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Hi everyone, I wish to make a brief comment on a posting I received a few
minutes ago. I am a newcomer to the group, and read all information with
interest, accepting fully that it is given in good will and in the hope
that it may be useful to others. However, the posting by Don Wiss, which
has at its heart a quote from a 25 year-old cookbook has put me very much
on edge. We are constantly bombarded by a bewildering amount of
information, much of which is hard for us to understand, however, I feel
that to rely on a book of this sort for useful, up-to-date medical
information is risky at best. As a Physiologist I am usually dismayed at
the level of accuracy of scientific writing in the popular press, and would
like to urge all to treat the information they receive via these channels
with caution. Let me illustrate my point, the quote begins with a statement
that the lungs contain twice as much Magnesium as lime. Don is correct,
lime is calcium carbonate, which, if pure, therefore contains no magnesium
at all! The opening phrase could therefore be restated "Healthy lungs show
twice as much magnesium as a substance which has no magnesium!." The
remainder of the quote is filled with vague, inaccurate, and
uninterpretable phrases like "invigorating the excretory organs and
producing pressure" (What on earth does this mean?!). If my students wrote
this in an essay they would be very severely criticised! All I wish to say
is, be careful that if you are basing a lifestyle change on material you
read, then try to make sure it is written by someone who knows what they
are talking about, and that you understand and accept what has been said.
This is not always easy.
Let me say again that I accept the information was given in good will, and
that for all I know magnesium may be important. It is unlikely that anyone
on a normal diet (even GF) will require Magnesium supplementation, however.
Phil
 
Philip Sheard
Developmental Biology Unit,
Department of Physiology,
University of Otago Medical School,
Dunedin, New Zealand.
Ph (64 3) 479-7344
Fax (64 3) 479-7323