Magnesium safety

[VBroniscer]

Hi Dr. Group,

I am the mother of an autistic boy, 6 years old and about fifty pounds. My nutritionist recommends oxy powder to give him a cleanse and help him become more regular. I am concerned about giving a lot of magnesium to a child this small; I know that mag is not something that can be given indiscriminately. I don't know how each particular form of Magnesium (that is, Mag citrate vs sulfate vs oxide) affects what the safe dose is. Can you kindly address this issue?

Also, specifically, my child is a major potassium waster and has excess copper and too little zinc (the typical autistic story); I'm not sure if this is related, but I thought I might bring it up.

Thank you for your attention!

[Health Dr. 1]

Thank you for the post. We have received a lot of positive feedback from parents of autistic children. The exact composition of Oxy-Powder is proprietary; however, the amount that is on the label is the weight for 4 capsules and includes the entire magnesium compound. In other words, this is the combined weight for a stabilized magnesium oxide and peroxide compound that contains a great deal of oxygen bonded to the matrix, which greatly increases the overall milligrams.



In reality, magnesium oxide is the salt that will be most prevalent as the oxygen is released. This form of magnesium is deliberately chosen because of the low bio-availability, meaning that only a small portion will actually be absorbed from the digestive tract, especially if it has been taken away from meal time. The presence of amino acids or other types of organic acids found in food would increase the amount that can be absorbed by creating more absorbable magnesium salts. According to parents’ feedback, small amounts of Oxy-Powder, usually beginning at ½ to 1 capsule depending on the size and age of the child, are generally well-tolerated and very helpful. The change in consistency of bowel movements or the loss of some degree of control over bowel movements, i.e. the increased urgency to eliminate, could potentially upset some children. In this respect, you know your child much better than anyone else. I would also work with your nutritionist in terms of finding an appropriate dose in your specific case.