You’re not getting enough

Reason 1: Do you belong to 33% of the Australian population not meeting their minimum daily magnesium requirement?

Recommended dietary intakes (RDIs) for magnesium range from 310 mg/day (females) to 420 mg/day (males), which can easily be obtained from consuming roughly one cup of cooked green vegetables, a handful of nuts, and a raw cacao smoothie. Sounds doable right? Unfortunately, that’s not what everyone is eating, with magnesium deficient refined and processed foods creeping onto people plates. These RDIs also do not take into consideration when your body has an increased demand or is actively deficient in magnesium, meaning you may need even more to meet your needs.

Do you belong to 33% of the Australian population not meeting their minimum daily magnesium requirement?

Reason 2: Even if you are eating a diet predominant in wholefoods, modern agricultural practices have unfortunately depleted the soil from many key minerals including magnesium, again making it harder to meet your RDI for magnesium.

You’re losing too much

Reasons 3, 4 & 5: Coffee and tea contain tannins that can decrease the intestinal absorption magnesium. Additionally, caffeine, as well as alcohol have a diuretic effect, increasing the loss of water and minerals, such as magnesium, via the urine.

Reason 6 & 7: Certain medications (such as antibiotics, diuretics and steroids) can cause moderate to severe depletion in magnesium, as can exercise through urinary excretion and sweat.

Reason 8: Did you know about magnesium’s special relationship with stress? Firstly, having a low level of magnesium is associated with the onset of stressful conditions. However, the activation of the stress response then actually increases the use and elimination of magnesium from the body.

This can result in a vicious cycle: low magnesium causes increased stress, which leads to an increase in the use and excretion of magnesium, leading to lower magnesium levels.

low magnesium causes increased stress, which leads to an increase in the use and excretion of magnesium, leading to lower magnesium levels.

On the bright side, this also means that you can use magnesium therapeutically as both a preventative and treatment of stress.

Reasons 9 & 10: Some of the most common presentations seen by healthcare Practitioners are those of poor sleep and fatigue, with low magnesium playing a causative role in both conditions. This is because magnesium is needed to synthesise the relaxing and sleep-promoting neurotransmitters GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and melatonin, as well as being required to produce the energy your cells need to stay firing throughout the day.

Boost your magnesium levels

If you’re now thinking it’s time to increase your magnesium intake, a supplement can be a great way to top up your diet, support an increase in demand or address a deficiency. To make choosing a magnesium supplement available easier, focus on the two points below so you can make the right decision:

When perusing supplement labels, look for how much elemental equivalent magnesium it contains – 300 mg per dose is an ideal amount.

Dose:

When perusing supplement labels, look for how much elemental or equivalent magnesium it contains – 300 mg per dose is an ideal amount. Talk to your healthcare Practitioner when interpreting supplement labels for further explanation and clarification.

Form:

Not all forms of magnesium are the same, with different types leading to different levels of absorption and tolerability. For example, salt forms of magnesium such as magnesium oxide and magnesium citrate are suboptimal for replenishing magnesium levels, as they can draw water into the bowel and cause diarrhoea. Alternately, amino acid chelate forms, such as magnesium bisglycinate, provide optimal absorption and lower side effects when compared to other forms of magnesium available.

In the instance of magnesium bisglycinate, these superior outcomes are due to magnesium’s chemical bond to the amino acid glycine. Glycine:

• allows the magnesium to be absorbed via efficient protein channels in the intestine (instead of competitive mineral channels),
• protects magnesium from binding to things like tannins (ensuring absorption again), and
• stops drawing water into the bowel (preventing diarrhoea).

Magnesium, the Miracle Mineral

There may be many reasons why you may not be getting enough or may be in need of more magnesium. To learn more about magnesium, speak to your local healthcare Practitioner to find the right magnesium for you.

The initiation phase begins with a local dispatch of immune cells at the site of damage, which sounds the alarm, igniting inflammation within the surrounding tissue. Once the threat of infection or damage is neutralised, the resolution response is activated, calming the initial phase of inflammation and facilitating cellular repair and recovery.

Unresolved Issues

The transition between initiation and resolution is required to complete the cycle of inflammation and to promote healing. However, for some people, this transition fails to occur, leading to a chronic, sustained inflammatory response. This keeps the body in the initiation phase where it cannot resolve inflammation; like a loud alarm system with a broken ‘deactivate’ button. The result? A state of unremitting inflammation that keeps the body in a cycle of tissue damage, preventing recovery.

However, for some people, this transition fails to occur, leading to a chronic, sustained inflammatory response. This keeps the body in the initiation phase where it cannot resolve inflammation; like a loud alarm system with a broken ‘deactivate’ button.

A Remedy for Resolution

If you or someone you know suffers from an inflammatory condition (such as arthritis), you will no doubt be aware of the frustration that comes from persistent symptoms, despite your efforts to find a solution. You may be doing all the right things, taking the right medications, taking steps to improve your diet, exercise and sleep, while proactively managing your stress. However, if the resolution of inflammation is impaired, you will continue to experience symptoms, as the inflammatory response cannot be ‘deactivated’. It’s no wonder that cutting-edge research in the field of inflammation resolution is turning heads, particularly in regards to a group of compounds called specialised pro-resolving mediators (SPMs).

