Wisdom of Healing

Greater numbers of people are having problems with weak, fragile, aching bones in the last two decades according to statistics. It is well-known that porous bones can lead to falls and sometimes serious injuries. Increases in the number of diagnoses of osteoporosis over the last decade or two are indicators that our bone health as a nation is on the decline. With baby-boomers beginning to enter the golden years, the numbers of people experiencing bone health concerns are unlikely to go down any time soon, unless we change our habits.

There are, according to a study that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1995, more significant factors as to whether you will experience a bone fracture than bone density. Some of these included lack of muscle strength, the use of sleeping pills or tranquilizers, poor coordination, poor vision and depth perception, a history of hyperthyroidism, being tall, low blood pressure, and the overall health of the woman (person). The use of medications for anxiety is on the rise in the last several years, and these prescription drugs were shown to increase the risk of a hip fracture by 70%.

Medications for bone loss and osteoporosis, such as Fosamax™, work by altering the body’s natural process of removing older cellular material before replacing it with new, healthier cells. This would equate to hiring a mason to come to your home to replace the old mortar on your crumbling chimney. Instead of chipping away the loose, decaying mortar, he’s in a hurry to get to the next job, so he quickly presses cement into the cracks, right over the deteriorating material that has been decomposing for years. As you can imagine, the chimney may look good when he’s finished, but it may not be sturdy enough to withstand a big gust of wind from the next storm that blows through. You wouldn’t want this for your house, and likely wouldn’t want it happening within your bones, either.

Fosamax has recently been linked with a significantly increased decay of the jaw bone, and there is concern with medical research professionals about the other medications on the market for osteoporosis, as well. Other side effects have included digestive complaints, musculoskeletal discomfort and increased headaches. This may be a lot to take a chance on when making a few healthier lifestyle changes can offer so you strong healthy bones along with many side benefits and without the side effects.

Flexible bones are important if you do take a fall. It is not enough to have the outer shell of the bone be strong as is indicated by bone density testing; you also need good spongy bone material (the stuff on the inside of many of our bones) for the flexibility that helps prevent fractures. This would be like the willow tree that sways and bends in the wind, while the oak tree looses a limb.

There are hundreds of supplements on the market that claim to help increase bone density, but the problem is that most of these products are based on the concept of consuming rocks (calcium and other minerals) and chemicals (stearates, isoflavones, etc) which I do not consider natural, particularly safe long-term, nor effective in the bigger picture of overall health. You may read more about these controversial statements in this article shortly.

Let us first discuss some of the culprits that may be interrupting your ability to maintain good bone health, and your body’s capacity to assimilate (utilize on a cellular level) the calcium, magnesium, silica and all the other vitamins, minerals and important nutrients essential for strong healthy bones.

Sedentary lifestyle/ Lack of exercise- This is likely to be the leading factor in the weakened bone health of our last few generations. We’ve become couch potatoes, and even those of us who exercise regularly may not be doing so in a way to best support our bone health. Too many of us have the ‘all or nothing’ attitude with regard to exercise. This is very confusing for the body, in general, and the bones do not seem to respond well to the occasional heavy workouts.

I often refer to how our ancestors lived, ate and moved as the Gold Standard that we should strive for. (I don’t necessarily refer to a generation or two back, as the last 100 years or so, we have been provided with a lot of misinformation that has sent our health in the wrong direction.) Our ancestors, regardless of the region of the world they came from, were active for much of the day, doing all those tasks necessary for their daily and annual needs to be fulfilled, and then they slept very deeply at night, for more than the six to eight hours that our busy lifestyles seem to provide us. Living was not considered, by our standards, easy, but the lifestyle provided by being active for much of the day, allowed for a much more fit and trim body than our overweight twenty-first century counterpart.

Many doctors and health enthusiasts suggest 20 minutes a day or two to three 50 minute workouts per week as the minimum to keep fit, but when we compare this to the activity levels that were the norm just a few generations back, this seems to be just barely enough. What we want to do to optimize our bone health is to increase our activity levels in as many ways as we possibly can each and every day, without compounding stress levels.

