I’ve noticed a recent pattern –

Any middle aged bloke with nice teeth that I meet and get talking to; always asks me about dealing with stress and anxiety. With this in mind,  I thought I’d make a blog post to meet the apparent demand for this information.

Diet, Diet, Diet & Exercise

You can’t ‘out supplement’ a bad diet.

Consider cutting out sugar, deep fried foods and vegetable oils.

Consider eating more organic vegetables, fermented foods like sauerkraut, oily fish and inflammatory foods like turmeric.

Exercise is required for physical and mental health.  Everyone knows that though, so I’ll get into what supplements you can take for a less than perfect quick-fix.

Magnesium

There’s a lot of research on magnesium supplementation and anxiety & depression.

Case histories are presented showing rapid recovery (less than 7 days) from major depression using 125–300 mg of magnesium (as glycinate and taurinate) with each meal and at bedtime.

Study here

I’ve found magnesium citrate good for muscle tension around my shoulder and neck.

CBD Oil

Yes, I’m on the bandwagon. Not sure what’s going on with the legality of none-psychoactive cbd oil, but you can still buy it from medipen and cbd brothers.

Buckets of research support the use of cbd oil from everything from IBS to migraines. It’s because it is such a powerful anti-inflammatory; I think.

CBD Won’t make you Dopey – Blows to the head will

Kava Kava

Kava, is a psychoactive drink, enjoyed in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.

It’s amazing for anxiety, again with shed loads of research to support it.

It’s illegal in many countries due to the unknown impact on the liver. I also feel like sh!t the next day after drinking some strains of kava – some are more sedating than others.

Fish Oil

Fish oil is great for general health, possibly due to the potent anti-inflammatory properties of EPA – a specific part of omega 3.

Some recommend higher dosages for treating depression and anxiety, up to 9g per day.
More information here.

Adaptogens

Adaptogens are herbs and foods that help your body adapt to stress.

They include ashwagandha, rhodiola rosea and ginseng.

http://completewellbeing.com

http://www.acs.org

Adaptogens are herbs that are actually very good for you, even in some cases linked to cancer-prevention (to a certain extent).

Phosphatidylserine

One of my favourite supplements, it also works as a nootropic with most people – helping you think more clearly. I swear it also helps my eyesight too.

It is said to reduce cortisol levels, which is how it reduces stress.

There is quite a bit of research behind this supplement –

Influence of phosphatidylserine on cognitive performance and cortical activity after induced stress (2008)

The main finding of the study was that chronic supplementation of phosphatidylserine significantly decreases Beta-1 power in right hemispheric frontal brain regions (F8; P < 0.05) before and after induced stress. The results for Beta-1 power in the PS (Phosphatidylserine) were connected to a more relaxed state compared to the controls.

Before taking Phosphatidylserine, make sure you get the soya version, not bovine and research any impact on cardiovascular help if this is a concern.

Hope that helps, start with a good diet as a base of ‘wellness’ and then try one of the supplements or foods from the list above