‘Magnesium Deficiency Anxiety’ is the title of a book authored by naturopath and licensed medical practitioner Dr. Carolyn Dean, available as an eBook on the Kindle. In this book, Dr. Carolyn Dean explores the role that magnesium deficiency can play in anxiety and how an increased intake of magnesium in a form that can be optimally absorbed can help to alleviate or even eradicate the symptoms of anxiety and other panic disorders.
Magnesium Deficiency Anxiety was first released in 2016 and covers a broad range of information regarding anxiety disorders, including symptoms, diagnosis and treatment plans. Anxiety is the most commonly experienced mental health issue in the United States today.
The embedded infographic looks at some statistics for anxiety disorders in the United States, taken from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety and panic disorders share several symptoms with other health conditions, such as breathing disorders, thyroid problems and heart disease, so experiencing these symptoms can be even more worrying as people can believe they may be suffering from a medical condition that can be life-threatening. While anxiety is widespread, it is also highly treatable once accurately diagnosed.
Dr. Carolyn Dean discusses in her book the effect that reduced levels of magnesium can have on stress levels, which can in turn lead to anxiety and panic disorders. Symptoms of anxiety disorders include shortness of breath, shaking, dizziness, palpitations, chest pains, abdominal distress, fear of dying, fear of losing control and derealization, among others.
Magnesium can naturally help to calm the nervous systems and muscles as well as ensuring the appropriate amount of serotonin, the mood-stabilizing hormone, is released into the brain.
Diagnosing Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders can present with any combination of the symptoms above, or with other effects. Doctors will generally diagnose anxiety disorders where the patient expresses difficulties with managing negative emotions and excessive worrying, when presenting in conjunction with three or more of the symptoms of anxiety.
Where this has been ongoing for a period of six months or more at a level of severity that has interfered with the patient’s daily life, an anxiety disorder may be diagnosed. If this is the case, there are various treatment options that may be suggested.
Treating Anxiety Disorders
There are a variety of treatment options available for anxiety disorders, some of which will work better than others depending on the patient. In the first instance, doctors may recommend guided self-help, which focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) but can be completed online or using workbooks at home. Meeting with a CBT or applied relaxation technique therapist or attending solo or group CBT sessions may also be suggested.
There are medications that can be taken to help alleviate many of the symptoms of anxiety, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), pregabalin, or benzodiazepines. Dr. Carolyn Dean’s book, Magnesium Deficiency Anxiety, explores natural remedies that focus on replacing essential minerals in the body that can help stabilize mood as well as providing numerous further health benefits.
Magnesium for Mental Health
A review of natural treatments for anxiety conducted in 2017 showed that magnesium does have a positive effect on people suffering from anxiety. The review analyzed 18 separate studies, each focusing on different areas of anxiety including mild, general, post-partum and premenstrual. Magnesium also plays a key role in maintaining general neurological health as it helps regulate the neurotransmitters that send messages to the brain.
The short video attachment explains how magnesium affects brain functions that can affect our levels of stress and anxiety.