As you learned in our previous blog, maximizing your magnesium levels and following the MVP is extremely important if you want to heal your physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual dis-ease.
Hopefully, we are all more conscious of our mag intake and which forms we supplement. Also, more aware that magnesium (Mg) is rapidly utilized or 'burned' to combat stressors of all kinds, including pollutants, heavy metals, emotional blockages, EMFs, and so much more. We must pull out all the stops to help keep our magnesium levels optimal. Fortunately, along my mineral optimizing journey, I have picked up a few tricks!
When talking about vitamins and minerals, we must be aware of co-factors. A co-factor is a special nutrient that is absolutely essential for the activity of a mineral. As I was diving deep down the rabbit hole of magnesium, I discovered that magnesium has three powerful co-factors that are necessary for magnesium's absorption and utilization.
Magnesium's 3 co-factors are the following:
Vitamin B6 - is an essential vitamin that helps our body soak up more magnesium and maximize how much Mg gets shuffled inside the cell. We recommend getting B6, and all B vitamins from whole food sources as B vitamins are closely interdependent and should not be taken as solo supplements! Taking high amounts of B6 without other B's actually depletes magnesium. My favorite way to get copious amounts of whole food B6 is by taking organic bee pollen in the first couple hours after awakening. Organic bee pollen is one of the first things I put in my body every morning, as it helps ensure that my cells soak up more Mg throughout the day. Additional great sources of B6 include beef liver, salmon, stabilized rice bran, and nutritional yeast.
Bicarbonate - helps get more magnesium inside the mitochondria. This is crucial because, without bicarbonate, our bodies would not be unable to absorb or use magnesium. Getting Mg into the mitochondria is essential because this is where ATP/energy is made, a mag-dependent process and crucial to healing. Vitality Salts are strategically blended with the ideal amount of potassium bicarbonate. Getting enough bicarbonate enables the body to fully utilize all of the magnesium coming in from food & supplements. It is important to note that the sodium or potassium in the bicarbonate is not the co-factor; instead, it is the bicarbonate salt. In addition, bicarbonate is half of a salt, so you will not find it all by itself, only in combinations. The two most popular combinations are sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and potassium bicarbonate. Both are effective bicarbonate sources. I prefer potassium bicarbonate over sodium bicarbonate because potassium is an essential mineral that is also governed by Mg. As with many topics we will discuss, I like to take my bicarbonate transdermally with soaks in Vitality Salts. I also stack my soaks with one of my other favorite bicarbonate forms, drinking magnesium bicarbonate water throughout the day. Check out our other blogs where we teach you how to use and make your own magnesium bicarbonate water, and our store to get your mag bicarbonate powder and CO2 bubbler.
Boron - is an element that, when combined with magnesium, helps keep magnesium inside the cell and helps your body hold onto it longer, so it can work more efficiently. Boron is a powerful antioxidant and works by lowering levels of oxidative stress in the body, helping lower the rate at which mag is utilized or burned. Boron also helps the body hold onto more mag by shuffling the Mg deeper into the bones and shuffling Calcium out of the arteries & tissues and back into the bones where it belongs. We always recommend getting your boron from your Vitality Salts, as even just a couple of tablespoons of Vitality Salts contains your daily intake of the purest source of boron (~17mg)! Additional sources include prunes, trace liquid mineral drops and Nano Boron, use code MAXVITALITY to save at checkout.
Finally, the adrenal cocktail helps keep magnesium balanced with other electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and Vitamin C. Check out some of our favorite adrenal cocktail DIY recipes, pre-made powders, and more on the science behind it here.
Once we understand these co-factors and that they all help maximize our mag absorption and magnesium levels, we are on our way to aiding and reversing the root cause of our dis-ease, caused by an energy/ATP deficiency. Follow the Max Vitality Protocol to do exactly that! I hope this helps deepen your understanding of magnesium and its co-factors. As always, if any questions come up, always feel free to zip me an email at info@maxvitality.co
I look forward to continuing to build with you and help you optimize your minerals and maximize your vitality, starting with magnesium and these powerful co-factors!
Much love and gratitude,
Max Casa
President and founder of Max Vitality