javabean the dog - cute!
okay so as far as the mag you used to take goes, what form were you using and what dose per day?
there is a form of magnesium, magnesium glycinate, which is wonderfully absorbable compared to things like magnesium oxide and even magnesium citrate.
trust me i know the laxative effects of insoluble forms of magnesium ALL TOO WELL :S yuk!
but, there are forms out there now that will give you no GI grief, just spasticity relief
also FYI some of the best food sources of magnesium are dark leafy greens like chard and spinach (1c of either, boiled, delivers about 150mg), also fish such as halibut and chinook salmon (also 4oz of each delivers around 150 mg).
target values for various MS relevant nutrients:
vitamin D - 25(OH)D3 should be at least 100 nmol/L, better at 125-150.
vit b12 - aim for at least 500 pmol/L
zinc - aim for high teens, ~18 umol/L (17-19 is OK too, no higher than 30)
uric acid - aim for 290 - 300 umol/L
magnesium - at least 0.91 mmol/L
there are other things it's beneficial to supplement, like vit E8 complex and fish oil, but i don't have good target numbers for those.. YET