20/1/2012
My Beloved Colleagues Assalamu Alaikum, 

Healthy Mind and Healthy Teaching

In order to teach well, we must be healthy first. We must be healthy in our thinking, in our minds and in our brains. The brain is the center of our nervous system. It allows us to think and feel. Our brain controls and regulates all our body’s actions as well as reactions. The brain continuously receives sensory information and investigates, analyzes, makes decisions and determines responses. Whatever we think either positive or negative; we are transmitting a chemical signal to our brains. These chemical signals called neurotransmitters. These electronic signals are extremely crucial that either make or break. More than 100,000 chemical reactions take place within a given second in the brain. These signals and their related hormones are associated with memory, intelligence, good feelings, remorse, respect to others and they act as a tranquilizer for pain. As dedicated lecturers of USIM, we need healthy mind and healthy body to fight stress related work. I know some of us have 10 PhD students to supervise. Whether like it or not, it is stressful. Based on my three years of research on how to be free from stress, it was evident that Magnesium Chloride deficiency is the prime cause of job related stress. As thus, I found this information very useful to share with you all.

WHAT IS STRESS?

Stress is a response to circumstances which forces a person to act quickly change or make some adjustment to keep things in balance. The circumstance, which forces a person to act, is called a stressor. Stress is also defined as intense feelings created by the stimulus of certain events. When a person is stressed, his/her body automatically jumps into an action which is called a fight or flight response. When we are stressed, our bodies immediately respond to the stressors by telling our nervous systems and stress hormones that it is time to act. When we face a threatening situation, our hypothalamus informs the adrenal glands to produce more hormones, adrenaline and as well as cortisol, and release them into the blood stream. Thus, we feel palpitation, shortness of breath, and we may experience high blood pressure. The body immediately starts sweating to cool itself down. All these happen to prepare the body for the fight or flight response.

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is an important mineral and is a constituent for hundreds of enzymes in the body. It is a crucial mineral for relieving stress. According to Dr. Leo Galland, a stressed person depletes magnesium from his/her body. (Dr. Leo Galland Integrated Medicine: http://www.healthy.net) Magnesium relaxes muscles, rejuvenates cells and tissues. Magnesium protects the arteries, vessels and veins from high blood pressure caused by daily stress. It helps our kidneys, hearts, brains, adrenal and nervous systems to function well. Magnesium clearly eliminates stress and calms down our central nervous system. As such, let us be healthy in our mind and body so that we can teach better.