Tag: vitamins

Posted in Overall health, supplements

Vitamin D – Wellness Wednesdays

Posted on by nlchronicles

Allow me to remind everyone that I am not giving medical advice, but just sharing my journey that has allowed me to move toward better health.

I have always heard vitamin D referred to as the happiness vitamin. And this is crucial as vitamin D can be a challenge to acquire naturally. But it does so much more!

Studies show that women with PCOS tend to be vitamin D deficient. I thought mine was low as it was just outside normal range but a friend with PCOS had a level in the single digits! 😲 And with PCOS, there tends to be higher levels of anxiety and depression. Could there be a correlation there?? I believe so, but then again, I’m always looking for a conspiracy when it comes to health and wellness 🤷🏽‍♀️

Since my vitamin D was low, my nutritionist had me take 10,000 IU per day to begin – yikes! But the megadoses worked. I cut down to 5000 IU per day which is now just 3 times per week. I typically add a day or so when it’s rainy as there’s no sun but my vitamin D level is pretty good now.

So how can you get vitamin D? Sun exposure, which I love love love! 🌞 Sources also include –

  • oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
  • red meat
  • liver
  • egg yolks (from NHS)

Pretty short list right? There are also fortified foods that have vitamin D but I don’t eat those, like breakfast cereal, so high quality supplements have helped tremendously. Besides boosting your mood, what else does vitamin D help with?

  • Fight the flu
  • Lower chance of multiple sclerosis
  • Possibly decrease chance of heart failure
  • Lower chance of some types of cancer
  • Slow bone loss, building stronger bones (source: webmd)

If you have not, please get your vitamin D level checked. For me, it was one of the first aspects of my health that turned around quickly. This quick turnaround encouraged me to give the other health modifications a try too. I liken it to climbing a ladder to better health. Until next time! 🎉

Posted in supplements

Magnesium – Wellness Wednesdays

Posted on by nlchronicles

Welcome to the third week of Wellness Wednesdays! Today’s focus is magnesium. Allow me to remind everyone that I am not giving medical advice, but just sharing my journey that has allowed me to move toward better health.

What is magnesium? According to the Nutrition Source of the Harvard School of Public Health, magnesium is a mineral that “plays an important role in assisting more than 300 enzymes to carry out various chemical reactions in the body such as building proteins and strong bones, and regulating blood sugar, blood pressure, and muscle and nerve functions.” It basically helps with everything.

In PCOS, women tend to need more magnesium than the recommended daily dosage. It can be difficult for my muscles to relax and magnesium is responsible for that. Have you ever taken magnesium citrate? See how quickly your digestive system relaxes from that! And even though I don’t take the citrate form (I use buffered chelate magnesium), if you have too much, it can cause diarrhea. So I now take approximately 600 mg of magnesium daily and it has works wonders.

I can sleep better. My bowel movements are regular and easy, which has not always been the case. I’ve dealt with low motility and that is the worst ever. And of course, magnesium helps with the other 300 processes mentioned above that I didn’t even realize were connected until I started using it. I even use a topical magnesium spray for areas that tend to stay tight, like the cervical area or hips.

I’ve recommended the use of supplemental magnesium to family members. They both mentioned it to their respective doctors and their doctors agreed with my recommendations! One person, my mom, has seen improvements in her sleep as she is better able to relax, bm consistency and help with sciatic nerve pain that she was dealing with. I sent her the magnesium spray as well to help with areas that she needs to address.

I am not saying that supplemental magnesium is for everyone. Checking with your medical care team is a must. But it has definitely come through for me and been a game changer! Have you tried magnesium? If so, please comment below with your thoughts. I’ll see you next week! 🎊