Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Why has Theanine become such a widely researched nutrient over the past few years? Science shows that this amino acid packs a major punch for stress relief.
Let’s discuss nutrients that can be beneficial for optimizing attention, focus and overall brain-supporting power when dealing with stress.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH.
Subscribe Today!
Now that we are officially a good eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are starting to have more discussions about the overall impact this is having on one’s mental health. There’s been a whole slew of scientific research studies just in the last month looking at the implications of the stress and anxiety that has been associated with this. I want to talk about what you can be doing during this time because this pandemic is still with us. We are not over the hump and now we are starting to move into normal cold and flu season on top of still having the concerns with COVID-19. I want to get into the heart of stress and really look at how this can have a really negative effect on our overall mental well-being, clarity, cognition, everything in totality, but also look at just a general sense of some of the new scientific research that’s out there discussing the implications of anxiety and stress that are associated with the pandemic.
So many people are feeling the effects of stress. So many people are still working from home and not having the same social interactions. For students, maybe this was your first year going off to college and everything has been kind of turned upside down because of different protocols and following different local and state guidelines when it comes to mitigation techniques. This can really start to take a toll and you hear more and more about it in terms of how people are feeling. People are getting, as they’re saying, the “COVID fatigue,” but we can’t let our guard down in the same sense and try and think we can go about normal life because this is still out there. We are seeing the real impact as a society in terms of the people who are still being heavily affected and there’s still significant loss of life. This is weighing on many people and it’s important to know why we need to be able to manage our stress and how we can actually avoid stress. We know that stress does so much damage to our body.
We know that there are multiple pathways in which stress really has a grip on how we feel. We can look at that hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and how that impacts our immune system. We know that the biochemical effects of stress are very complicated and are wide-scoping throughout the body, but we know that cortisol is our primary stress hormone and we can see issues that arise within the adrenals. We know that different neurotransmitters are impacted based off of our levels of stress, which is why we look at things like GABA, and when we do not have adequate GABA being released, this can play a role in terms of feeling anxious. These are the things that we want to be able to focus in on. We know that if our serotonin and GABA levels are kind of all thrown about because of higher levels of stress and anxiety, this will have a lasting effect on our overall sense of well-being.
Feeling Burnt Out? Rhodiola Can Help! – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 186. Listen Now >>
We can look at blood glucose levels right now maybe because of stress, or maybe low mood, because you’re not eating properly and we’re having this glucose-insulin imbalance, which in turn has an even greater impact when it comes to adrenal dysfunction.
For more information about how pandemic-related stress could be impacting your body, tune into the full podcast episode.
What can we be doing to manage our stress levels?
We certainly know that there are many different nutrients out there that can help to offset the negative impact of stress. We can look at things such as L-Theanine, which is a powerful amino acid that is sourced from green tea and we know that that plays a really critical role when it comes to the body’s natural release of GABA, that calming neurotransmitter. We have these bits of science that we know that things from nature can be beneficial. We can look at adrenal support with things such as Rhodiola and Ashwagandha, these adrenal adaptogenic herbs that can create an awful lot of balance within the body.
There’s one thing in particular I often like to turn people’s attention to and this is our Ribose Complex. D-Ribose is a very important sugar that is found in the body and it is different from other sugars in the sense that it is not impacting our blood glucose levels. This is important to keep in mind because oftentimes, when we think of sugar, we just think of how it will impact our blood sugar. D-Ribose is required by the body in terms of energy production. When we look at areas that have high energy demand, we think about our heart, brain, and skeletal muscles. D-Ribose has been shown to be very effective when we look at stress. When we’re under stress, sometimes the mitochondria, the little energy maker within the cell, loses its ability to properly produce adenosine triphosphate. So our Ribose Complex is this really great blend. It contains the D-Ribose, but it also has Acetyl-L-Carnitine, which is really good for brain health and mental clarity. It also contains dimethylglycine, which is required for over 40 different processes in the body and is a precursor for the manufacturing of glutathione.
Nutrients To Help Mitigate The Impact of Stress – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 182. Listen Now >>
Learn more about nutrients that can help support a healthy stress response by tuning into the full podcast episode.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
We’ve all experienced the feeling of staying out late but still having to get up early for work or class the next morning. If you’ve ever burnt the candle at both ends like this, L-Tyrosine may help!
Rhodiola rosea, also known as Viking Ginseng, offers support for stress, mental and physical fatigue and energy. It can also support your immune system.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
Subscribe Today!
