Stress – part 1

February 1, 2013

Each month we’ll pick one condition and look at simple and natural, everyday ways to help it. Kick starting the series is stress.

Stress can actually be beneficial to us, but when left unchecked, it can negatively impact every single body system – tight muscles, increased heart rate, headaches, short temper anyone…. ANYONE? ?

Natural medicines, certain foods and physical therapies can be very effective not only in treating the symptoms but also in helping to prevent their return.

Stress, especially long-term stress, lays out the ‘welcome’ mat for illness to come on over to your body for a stay. Stress contributes to cardiovascular disease, skin disorders, metabolic diseases and more. It slows your digestive system and promotes the release of fat and sugar stores from within your body. It raises your cholesterol level, and even changes the composition of the blood making it more prone to clotting! It suppresses your immune system, depletes magnesium from your muscle tissue and quickly uses up your B vitamins.. anyone feeling stressed just reading that?

Well.. the good news is that there are a lot of ways that you can begin to take control of stress. Remember, it can be good for you in certain circumstances (generally short lived ones only), but when it starts to run a little rampant, there are steps that you can take to help combat it..

Today, we’ll be looking at how the mineral magnesium can help..

MAGNESIUM: happy new year 2018 greeting cards

Magnesium has been dubbed the ‘anti-stress’ mineral. It promotes relaxation.

When we’re stressed, our muscles tend to contract – think of the tense, raised shoulders that come with stress. Magnesium allows a relaxation from this state, it allows those shoulders to drop down and relax again. Magnesium works hand in hand with calcium. Calcium ‘contracts’ where ‘magnesium’ relaxes. Magnesium is essential for the uptake of calcium within our bodies.

Magneisum also plays a very big role in your bodys energy production and supports healthy functioning of your immune system. When stressed, our immune systems are generally acting on lowered defences, leaving you more susceptible to colds, flu’s etc.

It can help with PMS (reduces cramping), headaches, grinding of teeth, sore muscles, energy production and more.

Magnesium can be taken orally or bought in the form of creams. Creams are generally absorbed well through your skin. If taking orally, go for a powdered form, as digestion is negatively affected by stress, making powders much easier to absorb. Always follow the recommended dosage instructions.

You can generally get a good selection of powders, tablets and creams from good health food shops, possibly even chemists. We will stock a range of magnesiums (creams and powder) when Saltuary opens too.

Food sources of magnesium include most seafoods (halibut being one of the best sources), green leafy vegetables, apples, apricots, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, garlic, tofu, watercress, dairy products, bananas, lima beans, black eyed peas, sesame seeds and more.

I’ve never yet met a person who hasn’t felt better after taking magnesium, whether they felt consciously stressed before it or not!

Hopefully this has helped you in some way.. I’d love to hear your comments..

Next week we’ll look at B vitamins and the huge role they play in keeping stress at bay.

Love and sunshine to you all.. Tiina

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