Did you get your Vitamin N today? Back to Nature offers surprising benefits

by Laura

It may really surprise you how much you can benefit from spending just an hour in a natural setting. They are even calling it Vitamin N – n for Nature. You can take a walk in the park or spend time in a home or office designed to take advantage of views of nature.

Hospitals designed with nature in mind find that patients have less stress, can heal faster, and need less pain meds.

A 2008 study by the University of Michigan showed that hour-long “doses” of nature helped people not only deal with stress, but they had a 20 percent better attention span, and also showed improved memory. And in 2012, a University of Kansas study showed people had as much as a 50 percent improvement in creativity after being immersed in a natural setting for a few days.

It is a bit hard to apply these findings because there is little description of the Vitamin N exposure that the participants were given.

But still, we can offer some popular ways of getting back in touch with nature. Such as:

1- Plant a garden, preferably something that will attract some wildlife, birds or butterflies that you can enjoy watching.

2- Encourage your children to interact with nature in a creative way. Small children often spend hours in a sand box. Take them on a nature walk to pick up interesting leaves in the fall that they can use in art projects at home.

3- Join a group at a nature center for spring and fall hikes to note the change in seasons and migrating birds.

4- Taking up photography forces you to look for subjects out there in fields and parks, or even in your back yard.

5- Put a comfortable chair on a patio, porch or sun room to watch the change in seasons.  

Magnesium and Sports Performance

Below is the text of a research paper I did for a course in Sports Massage. It explains how magnesium is related to sports performance, and how to raise blood levels of this essential mineral. Hope you enjoy it.

Magnesium, Epsom Salts and Sports Performance;
or, How to become a better athlete just by soaking in the tub

A Paper by Laura A. Sosnowski
Sports Massage class, Fall 2008
Instructor: Stephanie Petersen

Supplementation among athletes at any level has become a booming industry, with most attention and dollars focused on exotic and potentially harmful anabolic steroids. However, perhaps their attention should focus more on the basics of vitamins and minerals, essential elements that are commonly deficient even among apparently well-fed Americans. Specifically, we will examine magnesium deficiency and depletion, and the effects of supplementation on sports performance as well
as overall health.

According to an online reference, the average mixed American diet supplies about 120 mg of
magnesium per 1,000 calories (NationMaster.org, 2003-2005), yet according to revised dietary
guidelines, that intake level can well put most of us into depletion territory.

Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element found within the human body; a 190-lb person possesses approximately 1 oz (23 gr) of magnesium (faqs.org). Yet at least ten percent of us are deficient in magnesium. Most of us do not recognize the signs of magnesium insufficiency until blood levels drop to severe levels; symptoms include personality changes, muscle spasms, tremors, numbness and tingling and in extreme instances, convulsions and delirium (NationMaster.com, 2003-2005).

Magnesium is essential to both bone and muscle health, with the most important muscle in the body,
the heart, especially vulnerable to signs of deficiency.
The body stores about half its magnesium inside the cells of tissues and organs. The other half is
combined with calcium and phosphorus inside bones. A tiny amount—just 1 percent—of the body's
magnesium circulates within the blood at a constant level (Lukaski et al, 2004).

The absorption of orally administered magnesium is unpredictable, but 45 percent is the usual
estimate. Both magnesium hydroxide and magnesium oxide are capable of raising serum magnesium
levels when administered orally (NationMaster.com, 2003-2005).

Research on the effects of supplementation on sports performance or on other performance measures has been frustrating due to inconsistent results; but it is difficult to determine which form of magnesium was used in each study and whether one form is more easily absorbed than another. Different forms of magnesium also vary widely in actual magnesium content. See charts below for details.

Percent Magnesium Content of Oral Supplements
Mg Oxide -- Mg 60 percent
Mg Carbonate -- 45 percent
Mg Hydroxide -- 42 percent
Mg Citrate -- 16 percent
Mg Lactate -- 12 percent
Mg Chloride -- 12 percent
Mg Sulfate -- 10 percent

As you can see, supplements vary widely in levels of actual magnesium content. (Data from National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, 2005.)

What other functions and health conditions are affected by low magnesium levels?

Hypertension – “An observational study with four years of follow-up, found that a lower risk of hypertension was associated with dietary patterns that provided more magnesium, potassium, and dietary fiber... Foods high in magnesium are frequently high in potassium and dietary fiber. This makes it difficult to evaluate the independent effect of magnesium on blood pressure.”

