The link between too much alcohol and magnesium deficiency

A lot of people enjoy a glass of wine or a beer after a long day or when we have friends and family around for a BBQ in the backyard. It is a part of many people’s lives. Alcohol is the world's most socially accepted recreational drug. However, there are effects on the body that alcohol has that you should keep in mind.

The effects of alcohol on your body  

We are aware of the common effects that alcohol can cause while we are under the influence such as impair our concentration, our judgement, our mood and memory, but today we are going to talk about the other known health issues it can cause.  

If you are drinking in moderation, that is one standard drink a day for women or two standard drinks for men, it can be safe and help to reduce your anxiety and help you to relax. It is when you start to drink more than this that it starts to have negative effects on your health.

Alcohol is a depressant. This means that it lowers neurotransmission levels, it slows down your breathing, your heart rate and the parts of the brain that affect thinking and behaviour. Alcohol can prevent the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream, this then leads to your body being deficient in all nutrients including magnesium. It can also affect your digestive system, can cause stomach issues with your digestive lining which in turn can lead to other health problems.

Alcohol and Magnesium deficiency

Every organ in your body uses magnesium. It regulates 300 enzymes in the body which means it’s often hard for people to get enough magnesium from their diet alone. So, when you combine a low magnesium diet with alcohol at any level it eats into the magnesium supplies. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency can include irritability, joint pain, muscle aches, anxiety and depression, low energy, restless leg syndrome, insomnia or reduced sleep. 60% of your body’s magnesium is found in your bones. Magnesium also has anti-inflammatory properties and reduces insulin resistance. Magnesium can also help to prevent migraines, lower blood pressure and improve your sleep. It can also help with muscle strength, help with weight loss, help to fight depression and can enhance exercise performance.

Increasing Magnesium levels

To help get more magnesium in your body you can add more magnesium rich foods to your diet such as avocados, spinach, kale, seaweed, bananas, black beans, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate and fish such as mackerel and salmon. Another way to increase your magnesium levels is to take a magnesium supplement. Try to look for one that is 300-450 mg/day. You can also soak in a bath with warm water and Epsom Salts or Magnesium Flakes. The magnesium will absorb through your skin and into your body. You can also use a lotion or a spray on your skin. It will soak into the body and you will absorb the magnesium.

Magnesium is just one of the nutrients you need to keep your body healthy. Alcohol also uses up a lot of the vitamin B in your body which is much needed to keep your stress levels down.

It is important to have a balanced eating plan and to take the correct supplements. Always consult a naturopath or nutritionist to work out what supplements are right for you as they are not all the same. They need to be in the right mg and quantities to make the right impact, get you healthy and keep you healthy. Give us a call to make a time to discuss your health needs either in person or online.

How’s your memory?

Have you ever walked into the room and forgotten why you went in there, or forgot where you left your keys? Most likely this has happened to you from time to time as there are times when we all forget things especially when times are busy or we are in a rush. This can be completely normal but at the same time very frustrating.

Research has shown that genetics play a role in memory loss, particularly when it involves conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, but your diet and lifestyle can also have a big impact on your memory. The good news is there are some natural ways to give your memory a boost.

(pic thanks to Samantha Hurley - Burst)

How did this happen?

There are some changes you can make to your daily diet to help improve your memory. Firstly, you should eat less sugar as too much sugar has been linked to memory loss. A diet high in sugar has been shown to reduce brain volume in the area that stores short-term memory leading to cognitive loss. Cutting back on your sugar will help to make your memory a bit sharper.  

Do you crave carbohydrates? Pasta? Pizza? Potato? Cakes? Cookies and white bread? It has been shown that eating large amounts of refined carbohydrates like these also impact on your memory. This is because these foods have a high glycaemic index, namely convert straight into sugar in your body and are digested quickly causing a spike in blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that refined carbohydrates are linked to dementia and cognitive decline. On the other hand foods that have anti-inflammatory effects are rich in antioxidants and may help to improve your memory.

Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to a reduction in cognitive function. So, make sure your vitamin D levels are high enough. Alcohol in large quantities can be bad for your health in many ways and can also negatively impact your memory. Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that raises your blood alcohol levels to 0.08 grams per ml or above. Studies have shown it alters the brain and results in bad memory.

Obesity is also linked as a high-risk factor for cognitive decline. Being obese can actually cause changes to memory-associated genes in the brain, negatively affecting your memory.

What to use

Curcumin is good for helping to improve your memory. Curcumin has been known to reduce oxidative damage and inflammation in the brain and also lower the quantity of amyloid plaques. These gather on neurons and cause cell and tissue death. This may also cause memory loss.

Cocoa is not only delicious but also nutritious. It may help stimulate the growth of blood vessels and neurons and increase blood flow in parts of the brain involved with memory.

Fish oil is a great supplement to take if you are looking to improve your memory. Fish oil is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. These fats are important for overall health and have been shown to slow mental decline.

There are also many other herbs and supplements that can help your memory improve – like Brahmi tea. Brahmi tea has a full rich flavour and is a nice warming cuppa on any day.

Aside from that there are games you can play which will keep your mind mentally active. Also make sure you get enough sleep and try some meditation and mindfulness practice. Learning to meditate and focus your mind will improve your concentration and in turn your memory.

All this of course will lower your stress and frustration levels but it is not an easy task to do on your own. Seek out a trusted natural holistic therapist that can help you put your mind and body in tune with each other, bring about more harmony, assist you in gaining more peace of mind and you will soon find your memory begins to improve. Even if you can’t repair all the cells any repair is better than none.

Give us a call if we can assist you with your stress levels, memory improvement, lessening your fatigue and if you need more balance and peacefulness in your life.

 What are Haemorrhoids? How to treat them.

Haemorrhoids can be very painful and cause lots of different problems. Haemorrhoids are clusters of veins in the smooth muscle walls of the anus or lower rectum and can be also known as piles. This means they make you very uncomfortable when you need to open your bowels. They are caused by increases in pressure to the blood vessels in the anus. This can be caused by things such as low fibre diets, pregnancy, obesity and prolonged sitting or standing. Other factors that can contribute to the cause are diarrhea or constipation, spinal cord injuries, alcoholism, lifting heavy weight, aging and anal intercourse.

Symptoms are pain, and pain during bowel movements, itching and bleeding around the rectum and /or the anus. You may also find hard painful lumps and get mucus or faecal leakage. Haemorrhoids can go away on their own but here are some treatments that may help to speed up the recovery. It is important however to make sure that the symptoms are related to haemorrhoids and not something more serious.

The doctor will use medical history, symptoms and a physical examination to diagnose haemorrhoids. There are a few different types. Some bleed but are not prolapsed, others are prolapsed but get smaller on their own suddenly and others prolapse and have to be reduced manually whilst the worst prolapse but cannot be reduced.

Treating haemorrhoids, even though they can disappear on their own, can help to ease the symptoms faster. If you have the low grade haemorrhoids that bleed but do not prolapse you can try some at home remedies such as Epsom Salts and glycerine. Mix two tablespoons of Epsom Salts with 2 tablespoons of glycerine and apply to the painful area with gauze. Apply for 15-20-minutes and repeat every 4 to 6 hours. Or you can try Myrtus Communis essential oil to help improve bleeding, and itching. To help calm spasms you can try sitting in a Sitz bath or even a regular warm bath for 20min 2 to 3 times a day. Also eating more fibre or taking stool softeners, digestive enzymes and probiotics can help relieve symptoms.

If you are suffering from the higher graded haemorrhoids then you might need other products you can buy at the health food store or the chemist. If these don’t work then there are prescription medications from the doctor. In some cases, you may require more intensive medical procedures such as rubber band ligation, which is using rubber bands to cut off circulation to the haemorrhoid. Infrared coagulation and radiofrequency ablation therapy also work in the same sort of way. If all this fails you may require surgery to remove them. Take care of these when they just start and don’t let them become bad and uncomfortable. They are a symptom that your gut is not healthy or working properly. See your naturopath to find out what you need to improve your diet and gut health and very soon haemorrhoids will be in the past and your digestion will be working better.