This Is Personal
You learn that you have a new condition and you even learn some of the foods that should help that new condition. However what if the intake of those foods causes a different problem to develop?
Or what if you hear that a nutrient is good for you and so you supplement with it but don't realize how much your body actually needs and you develop a condition because of it?
This was the case for our two clients to discuss this week.
Client One: Severe Muscle Weakness, Dizziness, Fatigue, and Loose Stools
Client one was a 51 year old male who came with symptoms of severe dizziness, feelings of muscle weakness and loose stools. The loose stool was causing a lot of changes to his quality of life as well as malabsorption of nutrients which just continued a vicious cycle of down line symptoms that occur when you don't get accurate nutrition.
Going through phase one (his signify phase) we identified patterns and processed supplements and dietary intake. It turns out this male client, through improper diet and supplementation was getting 2500 milligrams of magnesium per day! (Just so you know the daily requirement is 250 milligrams a day on average.)
What can excessive magnesium cause?
Excessive intake of magnesium, usually through dietary supplements or medication, can cause a condition called hypermagnesemia, which is characterized by high levels of magnesium in the blood.
Some of the symptoms of hypermagnesemia include:
Diarrhea
Nausea and vomiting
Weakness and fatigue
Dizziness and confusion
Irregular heartbeat
Low blood pressure
Difficulty breathing
Cardiac arrest
If you are taking magnesium supplements or medication, it is important to follow the recommended dosage and talk to your doctor if you experience any symptoms of hypermagnesemia. People with kidney disease are at a higher risk of developing hypermagnesemia, as the kidneys are responsible for excreting excess magnesium from the body.
But magnesium isn’t the only nutrient that has upper level limits. The problem is, most of us don’t know how individual supplements will interact with all that we do in our lives, much less the appropriate intake levels. Supplements will interact differently based on our medications, our level of movement, and the foods we eat.
What is Hypervitaminosis?
Taking excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals can lead to a condition called hypervitaminosis or mineral toxicity. This can occur when the body receives more vitamins or minerals than it needs, either through supplements or fortified foods, or from high doses of vitamins and minerals consumed over a prolonged period of time.
The specific symptoms and health consequences of hypervitaminosis or mineral toxicity depend on the type of nutrient and the amount consumed. Some common examples include:
Vitamin A: Can cause nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, and liver damage if taken in high amounts for a prolonged period.
Vitamin D: Can cause nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation, weakness, and kidney damage if taken in high amounts for a prolonged period.
Vitamin E: Can increase the risk of bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke if taken in high amounts for a prolonged period.
Iron: Can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and can lead to iron overload and liver damage if taken in high amounts for a prolonged period.
Zinc: Can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and can impair immune function and decrease the absorption of other minerals if taken in high amounts for a prolonged period.
It is important to follow the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals and to avoid taking excessive amounts. If you are concerned about your nutrient intake, it is always best to speak with a nutritionist like me, who can help you determine your individual needs and recommend appropriate supplementation, if necessary.
Further, Nutrients are best when taken in a food that contains all of the other nutrients needed to utilize the single nutrient we’re hoping for. There are all kinds of co factors and enzymes needed so that all nutrients work in synergy with each other.
For this reason, it’s important to have a whole evaluation of lifestyle and needs when deciding on a particular diet and/or supplement plan that’s right for us.
Client Two: Macular Degeneration and UTIs
Client number 2 is a 79 year old female six months with macular degeneration. She heard that eating spinach would help to slow the progress. Where she hadn't ever eaten spinach before, she started eating this multiple times a day.
Never before in her life had she had UTI's and suddenly the last three months it's been back and forth to get antibiotics for frequent recurring UTI's. Again, in phase one of working with this client we signified everything that could impact and relate to her current situation. It's true spinach provides nutrients that help with macular degeneration however spinach also contains oxalates. People that are prone to kidney stones or UTI's can be majorly affected by the oxalates in raw spinach.
What Can I Do To Protect Myself?
Our point is not to make you scared of never knowing what you can eat or what supplements to take. The point is that there's a reason training in nutrition is so extensive. If you have a new condition or ongoing symptom it's important to have a whole functional and nutrition evaluation, not just rely on a medication to bandaid the problem.
Things that you can do on your own:
1. Eat in balance - oftentimes it's when we have low variety and eat the same foods again and again. Because we eat them all the time, we don’t relate them to the symptom we’re experiencing. If we eat a variety of foods, there's less chance that we will getting repeated excessive amounts of anything that can cause downline problems.
2. Eat Whole Foods - this means avoid cans and boxes. Whole foods like fresh raw fruits and vegetables and lean quality meats contain all of the cofactor nutrients and enzymes needed to work synergistically together.
3. Learn and follow our Food Functions theory. Food Functions teaches us to eat in balance according to the needs of our own personal body in a balance according to the functions the food serves.
4. Get a supplement evaluation. This simple evaluation helps to see what supplements you actually need to be taking for your body at that present time.
5. Get a nutrition evaluation. Contrary to popular belief this isn't a judgment of the foods you eat; this is a significant experience of your body's needs, how it's handling what comes from your plate into your mouth and how good it is at making these nutrients bioavailable. This can help identify if you're taking the right form of a nutrient. Most people don't know there are multiple forms of magnesium for example. Not all are good for the same thing. Calcium is another one. Many women take calcium for bone density and yet don't know what their pH balance is. Did you know that PH balance determines which calcium you should be taking? A nutrition evaluation is a great way to see you exactly what your body is needing on a supplement and food driven level.
6. Lastly learn for yourself - This is why we have ongoing programs online and in the office. It's the continuous learning that helps you to be able to learn all of these details to make good decisions for yourself. Just like when we started learning how to read we didn't learn it once and then move on with the rest of our lives. We practiced reading every day. As we read, we learned more and more words and how sentences work together. It's the same thing with your health.
Conclusion
In our current trend of hyper personalization everything, nutrition should not be left out of the mix. Knowing your genetics, your needs, and your experiences can provide the exact right diet movement and supplement plan for you. You'll find links to learn more or to schedule an appointment in person or by telehealth here.