Diabetes – “Magnesium plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism. It may influence the release and activity of insulin, the hormone that helps control blood glucose (sugar) levels. Low blood levels of magnesium (hypomagnesemia) are frequently seen in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Hypomagnesemia may worsen insulin resistance, a condition that often precedes diabetes, or may be a consequence of insulin resistance.”

Osteoporosis – “Bone health is supported by many factors, most notably calcium and vitamin D.
However, some evidence suggests that magnesium deficiency may be an additional risk factor for
postmenopausal osteoporosis. This may be due to the fact that magnesium deficiency alters calcium
metabolism and the hormones that regulate calcium. Several human studies have suggested that
magnesium supplementation may improve bone mineral density.”

Cardiovascular Disease – “Some observational surveys have associated higher blood levels of
magnesium with lower risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, some dietary surveys have suggested
that a higher magnesium intake may reduce the risk of having a stroke. There is also evidence that low
body stores of magnesium increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms.” (All four above quotes from
National Institutes of Health page on Magnesium, 2005.)

Mitral Valve Prolapse – “A significant body of evidence [suggests] that magnesium deficiency is at least a symptom of MVP and that many of the symptoms of MVP syndrome are reduced or resolved by magnesium supplementation” (Nelson, 2007).

Some recent sports and exercise studies show that healthy levels of magnesium help human
beings to perform work and exercise with less effort and tire far less quickly. The Henry Lukaski and
Forrest Nielsen studies put a small group of post-menopausal women on a normal but supplemented
diet for 35 days, then on a magnesium depletion diet for 93 days, and then back on a supplemented diet for 49 days. They were put through exercise tests at the end of each dietary phase. The women in a magnesium depleted status required more oxygen to to reach their target heart rate on the exercycle; in other words, their muscles required more oxygen to do the same amount of work (Lukaski, 2002). Related studies show that muscles tire more quickly when in a magnesium-depleted state.

Events that take from one to seven minutes to complete were the most affected. A list of athletic events
in that range include running a mile or the 1500 meters, or swimming several laps of a pool. A 1998
German study tested blood samples of triathletes – athletes who swim 500 meters, bike 20 kilometers,
and run 5 kilometers. Those with magnesium orotate supplementation showed higher blood levels of
oxygen (an increase of 208% compared to an increase of 126% in the controls), while showing better
performance times (Golf et al, 1998).

Modern Americans' levels of dietary magnesium are further impacted negatively by the depletion of magnesium levels in the soil, as a result of intensive agriculture. Rejection of hard water over artificially softened water also leaves us without a common, natural and free source of dissolved magnesium. E.B. Flink, author of "Magnesium Deficiency in Human Subjects: A Personal Historical Perspective," has listed numerous causes of magnesium deficiency. He classifies them into nutritional causes (dietary insufficiency, alcoholism); intestinal causes (diarrhea, malabsorption); excess loss of magnesium through the kidneys (due to disease or the influence of drugs, especially diuretics); endocrine and metabolism causes (hyperthyroidism, pregnancy, excessive lactation, high levels of serum calcium); and genetic and neonatal causes (Myerson, 1989).

Not only is the soil depleted, but our efforts to supplement with calcium has thrown all our
dietary minerals out of balance: “Interestingly, our focus on getting enough calcium is another factor in
decreased magnesium levels. In a delicate dance of balance, calcium depletes magnesium yet calcium
functions best when enough magnesium is present. Studies indicate that taking a calcium supplement
without enough magnesium can increase the shortage of both nutrients. Researchers have found that
many Americans have five times as much calcium as magnesium in their bodies, although the proper
ratio for optimum absorption of both minerals is two to one” (Breyer, 2008).

Liquids with dissolved magnesium may be the most effective way to quickly restore blood levels of this element. An astonishing British study showed that merely taking Epsom salt baths for twelve minutes a day can raise blood levels. And with some evidence that those who drink hard water have the benefit of improved heart health, it is also interesting that Dasani bottled water has some magnesium sulfate added to improve “mouth feel” (NationMaster, 2003-2005).

The above-mentioned British study was conducted by the University of Birmingham with a small group of subjects. Blood levels of magnesium rose by an average of ten parts per million just after one bath, and rose an average of nearly 40 ppm after a week of daily baths. It seems astonishing that a mineral could cross the skin barrier, but I suspect that the sulfur helped to transfer the mineral.

