Case Study about Stress-Related Symptoms

By Mirko Albrecht

Mrs. F. (age 39) has lot of stress in the daily work. She works 12 hours per day and 7 days per week. Her body has no chance or time to relax. She drinks very much and also has very strong coffee and cola in the evenings. All over the day she eats lots of sweets, chocolate, cookies etc.

(article continued below...)

She has several symptoms such as:

  • Chronic cold (classic treatment with antibiotics)
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Cystitis (bladder inflammation)
  • Vaginomycosis (fungal disease)
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Cardiac arrhythmias (in the evening/night)

My Recommendation & Individual Dosage in this Case

All mentioned symptoms were the answer of the body to this chronic stress. Doctors could not find out what was wrong with her. In some countries f.e. Germany "stress is stress" and it is treated only with psychotherapy and tranquilliser. Yes, it is true that stress is now days a natural part of our life, but too much stress can make us ill.

The case was clear for me. Her immune system, which is very important for stress-balance, was lack of powder.In case of too much stress, we can be sure that our immune system is down. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the middle point of stress. Ours immune system watches & guides this axis. It is our own protecting wall (guard wall) against viruses, bacteria and parasites, fungis and any other enemy that assaults our body.

Phase 1 Treatment (for 4 weeks)

In the Morning:

  • 1000 mg Colostrum
  • 1000 mg Ester C Powder (included all B-vitamins, minerals and trace elements, without copper)

Evenings:

  • 1000 mg Colostrum

Phase 2 Treatment

In the Morning:

  • 1 package Ester C powder (included B-vitamins and minerals, trace elements)
  • 1 B12 package powder (included other B-vitamins & chromium GTF)
  • 400 mg magnesium (as citrate)
  • 1000 mg AHCC
  • 1000 mg Cranberry Extract

In the Afternoon (5.00 P.M.):

  • 500 mg AHCC
  • 100 mg DHA
  • 400 mg Magnesium (as citrate)

Background Information in this Case

Colostrum: I recommended Colostrum for a better stress regulation. It can regulate the stress hormone Cortisol. Colostrum is rich of natural immune power substances such as Immunglobulines and Lactoferrin. Lactoferrin is antibacterial (f.e. for bladder inflammation), antifungal (f.e. for Vaginomycosis) and antiviral (f.e. for cold). Colostrum f.e. is to stress regulation. But also has positive effect for fungal disease and is good for energy-balance.

After the treatment with colostrum and ester-c I recommended AHCC, DHA, Magnesium, Ester C, included mineral mix, Cranberry extract, vitamin B12, included other B-vitamins and chromium GTF.

Vitamin B12, included other B-Vitamins & Chromium GTF: The coenzyme form of vitamin B12, called Methylcobalamine (or adenosylcobalamine) is another version which means that no metabolic steps are required for its assimilation and it can be used in its normal form. Vitamin B12 is important for maintaining a healthy nervous system and increasing energy levels (a classic treatment of fatigue/chronic fatigue) in our body. Too much consumption of sugar-rich nutrition (sugar, honey, candy etc.) may reduce chromium (a trace mineral) in the body. Too much sweets may cause fungal disease. Chromium deficits and symptoms in the case of Mrs. F.:

  • Fatigue
  • Have a craving for sweets, soft drinks, cookies etc.
  • Generally low energy
  • More stress reaction in the body

Ester-C: I prefer the natural metabolites of ester C which provides quicker absorption and longer retention than the other form of vitamin C such as ascorbic acid. Ester C is an acid neutralized form of vitamin C with non-irritating to the digestive system. Vitamin C is very important for many functions in the body f.e. energy metabolic, anti-inflammation etc.

Cranberry Extract: Cranberry extract as dietary supplement is a natural alternative to antibiotics for urinary tract infections.

AHCC: AHCC stands for Active Hexose Correlated Compound is a proprietary extract produced from specially cultivated and hybridised mushrooms. AHCC supports Defense mechanism of body function through its effects on macrophages and NK cells (Natural Killer Cells). Stress can affect the immune system in several ways such as reduced neutrophil activity, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and natural killer cell activities (NK-Cells).

Some symptoms such as chronic cold, chronic fatigue, low energy, bladder inflammation and fungal overproduction are typical consequences of a low immune system.

AHCC is an ideal immune modulator and can also reduce stress-induced high Adrenaline or Cortisol.

DHA: DHA stands for Docosahexaenoic acid an omega-3 chain polyunsaturated fatty acid and the body can cope better with chronic stress. DHA reduces high level of chronic stress-induced nor-epinephrine. Too much production of this stress hormone can cause Cardiac arrhythmias. In the case of Mrs. F. this was my first idea.

Magnesium: This mineral is important for all muscle function in the body. The heart is a muscle as well. Too much coffee, sweets, medical drugs such as antibiotics in combination with chronic stress cause deficit of magnesium. A deficit of magnesium can cause also cardiac arrhythmias such in this case.

Results in this Case Study: Mrs. F. has too much stress today. But, with the help of some dietary supplements she is under protection. Since 6 months she has never had colds. The fungal overproduction and bladder inflammation is okay too. Now she does not take antibiotics or antimycotics any more. All the symptoms are under control.

I recommended her not to keep eating sweet things all the time. Instead of sweets she could eat more fresh or dried fruits. Important is to reduce amount of coffee. She drank 3 litre (or more) per day! Unfortunately she didn't want to do it.

As I said dietary supplements are very important and of great help against too much stress, but without any change in the daily diet this help does not last a long time and the symptoms come again!

With this case study we can see that a right/appropriate individual dietary supplements is of great help but it is a condition keeping to the diet!

Ask our Nutrition Expert

Nutritional expert Mirko Albrecht, Dipl.- Nutrition Consultant, from Germany has agreed to provide visitors of guidestressmanagement.com free consultation on dietary supplements, nutrition-pharmacy interaction and stress related queries. Our sincere thanks to Mirko for taking his valuable time to answer our reader's questions. Click here to ask a question.

Back to Case Studies.