We have heard many of the suggestions before. Park your car further away from your workplace or the grocery store. Better yet, when possible, walk, run or ride your bike to work or to do errands. If you commute a long distance, consider starting a walking group at lunchtime, or leave a bicycle at work for a daily lunch hour ride. Two great forms of exercise that can travel easily with you are a jump rope and a hula hoop. Ten minutes with either one is a great workout! Wearing wrist or ankle weights can increase the benefits of any of these activities, when you’re ready for it.

If you haven’t been active for awhile, due to injury, chronic pain or exhaustion, begin to get active very slowly. I have suggested to a couple clients to start with a walk around the bed four times a day, and then after a day or two add walking down the hall, and eventually around the yard. Within two weeks, one lady was comfortable with walking to the end of the block and back. Her pain became more tolerable with the slight daily increases in movement.

Join a dance class, commit to exercising during the commercials of your favorite shows. Offer to help your neighbor move wood, dig the garden or rake the yard (the old fashioned way, without the blower). However you have to fit it into your life, get moving again, often!

Stress/ Distress- Excess stress is likely to be the second leading factor in deteriorating bone health. Movement helps us de-stress, so if you get more active, you’ll be ‘freeing two birds with one flick of the wrist’. (I’ve never been keen on ‘killing birds with stones’.) Not dealing with our stress often puts us into the fight or flight response, (also referred to as the acute stress response). Various chemicals, including cortisol and adrenaline, are pumped into the bloodstream to assist us in fighting or fleeing from the perceived danger. If the perceived danger is traffic, a nagging spouse, a whining child or a demanding boss, etc, then these chemicals begin to accumulate in the body, and can wreak havoc on our digestion, bone and general health.

There are many truly healthy choices for helping us balance our stress levels. Meditation, yoga, the practice of martial arts and even walking the dog in peaceful surroundings can help quiet the mind, reduce inflammation and reduce high stress levels.

Have you heard of Holy Basil yet? Holy basil has been shown in numerous research studies to help with healthy stress levels and to modulate cortisol, thereby helping to calm nervous tension and constant worry. Holy basil supports a healthy inflammation response and more balanced blood sugar levels, with no known side effects. Holy basil can help with increased focus and attention, which is attested to in its name. In India, where Holy basil originates, people have used the herb to help quiet the mind to support their meditation and prayer practices. Ancient writings mention the use of Holy basil as far back as 8,000 years ago. Research has also shown Holy basil to calm irritability and those of us over-stimulated by noise. It may also be helpful for people bothered by tactile sensitivities or bright lights.

Be aware, when you purchase a Holy basil product, that there are many products on the US market that are cousins to the true species, Ocimum sanctum. There are also many Holy basil products that are extracted with potentially toxic chemical solvents, such as acetone (fingernail polish remover) or PERC (dry cleaning fluid). Look for a reliable, preferably certified organic, producer. Don’t buy grocery store brands or very low priced products if you’re interested in results. Please read: Quality Is Everything!, posted to this site on August 28, 2006, and: Herbal and Nutritional Products, the Good, Better and Best, posted to this site very soon. You can learn much more about the various extraction methods used in the herbal industry in: Processing Methods Employed by America’s Best Herb Companies, to be posted to this site shortly.

Another favorite herb for excess stress is Eleuthero, (formerly called Siberian ginseng, but changed recently, as it is not a true relative on the Panax Ginseng family. Latin name: Eleutherococcus senticosus). Eleuthero may be used to calm the frazzled person down and lift the spirits of those who feel they are losing hope. Considered a powerful adaptogen, Eleuthero has also been used for thousands of years without known side effects.

