My Top 3 Supplements of 2020
2020 was not your typical year. If you had asked me last January what I thought my top three supplements would have been, I would not have envisioned the following.
Supplement #1: Magnesium
One of my main and long-time loves is Magnesium. This supplement tops my list frequently. I call it a “Swiss Army knife” because it’s useful for so many things. And, on top of that, it’s very easy for patients to notice the beneficial effects. Nine times out of ten, the next time I see a patient, after prescribing Magnesium, they rave about something in their life getting better. Notable areas for improvement are improved sleep with less time to fall asleep and more restful sleep, less cramping (menstrual and muscle), lessened anxiety, and improved gut health and more bowel regularity.
Supplement #2: Ginger
The next one that tops my list for this year is a surprising one for me, ginger. I’ve always kept ginger in my tool kit for the usual thing – nausea. But I’ve recently been branching out on my usage and notice excellent results. My new favourite use for ginger is for dysmenorrhea or painful menstrual cramping. I dose it starting a few days before the expected period and then through the regular days of pain (usually day 1 and 2) and then stop. This has been working like magic for my patients. I’ve had women who normally needed to take time off work now able to go to work and function, I’ve had women who usually need Tylenol or Advil to manage the pain not need to! I’ve also had patients report back that their heavy flow has lessened and become more manageable. Ginger! Who knew!
Supplement #3: Inositol
The next top supplement I commonly used in blood sugar management situations like diabetes, PCOS, and weight loss, but I’ve been giving it to patients for anxiety this year. This supplement is inositol. It’s a powder that does wonders for regulating blood sugar, but at a higher dosage can also help ease anxiety. I’ve noticed anxiety levels increasing for my patients this year, and with most of us working from home, it’s so much easier to snack on carbs. So, the dual purpose of the blood sugar balancer with the anxiety manager has helped my patients.
I hope 2020 hasn’t had too many lasting impacts for you all and is a reminder of how resilient and adaptive we can be. Here’s wishing you all the best this year!
Dr. Mackenzie works with her patients to help them achieve balance in their lives and their health. Her medicine and health approach involves digging a little deeper and looking for the root cause of the problem rather than just treating the symptoms.