To quote the study:

In other experiments using excised human skin, we found that sulfate does penetrate across the skin barrier. This is quite rapid so probably involves a sulfate transporter protein... To check this, 2
volunteers wore ‘patches’ where solid MgSO4 was applied directly to the skin and sealed with a waterproof plaster. Plasma/urine analysis confirmed that both Mg and sulfate levels had increased so this is potentially a valuable way of ensuring Epsom salts dosage if bathing is not available.
Interestingly, both volunteers, who were > 60 years old, commented without prompting that ‘rheumatic’ pains had disappeared (Waring, 2004).

Using the skin to “inject” magnesium supplements into one's system opens up a whole new range of options. Suggestions listed in one article to combine it with lotion or coconut oil, to sponge bathe in a solution, or to spray it on oneself like a mist, do not seem so far-fetched after all (EnzymeStuff.com, 2002).

One wonders if magnesium depletion is at the root causes of the little understood phenomenon of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other modern ills. It is disappointing to note that studies using magnesium to treat CFS have had mixed results (MotherNature.com, 1998-2005).

One can only hope that our craze for calcium will abate, and be replaced with a healthier concern for a natural, organic, and balanced diet, together with the simple self-treatments our grandmothers used.

(A couple other charts were included in the paper, but they do not transfer well to this format. However, please refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient
Database Web site: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl. for a chart of foods rich in magnesium. Also, you may look up the chart of recommended daily allowances for all ages at the Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, 2005.)

SOURCES:
Breyer, Melissa, Amazing Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths, Care2 Green Living, April 2008, http://
www.care2.com/greenliving/health-benefits-of-epsom-salt-baths.html .
Epsom Salts, EnzymeStuff.com, 2002 -- updated Aug. 2005,
http://www.enzymestuff.com/epsomsalts.htm .
Golf, S.W., Bender, S., and Gruttner, J. On the significance of magnesium in extreme physical
stress, Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Medical School, Justus-
Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany, 1998, abstract at http://cat.inist.fr/?
aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1638288.
Lack Energy? Maybe It's Your Magnesium Levels, USDA, May 2004, http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/
archive/may04/energy0504.htm . (Reprinted from the May 2004 issue of Agricultural Research
magazine.)
Lukaski, Henry C; Nielsen, Forrest H, Dietary magnesium depletion affects metabolic responses during
submaximal exercise in postmenopausal women, The Journal of Nutrition, May, 2002,
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7229/is_/ai_n30048561?tag=artBody;col1 (abstract), and as PDF
at http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/132/5/930.pdf.
Magnesium, Faqs.org, www.faqs.org/sports-science/Je-Mo/Magnesium.html, undated .
Magnesium, NationMaster.com encyclopedia, 2003-2005, http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/
Magnesium-sulfate .
Magnesium, MotherNature.com, 1995-2008,
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Ency/Index.cfm/Id/2879002.
Magnesium, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, Jan. 2005,
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp .
Myerson, Ralph, Magnesium maximizes heart health; magnesium appears to be essential for the
integrity of the heart, Better Nutrition, Dec. 1989,
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0860/is_n12_v51/ai_8199735.
Nelson, Terry, The dangers of magnesium deficiency in endurance athletes, Organ Internist, Dec. 2007,
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDL/is_/ai_n24940334 .
Waring, R.H., Report on Absorption of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) across the skin, University of
Birmingham, 2004,
http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/articles/Report_on_Absorption_of_magnesium_sulfate.pdf .

Sports Fitness: Get Buff in 6 Min./Day?

Read an interesting article in the New York Times about a study done on rats regarding changes in muscle tissue with two groups of rats. One group was worked in lengthy swimming sessions, two sessions of three hours each. Another group was worked more intensely for shorter bouts: each session was about twenty seconds with a ten-second rest, but while carrying a weight. The two groups of rats had very similar changes in muscle tissue despite the very different training regimens.
Rats have similar muscle tissue to that of humans, so the researchers extrapolated that humans did not necessarily have to exercise for hours in order to develop endurance.
You can read the story about the study at http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/can-you-get-fit-in-six-minutes-a-week/?em
My concern is that athletes who go full bore into an intense weight-training session are probably more likely to get injured. Start with those stretching and limbering exercises first before intense bouts. Muscles need to be warmed up adequately before you stress them with anything that intense.

Cerebral Palsy Patients and Massage

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term covering several brain injuries that damaged different areas of the brain at various stages of development. It is divided into four groups or types based on symptoms, and can also be classified by at what age the child received the brain injury.

