Magnesium in Homoeopathy

Dr. Vivek N. Patil

Magnesium is a silver-white metal best known for its lightness. Magnesium is the lightest metal that is strong enough for use in construction. It weighs only about two-thirds as much as aluminium, another widely used light metal.

Magnesium plays a vital role in the life processes of plants and animals. Chlorophyll, which green plants use in photosynthesis, contains magnesium. Plants produce carbohydrates, a class of foods essential to living things, by means of photosynthesis. Magnesium also takes part in the duplication of substances called DNA and RNA, which have a key part in determining the heredity of all organisms. Magnesium also activates many of the enzymes that speed up chemical reactions that occur in the human body.

Uses:

1. Magnesium and its alloys are used in manufacturing many kinds of products, especially suitable for aircraft and car parts and for various kinds of tools and equipment.
2. Magnesium is used for a variety of nonstructural purposes because it is extremely active chemically. For example, pieces of magnesium are placed next to buried steel pipelines and water tanks. If magnesium were not present, oxygen and other chemicals in the earth would corrode the steel. Instead, the magnesium reacts with the chemicals and thus protects the steel. The pieces of magnesium are replaced periodically instead of replacing or repairing the steel. Protective strips of magnesium are also attached to the hulls of ships.
3. Steel manufacturers add magnesium to steel to remove sulphur and other impurities.
4. In addition, magnesium is used in fireworks and flares because it burns with a brilliant white light.
5. It also produces intense heat when it burns, making it useful for incendiary bombs.
6. Magnesium combines with other elements to form many useful compounds. These compounds include two commonly used medicines–milk of magnesia and Epsom salts.
7. Magnesium oxide resists heat and is used to line special types of furnaces. Also, magnesium oxide forms on the surface of magnesium metal and prevents it from corroding readily at low temperatures. If it were not for this protective layer, magnesium would not be suitable for use as a structural material.
8. Other magnesium compounds are used in tanning leather; in dyeing textiles; and in making cement, fertilizer, and insulating materials.

Properties:

• The metal belongs to the group of elements called alkaline earth metals
• Magnesium never occurs in nature as a pure metal because it is so active chemically. It readily combines with most acids and with many nonmetals, including nitrogen. When heated with the salts or oxides of many metals, magnesium replaces the other metal. This type of process is called reduction.

REMEDIES OF THE FAMILY:

1. Mag aceticum.
2. Mag ars.
3. Mag borocitricum
4. Mag brom.
5. Mag chlor.
6. Mag citricum.
7. Mag fluor.
8. Mag formicum.
9. Mag gluconicum.
10. Mag hydroxydum.
11. Mag hypophos.
12. Mag iod.
13. Mag nitricum.
14. Mag salicyclicum.
15. Mag silicatum.
16. Mag carb.
17. Mag mur.
18. Mag phos.
19. Mag sulph.

Miasm: Psoric, Sycotic, Syphilitic, Tubercular.

Rheumatic  and Gouty diathesis .

Exudative and hemorrhagic diathesis

Uraemic and lithaemic diathesis.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Ailments from :

• Emotions
• Suppressed discharges, eruptions.
• Loss of fluids.
• Tobacco / Alcohol.

• Deep acting constitutional remedies.
• Tendency to spasmodic affections spasms, cramps, convulsions, tremors, epilepsy etc.
• Tendency to relaxation of tissues .  Prolapse, bearing down.  Ptosis.  Subluxations, sprains, strains etc.  Varicosity.  Incontinence. Herniations.
• Poor Reaction: Poor reaction to suppuration ; Scar formation.
• Nutrition :
  • Poor assimilation (in rickets, worms, etc.)
  • Children with malnutrition and emaciation.
  • Pain :
  • Crampy, cutting, boring, stitching, tearing, band like.
  • < Touch
  • § Rubing
  • § Motion
  • Periodicity : Every 2nd or 21st day.
  • Special affinity for glands: Lymph glands, thyroid, endocrine glands, prostate etc.
  • Discharges: Black, pitch-like. Profuse, sour smelling sticky, lumpy. Stains the clothes.
  • Craving: Fruits, meat, sour, sweet.

