Dear DR. ROACH: I am a 72-yr-aged girl in good wellness, but I have been plagued for several years with muscle cramps and spasms in my legs. My actual physical therapist instructed magnesium dietary supplements. I have been having these nutritional supplements for about 4 several years with great results.
About a yr in the past, I started getting incredibly unfastened bowel actions. To simplicity that, I commenced using psyllium, and that corrected the condition. Not long ago, the unfastened bowels came again. I did some looking at and discovered that older people should really not choose additional than 350 mg of magnesium every day, and I have been using 500 mg. Could this be creating my bowel challenges? I have been encountering some other minor gastrointestinal problems but had just set it off to age.
So, exactly where do I go from here? — P.
Response: Magnesium is frequently applied by persons with leg cramps, and although many randomized trials — exactly where a man or woman did not know no matter if they were being getting magnesium or an inactive capsule — have shown magnesium no improved than placebo, I routinely get letters from people telling me magnesium has assisted them.
Magnesium is not very well-absorbed orally, and considerably of it passes as a result of the colon, causing diarrhea. The extra magnesium you choose, the far more diarrhea you are probably to have, so the first move is slicing again on the magnesium. That ought to lower or take care of the diarrhea if the magnesium is causing it.
Psyllium husks are an superb source of fiber and a handy therapy for the two constipation and diarrhea. You can maintain getting that, possibly as needed or all the time — it is safe.
I advise nonmedication procedure for leg cramps, primarily typical stretching and reasonable physical exercise. Tight bedding is a recurrent, and occasionally unrecognized, bring about of cramps, so get utilized to sleeping with sheets and blankets untucked.
Expensive DR. ROACH: I experienced been having 5 mg of instant-dissolving melatonin as a sleep aid, getting been certain it was totally risk-free and not pattern-forming. Just lately, I go through anything that terrified me: Seemingly, melatonin stimulates manufacturing of estrogen. I am a breast cancer survivor, and I am not permitted to have estrogen of any form. I stopped it immediately. Is this accurate? If so, why isn’t it outlined on the bottle? — D.J.H.
Answer: In a single case examine from 2008, a single woman experienced larger amounts of estradiol (the major form of estrogen in the body) when she took melatonin. Other reports have not confirmed this, which includes a 2012 analyze of 86 volunteers. Scientific tests completed on breast cancer cells display that melatonin inhibits growth, and melatonin could lower distribute of breast most cancers.
Nightshift personnel have an elevated hazard of breast cancer, perhaps from shifted snooze cycles. Women of all ages who slumber six hours or less are at increased danger. Melatonin does not operate for anyone with snooze difficulties, but you have to have not fret about its result on breast most cancers. Most of the knowledge show that melatonin, if just about anything, is much more very likely to have a protective than harmful position in breast most cancers.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to respond to unique letters, but will incorporate them in the column anytime doable. Viewers may perhaps electronic mail inquiries to [email protected] or mail mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.
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