Magnesium is crucial to your body’s functioning, as it supports the operation of the muscles and nerves and produces energy. However, most people who are deficient in magnesium have few, if any, obvious symptoms.
Chronically low magnesium can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and heart disease. However, getting enough magnesium is often as easy as adding a few magnesium-rich foods to your daily diet.
Identifying the signs of a magnesium deficiency can ensure chronically low levels don’t cause long-term concerns for your health.
Persistent Muscle Twitches and Cramps
As magnesium supports the function of the muscles and nerves in the body, those with a deficiency are more likely to experience involuntary muscle twitches, cramps, tremors, or, in severe cases, seizures.
Muscle Weakness and Fatigue
A magnesium deficiency can lead to a loss of potassium in the muscles, causing weakness and fatigue. While fatigue is a common symptom many people experience occasionally, a physician should evaluate persistent fatigue.
Heart Arrhythmia
Heart arrhythmia, an irregular heart rate, is one of the most concerning symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Patients may experience heart palpitations, lightheadedness, fatigue, or shortness of breath with heart arrhythmia and should see a doctor immediately to identify the cause.
Mental Health Concerns
Magnesium deficiency can cause nerve dysfunction, leading to several mental health concerns, including:
Apathy
Depression
Anxiety
Delirium
Those experiencing fluctuations in their mental health should seek the guidance of a healthcare professional to identify the exact cause and treatment.
How to Increase Your Magnesium
Dietary changes are the best way to ensure your body has enough magnesium to function properly. Foods that are high in magnesium include:
Nuts
Seeds
Whole grains
Dry beans
Green, leafy vegetables
Milk
Yogurt
Fortified foods
Fortunately, only a few servings of high-quality foods can significantly affect your magnesium levels. For example, one ounce of almonds provides 20% of an adult’s daily magnesium requirements. You can also up your magnesium intake through increased water consumption.
Supplements can also fulfill the dietary needs of those who struggle with magnesium consumption. It’s best to talk with your healthcare provider if you’re experiencing any symptoms of magnesium deficiency and ask if there are supplements that can best meet your needs.
Balance and gait training are forms of exercise that help patients who have neuromuscular conditions or injuries to their lower extremities. Balance and gait training is included in physical therapy and primarily focuses on improving the patient’s ability to walk.
What Does Gait Mean?
Gait simply means how you walk. A gait cycle describes the walking process. It involves picking your foot up off the ground, taking a step, landing on your foot, and lifting the opposite foot to begin the cycle again.
How Gait Training Works
Gait training may involve a variety of different exercises. Usually, in physical therapy, gait training involves walking on a treadmill under the supervision of your physical therapist.
Gait and balance training are always customized according to the specific needs of the patient, but the foundations focus on improving mobility and balance.
Increasing Mobility
Improving mobility involves working on the range of motion of your joints. This can include a variety of stretches and strength training exercises.
Improving Balance
When you walk, you spend a period of time on one leg while the other swings ahead to take the next step. Practicing balance exercises can help make walking safer and more efficient.
Benefits of Balance and Gait Training
Walking may seem a simple task, but for those with injuries and other conditions, it’s very hard work.
Some of the benefits of balance and gait training include:
Improved muscle tone and flexibility
Better range of motion
Increased strength
Better overall balance and coordination
Balance and gait training helps improve the overall positioning of the muscles while strengthening surrounding muscles. It can also help reduce tightness or spasticity in the muscles, which can decrease pain.
Balance and gait training not only helps address active issues but can work preventatively as well. Patients who go through balance and gait training can see an improved range of motion in the ankle joints, which can help them avoid compensatory balance and gait issues in the future.
You’re not alone if you’ve seen the term “mylk” and wondered if it’s a typo. While longtime vegans have known the term for years, it’s only recently become a mainstream way to differentiate between plant-based “mylk” and animal-based milk.
What If Your Almond Beverage Still Says “Milk”?
Many companies haven’t made the switch in names, but that doesn’t mean they’re not plant-based. For example, dairy and non-dairy beverages can fall under the “milk” title. However, only plant-based beverages can be called mylk.
Why Are So Many People Switching to Mylk?
Mylk products have become a popular alternative to traditional dairy milk for several reasons.
Lactose Intolerance
Dairy products contain a sugar called lactose. After infancy, most humans suffer from lactose malabsorption. Up to 70% of adults lack the enzyme lactase in the small intestines that breaks lactose down into glucose and galactose.
Symptoms of lactose intolerance include:
Abdominal pain
Bloating
Nausea
Diarrhea
Flatulence
Those whose bodies can’t process lactose typically begin experiencing these symptoms 30 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking foods containing dairy.
Lower Fat and Calories
Most mylks are lower in calories, and almost all mylks are lower in saturated fat than traditional dairy milk. In addition, plant-based mylks contain no cholesterol or lactose, making them a better choice for those who are lactose intolerant or have dysfunctional cardiovascular systems.
However, it’s worth noting that not all mylk has the same calcium and protein content that dairy milk offers. Many mylks are fortified with calcium, protein, and vitamins, though, so it pays to read each label before buying.
Better for the Environment
In general, animal products impact the environment significantly more than their plant-based alternatives. Since animals need food, water, and space, they take up agricultural areas that could be used to feed people.
A 2019 study found that producing one glass of dairy milk results in three times the greenhouse gases required to make plant-based mylk. Additionally, dairy milk production requires nine times the land of mylk alternatives.
