As we age, we face bone loss, our bones become thinner and more brittle.
We have to watch our steps and be careful not to fall else we find broken legs and hips etc.
How can we prolong our bone health and sustain our bones to last a lifetime? This article shows you how.
"The food you eat each day is the most essential and
bio-available source for all of the constituents for healthy bones. Supportive
supplements may be a wise choice as well. Add to this, slowing down and paying
attention when eating plus overall stress reduction, and not only are you
likely to improve the quality of your bones and overall health, but also the
quality of your life!"
Natural
Bone Health Basics: There's More to Bone Health Than Bone Density
By Cheryl
Berkowitz | Submitted On September 02, 2011
When we think of bone health, the conventional
thinking focuses on bone density and our DEXA-scan results being within a
certain T-score range. But this concept of bone health is actually misleading.
Yes, it's helpful to have sufficient mineralization and density in our bones,
but a standardized T-score is based on the bone density of a 30-year old woman
with a medium skeletal frame. What if you're a woman with a smaller frame?
Where does that leave you in this context? What if you're a woman in her 50s,
60s or 70s?
The truth is: bone loss is natural. In fact, it's
completely normal from around age 30 onwards. And in the six to ten years
around menopause the rate of bone loss tends to increase. There's cause for
concern when bone loss is markedly high or significantly progressive.
More importantly, the architecture of bone, the
collagen matrix (a latticed protein matrix) of bone and its capacity for
flexibility are much more significant factors in determining the overall health
of our bones. It is quality, not quantity that matters most when it comes to
our bones. Dense bones can be just as brittle as thinner bones. And thinner
bones can have healthy architecture, stronger collagen matrix, and a greater
capacity for flexibility, reducing our chance of experiencing fracture. After
all, we want to avoid fracturing, no matter the density of our bones.
Despite the hype about susceptibility to fracture
based on T-scores, more than 85% of women over 50 years of age will never
experience a hip fracture, regardless of bone density. (Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN
NP, Women to Women) Likewise, an examination of the effectiveness of bone
density screening by the University of Leeds found that people with higher bone
density go on to have 63% of all fractures. (Health Studies, School of Public
Health, University of Leeds). Just ask your doctor what s/he sees on a regular
basis among patients.
The hype around T-scores and the prescribing of
medications based on these T-scores may be a diversion from the real questions
that need to be asked and from the most basic and overall health-enhancing
strategies that need to be taken for optimum bone health.
Many factors contribute to bone loss and it is
important to consider these, taking into account your health history, current
diet and lifestyle factors. And in light of that we will very likely lose some
bone as we age, the questions to ask are: what are the true causes of bone
loss? what are the best ways to minimize bone loss? what can I do to truly
maintain or restore the health of my bones?
Stress, sedentary lifestyle, nutrient imbalances,
compromised digestion, endocrine imbalances, commonly prescribed medications
and environmental toxins can deplete our bone reserves and impact the integrity
of our bones.
In most cases, a diet rich in alkalinizing foods,
the right balance of protein, healthy essential fats, minerals and
micro-nutrients along with the appropriate physical activity, sunlight and a
few choice bone building supplements will successfully restore bone health.
Underlying causes must be considered and addressed when appropriate.
Here are a few key requirements for healthy bones.
Protein and vitamin C stimulate formation of collagen matrix. Vitamin D helps
absorb calcium from the intestines into the blood. Magnesium increases calcium
absorption from the blood into the bones. Vitamin K acts in the production of
proteins in the bone and helps calcium crystallize in the bones. Healthy fats
are required to absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as D and K. Phosphorus is
essential for proper mineralization of bones and teeth.
The food you eat each day is the most essential and
bio-available source for all of the constituents for healthy bones. Supportive
supplements may be a wise choice as well. Add to this, slowing down and paying
attention when eating plus overall stress reduction, and not only are you
likely to improve the quality of your bones and overall health, but also the
quality of your life!
Cheryl Berkowitz, CHHC, CHC is a Certified Holistic
Health Counselor and Certified Health Coach based in Northampton, MA offering
nutrition and lifestyle counseling to women of all ages. Cheryl provides
nutritional healing support with a mindfulness-based approach, helping clients
to improve and sustain good eating habits, shift underlying imbalances, reduce
stress and overcome health issues to achieve vibrant health. Cheryl supports
women with Natural Bone Health, to prevent and reverse osteopenia and
osteoporosis, and she leads seasonal cleanse and weight loss programs. She
teaches workshops and teleclasses nationally, and works one-on-one with women
in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts and across the nation, in-person, by
phone and Skype.
To find out more about Cheryl's approach, go to:
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheryl_Berkowitz
