Clinical experience, as well as research in nerve pain conditions such as pancreatic cancer, has shown that magnesium can be an effective treatment for pain.

Although it is clear why magnesium can decrease muscle pain (it makes muscles relax), why it would help nerve pain was less clear. A study on rats to be printed in The Journal of Physiology confirms our clinical experience that magnesium decreases nerve pain — while also pointing to how it works.

A major mechanism of pain is the excessive stimulation of a brain chemical called "NMDA." The few medications that help decrease and balance this pain-carrying neurotransmitter have the downside of causing significant side effects.

Magnesium seems to settle down NMDA without the toxicity. The upside of magnesium is that is very inexpensive (pennies a dose). The downside is that it hasn’t yet made it through the FDA approval process.

The good news is that you don't have to wait for the FDA.

For those who get diarrhea from magnesium, Jigsaw Magnesium w/SRT from Jigsaw Health provides sustained-release magnesium and is very effective without causing the diarrhea side effect.

In addition, magnesium oxide, though not as well absorbed, can be found for about a nickel per 500 mg tablet in most health food stores.

For an especially powerful effect, the magnesium can be used intravenously, and is an important tool used by most holistic physicians.

IV magnesium is the single most effective treatment to eliminate an acute migraine headache and has even been shown to ease the incredibly severe nerve pain that can sometimes be seen in pancreatic cancer. It is also very helpful for settling down fibromyalgia pain, which has a muscle and nerve component.