The four types are: Spastic cerebral palsy, Athetoid cerebral palsy, Ataxic cerebral palsy, and Mixed cerebral palsy. The spastic type is far more common than the others; it features muscles whose tonicity is so high that the antagonist muscles have “completely let go” to use Ruth Werner’s expression (Werner, 2002). Athetoid accounts for up to a third of cerebral palsy cases, and features very weak muscles and involuntary writhing movements. The Ataxic type exhibits chronic shaking and tremors with very poor balance. Some include a fifth type, Dystonic, which also involves involuntary twisting movements of trunk and extremities. Symptoms depend on whether the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, or cerebellum is the most severely affected (Turkington, 2002).

Brain injuries can occur either prenatally, in birth trauma, or can be an acquired defect in early infancy. Prenatal diseases that can cause cerebral palsy include rubella, toxoplasmosis, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, Rh sensitization, toxic exposure, or abdominal trauma. Birth traumas include anoxia or asphyxia (where the oxygen supply is cut off), or head trauma as in a forceps delivery. Injuries in infancy include things like shaken baby syndrome, car accidents, infections like meningitis or encephalitis, and neoplasms (Werner, 2009). Cerebral palsy is also linked to fetal alcohol syndrome (UPI, 2007 and Gwinnell and Adamec, 2005). The majority of infants who survive severe shaking will have some form of neurological or mental disability, such as cerebral palsy. Yet another environmental cause is exposure to high levels of methyl mercury (thimerosal) (Turkington and Tzeel, 2004).

Diagnosis of cerebral palsy can be very tricky. Doctors often wait till after the child’s first birthday for the permanent appearance of specific motor problems. Most children are diagnosed by the age of 18 months. Strangely, X-rays or blood tests only exclude other brain diseases. Cerebral palsy is not a hereditary condition, and these tests will neither establish nor rule out a diagnosis of CP. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CAT scans are often ordered if a doctor suspects that the child has cerebral palsy, but these tests are better at catching cases of hydrocephalus and, as I said, are usually used to exclude other causes of delayed motor development. It is odd that “children with normal scans may have severe cerebral palsy, and children with clearly abnormal scans occasionally appear totally normal or have only mild physical evidence of cerebral palsy” (Turkington, 2002).

However one of the distinguishing characteristics is called the “scissors” gait. A gait that also occurs in cervical spondylosis, the scissors gait allows the knees and thighs to thump against each other or to cross in a cutting movement akin to that of a pair of shears. A trauma to the spinal cord can also cause this type of gait (Sayler, 2005).

Cerebral palsy is not a progressive disorder, but conventional medicine holds that it is not a curable condition, either. Milder cases can resolve themselves by the age of 7 (Werner, 2009). Treatment may include braces for weak limbs, extended occupational and physical therapy, or even surgical intervention to correct scoliosis or correct hip dislocations.

Fortunately, patients with cerebral palsy have been shown to respond very positively to massage therapy. Pioneer Sister Elizabeth Kenny was first developing her techniques when she treated a seven-year-old girl named Daphne Cregan. Miss Kenny applied her usual program of hot baths or packs, with muscle re-education and massage. The Australian child progressed from not even being able to sit up, to walking with a stick. Daphne later earned prizes in school, at St. Ursula’s, for art, composition, and spelling (Cohn, 1975).

A research study conducted by Maria Hernandez-Reif recruited volunteer licensed massage therapists to administer to cerebral palsy patients two days a week. Following 12 weeks of twice weekly massage therapy sessions (added to standard care), very young children with CP showed reduced spasticity and less overall and arm hypertonic (rigid) muscle tone. Range of motion scores for hip extension also improved. Few developmental measures improved for a control group given standard care plus being read to over the 12 weeks; this program only produced improved language and feeding scores. The additional reading sessions might have contributed to the improved language scores and might be encouraging news for parents who have children with CP who may want to add reading to their daily or nightly routine. In contrast, the children in the standard care/massage therapy group showed improved scores in cognition, fine and gross motor functioning, dressing and social skills (Hernandez-Reif, 2005).

