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 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.

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.

Because of food processing, most people are magnesium deficient.  If you have pain, a dose of 250 mg to 500 mg of magnesium a day can start to decrease these deficiencies as well as the pain, after just several weeks — while also leaving you feeling more energetic and decreasing your risk of heart disease.