Who isn’t stressed right now? Panax ginseng is used for stress and energy and it’s considered to be an adaptogen. An adaptogen is usually a natural substance like an herb, or it can be something made by our bodies. Research supports its use for improving your energy, reducing feelings of stress, and supporting your immune system. Today, we’re going to discuss how the herb Panax ginseng, also known as Korean or Asian ginseng, can safely improve your mental and physical energy.
What is Panax ginseng?
Panax ginseng is an extremely popular herb that has been used for many centuries. The word “Panax” means all-healing in Greek.
A number of recent studies published in medical journals show that this herb reduces fatigue and improves your energy. This usually starts within 15 to 30 minutes of consuming the herb. Interestingly, it helps the very first time you use it. There is no build up. Some things that improve energy have to be taken for a week or two before you start to feel any improvement, but Panax ginseng works out of the starting gate.†
Panax ginseng does not cause jitteriness and does not feel like a stimulant. In fact, you likely will feel calmer and more clear-headed because it has a nice impact on brain function. A recent study of 174 people in China shows that Ginseng improved fatigue dramatically compared to placebo. Additionally, the Mayo Clinic performed a double-blind study on 290 cancer patients. The most common symptoms from cancer are brain fatigue and physical fatigue. Researchers found that the Panax ginseng safely restored the patients’ energy.†
Nutrients To Help Mitigate The Impact of Stress – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 182. Listen Now >>
Panax ginseng has to grow for five years to obtain enough ingredients to offer its benefits. These ingredients include ginsenosides, acidic polysaccharides, and polyacetylenes. They are only found in the Panax ginseng plant. This truly age-old treatment for flagging energy is believed to work by supporting the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis, which helps your body adapt to and cope with stress and fatigue. This axis is made up of three glands: the hypothalamus, which controls your body clock, the pituitary, which controls the release of hormones, and the adrenals, which help you handle stress. These three glands work in harmony through the regulated release of hormones to control your body’s response to stress. They also help regulate your energy, your mood, your immune system, and your digestive tract. Two hundred miligrams to 400mg of Panax ginseng has been shown to produce natural energy, reduce mental and physical fatigue, and improve alertness.†
The Research Behind Panax Ginseng
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston is the number 1 cancer research and treatment center. Their Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation did a study with high dose Panax ginseng and cancer patients dealing with fatigue. In this study, 30 patients with cancer-related fatigue received 800mg of Panax ginseng every day for a month. This is considered a high dosage. The patients did not have any adverse events related to the Panax ginseng, even at this high dosage, which is telling you a lot. It also improved their scores for fatigue, as well as their wellbeing, appetite and sleep. This is extremely important because people who are being treated for cancer are very vulnerable, so seeing that a high dose of Panax ginseng improved their state without causing negative impacts actually means a lot.†
Panax ginseng can also help healthy patients with fatigue. The Korean Medical Hospital’s Department of Internal Medicine performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trial that was published in the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. They worked with 52 healthy subjects who were fatigued and gave them either Panax ginseng or placebo daily. The researchers used 2000mg of Panax ginseng a day, which is a high dosage and not necessary for most people. The study showed that there was a significant difference in fatigue after 4 weeks for patients taking the ginseng.†
Natural Remedies for Sleep – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 104. Listen Now >>
For additional studies that prove the efficacy of Panax ginseng for energy and fatigue, make sure to listen to our full podcast episode by clicking PLAY above.
Here’s my personal experience with Panax ginseng. Not very long ago, I had 2 nights in a row with no sleep. Between the 2 nights, I probably had 1 hour. The next day, I had 3 live radio programs and I still had to go to work after that. I felt exhausted. I told people on my radio programs that after I was done with the programs, I was going to take a product called True Energy, where I combine Rhodiola rosea, which is often called viking ginseng, and Panax ginseng with something from the tea plant called L-theanine. After the last show ended at 12:00, I forgot to take it. I went to work and finally took it at about 1:00. I took an envelope of the powder and put it in water. It dissolved pretty easily and tasted rather good. Within 15 minutes, I felt like I had just had 1 bad night of sleep instead of 2. After half an hour, I felt like I had slept really great. In fact, I worked straight through until 6:00 and didn’t even stop for lunch. I never thought I’d be able to last past 2:00 that day. I couldn’t believe it. From time to time, when I’ve worked too hard and I’ve burnt the candle at both ends, I’ll take an envelope of True Energy, which has 200mg of Panax ginseng, and feel energy, wellness and calmness. It’s really a good feeling. If you do feel like you’ve overdone it and you just need a little bit of help, Panax ginseng will help get you on your feet again.
