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We Have A
Bone To Pick – A Healthy Bone That Is!
Not
only do our bones give our muscles support from within,
allowing us to stand, walk and move about - our bones are
living. They are
made up of living cells that have specific duties – some
build bone, some break it down, some store nutrients or blood
cells. Around
these living cells is a framework of minerals that give the
bones their strength, also called “mass.”
Normally, the osteoblasts build bone at the same, or
greater, rate than the osteoclasts break it down, resulting in
normal, strong bones. When
this balance is interrupted, whether due to dietary deficiency
or decline in hormones (primarily estrogen), more bone is
broken down than is formed.
The result is weak, fragile, easily breakable bones –
a condition called “osteoporosis.”
More women than men suffer from this debilitating
disease. More
women of European descent suffer osteoporosis than do those of
African descent. Men,
however, can also suffer from this condition – usually as a
result of lack of exercise and poor diet.
Osteoporosis is easily preventable if a proper diet,
supplementation program and exercise program are followed from
as early as the teen years.
Mild bone loss can be halted or reversed as well.
Read on! WHAT
IS IT? Osteoporosis,
a term derived from Latin, literally means “porous bones.”
Bone mass – the amount of minerals in our bones –
reaches its peak between the ages 30 –35.
After that, nearly everyone begins to lose
bone-strengthening minerals very gradually. The
onset of
osteoporosis is subtle and often begins in the mid-thirties,
and often before that. Bone loss begins between the ages of 35
and 45 - long
before the obvious signs of upper and lower back pain,
compression fractures of the vertebrae, wrist fractures and
deteriorated hip joints that finally lead to diagnosis. But,
by then, 30 percent of the bone mass had been lost. And,
while wrist fractures mended, and wasted hip joints were
repaired, vertebral compression fractures are permanent. The
weak, hollowed-out vertebrae are compressed to half their
height by the weight of the body, with the resultant loss of
up to six inches of height. Or, one side collapses, resulting
in wedge-shaped vertebrae and eventually the "dowager's
hump" as more vertebrae collapse forward into wedges. In
the past, frightening statistics painted a grim picture for
the aging woman. At
least 26 percent of women over the age of 60 had bone thinning
severe enough to cause this type of spinal deformity and loss
of height, while 50 percent of women past 75 were affected. Of
the million fractures annually, prior to 1982, 700,000
resulted from osteoporosis at a cost of 1 billion dollars.
But, "brittle bones" is no longer considered an
inevitable consequence of aging in women. Thin, weak bones can
be prevented through proper nutrition in the younger years,
and bone loss can be halted and reversed later in life. THE
ROLE OF CALCIUM Women
with calcium deficient diets throughout their lives are five
times more likely to develop osteoporosis than women whose
diets are adequate. Bone loss often begins in the teenager as
a result of fad or crash diets low in calcium or vitamin D,
and high in phosphorus, which is found in soft drinks. Dr.
Anthony Albanese, director of the Nutrition and Metabolic
Research Division, Burke Rehabilitation Center, White
Plains, New York, and the Geriatric Nutrition Laboratory,
Miriam Osborn Memorial Home, Rye, New York, found in a study
of girls between the ages of 15 and 20, that 10 to 15 percent
exhibited a 20 percent bone loss. According
to Dr. Albanese, the condition complicates itself in childbearing
years. During pregnancy, the fetus requires 400 mg. of calcium
each day. Often, supplements prescribed by physicians are
inadequate to make up this additional requirement. A
breast-fed infant also needs 400 mg. per day. In both instances,
if the calcium is not supplied through the mother's diet, then
it is pulled from her bones where 99 percent of the body's
calcium is stored. During the course of one pregnancy,
one-fourth of a woman's calcium could be eaten away if no
effort is made to replace it through diet and supplements.
Currently the RDA for women is between 1000 and 1500 mg
per day. Up to
2000 mg per day may be needed to prevent/reverse bone loss. CALCIUM ABSORPTION IS CRUCIAL Sufficient
intake of calcium is necessary; adequate absorption is
crucial. Vitamin D' s effectiveness in insuring sufficient
absorption has been recognized since the early 1920s. It binds
with calcium and transports it across the intestinal wall.
When vitamin D is present, calcium is absorbed along a greater
length of intestine. A
second factor affecting absorption is acidity. Calcium is
more readily absorbed from an acid rather than an alkaline
solution. Yet, all food entering the small intestine must be
rendered alkaline before the intestinal enzymes can
function. For this reason, it is crucial that sufficient
hydrochloric acid be secreted by the stomach as food leaves to
insure enough acidity, and hence absorption of calcium in
the small intestine. Hydrochloric acid production in the
stomach is reduced with age.
There are supplements that will add small amounts
hydrochloric acid to the stomach to help with this problem
available at our store. WHAT BLOCKS ABSORPTION? Foremost
is the calcium/phosphorus ratio.
Ideally these two essential minerals should be in a
balance that results in a 1:1 ratio.
The modern American diet contains a 1:4 calcium to
phosphorus ratio resulting from our diet of meat, potatoes,
soft drinks, and even cheese.
To supplement with phosphorus would really throw this
balance out! SUPPLEMENTS TO BUILD STRONG BONES It
is difficult to get enough calcium through diet alone.
Dairy products are one source for calcium, but there
are better ones available, including soy products, leafy green
vegetables, sesame seeds, maple syrup and kelp.
Supplementation with a good formulation especially for
the bones from your health food store is your best bet.
If you are still young, this formula will give your
bones the extra boost they need to be strong.
If you are already “older,” it will help maintain
and rebuild your bones. The
formula we recommend in our practice, available at our store,
called OsteoProtect, contains vitamins (such as Vitamin
D) and minerals (such as boron) as well as calcium and
magnesium, mucopolysaccharides (which are naturally occurring
in cartilage) that help build strong bones.
It also contains the proper amount of HCL to help with
the absorption. Another
supplement, Ipriflavone, derived from soy, is showing promise
in the prevention and possible reversal of bone loss.
It appears to decrease the activity of the bone cells,
osteoclasts, responsible for the breakdown of bone and calcium
release into the bloodstream.
It is available at our store as well EXERCISE! The
role of exercise and gravity in preventing bone loss was
pointed up in the manned space program. Weightlessness and
inactivity resulted in a significant decrease in calcium
absorption. Just as it builds muscles, so weight-bearing
exercise builds bones. Physically active people have more bone
mass than bed-rest or immobilized patients. Walking 10
minutes a day or an equivalent amount of exercise obtained by
swimming or bicycling, slows loss of bone porosity, and adds
to bone mass. Health is not everything, but without spiritual and physical health, everything is nothing. Until next time we meet – may God Bless you with good health, with a little help from you! The
information in these columns is for educational purposes only
and not to diagnose or treat any medical condition.
Please consult your physician for any serious condition
or before discontinuing any prescription drug. —Len Rossi, ND, LMT Len Rossi, ND has been a proponent of Natural Healing for 30 years. After a 25-year career as a pro wrestler, Len earned his Doctor Of Naturopathy degree in 1982 and is a Licensed Massage Therapist. Len can be reached for a consultation or massage appointment at 373-9242 or visit his store at 1605 Franklin Rd in Brentwood. Email us at poppy97@comcast.net. |
| ©2005 Created by Ben Clark |
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