This book will discuss the many factors which play a part in causing the illness known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. These include viral infections, food sensitivities, chemical pollutants, nutritional deficiencies, parasites and psychological stress. In some individuals with CFS, the illness develops suddenly following an acute epidemic viral infection similar to the one that occurred in Incline Village, Nevada in 1984 or the Los Angeles Hospital in 1930. If you're like most International Health Foundation readers, you've been reading and hearing about the importance of calcium for many years. Many people, especially women, have been taking calcium supplements in their efforts to prevent osteoporosis and other disorders.
Calcium is important, but so is magnesium.
During my pediatric residency training many years ago, we used injections of magnesium sulfate to reduce elevated blood pressure in children with acute kidney disease. Magnesium was also used as a laxative. Yet, it wasn't until the mid-60s, after reading several papers by Mildred Seelig, M.D., that I began to learn that magnesium plays an important role in keeping people out of the doctor's office, hospital or nursing home. Although emphasis was placed on the abnormalities of the heart and blood vessels, observations were cited that showed that many patients who sought help for insomnia, tension and anxiety were magnesium deficient. In a study of more than 200 patients, Dr. W. S. Davis, University of Pretoria used magnesium chloride tablets as a possible means of combating insomnia.