Did you know that magnesium is the fourth most needed mineral in your body? Probably not, but don’t feel bad because most people aren’t aware of this. Magnesium certainly doesn’t get as much publicity as calcium, but magnesium is very important to your body and is required to maintain wellness.More than half of the magnesium found in the body is located in the bones and the rest is primarily located in cells, tissues, muscles, organs and bodily fluids. Magnesium cannot be produced within the body, so you have to receive it from food or supplements.Magnesium is responsible for everything from body temperature regulation to energy production to transmission of nerve impulses and the formation of healthy bones and teeth. Many organs or systems in the body, such as the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, kidneys, the brain and the digestive system, need magnesium in order to function properly.So how do you know if you are lacking magnesium? You might have muscle cramps, weakness or twitches, a lack of appetite, insomnia, imbalanced sugar levels, seizures, heart arrhythmia or increased heart rate. Proper magnesium levels can help prevent heart attacks, alcoholism, autism, congestive heart failure, asthma and diabetes.To raise your magnesium levels through diet, you can eat such foods as spinach, cooked turnip greens, steamed broccoli, flax seeds, raw celery, ripe tomato or almonds and cashews. However, let’s be realistic, most people don’t eat enough of the above-mentioned foods to raise the magnesium levels in their bodies. Therefore, they should add a supplement to their daily vitamin intake. If you need help finding the right magnesium supplement for you, just let me know and I’ll be glad to discuss it with you.