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AUDRIARUSCITTI—DIGITALFIRSTMEDIA Casa De Chocolate in Berkeley makes confections with a kick, such as this Pepitas chocolate bar which features dark chocolate and pumpkin seeds, both of which are a good source of magnesium. BySalvatoreIaquinta MarinIndependentJournal Canyounameafoodrichinpotassium?Calcium? Sodium? Magnesium? You know where to find potassium, calcium and so- dium, and you've been told their importance. But there is one more charged ion that plays a major role in our bodies — magnesium. This element is critical to more than 300 reactions that occur inside our cells. It is es- sential for our nerves and muscles to function, and for our heart to beat normally. Yet most people never give it a second thought. The symptoms of low magnesium include mus- cle weakness, muscle spasms, insomnia, fatigue, and in severe cases, numbness, tingling and even seizures. Chronically low magnesium is associated with osteopo- rosis. And, in young adults it helps increase bone den- sity during growth spurts. I was recently reminded of magnesium's importance by a diabetic patient who didn't have enough. It turns out certain diseases, like alcoholism, diabetes or even recent surgery, can cause magnesium levels to be low. And some of the drugs we use to control high blood pressure can cause the user to lose magnesium in their urine. Or the widely used proton pump inhibitors that decrease stomach acidity for people with heartburn also decrease the bowel's ability to absorb magnesium. Some types of chemotherapy and some antibiotics de- crease magnesium levels. And plenty of healthy people just don't eat enough. All of these causes together (plus some rarer ones) mean that at any time roughly 2 percent of the general population and 10 percent of hospitalized patients are low on magnesium. Some studies estimate that approx- imately 25 percent of patients with diabetes are low on magnesium — like my patient. You might wonder if magnesium is so important, why don't you hear more about it? Low magnesium is usually associated with low levels of calcium or potas- sium, making it difficult to elucidate the specific side ef- fects of low magnesium alone. And magnesium doesn't have a publicist the way some of the other elements do. The American diet is not a great source of magne- sium. In fact, some things, like brown sodas or satu- rated fat, decrease our ability to absorb magnesium. Some researchers think that nearly two-thirds of Amer- icans do not eat enough magnesium on a regular basis. So getting back to the first question, which foods are high in magnesium? Spinach is the winner. Popeye had it right. A cup of spinach has about 40 percent of our daily recom- mended allowance of magnesium. Other leafy green vegetables, are rich in magne- sium too. Magnesium is a criti- cal component chlorophyll, so eat more chlorophyll. Other foods high in magne- sium include yogurt, cashews and almonds, avocados, pump- kin seeds and dark chocolate. Chalk up another health food vic- tory for dark chocolate. Just like potassium, sodium and calcium, eating too much has its own risks. The good news — our kidneys are really good at excreting anything extra we consume. Magne- sium supplementation is not recom- mended as most adults should be able to eat about 400 mg of magnesium a day. People requiring calcium supple- ments might benefit from additional magnesium as it is a necessary element for the bowel to absorb calcium. Perhaps eating nuts instead of chips and green vegetables instead of French fries will make the American diet great again. HIGHWAY TO HEALTH THE MISSING ELEMENT OH,Mg! Foodshighin magnesium include: • Yogurt • Cashews • Almonds • Avocados • Pumpkin seeds • Dark chocolate • Spinach PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. NEVERGIVEUP UNTIL THEY BUCKLE UP. VISIT SAFERCAR.GOV/ KIDSBUCKLEUP VISIT SAFERCAR.GOV/ KIDSBUCKLEUP By Martha Ross Bay Area News Group For decades, modern parents have turned to such experts as Dr. Spock, Penelope Leach and Alfie Kohn for advice on how to manage toddler tantrums, sibling rivalries and 'tweens who won't clean up their rooms. Today, that expert is Laura Markham. Through her two books, "Aha! Parenting" website and weekly newsletter, Markham counsels against yelling, punishments, even timeouts. Instead, the New York-based psychologist encourages parents to first calm their own reactions and use empathy to un- derstand a child's under- lying needs to guide him or her toward cooperation. Markham contends that strong emotional connec- tions between parents and kids are the key to nurtur- ing children so they aren't just happy and confident but also responsible, con- siderate and motivated to cooperate. Q How does building emotional connec- tions encourage good be- havior? A The deepest reason kids cooperate is that they love you and want to please you. So safeguard your relationship with your child. That's your only leverage to have any influence. The only rea- son kids give up what they want to do to do what you want is that they trust you and don't want to disap- point you. Q You say that disci- pline, punishment and threats don't work. Why? A Punishment is de- fined as an action with an intent to hurt, ei- ther physically or psycho- logically, in order to teach a lesson. The dirty little secret about punishment is that it doesn't work to teach children better be- havior. Studies show that punishment creates more bad behavior. Punishment convinces the child that he's bad. It sabotages kids' ability to develop their own moral compass. They learn to just worry about saving their own skin. Kids want to make good choices. Your goal in dis- ciplining your child is ac- tually to help him develop self-discipline, meaning to assume responsibility for his actions, including making amends, whether an authority figure is pres- ent or not. Q Why don't you recom- mend timeouts? A When pediatricians first developed time- outs, they seemed like a step forward from spank- ing. It was a way, when we're at our wit's end, to stop bad behavior with- out spanking. But what we've learned is that when you're giving kids time- outs, you're doing a num- ber of things. You have a kid who is emotionally dis- regulated. When you're putting a kid in isola- tion for five or 10 minutes, they're not learning emo- tional regulation from you. It's a symbolic abandon- ment, and you're saying your love is conditional. A 4-year-old who has just hit his brother needs help regulating his behavior. But in timeout, instead of thinking about what he can say to his brother next time instead of hitting, he'll think that you're al- ways taking his brother's side. He's going to resent his brother and be meaner, and it erodes his relation- ship with you. FAMILY Ra is in g happy kids 'PeacefulParent' guru tells how Dr.AuroraBarriga,Optometrist 715 Jackson St., Suite A, Red Bluff (530) 527-9242 Red Bluff Vision Center An Optometric Practice YourFullServiceEyeCareProfessionals www.redbluffvision.com Sunglass Sale 30% off* complete pair of sunglasses for the month of June. Hurry in to take advantage of this great offer!! We are open M-F 7:30-3:30 June and July *some restrictions apply RANDAL S. ELLOWAY DDS IMPLANT DENTISTRY 2426 SO. MAIN ST., RED BLUFF 530-527-6777 Askyourselfthefollowingquestions: Are you missing one or more of your natural teeth? Do you have a complete or partial denture that is no longer completely comfortable? Have you ever been embarrassed by a denture or a bridge? If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, call us today at (530) 527-6777 to schedule an evaluation appointment. We would be pleased to evaluate your oral health and discuss treatment options with you. FACT SHEET ON DENTAL IMPLANTS DENTAL IMPLANTS: * are the most advanced tooth replacement system ever devised *help preserve jawbone to prevent the appearance of premature aging *look and function like natural teeth *are placed/restored in the doctor's office with minimal discomfort *improves comfort, appearance, speech * have a 95% success rate * allow you to eat the foods you love and talk, laugh and smile with confidence * represent a conservative treatment option-- adjacent teeth are left untouched * never develop decay * can provide great stability for lower denture * can completely eliminate the need for a denture * can help people of any age * give patients a third set of teeth that are natural looking and very long-lasting HEALTH » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, May 31, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4