Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, a necessary co-factor for hundreds of enzymes, and the most critical mineral of all for coping with stress. Stress-related diseases which run rampant through modern society, like heart attacks and high blood pressure, are often accompanied by magnesium deficiency. Unfortunately, most Americans consume diets that fail to meet the government's RDA for magnesium, and magnesium intake is even lower than average among people who develop heart disease. The best food sources of magnesium are vegetables like buckwheat (kasha), mature lima beans, navy beans, kidney beans, green beans, soy beans (including tofu), blackeyed peas, broccoli, spinach, Swiss chard, oats, whole barley, millet, bananas, blackberries, dates, dried figs, mangoes, watermelon, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazel nuts, shrimp, and tuna.
When you are chronically stressed, you can become magnesium deficient even if you eat these foods regularly. The complex relationship between magnesium and stress explains why many of the patients I see require magnesium supplements, because even a nutritious diet does not correct their magnesium deficiency.
If you are like most people, when you are exposed to the stress of contin-uous loud noise, for example, you become irrita-ble, easily fatigued and lose concentration. Your blood pressure may increase as the level of adrenalin, a stress hormone, in-creases in your blood. Under conditions of mental or physical stress, magnesium is released from your blood cells and goes into the blood plasma, from where it is excreted into the urine. Chronic stress depletes your body of magnesium. The more stressed you are, the greater the loss of magnesium. The lower your magnesium level to begin with, the more reactive to stress you become and the higher your level of adrenalin in stressful situations. Higher adrenalin causes greater loss of magnesium from cells. Administering magnesium as a nutritional supplement breaks this vicious cycle by raising blood magnesium levels and buffering the response to stress, building your resistance.
Personality has a marked effect on the stress-magnesium cycle. A study done in Paris found that stress-induced depletion of magnesium was much greater for people who show the "Type A", competitive, heart-disease prone behavior pattern than for their less competitive colleagues. Dr. Bella Altura, a physiologist at the State University of New York, has proposed that depletion of magnesium among Type A indiviudals is the main reason why Type A individuals are at increased risk of heart attacks.
It appears that the body's magnesium economy is an integral part of the stress response system. When stressed for any reason, the body's hormonal reponse causes an outpouring of magnesium from cells into plasma. This outpouring is a bit like taking magnesium by injection, except the source is internal. The effect of the sudden increase in magnesium is both energizing and calming. Magnesium is needed to burn sugar for energy; it also calms the excitation of cells produced by the stress-induced release of calcium. If there is insufficient dietary magnesium, or if there is insufficient rest in between episodes of stress, the body's magnesium stores are slowly depleted. The hormonal response to stress disintegrates. The plasma magnesium does not elevate in response to stress as it should, so that the energizing/calming effect of magnesium is not present to counter the nerve-jangling effects of adrenalin and other stress hormones. Consequently, the disorganizing effects of stress are intensified and coping is impaired. Higher blood pressure, abnormalities of your heartbeat and an increased risk of heart attacks or of angina (cardiac pain) may be one reult.
Showing posts with label Healthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Beyond Insomnia: Your Favorite Sleep Hormone Is Now Used in Cancer Therapy
You probably know it as a supplement that can help you sleep or overcome jet lag. Certainly, this hormone has been used safely in small doses for dozens of years for these purposes. As numerous people — and I — can attest to, from 0.5 to 3 mg of melatonin taken half an hour before bedtime can turn a restless night into a restful one. And it can save you a day or more of fatigue if it's used before and after long plane rides. But melatonin does much more, especially in higher quantities. It’s being used to protect against cancer, and to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatments.
This hormone regulates the patterns of wakefulness and sleepiness that coincide with light and darkness known as circadian rhythm. Melatonin levels should be highest at night and lowest during the day. But light shuts down your body’s production, so if you're in a well-lighted room late at night you may not be able to make enough melatonin to sleep well.
The melatonin/cancer connection
Exposure to light at night not only affects your ability to sleep during the day, it also increases your risk for cancer. Studies show that women who work late night shifts have an increased risk for getting breast cancer. And if you work late at night for just three nights a month over a period of 15 years, your risk for colon cancer escalates.