I love the Wikipedia definition of ‘adaptogen’ and share it with you here:
The word adaptogen, coined by Russian Scientist, Dr. Nicolai Lazarev, refers to a natural herb product that increases the body’s resistance to stresses such as trauma, anxiety and bodily fatigue. The guidelines Lazarev created for an herb to be considered an adaptogen are:
1. It must cause only minimal disorders in the body’s physiological functions;
2. It must increase the body’s resistance to adverse influences not by a specific action but by a wide range of physical, chemical, and biochemical factors;
3. It must have an overall normalizing effect, improving all kinds of conditions and aggravating none.
Adaptogens are unique from other substances in their ability to balance endocrine hormones and the immune system, and they help the body to maintain optimal homeostasis.

If you’re feeling negatively affected by excess stress, you can see how these adaptogenic herbs may be of great value to your general health.

Eleuthero is revered for its ability to re-establish vigor, enhance longevity, improve overall health, and stimulate both a healthy appetite and a good memory. It is widely used in Russia, and now throughout the world, to help the body adapt to stressful conditions and to increase productivity.

Another powerful restorative herb that I will mention to support healthy stress levels, so as to support good bone health, is Rhodiola, (Rhodiola rosea). Another adaptogenic herb from Russia, Rhodiola has been the subject of much rigorous research, and found to lift the spirits, support healthy cortisol levels, increased memory retention and motor coordination. Again, I cannot say it often enough, attention to the quality of the product chosen is essential for optimal benefits.

Excess (or significantly reduced) cortisol levels- Changes in serum cortisol levels have been associated with a number of poor health conditions. These include clinical depression, excess fear, anxiety, suppressed activity of the immune system, increased blood pressure, muscle wastage and reduced formation of bone. Get enough rest and reduce that excess stress! If this is a concern for you, please read about the three herbs mentioned above to support healthy cortisol levels.

Lack of gut flora- Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that symbiotically live in a healthy mammalian gut, are critical for good bone health, as research indicates that we must host these good bacteria in order to convert our food’s nutrients into a suitable form for our cells to adequately take in and utilize. Without an abundance of these valuable gut bacteria, we can eat all the best nutritious foods and herbs, but we may get very little benefit from them. There are hundreds of things that most of us are exposed to virtually every day that can harm our precious probiotics, so eating plenty of organic whole foods, especially vegetables high in fiber, and cultured foods with live microorganisms each day can help to keep our ‘good guys’ in balance, and a good probiotic supplement should be used periodically or daily to replenish the colonies of these important microorganisms. Be sure to choose a product that is still naturally present with its growth media, the supernatant, intact and no sugar or chemical additives. To my knowledge, there are only four companies out of the hundreds now manufacturing probiotics that adhere to this important beneficial production technique. For detailed information on these superb products, please read both: Processing Methods Employed by America’s Best Herb Companies and Health, It All Begins in the Gut, posted to this site very soon.

Antibiotics- Overuse of antibiotics and antibacterial products is not only leading to the creation of ‘Super-bugs’ a topic becoming more widely understood through increased media coverage, but their overuse is also having a significant detrimental effect on digestive, immune and overall health. When we use antibiotics for anything less that an acute life-threatening bacterial infection, we may be doing more harm than good to both our body and the environment. Antibiotic use is one of the leading causes of reduced gut bacterial colonies, and when the beneficial bacteria are reduced, or wiped out, potentially pathogenic microorganisms have free reign, not only in the gut region, but if allowed, throughout the body. We not only have trouble getting our necessary nutrients into our cells to produce healthy bones, but these potential pathogens, when set loose, find weakened regions of the body where they may do significant short- or long-term damage to the bones, joints, muscles, brain, organs or anywhere that they can find that is an appropriate pH for their needs and vulnerable enough for them to set up housekeeping.

Anti-bacterial soaps and cleaners- These anti-bacterial products are inundating the market, being sold as an improvement to health through cleanliness. Research on the use of these products, however tells another story entirely. Health is not improved and may indeed be reduced. One way that health may be reduced through the use of these anti-bacterial products is that, like antibiotics, they do not discern between the good and the bad bacteria. We have beneficial bacteria living in harmony with us all over our skin. One of the many things that these little helpers do for us is to help to convert sunlight into vitamin D, a nutrient getting a lot of press these days in association with good bone health. Without sufficient numbers of our skin’s beneficial bacteria, we will likely get too little vitamin D to satisfy all of our cells’ needs. If you must use an anti-bacterial cleaner due to the line of work you’re in or materials that you handle, it is essential to help invite those little good guys back onto your skin after each use with a good-quality natural hand and body lotion containing oils such as avocado, hemp, shae butter, etc. The skin’s beneficial bacteria love these oils, and cannot live in a sterile environment. (Your hands will also benefit by being softer, smoother and less dry and rough.)

