Stressed!? What Your Body May Be Craving:

When you’re feeling extra stressed, your body is working overtime to keep up.

That means a higher demand for nutrients, like:

✨Magnesium

We need magnesium for sleep, relaxation, and muscle recovery. But the more stressed you are, the more magnesium you burn through 🔄making you feel even more stressed.

✨B Vitamins

We need B vitamins for energy, brain function, and the production of stress hormones. Some studies show that supplementing with B vitamins can actually help people feel less stressed.

✨Vitamin C

Your adrenal glands release vitamin C along with stress hormones—and stress increases your demand for it. Since humans can’t make vitamin C, we have to consume it.

Here are some ways to nourish your body when stressed:

✔ Eat nutrient-dense foods

✔ Consider high-quality supplements for extra support

✔ Try adaptogenic herbs, like ashwagandha or rhodiola, to support your stress response

Nutrients are just one piece of the stress puzzle—and no, a handful of supplements won’t make stress disappear.

But they may help your body respond better.

Needing supplement guidance? Schedule an appointment with Dr. Cantrell to discuss the best options for YOU!

Myths You May Have Heard About Stress

Myths & Facts about Stress 👇

📍Myth 1: You just have to shift your mindset.

Stress is not just in your head—it’s in your body and nervous system. While mindset shifts can help, they will only stick if your body feels safe. Stress resilience comes with nourishing foods, breathwork, movement, and deep rest.

📍Myth 2: Intense exercise helps burn off stress.

Movement is amazing for releasing stress—just don’t overdo it. Intense workouts can worsen exhaustion from stress, especially if you’re already running on empty.

📍Myth 3: Coffee helps you power through stress.

Not everyone handles caffeine the same way. Too much can overstimulate your stress response and lead to burnout. If you’re relying on coffee to push through exhaustion, your body may be asking for real rest instead.

📍Myth 4: If you’re not anxious, you’re not stressed.

Stress can show up in all kinds of sneaky ways: things like low energy, brain fog, trouble concentrating, headaches, or digestive upset. Your mind is not necessarily the first place you’ll feel it.

📍Myth 5: Stress is always bad.

Stress is never fun, but it can be a driving force for personal growth and a motivation to take action on things you may otherwise ignore. Stressing that stress is bad will only make it worse.

🤔 Did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month?

Watch my posts for more on ways functional medicine can address stress.

And let me know in the comments:

Which of these myths have you been sucked into? ⤵️

#drelizabethcantrell #naturalmedicine #naturopath #naturopathicmedicine #functionalmedicine #functionalmedicinetesting #stressresilience #stresssupport #stressrelief #colga #columbusga

Sleep in Early-Middle Age: Why it Matters Now.

New research on sleep 😴

Based on sleep questionnaires and brain MRIs, a new study found that issues like trouble falling asleep or waking too early around age 40 were linked with an older brain age.

Not only was that true for a snapshot in time, but similar findings persisted over 5 years as long as sleep struggles were not addressed.

We all know that life is better with better sleep, but what I want you to know is that if you struggle with sleep now, that doesn’t mean you always will.

We have a deep toolkit of strategies to support sleep naturally.

If you’re curious about what that might look like for you and how we can help, 🔗 visit our website to get started!

REFERENCE:
Cavaillès C, Dintica C, Habes M, Leng Y, Carnethon MR, Yaffe K. Association of Self-Reported Sleep Characteristics With Neuroimaging Markers of Brain Aging Years Later in Middle-Aged Adults. Neurology. 2024;103(10):e209988. [link]

Placebos work—even when people know they are placebos!

It used to be thought that the placebo effect only worked if people believed they were getting an active treatment.

But this new study found that even knowing it’s a placebo can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in just two weeks.

To me, this tells us two things:

1️⃣ The mind is a powerful driver of change.

2️⃣ Taking an active role in healing (like by taking a pill) gives a sense of control and empowerment— an overlooked key to healing.

While I can nerd out over metabolic pathways, nutrient interactions, and all things science, I’ll always leave space for the inexplicable magic in healing ✨

Guevarra DA, Webster CT, Moros JN, Kross E, Moser JS. Remotely administered non-deceptive placebos reduce COVID-related stress, anxiety, and depression. Appl Psychol Health Well Being. Published online August 14, 2024. [link]

New Way to Understand the Gut Microbiome 🦠

New research on the gut microbiome 🦠

If you’re interested in a root-cause approach to health, we’re inevitably going to have to talk about the gut microbiome!

Now researchers at Rutgers University have given us a new way to talk about this.

They call it the “Core Microbiome”—the crucial group of microbes that play a role in digestion, immune function, and even mental health.

Using advanced A.I., the researchers determined that the Core Microbiome consists of:

1️⃣ The Foundation Guild

Helpful bacteria that break down dietary fibers to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and keep harmful bacteria in check.

2️⃣ The Pathobiont Guild

Needed in small amounts to “educate” the immune system, these microbes can drive disease if they become dominant.

This doesn’t change our root-cause approach to care, where gut health is always part of the conversation, but it does give us a new and creative way to describe it!

What do you think?

Does it help to think of the “Core Microbiome” as two guilds working together? 😊

REFERENCE:
Wu G, Xu T, Zhao N, et al. A core microbiome signature as an indicator of health. Cell. Published online October 7, 2024. [link]