August 12, 2020
Are you feeling stressed at the moment? I know most of us are due to the state of the world and/or numerous factors in our lives that contribute to the accumulation of stress. We have all heard of its detrimental effects, but do we really understand how bad it can become?
Did you know psychological stress shuts down your body’s immune system, which could lead you to becoming sick, even inhibiting the immune system to produce antibodies in response to a vaccine(1)? Chronic stress also inhibits the brain from functioning in an optimal cognitive state which leads to mental illness. If stress is sustained long enough, the impact it has on your neurological system (causing the destruction of brain cells, a term called neurodegeneration) could further lead to memory loss, Dementia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s(2). It impacts the whole body in a negative way if not managed properly.
None of us want this, nor do I want to see people suffering from this in their lives either. There are many remedies, but right now what I see in most of my patient’s and the people I come in contact with is that they are magnesium deficient.
Magnesium is a mineral many of us hear about but do not truly comprehend its vital importance. This critical mineral is involved in hundreds of enzyme reactions encompassing 80% of your metabolic functions and it is currently estimated that 60% of adults do not get the average daily intake of magnesium, leading to deficiencies(3). Despite its importance it remains one of the least understood and appreciated minerals in human health.
Daily beverages that most of the population consume such as coffee and alcohol increase its renal excretion, whilst common medications such as antacids, oral contraceptives and diuretics can greatly affect its absorption(3). If you are consuming any of these substances and feel stressed, then I urge you to consider the use of magnesium.
Magnesium is used when the body responds to stress, if we are constantly bombarded with some form of stress then we will inevitably have a greater need for magnesium. Many of us with our fast-paced lifestyles and during the current pandemic have a higher demand for it, so it’s vital we make sure those demands are met.
Hypomagnesaemia (magnesium deficiency) can lead to anxiety through the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis (HPA), this dysregulation essentially causes hyper-emotionality(5). This is due to magnesium’s role and action in glutamatergic, serotonergic, and adrenergic neurotransmitter systems, as well as via several neuro-hormones(4).
This deficiency causes the increase of corticotropin releasing hormone, which leads to a rise in cortisol(5). Stress and hypomagnesaemia potentiate each other’s negative effects which could cause photosensitive headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, audiogenic stress, cold stress, and physical stress, amongst others(4).
Considering these facts, I strongly suggest the use of supplemental interventions to help combat the effects of stress. Dosages for magnesium range from 300mg-500mg per day depending on the type of magnesium and how much you need.
There are other avenues to help combat stress which I will cover in future posts, but right now I feel this mineral is the main component a majority of people need to help their body and neurological functions during times of chronic stress.
Written by Luke Pavasovic,
Director and Naturopath at Alchemic Health
facebook.com/alchemichealth
www.alchemichealth.com
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3019042/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4806285/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6163803/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198864/