For a long time, we couldn't explain this phenomenon. Recently, however, a group of circadian-clock control genes were discovered that regulate the growth of normal cells and cancer cells. When these genes mutate, they cause a spontaneous outbreak of cancer. Why do they cause specific cancers? We don’t know yet.
Circadian rhythm organization
Cancer cells multiply at certain times of the day, so it stands to reason that cancer therapies should be timed with cancer cell growth. Yet, cancer treatments are given at times that are most convenient for doctors and patients — not at times when a hormone, nutrient, or medication would work the best. This just doesn’t make sense.
We have some studies that support giving cancer treatments according to circadian rhythms. One study showed that there was less toxicity and a better response from drug therapy in patients with colon cancer who were given their medication at night. Combine traditional treatments with melatonin, and the benefits increase dramatically. Let's take a look at some good studies on this subject.
A group of patients with advanced cancer were given 10 mg of melatonin at night for at least two months along with their other medications. They lost less weight and their disease progressed more slowly than those on the same therapy who didn’t take melatonin.
Melatonin added to prescribed medications was also associated with survival for more than a year in people with brain cancer, melanoma, lung cancer, and untreatable glioblastoma. The combination worked better than the medications alone.
But that's not all
Melatonin is an aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase means that it reduces the ability of male hormones (adrogens), such as testosterone, to turn into estrogens. This means that melatonin has anti-estrogenic effects. When you combine it with tamoxifen, it actually enhances tamoxifen’s effects. Melatonin also boosts the effectiveness of interferon on kidney cancers.
I'm particularly impressed with how this hormone protects healthy cells from toxins, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and other drugs. Perhaps this activity explains why it has proven to be so useful in people with untreatable cancers.
In several studies, there was less muscle wasting, less weakness, and a longer survival when patients were given 20 mg of melatonin at night along with either chemotherapy or supportive care.
What does this mean for you?
I'm not suggesting that you start taking high doses of melatonin even though there a number of supplement companies that sell it in 20 mg tablets. Melatonin is a hormone, and while I think that up to 3 mg a day is safe to take, I think that higher amounts should be monitored by your doctor, especially since there are interactions between melatonin and some pharmaceutical drugs. You don’t want the melatonin to increase the activity of other drugs without your doctor’s knowledge.
You might, however, show him or her this article and suggest they read some of the studies I've cited. Melatonin could be an appropriate nutrient to take for women who have hormone-related breast cancers, for people with inoperable cancers, and to protect you if you’re at a particularly high risk. This is a subject that's worth exploring.
Cos, S., et al. e-pub ahead of print, Int J Cancer, 2005 August 3.
Lissoni, P., "Is there a role for melatonin in supportive care?" Support Care Cancer, 2002 March; 10(2).
Mahmoud, F., et al. "The therapeutic application of melatonin in supportive care and palliative medicine," Am J Hosp Palliat Care, 2005 July-August; 22(4).
This hormone regulates the patterns of wakefulness and sleepiness that coincide with light and darkness known as circadian rhythm. Melatonin levels should be highest at night and lowest during the day. But light shuts down your body’s production, so if you're in a well-lighted room late at night you may not be able to make enough melatonin to sleep well.
The melatonin/cancer connection
Exposure to light at night not only affects your ability to sleep during the day, it also increases your risk for cancer. Studies show that women who work late night shifts have an increased risk for getting breast cancer. And if you work late at night for just three nights a month over a period of 15 years, your risk for colon cancer escalates.
For a long time, we couldn't explain this phenomenon. Recently, however, a group of circadian-clock control genes were discovered that regulate the growth of normal cells and cancer cells. When these genes mutate, they cause a spontaneous outbreak of cancer. Why do they cause specific cancers? We don’t know yet.
Circadian rhythm organization
Cancer cells multiply at certain times of the day, so it stands to reason that cancer therapies should be timed with cancer cell growth. Yet, cancer treatments are given at times that are most convenient for doctors and patients — not at times when a hormone, nutrient, or medication would work the best. This just doesn’t make sense.