Their treatment protocol follows:
The therapist started each session by cradling the child’s head and making small circular strokes on the scalp while making eye contact to orient the child to being touched. Subsequently, the therapist applied non-scented oil to his/her hands and massaged the child in the following sequence:
Head/face/scalp: (a) using flats of fingers, stroking forehead and temple area; (b) stroking cheekbones outwards toward temple; (c) massaging, using circular movements, under the chin, cheeks, jawline around the ears, back of neck and base of skull.
Shoulders/arms/hands: applying oil to the hands, (a) kneading shoulders, including scapula area, deltoids and pectoral muscles; (b) making hands like the letter ‘C’ and milking the arms from the shoulder to the wrist; (c) with hands turning opposite each other, twisting and wringing from the shoulder to the wrist and off the hand; (d) using thumb over thumb motion to massage the palm of the hand; (e) massaging and gently pulling each finger; (f) massaging the top of hand, including the wrist and areas in between fingers; (g) flexing and extending wrist and fingers; (h) rolling the arm from shoulder to wrist; and finishing by (h) using long milking strokes and smooth strokes from wrist to the shoulder.
Chest: (a) making small finger circles down and then up both sides of sternum; (b) making small lateral movements with fingertips under clavicles from sternum to shoulder, working both sides of chest simultaneously; (c) with one hand on each shoulder, squeezing whole deltoid area with entire hand, then lightly moving both shoulders back and forth to open up chest area (relaxing and repeating three times).
Hips: (a) without forcing joints since knees may not bend, holding the lower legs and moving both knees toward chest (relaxing and repeating three times); (b) repeating same step but alternating lower leg towards opposite shoulder (relaxing and repeating three times).
Legs and feet: applying oil to the hands, following procedure for arms and hands to one, then the other, leg and foot.
Back: (a) holding chest with fingers and thumbs on child’s back, applying small thumb circles down sides of spine from the neck to the tailbone and back up to the neck; (b) making soothing circular strokes around the tops of the shoulders; (c) using heel of hand, making circles around entire back, including shoulder blade and lower back areas; (d) making large full palm circles across entire back.

Conventional massage therapy works well but must be part of a course of long-term treatment. “The damage for a person who has CP does not begin in the muscle and connective tissues. Although this is where we feel the tightening of the connective tissue wrappings around muscles, the contractures themselves are simply a symptom-a complication of a problem deep in the brain. Therefore, if all we try to do is lengthen the muscles and stretch the fascia, we will run smack into a brick wall: either no progress will happed at all, or symptoms may even be temporarily exacerbated. Most people with CP get best results if bodywork focuses on indirectly affecting muscle tone through craniosacral work, gentle rocking, slow range of motion exercises, and manipulation of the arms and legs that engages the client in ways he or she doesn't automatically resist-this often means going with the direction of muscle shortening in order to disengage the reflex. Ultimately, the therapist will have to experiment with lots of different approaches, often accompanied by extremely supportive bolstering, in order to find what techniques allow their clients to relax and enjoy their massage (Werner, 2002). Patients are able to sleep through the night, and breathe more easily.

A specific type of massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, may also be helpful to patients with cerebral palsy. A system of therapy based on the idea that there is a rhythmic pressure and flow of cerebrospinal fluid between the cranium (skull) and sacrum (the base of the spine) that governs the way the craniosacral structures, including the brain, pituitary and pineal glands, spinal cord, and meninges, or membranes, function and maintain the body's well-being. Gentle hands-on "manipulation" of the skull, the spinal column, rib cage, and limbs is believed to restore the flow and maintain the body's well-being (Navarra, 2004).

Fortunately now cerebral palsy patients and their parents have several organizations and even a website to turn to for information and advice. They include: American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, Gillette Children's Hospital, Ontario Foundation for Cerebral Palsy, United Cerebral Palsy Association, and Your Smile Web site.

Understanding of this condition has come a long way from an era when victims were thought to be mentally deficient. However, we are still a long way from erasing its effects or preventing most cases. Progress has been slow and new approaches come into general use only against resistance. Let’s hope that the new millennium has brought a greater openness to effective massage and other therapies.

SOURCES:
Cohn, Victor, Sister Kenny: The Woman Who Challenged the Doctors, University of Minnesota Press, 1975.
Gwinnell, Esther and Christine Adamec, Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), The Encyclopedia of Addictions and Addictive Behaviors, 2005.
Hernandez-Reif, Maria et al, Cerebral palsy symptoms in children decreased following massage therapy, Early Child Development and Care, 2005.
Navarra, Tova, Craniosacral therapy, The Encyclopedia of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2004.
Sayler, Mary Harwell, Gait, The Encyclopedia of the Muscle and Skeletal Systems and Disorders, 2005.
Turkington, Carol, Cerebral palsy (CP), The Encyclopedia of the Brain and Brain Disorders, Second Edition, 2002.
Turkington, Carol, and Albert Tzeel, Thimerosal, The Encyclopedia of Children's Health and Wellness, 2004.
United Press International, Diseases caused by fetal toxicity studied, 2007.
Werner, Ruth, A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009.
Werner, Ruth, Working with Clients Who Have Cerebral Palsy, Massage Today, Aug. 2002.