Updates from Kelly Milano

Last night was the most beautiful night here! The full moon was low in the sky (referred to as the Wolf Moon) and for hours cast enough light on the fresh snow that it looked more like 5pm than 11pm. The night sky illuminated by the moon. There was a lantern lit snowshoe walk about 20 miles from us and the pictures that were posted were amazing! People were out enjoying the gorgeous night and our local TV channels facebook page is full of picture proof of it. I was able to snap a few pictures outside my house and the sky looks blue! It was encouraging to see so many people enjoying the moment, not fretting about the cold.
   

Find the happy!  In each moment of each day, look for the thing that makes you smile, that lights up your heart, that makes you happy. It might be a new coffee mug or seeing a deer crossing the road up in front of you. It might be the peeking of the sun behind the clouds or the sunset over the lake. No matter where you are or the negative and disarray that seems to be around you, find the happy! Look for the little moments that create a break in your thinking and make you smile. Today, find the HAPPY! 

                                                                                                                                                            Photo by Andrew Corwin

I think we all can agree that stress and anxiety is an epidemic. Seems like everyone we know is trying their best to manage it and to not "break". As you or your child are filled with more and more anxiety, it gets harder to focus on the positive things going on around them. You can't see the smiles on friends faces or the fact that your child just did well on a test. You may be irritated by the laughing of a peer group in the hallway at school, just positive that the group is somehow making fun of them. Anxiety and stress hormones make them prioritize the negative over the positive. They say their whole day was terrible, when really the only problem was that they dropped breakfast on the floor and the dog ate it. 

They get stuck in a constant loop that can be very difficult to get out of, especially if they aren't wanting therapy and trying to do it themselves. We've talked about some ideas to try to help break the cycle and today we are going to talk about some natural supplements that might be able to offer some assistance as well. Because anxiety and stress is different for everyone and affects everyone differently, supplements that work for one person may not help someone else. Being open to trying different options is important in finding exactly what works for your child's particular situation. 

Ashwagandha is Ayurvedic remedy that is often used for those who are dealing with anxiety and insomnia. "What is Ayuvedic?" you might be asking yourself. It's an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. 80% of the population in India and Nepal use Ayurvedic as their primary health and medicine system. 

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen meaning that it's a natural substances that helps the body and brain adapt to stress and help to normalize the stress processes of the body.  Ashwagandha has been shown to calm the brain, reduce swelling, lower blood pressure and alter the immune system. 

L-Theanine is an amino acid found in green and black tea. Studies show that it can improve mood and cognition as well as reduce stress and anxiety.  

Most Americans are quite deficient in magnesium and while all need to be supplementing with it, those with anxiety can greatly benefit from it's daily usage. It has been shown to improve mood and decrease anxiety, enhance sleep, decrease muscle spasms and migraines. There are many different types of magnesium which all have different outcomes for the various ailments, magnesium lactate or oxide have been shown to have the best results.

VitaminD is another vitamin that most of us are deficient in due to the overuse of sunscreen, little things like CLOTHES, and changes in the sun and weather patterns. When VitaminD levels are deficient in our body, not only are we at greater risk for cold and flu and even cancer, but anxiety and depression also increase. There is varied research out there on how much we should be taking on a daily basis but the VitaminD Council recommends 5000iu for adults and teens. If I have someone with severe depression or severe anxiety, I tend to start them on a dosage of 10,000iu a day and go from there.

One of my favorite supplements is called Cortistop. According to the website, "when cortisol is produced too frequently, it can have negative health consequences such as feelings of fatigue, healthy weight and cardiovascular system health. Cortistop helps the body maintain it's natural balance & harmony & supports the glandular system with a combination of herbs and essential oils." It is listed as a female supplement, but rest assured that men can use it and can have amazing results as well.  Remember, men has hormones and stress too. 

Unwind is a simple supplement for kids and teens (and adults too) that reminds me of Pixy Stix. This simple little packet is convenient to keep in a backpack or purse. Your child or teen can just tear it open and dump it in their mouth. It contains the L-Theanine we discussed above, as well as magnesium (citrate) plus a whole marine magnesium complex. It also contains lavender and roman chamomile. This is also a great supplement for your littlest kids who might have a hard time "unwinding" at night to be able to get some sleep. It can promote a restful and relaxed state, help with sleeplessness and reduce occasional irritability and stress.

Mindwise is a combination of fruit juices & extracts, turmeric & premium essential oils. This combination works synergistically to create a powerful supplement for heart and brain function and health. With generous amount of VitaminD3, this supplement is equipped to support normal brain function and mood.

I hope that over the next couple of weeks, you are able to find some good support your child. The one thing I want to encourage you is to remember that this isn't going to change overnight.  Many supplements will take 2-4 weeks to fully see the most results. If you happen to use one and have a negative response with your child, stop that one and move on to the next. I found that for my son, a product called Powergize, which he loves during football and while lifting weights becuase it helps boost stamina, supports healthy muscles and increases his muscle size, also increased his rage and anger while we were learning how to best manage his anxiety and stress. He would text me from school saying he was angry and that he was then made at himself for "being" angry because he didn't even know WHY he was so mad.  When we stopped that supplement, the rage decreased and we were able to best find solutions to help with his daily stressors. 

In PART 1 we talked about how cortisol and stress levels are affecting our kids and teens. Today we are going to talk about some natural ways to possibly help to relieve some of the stress and lower their cortisol levels.

With the lack of mental health care available, what are our options for potentially helping out teenagers deal with these challenges and decreasing their cortisol levels?