What is the Amazon product called?

The Kirkman cream is about twice a much $$ for less quantity I seem to recall.

It's called "Epsom-It Body Rub Lotion." It costs $19.95 and $9.95 for shipping! Who makes the Kirkman brand? Is it a Costco product?

Kirkland is Costco...

Kirkman is a separate company:

http://www.kirkmanlabs.com/ViewProdu...roup_ID@1.aspx

The benefit is that the dosage is known. This product is mostly targeted to autistic children, where dosage is important.

I became curious, so looked up the ingredients of both the Epsom IT lotion and CVS':

Epsom It:
from their website:
http://www.epsom-it.com/

CVS Epsom lotion:
The only difference I see is that Epsom It ...has methyl salicyclate in it (an aspirin analog).

Also Epsom It appears much more expensive, but there are places competing...
http://www.myfootshop.com/detail.asp?ProductID=899

Mrs. D, do you think the addition of aspirin makes this a better lotion? I searched online and the better price was at http://www.chiropracticmassagesupers...m_salt_rub.htm

The lotion costs about 90 cents more per bottle but the shipping charge was half. At myfootshop.com the shipping was over $13.00 and at this site it's $7.00. It's amazing how these sites can charge over the top for shipping. I already have the CVS brand, and I don't want to waste any more money if you think the aspirin won't make a difference....thanks so much

I really don't think the aspirin analog is necessary for most of us, PNers. It is for aching muscles and/or tendonitis/arthritis.

I use Salonpas for my arthritis in my feet, and I don't see it impacting my PN much. But it is good for the sesamoid inflammation I am prone to getting. Also the tendonitis I have in my surgical foot instep.

I think the CVS lotion is fine...the goal is to deliver magnesium instead of using oral supplements. And also location, to the extremities where circulation may be poor.

BTW, I had to pick up my thyroid RX yesterday, and they got in 12 more bottles of the lotion. Must have been "out of stock". Since hubby saw 8 bottles there when he picked up the first one for me, I suspect a trainer or someone from the upscale gym nearby maybe bought them all ?

I think the only way to know for sure about the difference between the two similar products is to use them both. Either one on the left and the other on the right, or sequentially. I'd start without the aspirin analog one, and then do the Epsom It...after. Methyl Salicylate is in Ben Gay and other rubs similar.

I've been doing my right arm, which is my shingles arm, and it is working well for the terrible aching I get when sleeping on it.

I am pleased with the CVS product so far... it is nice, no weird odor to have to endure in bed, and not expensive. It was 5.99 on their website this week, with 5.95 shipping. If you buy like 3 bottles, ahead, there can be quite a savings. I almost did that in fact. But I have also seen that site change prices quickly too.
I've seen 7.99 and 9.99 there too.

I am wondering how the use of topical magnesium affects total magnesium levels in the body. Did you say above that total intake should be half the RDA or approx. 150-200 mg? (BTW, my bottles don't specify "elemental magnesium" values.) Does using magnesium lotion — or, for that matter, old-fashioned Epsom salts foot soaks — significantly raise total magnesium levels?

Thanks!

Yes, it does. The Kirkman product targeting children is designed to deliver 100mg/ gram of cream.

It is unclear to me how much would be absorbed from the lotions we are discussing. They do not give concentration values on their labels.

So I have suggested in this thread and others that if you decide to use the lotion every day on large areas, or in large amounts to cut back on oral supplements. In a normal person with normal kidney functions, magnesium in excess can be excreted easily.
In small children or the elderly this is not as likely. Most of the poisonings with children or elderly come from over use of magnesium containing laxatives and enemas.

When you swallow a mineral like magnesium, it is going to go into the blood stream and be sent all over. When you apply it topically, it will enter where you applied it, and slowly make its way to other sites. This would be slower IMO and depend on the circulation of the area you applied it. The GI tract is designed to allow things into the body more efficiently than topical application. Much of the magnesium applied topically may be utilized right there, and not make it to the general circulation.
Magnesium is used in hundreds of metabolic enzyme systems and will be taken up everywhere.

We see certain therapeutic things made into transdermal creams for local application. Knees, joints, etc. These have drugs in them that get to the local site in higher concentration than they would if taken orally. But they do disseminate finally into the body itself, as evidenced by the toxicity of diclofenac in topical RX products, getting to the liver and causing damage there.

Topical success in reaching the blood stream depends on the vehicle delivering the magnesium. Soaking in water would be less efficient, than a transdermal cream which carries the magnesium "deeper".

Basically I think if one were to use the lotions, you could give up the oral forms instead. As far as toxicity potential existing, that is unclear. People have died using Ben Gay (a young woman recently) who abused this cream and it interacted with her poor kidney functions. But I believe I read that only 12 people in 50 yrs have had problems like this with Ben Gay.

Again, people with normal kidney functions don't need to worry about the magnesium in the lotions IMO. However, people with poor or damaged kidneys, should consult a doctor before using lotions in large amounts...to make sure their bodies can handle it.