You may have heard about the wonderful things mangosteen and acai can do for your health but are wary of taking these 'medicines' without knowing their potential side effects.
Keep in mind that although neither mangosteen and acai are pharmaceuticals they are chemicals (albeit naturally occurring ones) that can cause some irritating effects if taken improperly or in too high a dose.
For example, with mangosteen one of the problems some people with hypoglycemic tendencies report is feeling a bit 'shakey' after taking the supplement. The solution to this problem is to take mangosteen with some protein to avoid the sugar spike that causes that uncomfortable 'shakey' feeling. This will also give the xanthones a chance to enhance the body's sensitivity to insulin on a cellular level.
The next two commonly reported side effects are a rash and insomnia. Both of these can be explained as 'sensitivities'. Let me elaborate on that, often times when a new substance is introduced into the body an allergy-like reaction can take place. In the case of the rash, your body's liver and kidneys are overwhelmed by the new substance and reject it. The way to rectify the rash is to cut back on the dose of mangosteen taken and see if the body can tolerate the new lower dose. If it is truly a sensitivity (and not a full out allergy) the body should adapt to the lower dose and a higher dose can be tried eventually. In the case of the insomnia, the mechanisms at work are a little different. The anti-inflammatory properties of the xanthones are actually what cause some people to suffer from slight insomnia. Think of it like taking an over the counter anti-histamine: some people react by becoming drowsy while others react be getting 'wired'. The xanthones in mangosteen work in a similar fashion although they are not nearly as severe as any over the counter medication.
Loose stools, headaches and itchy skin should be treated with a little more care and caution than the above symptoms. Although mangosteen is generally well tolerated, it does contain a lot of fibre, if your digestive tract is in very poor condition you may want to consider a lower dose of mangosteen or an alternative treatment to enhance or strengthen the digestive tract before beginning a course of the supplement. Even though fibre is essential for healthy digestion, it may be too big a stressor for poorly functioning intestines.
Headaches could be your body's way of telling you that you have an full-blown allergy to mangosteen and you should stop treatment at once and start again in a weeks time on half the dose. The xanthones' anti-inflammatory properties can cause headaches in people who are prone to migraines and who are sensitive to vascular dilation of any kind.
Itchy skin, unlike a rash, is usually indicative of a sluggish liver. As is the case with headaches, you should discontinue using the product immediately, wait and week and start again on a smaller dosage. If the problem persists, you should discontinue use of mangosteen altogether.
Acai is, on the whole, tolerated better than mangosteen. The only reported side effects of acai have been constipation and gas. There isn't a general consensus as to why this happens to some people and not others but the the general rule of thumb is: stop use of acai and take steps to enhance your intestines and digestive tract. Once your digestive tract has been sufficiently strengthened, acai shouldn't cause any problems at all. There are many kits out there to help build a strong digestive tract and I encourage you to visit your local health food store to find out which kit would be right for you.
Finally, it is important to note that 'bad' or impure mangosteen and/or acai can leads to a multitude of side-effects and those mentioned above are in no way a complete list of symptoms. Always make sure the mangosteen and acai supplements you take are pure and of good quality. I recommend the Natural Home Cures brand. It's made from 100% pure mangosteen and acai (depending on the supplement) and it comes in solid form so it's not packed with filler that could potentially cause reactions.
Remember, the quality of the product will make a big difference in how your body tolerates it and the effects you get out of the supplement. Like the saying goes: 'garbage in, garbage out'. Making sure you have a quality product (like the Natural Home Cures Brand) will make sure you are getting the purest form of mangosteen or acai money can buy and cut down on potential bad reactions.
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