We have some studies that support giving cancer treatments according to circadian rhythms. One study showed that there was less toxicity and a better response from drug therapy in patients with colon cancer who were given their medication at night. Combine traditional treatments with melatonin, and the benefits increase dramatically. Let's take a look at some good studies on this subject.
A group of patients with advanced cancer were given 10 mg of melatonin at night for at least two months along with their other medications. They lost less weight and their disease progressed more slowly than those on the same therapy who didn’t take melatonin.
Melatonin added to prescribed medications was also associated with survival for more than a year in people with brain cancer, melanoma, lung cancer, and untreatable glioblastoma. The combination worked better than the medications alone.
But that's not all
Melatonin is an aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase means that it reduces the ability of male hormones (adrogens), such as testosterone, to turn into estrogens. This means that melatonin has anti-estrogenic effects. When you combine it with tamoxifen, it actually enhances tamoxifen’s effects. Melatonin also boosts the effectiveness of interferon on kidney cancers.
I'm particularly impressed with how this hormone protects healthy cells from toxins, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and other drugs. Perhaps this activity explains why it has proven to be so useful in people with untreatable cancers.
In several studies, there was less muscle wasting, less weakness, and a longer survival when patients were given 20 mg of melatonin at night along with either chemotherapy or supportive care.
What does this mean for you?
I'm not suggesting that you start taking high doses of melatonin even though there a number of supplement companies that sell it in 20 mg tablets. Melatonin is a hormone, and while I think that up to 3 mg a day is safe to take, I think that higher amounts should be monitored by your doctor, especially since there are interactions between melatonin and some pharmaceutical drugs. You don’t want the melatonin to increase the activity of other drugs without your doctor’s knowledge.
You might, however, show him or her this article and suggest they read some of the studies I've cited. Melatonin could be an appropriate nutrient to take for women who have hormone-related breast cancers, for people with inoperable cancers, and to protect you if you’re at a particularly high risk. This is a subject that's worth exploring.
Cos, S., et al. e-pub ahead of print, Int J Cancer, 2005 August 3.
Lissoni, P., "Is there a role for melatonin in supportive care?" Support Care Cancer, 2002 March; 10(2).
Mahmoud, F., et al. "The therapeutic application of melatonin in supportive care and palliative medicine," Am J Hosp Palliat Care, 2005 July-August; 22(4).
10 Tips on Vacations and Your Health
1. Even the most spontaneous getaway needs some basic planning and preparation. If you are visiting a new place, or even one not so new, a good travel guide will give you information on things like available transportation, and the hours and prices of attractions. It should also include important phone numbers and places to get help in an emergency. Or find a friend who knows the area for some tips. Learn about what interests you, like the best hikes or restaurants. And enjoy the adventure of experiencing your own discoveries.
2. Put together a travel kit. Include some water, antibacterial soap, electrolyte and nutritional support (protein bars, supplements, and powdered nutrients that you can add to water), sunscreen, and first aid supplies. Obviously, if you are traveling by car, you can take more goods, such as extra snack/emergency food and water. When traveling by air, you?ll need to make your supplies more compact, but I always have water, a mini-flashlight, a few snacks such as a couple of apples and raw almonds, some simple first aid supplies, a variety of supplements and herbal remedies, and more. Yet, don?t overdo it as you?re likely to have to carry it all around.
3. Take care of your personal needs and of course, those of your traveling companions as well. Match activities with your energy and fitness level. Listen to your body. Give yourself the extra time needed to truly rest and relax. Let yourself sleep more than you do at home. Most of us are sleep deprived. Give yourself sufficient space to acclimate to changes in weather, altitude, or language.
4. Drink plenty of water; hydration is a key. This is especially important if you are visiting a place that is hotter or drier than your usual environment. Don't wait until you get thirsty to drink; you?re already dehydrated then (Review my June 2002 Tips for more on Water). Avoid beverages with added sugar, caffeine or alcohol, as these can contribute to dehydration. After exercise and sweating, drink a cup or two of water and add a pack of nutrients, such as Emergen-C (found in any health food store), or some replenishing electrolyte fluid.
