Hi Donna,

Sorry to hear that you haven't had such good results with the magnesium... I was always totally convinced that magnesium deficiency was THE cure for cramps because it was for me. But, as they say, Your Mileage May Vary...

About the Mountain Dew sodas: they have 85mg of sodium per can. Maybe that puts your electrolyte balance out of whack? Or perhaps it's the phosphoric acid. I just found something here:

http://www.mom-going-organic-sensib...and-health.html

I just scanned it, but it seems like a good explanation: the phosphoric acids need to be neutralized, she writes, and this uses up various minerals - precisely the ones which you need to stop your muscles cramping up...

So it would seem like a good idea to drop the Mountain Dew, if at all possible... Too much water, though, can also be harmful to a good electrolyte balance as too much water makes you pee too much and then you lose yet more electrolytes.

From what I've read here on the forum about toe and leg cramps and the various cures people recommend or have tried, I would say the following: if magnesium doesn't help (which it does for me, which is why I recommend it ), then it could be some other electrolyte imbalance. I have read of people having good results with potassium and salt.

See this post:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost...83&postcount=14

Which was in this thread:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=382772

Potassium can, of course, be obtained from food, with parsley being a rich source, apparently (make vegetable or bone broth and add a couple of bunches of chopped parsley right at the end of the cooking time, for example). Supplements would also be OK.

As for salt, if you can get hold of some good sea salt, that could do the trick. I have tried it this way: first thing in the morning (to combat the early-morning dizziness I used to have as a result of adrenal fatigue/magnesium deficiency), I would just eat some salt off a teaspoon (I like salt!!!), say about a quarter of a teaspoon and then wash it down with some water. It was amazing how often this really energized me!!!

Maybe you have not been using salt because of the salt-causes-high-blood-pressure myth? Firstly, it is just that: a myth. There have been plenty of threads on this forum about that one. Salt is absolutely essential and switching to a low-carb diet - and giving up a lot of processed foods which are over-salted - can then lead to a lack of salt in the diet.

So, get the salt shaker and shake it, baby!!!

I have seen some American posters recommend what I think is known as Morton's Salt - it is a mix of potassium and salt, I think. However, I would personally go for natural sea salt and potassium-rich foods or a supplement, if you don't have any luck with the food route.

Hope this helps! If not, you could always look here:

http://www.google.com/custom?domain...ID%3A1%3B&hl=en

This is a list of approximately 28,900 posts generated by the Google Advanced Search facility for the entire forum which came up when I put in the search term "cramps". There must be something in there which would help!!!

amanda