MIND:

• A mental  condition  arising from lack of  love,  affection  and recognition, esp. in childhood. Rejected children, orphans.
• In rejected children, Mag. finds it’s place as a remedy. Due  to rejection, there is a greater than usual frustration,  as the demands are not fulfilled.
• Demands in the form of love, affection, security and recognition. These  produce  a  conflict in them  and  ultimately  anxiety  is manifested in dreams and delusions. Dreams of robbers.
• Dreams of dead. Dreams of being lost in a forest.
• Neglected feeling with suppressed emotions
• Irritability
• Mental weakness and  lethargy
• Pacifism: According to Vithoulkas, Magnesiums hate aggression. They get very disturbed by violence. They hate quarrels  as  quarrels tend to break relationships, which they cannot bear.

THEME

If we see the main theme of group II elements, there is need for support, dependence and desire for security. Magnesium has feeling of an orphan. Calcium is like a young child who realizes the instability in the outer world, so feels the need for the security of a home. Barium has a sense of not being able to stand on his own feet and needs to be supported by society.

Magnesium and calcium have emotional insecurity at their core, but cause of insecurity is different. Magnesium insecurity is due to unpleasant childhood may be because of parental quarrels, parental separation, low attention by parents, orphans (unwanted child); ihe magnesium is indicated in an unprotected child who has a feeling of being rejected, so magnesium has emotional insecurity which is because of being unprotected or uncared for him in childhood. The calcium emotional insecurity is because of over-protected background, the child feels insecure to take a risk, unable to take his own decisions.

Magnesium expressions are difficult to exhibit, their problem seem to bear no direct correlation with their emotional insecurity. It is indicated in psychosomatic diseases where somatic symptoms are easily seen and psychological symptoms are difficult to assert and not given by the patient. Magnesium’s problems seem to b no direct correlation with their emotional insecurity. Many tin magnesium patient’s emotions are such that the patient himself unaware of his emotions. They feel internal anxiety and the ca is not explained by the patient. Their history of being neglected their parents creates a feeling of being unwanted though they self confident, have strong sense of duty, taking care of oth The feeling of been forsaken is very strong. The patient f< tremendous anxiety but he does not know the real cause. 1 anxiety manifests as physical symptoms and pathological disease come up for no obvious reason. Patient can sit with composed I and honestly say that they have no tension.

The dreams may give the clue; absence of dreams in life > advanced pathological disorder is a clue or dreams as if they are dangerous situation but no feeling of danger and feeling loneliness is also a clue for magnesium.

Characteristic Physical Symptoms:

• Right sided affections: All the Magnesium’s mainly affect the right side of body.
• Chilly patient: Magnesium’s thermally are chilly. All complaints are < by cold.
• Periodicity of complaints is markedly shown in this group.
• Magnesium remedies show a slow metabolism, because magnesium gets slowly absorbed in the blood.
• There is poor resistance, lack of vital heat and increased susceptibility, which leads to allergic manifestations, e.g. urticaria, eosinophilia, asthma etc. It is useful in abdominal colic, renal colic, angina pectoris, biliary colic and dysmenorrhea because of its antispasmodic properties. Also for clinical conditions like hyperthyroidism, vascular spasms, Raynaud’s disease, liver, gall bladder and prostrate diseases. Also useful in muscles and nails affections.
• Magnesium group remedies have important relation to the nervous system leading to narcotic condition.   Peripheral paralysis and affections of muscle excitability. Neuralgic pains are present.
• In this group there is tendency for new growths like tumors and warts. Malignant growth and degenerative changes of tissues are very well marked.
• Desire for meat, vegetables and refreshing things.
• Aversion to cooked foods, sweets, fatty foods. Milk is intolerable.
• Discharges: All the discharges are sour, profuse and very much offensive.   There are marked disturbances of menstruation. Menstrual blood is very dark, tar-like and many complaints are excited or aggravated in relation with menses.
• Magnesium is very similar to Calcarea. They can be compared with Acids and Ammoniums.
• Mg group of remedies mainly cover psoric miasm.
• All symptoms aggravate from rest and are relieved by walking about.
• The patients are extremely sensitive both physically and mentally.
• Especially suited to children and women, worn-out constitutions and chilly patients.
• Pains: Full of neuralgias, pain is darting, tearing, boring and shooting.
• Sleep: Unrefreshed, more tired in evening.
• Stool: Green, watery and with mucus.

GENERAL MODALITIES

Aggravation

• By cold, touch, 7 a.m., right side and movement.

Amelioration

• Warm applications, pressure and bending double.