5. Use sunscreen (natural is best) and remember to reapply after swimming or strenuous exercise. Invest in a natural sunscreen, one without many chemicals and that is more nourishing to the skin. If it?s really hot or you?ll be out very long, wear a hat. Also, in summertime, we can get quite dry, so applying some oils or lotions to our skin will nourish your cells and tissues and protect your skin.
6. Take appropriate safety precautions, especially when trying new activities. Things like elbow and kneepads, life vests, and other safety equipment can prevent accidents that truly can ruin your vacation enjoyment. Watch out for poison oak and ivy on hikes, check yourself and your kids for ticks after a hike, and have some protection against biting bugs or slithering snakes.
7. Avoid contaminated food or drinks, which are the major cause of stomach distress while traveling. This is especially true if you are traveling outside the US, but bad food and water can happen anywhere. To be safe, if it is not boiled, well cooked, or peeled, don't eat it. If you do fall victim to traveler's diarrhea, let your stomach rest and be sure to stay hydrated. Use probiotics (acidophilus and other healthy bacteria) both to prevent intestinal problems as well as to treat them. Some other GI protection can be gained by taking additional nutritional hydrochloric acid when you eat, which acidifies the digestive tract and reduces the ability for bad bugs to take hold. Digestive enzymes also help digest microbes to which we are exposed.
8. Know about your destination, at least the basics, before you get there. Don't keep money in a shoulder bag or obvious wallet. Exercise caution when using automatic teller machines and other places where you will be seen with cash. Be aware of your surroundings, and have an evacuation plan in case of emergencies. Also, learn about the best Foods where you are. Enjoy Nature?s bounty wherever you travel (in the US and Europe)?fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables at their organic best. Many cities have a downtown farmer?s market; ask the locals where they would go for the best and freshest foods.
9. Nutritional Supplements can be helpful. All the anti-oxidant nutrients are helpful for the stress of travel?vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and selenium are the main ones. Others are alpha-lipoic acid, pycnogenol, and L-cysteine. I use B-vitamins as tablets or sublingual drops as well for balancing travel stress. Also, it may be helpful to have some spirulina or blue-green algae tablets for energy support. Store your supplements out of the sun or in the cooler. Herbs like Siberian ginseng may also help you deal with the stress of travel. When traveling across time zones, melatonin taken at your new bedtime can help reset your biologic time clock. Even low doses can be effective, so easy does it. Nutrient packets with extra B-vitamins and minerals are also very helpful for travel and exercise replenishment. Put a pack in your water.
10. Inner Healing & De-Stressing ? Prepare for the enjoyment of outdoors. Plan a fun trip of hiking, camping, playing at the river, or a few days resting at the ocean. Rekindling your Earth connection has benefits that last beyond this season, continuing to enrich the whole of your life. Relax and breathe. Enjoy yourself. Practice letting your stresses go, leaving them at home or the office when you?re on vacation. Find a great book to read on your trip. Get out in Nature. Be aware of vacation burnout, so build some time into every day for rest and replenishment. This might entail letting yourself just sit for awhile watching the clouds, the surf, listening to music, or reading a good book. Try being a wave or becoming the sky. I love an affirmation used for relaxation when I lie down, especially in a meadow, "My mind is the sky, and the clouds are my thoughts; I just watch them float by."
2. Put together a travel kit. Include some water, antibacterial soap, electrolyte and nutritional support (protein bars, supplements, and powdered nutrients that you can add to water), sunscreen, and first aid supplies. Obviously, if you are traveling by car, you can take more goods, such as extra snack/emergency food and water. When traveling by air, you?ll need to make your supplies more compact, but I always have water, a mini-flashlight, a few snacks such as a couple of apples and raw almonds, some simple first aid supplies, a variety of supplements and herbal remedies, and more. Yet, don?t overdo it as you?re likely to have to carry it all around.
