Health tips - Calcium and Magnesium
By Brien Cole N.D.
I like to think about anxiety in two ways: what is the anxious person thinking inside their head? And what is anxiety doing to their bodies? If you strip away all the elaborate mental constructions we seem to place around anxiety disorders, I think we get down to the essence, that anxious people are just people whose bodies aren't very good at turning off their reactions to fear.
We learn to live by avoiding the things, which make us fearful. We avoid anxious settings, going outside, going to the supermarket, taking a flight, speaking in public, going to a party. The tragedy is we restrict and curtail our lives to minimise our fear response, which we could minimise just as effectively in other ways. Naturopathically we can assist a person suffering from any of the anxiety disorders by helping them to quieten the body and thereby quietening the mind. There are many different approaches and remedies but today I would like to talk about calcium and magnesium.
Magnesium and calcium are two of the most important minerals in the body. Calcium, as we all know, is the stuff of bones and if you don't have enough calcium in your diet you are likely to suffer osteoporosis later in life. What is less appreciated is calcium's role in muscle contractions; calcium ions flooding into the muscle cells are the heart of muscle contractions. As the muscles contract they fill with calcium ions, in order to relax, the body must remove these calcium ions from the muscle cells. To remove calcium ions our body needs enzymes and energy; central to both is the element magnesium. Think of it like a sea-saw, calcium tenses, magnesium relaxes. When we are anxious our body tenses, calcium ions rush into our muscle cells, when we relax, calcium ions with the assistance of magnesium are removed from the muscle cells. But hang on a minute, the whole problem here is that anxious people don't relax. Could it be that anxious people don't relax because their bodies are deficient in magnesium? It is quite possible, perhaps not the only reason, but it could well be one of them.
Look at the symptoms of magnesium deficiency: fatigue, insomnia, muscle twitching, irritability, rapid heartbeat, and numbness. They are familiar symptoms for an anxious person. Magnesium supplemented with vitamin B6 has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms of premenstrual tension in double blind trials. The symptoms relieved were anxiety, craving, depression and hydration; this leads me to believe that magnesium and vitamin B6 certainly have a role in anxiety recovery. Before we get too enthusiastic however we must remember that magnesium always works in association with calcium.
Calcium works with magnesium in its functions in the blood, nerves, and muscles, particularly in regulating heart and muscle contraction and nerve conduction. They work together but usually at either end of the sea-saw. Calcium is the tensing mineral, involved in muscle contraction whereas magnesium is the relaxant, assisting in muscle relaxation.
Depressed or anxious people often have excessive calcium levels. As calcium and magnesium always work in tandem, this means that anxious or depressed people will often have a deficiency of magnesium. Add to this the fact that stress itself increases the need for magnesium and we have the picture of the "uptight", never able to relax, magnesium deficient, and anxious personality type. An anxiety picture with a lot of muscle tension, particularly if there is also twitching, insomnia and headaches points to a magnesium deficiency.
Do you recognise yourself? If so, magnesium supplementation or a diet high in magnesium may be useful. Magnesium is found in green leafy vegetables, in nuts and whole grains. Seeds, legumes (peas and beans) and leafy greens, especially spinach, are all good sources of magnesium. The recommended daily supplementation of magnesium is 250-350 mg. If you are already taking calcium supplements and you suffer from anxiety it is essential that you also take magnesium. Because magnesium will bind to calcium absorption sites in the body, the two supplements cannot be taken together, so take calcium in the morning and magnesium at night.
And, of course, do not try to recover from anxiety all by yourself, there is help if you need it from people who have been through it themselves. ADAVIC is a great place to start. Look at the web site, read the newsletter, join a support group, get in touch.
Brien Cole suffered from anxiety for most of his life. Attending Bev Aisbett's anxiety recovery program (an ADAVIC program) began a journey of discovery.
Brien brings his skills as a Naturopath, plus his personal experience and understanding to his treatment of anxiety disorders. Brien Cole practices in Caulfield. The aim of his approach is to teach his clients to learn to live in a relaxed body, a body in touch with feeling and sensation, an intuitive body, and a healthy body together with a calm mind.
Brien can be contacted on Mobile 0427 957 605
Phone 9532 9897
Or Email; brienLcole@hotmail.com
June 2004
