However, pretreatment of animals with magnesium prevents ethanol from inducing a stroke, and prevents the adverse cerebral vascular changes from taking place. Contractility of cerebral arteries is dependent upon the actions and interactions of calcium and magnesium. It is clear from published studies that magnesium can induce healthy vascular tone in all types of vascular smooth muscle. Standard channel blocker drugs do not have this uniform capability. Calcium channel-blocking drugs, however, can block calcium infiltration into brain cells, lower cerebral vascular resistance, relieve cerebral vasospasm, and lower arterial blood pressure.
Magnesium can also cause significant vasodilatation of intact cerebral arteries.
Although magnesium is 3 to 5 orders of magnitude less potent than the standard calcium channel-blocking drugs, it possesses unique and potentially useful effects in maintaining healthy cerebral vascular circulation. Those with cerebral vascular disease, and especially those who consume alcohol, should take 1500 mg a day of elemental magnesium. Essential fatty acids in the form of flax, perilla, or fish oil concentrates also should be considered. Mega EPA enables a person to get pharmacologic doses of fish oils by taking only five capsules a day. Extreme caution should be exercised when taking these supplements because they inhibit blood clotting.