act or rely upon any information contained in these broadcasts without seeking the advice of your personal physician. If you have any questions about the information or opinions expressed during these broadcasts, please contact your doctor. 

Disclosure: Dr. Dean does have a financial interest in the sale of all the Completement Formulas. 

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