It started with anxiety. Mind-numbing, gut-clenching anxiety.My muscles were tense, my back locked in spasms.I tried everything: meditation, stretching, chamomile tea. Nothing helped.

Then I suddenly started having trouble digesting some of my favorite foods. Pasta, cheese, and chocolate went off the menu.

A little research uncovered the fact that as we age, our bodies become less able to process magnesium, and that we’re probably not getting as much as people used to, because of the depletion of the soil our food is grown in.

The water we drink is also deficient in magnesium. So I started incorporating magnesium-rich foods into my diet, and noticed a difference. Extra magnesium helps with muscle tension and racing thoughts, and it can even remove some of the craving for The Drama Addiction. I started taking a natural magnesium supplement, and I feel like a new person.

Magnesium deficiency has been connected with fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, autoimmune diseases, ADD, and many other conditions.

Magnesium is the natural balancer for calcium. Calcium excites the system; magnesium relaxes it, and excess calcium can deplete magnesium. If you’re taking calcium supplements, consider adding some magnesium to the mix.

A friend suggested a product called Natural Calm, which is a powdered form of magnesium, taken in hot water, like a tea. (No, I’m not selling it, I just like it.)

Though I’ve never had trouble sleeping, if I have a little before bed, it’s much easier to wind down and drift off.

If you’re stressed out and nothing seems to help, try magnesium: the miracle mineral for midlife.

                                                    --Katherine Mayfield