Best Supplements for Fibromyalgia: Magnesium for Healthy Brains and Bones

When you are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, you are forced to suffer through a gauntlet of unpleasant symptoms like muscle pain, point tenderness and fatigue [1]. To add insult to injury, even modern medicine is unable to determine the exact underlying etiology of why fibromyalgia occurs. Physiological and physical stress at the workplace is one of the most common types of risk factors that can predispose you to develop fibromyalgia [2]. To treat this pain, physicians are quick to prescribe pain-killers to help you cope with this discomfort, but this may not be enough. There are supplements for fibromyalgia on the market to help you manage these symptoms. As we have already seen, 5-HTR can be used for fatigue and SAMe is useful for depression but can you use magnesium for healthy brains and bones when managing your fibromyalgia? 

Magnesium for Healthy Brains 

Magnesium has many important functions when it comes to your healthy brain. Not only is it useful in some of the enzymatic processes but it is also a prominent vasodilator that allows your blood to flow more to your brain. The most important function of magnesium is to block the influx of glutamate and calcium into the brain. If magnesium levels are low, glutamate and calcium can freely enter your brain which is believed to be the pathogenesis of neurological degeneration and cell death. In different studies, the researchers linked lower levels of magnesium with increased levels of depression. [3]

When considering the protective functions of magnesium, studies have also shown that high magnesium levels play a role in your protection against stroke. In an elaborate cohort study involving 26,000 smokers, researchers assessed the likelihood of stroke in patients taking supplemental magnesium compared to smokers on a regular diet. 

When it comes to the brain's health in patients that have fibromyalgia, several physiological abnormalities lead to problems with concentration, gaps in memory and mood disturbances like depression and anxiety [5]. Science believes that disturbances in the balance of serotonin and epinephrine in the brain cause these physical manifestations. Although there is currently no direct link, researchers believe that supplemental magnesium would increase the level of serotonin and epinephrine indirectly and improve some of the mental deficits associated with fibromyalgia. 

Magnesium for Healthy Bones 

Magnesium is not one of the beneficial supplements for fibromyalgia in healthy brains; it also plays a significant role in building and maintaining healthy bones. 

About 50 percent of all the magnesium that we eat makes it way into our bones, while the remaining half scatters around soft tissue found throughout our bodies [6]. Like in the brain, magnesium can have several beneficial outcomes if levels are adequate in the diet.

In one study, various levels of magnesium were administered to an animal population. Dosages ranged from a tenth of a standard dose up to 10 times the daily recommended level of magnesium. Researchers determined that animals that had low levels of magnesium suffered from a condition called failure to thrive, a disorder where you are essentially wasting away due to lack of nutrients. However, in animals that were given doses 5 and 10 times the standard recommendation, there was a subsequent decline in levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids. 

Another study proves how useful magnesium can be as a supplement for fibromyalgia — research applies directly to the usage of magnesium for healthy bones. 60 women suffering from fibromyalgia were treated with magnesium citrate, amitriptyline (a standard TCA), or a combination of the two. Before the investigation, blood was taken from patients and it was determined that patients with more severe symptoms of fibromyalgia also had a lower level of magnesium in their red blood cells. At the conclusion of the study, it was determined that there was a significant inverse relationship between the levels of magnesium and the severity of symptoms. 

When used as a monotherapy, magnesium citrate was only effective at reducing the number of tender points and the overall fibromyalgia pain relief. When used in combination with a standard TCA used to treat anxiety, researchers determined that patients benefited the most and improved in depressive symptoms and overall mood as well. 

We can, without a shadow of a doubt, conclude that magnesium is a perfect supplement for fibromyalgia and that magnesium can be used for healthy brains and bones.