3. Take care of your personal needs and of course, those of your traveling companions as well. Match activities with your energy and fitness level. Listen to your body. Give yourself the extra time needed to truly rest and relax. Let yourself sleep more than you do at home. Most of us are sleep deprived. Give yourself sufficient space to acclimate to changes in weather, altitude, or language.
4. Drink plenty of water; hydration is a key. This is especially important if you are visiting a place that is hotter or drier than your usual environment. Don't wait until you get thirsty to drink; you?re already dehydrated then (Review my June 2002 Tips for more on Water). Avoid beverages with added sugar, caffeine or alcohol, as these can contribute to dehydration. After exercise and sweating, drink a cup or two of water and add a pack of nutrients, such as Emergen-C (found in any health food store), or some replenishing electrolyte fluid.
5. Use sunscreen (natural is best) and remember to reapply after swimming or strenuous exercise. Invest in a natural sunscreen, one without many chemicals and that is more nourishing to the skin. If it?s really hot or you?ll be out very long, wear a hat. Also, in summertime, we can get quite dry, so applying some oils or lotions to our skin will nourish your cells and tissues and protect your skin.
6. Take appropriate safety precautions, especially when trying new activities. Things like elbow and kneepads, life vests, and other safety equipment can prevent accidents that truly can ruin your vacation enjoyment. Watch out for poison oak and ivy on hikes, check yourself and your kids for ticks after a hike, and have some protection against biting bugs or slithering snakes.
7. Avoid contaminated food or drinks, which are the major cause of stomach distress while traveling. This is especially true if you are traveling outside the US, but bad food and water can happen anywhere. To be safe, if it is not boiled, well cooked, or peeled, don't eat it. If you do fall victim to traveler's diarrhea, let your stomach rest and be sure to stay hydrated. Use probiotics (acidophilus and other healthy bacteria) both to prevent intestinal problems as well as to treat them. Some other GI protection can be gained by taking additional nutritional hydrochloric acid when you eat, which acidifies the digestive tract and reduces the ability for bad bugs to take hold. Digestive enzymes also help digest microbes to which we are exposed.
8. Know about your destination, at least the basics, before you get there. Don't keep money in a shoulder bag or obvious wallet. Exercise caution when using automatic teller machines and other places where you will be seen with cash. Be aware of your surroundings, and have an evacuation plan in case of emergencies. Also, learn about the best Foods where you are. Enjoy Nature?s bounty wherever you travel (in the US and Europe)?fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables at their organic best. Many cities have a downtown farmer?s market; ask the locals where they would go for the best and freshest foods.
9. Nutritional Supplements can be helpful. All the anti-oxidant nutrients are helpful for the stress of travel?vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and selenium are the main ones. Others are alpha-lipoic acid, pycnogenol, and L-cysteine. I use B-vitamins as tablets or sublingual drops as well for balancing travel stress. Also, it may be helpful to have some spirulina or blue-green algae tablets for energy support. Store your supplements out of the sun or in the cooler. Herbs like Siberian ginseng may also help you deal with the stress of travel. When traveling across time zones, melatonin taken at your new bedtime can help reset your biologic time clock. Even low doses can be effective, so easy does it. Nutrient packets with extra B-vitamins and minerals are also very helpful for travel and exercise replenishment. Put a pack in your water.
10. Inner Healing & De-Stressing ? Prepare for the enjoyment of outdoors. Plan a fun trip of hiking, camping, playing at the river, or a few days resting at the ocean. Rekindling your Earth connection has benefits that last beyond this season, continuing to enrich the whole of your life. Relax and breathe. Enjoy yourself. Practice letting your stresses go, leaving them at home or the office when you?re on vacation. Find a great book to read on your trip. Get out in Nature. Be aware of vacation burnout, so build some time into every day for rest and replenishment. This might entail letting yourself just sit for awhile watching the clouds, the surf, listening to music, or reading a good book. Try being a wave or becoming the sky. I love an affirmation used for relaxation when I lie down, especially in a meadow, "My mind is the sky, and the clouds are my thoughts; I just watch them float by."
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