Supplements 101
Debra Gibson, ND
Thoughts for the New Year: Supplements for Renewal
in the new. For some this sigh is one of relief – a challeng- ing year survived; the physical and emotional rigor of the holidays behind them. For others, it’s a sigh of contentment, savoring sweet memories of the time past, and anticipating the quiet, inward peace of winter’s depths. This vast, imag- ined exhalation contains a complex mix of emotion and energy unique to each of us. What it holds in common for us all is the quality of “letting go,” and the implicit awareness that with the first “in-breaths” of the New Year, we each have a chance to transform our lives. This is the time of year when people come into my office a few pounds heavier, tired, sickly, and chagrined, telling tales of holiday overindulgence, and wanting to get back on track with their health. So this month I’m going to share some strategies to assist with post-holiday repair and recovery – a little supplement support to get the year off to a great start, and create a foundation to help some New Year’s resolutions come true.
E All tired out
Despite our best intentions, few of us navigate the icy slope between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day without slipping into overcommitting, over-planning, and overdo- ing. Like no other time of year, the holidays challenge our core beliefs and behaviors around self-care and the fine line between giving, and giving too much. It’s strange but true that at the very times we most need
extra nutrient support, we often forget to take our vitamins. The most fundamental and broad-spectrum supplement source of vitamins and minerals is the multivitamin. So look up your old friend, the high-potency multi - a formula that has at least 50 mg of many of the B-vitamins and a decent amount of magnesium (150-300 mg in a day’s dose), taken consistently in the recommended daily amount, will go a long way toward setting you back on your feet. Vitamins C and Pantothenic acid (also known as Vitamin B-5) are particularly restorative to the adrenal glands – and overuse of the adrenal stress hormone mechanism is a common cause of prolonged or excessive fatigue. So if you would like additional vitamin support, focus on taking Vitamin C in amounts between 1,000 mg and upwards of 3,000 mg per
8 January 2011
very year around this time, I imagine I hear a collective “Wheeeeew” exhaled across the land, as we all release a great sigh, breathing out the old year before breathing
day (your body will signal that it has had more than enough by a looser bowel movement – this is not harmful, but you should stop for the day and cut back a little). Pantothenic acid can be taken for the purpose of adrenal restoration in amounts of 1,000-2,000 mg per day, in at least two divided doses through the day.
Heal your adrenals
Adrenal depletion and the hormonal imbalances un- derlying it are very common, and have negative conse- quences for everything from quality of life to mood to risk for Alzheimer’s disease. I would probably nominate it as my “favorite” condition to treat. What are signs that your adrenal glands have been burning the candle at both ends? In- creased tiredness, often worse during the afternoon (the 2- to 5-p.m. timeslot); awakening in the morning unrefreshed; dif- ficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep (or a pattern of light sleep from which you are easily roused); irritability or a short fuse; moodiness (including depression and anxiety); reduced tolerance for stress; fatigue after intense emotion. There are many patterns of adrenal fatigue, and as many ways of treat- ing them, but there are three supplements that are safe, basic tools of nutritional repair for our stress management system: fish oil, phosphatidyl serine, and the herb Rhodiola rosea.
Fish oil and phospholipids For better quality sleep
These two nutrients help repair the scrambled lines of communication between the adrenal glands and the brain centers that regulate stress hormone output from these glands. This is one way chronic stress can lead to disrupted patterns of sleep; if your brain is misguidedly sending messages to your adrenals telling them to secrete stress hormones, before long you may be wide awake with your thoughts racing. To repair this off-kilter feedback loop, we need essential fatty acids from fish oil, which are incorpo- rated into the outer “wall” of each cell, the cell membrane, making it more supple and more sensitive to biochemical messages. We can also use phosphatidyl serine, a phos- pholipid molecule derived from soy lecithin which restores function to receptors in the cell membrane. These two nutri- ents work in synergy to help brain cells which monitor and regulate adrenal stress hormone output to “hear better” and
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