Finding a plant-based alternative to dairy milk is easier than ever before. Switching from dairy milk to mylk is just as delicious and comparable in price. It’s worth experimenting with the many varieties available to see which one works for you.
Feeling tired is a common complaint. For some, this fatigue is related to an underlying medical condition. For others, however, some simple lifestyle changes can often remedy fatigue.
Why Am I So Tired?
Everyone becomes tired. However, it’s not normal to feel consistently tired even when waking up after a good night of sleep. Fatigue can stem from psychological factors like stress or depression, physiological problems like excessive exercise or poor sleep, and medical conditions like diabetes or anemia.
Many medical issues lead to chronic fatigue, including:
Cancer
Sleep apnea
Heart failure
Autoimmune disorders
Diabetes
Obesity
Malnutrition
Patients who experience tiredness for six months or longer may have chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalopathy. However, another diagnosis may coincide with chronic fatigue syndrome, and patients with the condition often have sleep disturbances, chronic pain, or cognitive difficulties.
Since many medical conditions cause fatigue, seeing a physician to rule out any medical concerns causing your exhaustion is essential.
How Do I Beat Fatigue?
Since the causes of fatigue vary widely, so do the treatments. For example, new parents are often fatigued because their babies need to eat every few hours. So, cutting back on caffeine won’t help them as much as it would help someone who can’t fall asleep at night.
However, when your fatigue isn’t caused by a new baby or a medical condition, you can make standard lifestyle changes to sleep consistently and restoratively. These include:
Reducing your caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon and evening
Eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water
Identifying and managing stressors
Learning breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga to foster relaxation
Avoiding alcohol, nicotine, and recreational drugs
Patients who continue to struggle with fatigue despite implementing these changes may benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy or other forms of therapy to identify and treat the challenges that keep them from getting proper rest.
In recent years there has been a surge in the popularity of CBD products. Everything from skincare to pain relief is available with CBD in the formula. Research has continued to unveil more benefits attributed to CBD oil. One of the lesser-known benefits may be increased weight loss.
What Is CBD?
CBD refers to cannabidiol. Cannabidiol is the component of cannabis that does not produce psychoactive effects, such as the signature “high” often associated with marijuana. Instead, cannabidiol produces a wide variety of potential health and aesthetic benefits, condition spasms, including pain relief, lower blood sugar, and improved skin health.
CBD is often extracted from the marijuana plant and incorporated into products in its purest form. To experience optimal benefits, many people use pure CBD oil on its own. This method allows your body to absorb the highest concentration of cannabidiol, enhancing its intended effect.
CBD and Weight Loss
Have you been trying to lose weight, but failing to see real results? Sometimes diet and exercise alone aren’t enough to produce significant weight loss. This is especially true for people who have a slower metabolism due to age or underlying medical issues. Fortunately, the cannabidiol may provide an effective solution.
Recent research has linked CBD oil to increased weight loss. Studies have shown that cannabidiol interacts directly with the body’s natural endocannabinoid system. This produces a number of benefits that can help you reach your healthy body weight.
Researchers found that CBD could decrease appetite while boosting metabolism at the same time. When less food is consumed and fat burn is increased, it can lead to weight loss.
Research on the link between CBD and weight loss is ongoing, and there’s still much to be learned about the relationship between cannabidiol and metabolism. If you are interested in using CBD oil as a weight loss aid, make sure to find a reputable and quality source.
Consuming foods that support eye health can play a vital role in maintaining good vision and protecting your eyes from conditions like cataracts.
The next time you’re planning dinner, keep the eye-boosting benefits of these ten foods in mind.
1. Carrots
Carrots’ orange hue comes from beta-carotene. The body needs this compound to produce vitamin A, a nutrient that supports eye health. Low vitamin A levels can cause you to be more susceptible to dry eye, night blindness, and vision loss.
2. Fish
Fatty fish, like salmon, tuna, and sardines, are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s support overall health and protect eyes from macular degeneration and cataracts. Those who don’t or can’t eat seafood can supplement with fish oil or vegetarian options like flaxseed oil.
3. Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
Foods like kale, spinach, and broccoli provide the body with the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. These compounds protect the retina from damaging UV rays and blue light.
4. Eggs
Eggs contain lutein and vitamin A, which are both essential to supporting eye function and protecting against degeneration.
5. Peppers, Citrus Fruits, and Berries
Peppers, citrus fruits, and berries all contain high levels of vitamin C, an antioxidant that can help prevent cataracts.
6. Beans and Legumes
Kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, and black-eyed peas restore the body with bioflavonoids and zinc, the key to preserving night vision, preventing macular degeneration, and protecting the retina.
7. Whole Grains
Whole grains with a low glycemic index are full of vitamin E, zinc, and niacin, reducing the risk of macular degeneration and protecting your eye health.
8. Nuts and Seeds
Sunflower seeds, almonds, and walnuts are rich in vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc, three crucial nutrients for keeping your eyes working properly and feeling good.
9. Lean Meats
Lean meats like beef, chicken breast, and pork loin contain zinc, which delays sight loss due to age and macular degeneration. While beef contains more zinc than chicken or pork, all three can support the health of your eyes.
10. Water
The eye is surrounded by protective fluid that works to keep the eyes clean and healthy, washing away dust and debris. Maintaining proper hydration levels supports your eye health and protects you from conditions such as dry eye syndrome.
This website and its contents are not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease. Stemedix, Inc. shall not be held liable for the medical claims made by patient testimonials or videos. They are not to be viewed as a guarantee for each individual. The efficacy for some products presented have not been confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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