Send in The SPMs

As their name suggests, SPMs trigger or ‘deactivate’ the resolution phase of inflammation in the body, which are produced from omega-3 fatty acids, (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Like a half-time speech that inspires a triumphant victory, SPMs motivate the immune system to promote resolution. In the initiation phase, white blood cells are known as macrophages actively destroy problem microbes and clear the excess of immune cells released during inflammation. However, in the resolution phase, SPMs reprogram these macrophages, switching their game plan from offence to defence to help regenerate and repair damaged tissue. This results in resolution, relief and recovery.

So why, if the body can produce SPMs, does inflammation remain unresolved? Research tells us that the body’s ability to produce SPMs is lower in conditions involving chronic inflammation,  meaning that in highly inflamed individuals, the ability to resolve inflammation is likely to be impaired. Some pharmacological anti-inflammatories (even some used to treat inflammation) may also prevent SPM activity, as they inhibit inflammation preventing the body’s ability to activate the resolution phase.  This is why supplements providing SPMs are an exciting development for chronic inflammation sufferers; as restoring SPM levels goes beyond the effects of conventional treatments to actively promote resolution and full circle recovery.

This is why supplements providing SPMs are an exciting development for chronic inflammation sufferers; as restoring SPM levels goes beyond the effects of conventional treatments to actively promote resolution and full circle recovery

Viva la Resolution!

Heralding a new era of healing, SPMs offer a beacon of hope for those suffering from chronic inflammation, offering a new solution for achieving resolution! For more information on natural management of inflammation,  contact a Practitioner near you today.

The Benefits of Banishing the Booze

Taking a month-long break from alcohol brings with it a multitude of health benefits including:

• Improved sleep quality: Drinking alcohol negatively affects the sleep stages, including rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and deep sleep states, leaving you feeling unrefreshed the following day. Alcohol is also a diuretic, meaning you may wake frequently during the night to use the toilet.
• Improved energy: Poor sleep quality associated with alcohol can leave you feeling fatigued the following day; much like a real-life walking, talking zombie.
• Mental clarity: Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways by slowing down the central nervous system. This disrupts cognitive, mood and behavioural processes, and can leave you feeling ‘foggy’ the next morning.
• Weight loss. Alcohol is loaded with calories, so cutting down your intake is an easy way to promote weight loss.
• Healthier skin. The dehydrating effects of alcohol can lead to poor skin texture and wrinkles. Additionally, alcohol is linked to facial redness and flushing, and can exacerbate pre-existing skin conditions.

Give Yo’ Liver a Break

Another benefit of banishing booze is the reprieve it gives your liver. The liver is responsible for detoxifying and eliminating toxins we are all exposed to, including alcohol. Regular intake can burden the liver’s detoxification pathways, which in turn causes inflammation that damages cells, reducing liver function and, in extreme cases can lead to liver disease.

It’s not all bad news, though. The liver is a resilient organ that can benefit greatly from regular detoxification and some extra TLC from antioxidants. As the process of detoxification can create damaging substances before they are eliminated, antioxidants help to protect the body by neutralising these harmful substances. Additionally, antioxidants have potent anti-inflammatory effects, helping to reduce damage caused by harmful substances such as alcohol.

As the process of detoxification can create damaging substances before they are eliminated, antioxidants help to protect the body by neutralising these harmful substances. Additionally, antioxidants have potent anti-inflammatory effects, helping to reduce damage caused by harmful substances such as alcohol.

You Don’t Need to Wait Until Spring to Spring-Clean Your Body

So why not be part of the Dry July movement and, for added benefits, combine it with a detoxification program that incorporates antioxidants. Supporting detoxification and improving the efficiency of toxin elimination can help ‘spring-clean’ your body and kick start your health.

Herbs, nutrients and lifestyle adjustments that can optimise detoxification during your break-up with alcohol include:

• Sulforaphane: A sulfur-rich compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, bok choy, and cabbage, it increases antioxidant activity whilst improving your body’s ability to detoxify.
• Milk thistle: Exerts protective effects on liver cells, preventing cell damage and improving liver function.
• Turmeric: Has anti-inflammatory actions and can reduce inflammation in the liver caused by alcohol.
• Water: Increases toxin elimination by flushing toxins through your kidneys to be excreted via the urine.
• Exercise: Eliminates toxins via the sweat glands through perspiration.
• Social detox: Take a break from late nights spent partying. This removes the temptation of having a boozy bender.
• Sleep: Has countless health benefits including supporting your body’s natural detoxification system.

Sober Up and Shape Up

If you feel yourself stuck in a boozy rut, ditch the drink for the month of July and create positive changes to your health and wellness. Adjustments to your drinking habits have been shown to have widespread benefits including improved sleep and energy, mental clarity, and aesthetic benefits such as weight loss and improved skin tone. For those wanting to up the ante and make the most of Dry July, consult with a Natural Health Practitioner about a personalised detoxification approach that can fast track your journey to health.