Aspirin- Aspirin and other Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) can cause considerable damage to the lining of the stomach or intestinal tract, even the very first time we take one. There is great misunderstanding about this, as most people I’ve spoken with about this throughout the years have thought that aspirin and other NSAIDs could only be harmful with overuse. Even one aspirin is shown to cause perforations or ulcerations in the gut, setting us up for pain, discomfort, or worse. They may indeed be hurtful to bone health in a variety of ways. First, they can alter the pH of the digestion, reducing the ability for us to absorb and utilize our minerals and vitamins necessary for our bones. Secondly, studies have recently indicated that NSAIDs interrupt the ability of damaged bone to heal.

Corticosteroids- These and other medications are believed to decrease the body’s ability to absorb calcium from food, increase calcium loss from the kidneys, and shrink a child’s bone reserves. This is likely due to the fact that these medications reduce the colonies of probiotics in the gut, therefore reducing the capability of the body to deliver nutrients in the proper form for the cells to use.

Fluoride, mercury and other toxic heavy metals- Heavy metals accumulate in the body’s tissues, often contributing to pain, inflammation and possible long-term damage. Fluoride reacts to bone like metal to a magnet. Fluoride has been associated with bone tumors in animal studies.

Excess (or rarely, insufficient) phosphorus- Phosphorus, an essential nutrient for bone health, must be consumed in balance with calcium, magnesium, manganese, vitamins D and K, as well as all the other nutrients essential for good bone health. Too much or too little may create an imbalance that can lead to porous bones. People who consume the standard American diet (SAD, for short) may take in excessive quantities of phosphorus from cola and certain other sodas, milk, ice cream and other dairy products, as well as many food additives. Recent studies involving young women with high phosphorus, low calcium diets showed an over-secretion of parathyroid hormone, and leading to increased calcium losses from bone. These young women may be more prone to osteoporosis as they mature.

Excess refined sugar- We’ve all heard about the dangers of refined sugar. If you experience a constant sweet tooth, this very well could be an indicator that your gut flora have become diminished, and that some of the many species of candida have overpopulated your G.I. tract. They love and crave sugar. We just become the obedient hosts, providing them with course after course of their favorite sugary foods. To assist the process of reducing your high sugar intake, you could try using a considerable amount of the very best probiotics than you are able to access in your area. For a better understanding of which products may be most effective, please read: Quality Is Everything!, posted to this site on August 28, 2006, and: Herbal and Nutritional Products, the Good, Better and Best, posted to this site very soon. You can learn much more about the various extraction methods used in the nutritional supplements industry in: Processing Methods Employed by America’s Best Herb Companies, to be posted to this site shortly.

Excess protein- Too much protein has been linked with an inability to properly digest and assimilate many minerals and other nutrients. Fad diets that encourage excesses of anything should be avoided, as nearly anything in excessive quantities may have a detrimental effect on the body or mind.

Soy, uncultured- There are so many mixed messages in the health field and the media regarding soy these days. Research showing the myriad benefits of consuming soy has nearly all been with the use of fully cultured soy products such as miso and natto. Research on tofu, soy milk and other uncultured soy shows far less promise, and in some studies these uncultured soy products may even impede strong healthy bones and good health in general. For more information on this and other controversial debates in the natural foods and supplements industry, please read: Myths in Nutrition, posted to this sight very soon.

Excess salt- Again, excesses may interrupt the ability to utilize our nutrients, and salt may be another of the culprits. Excess sodium can throw off the delicate blood-mineral balance and the hamper with the body’s system of digestion, absorption and assimilation of the minerals and other nutrients essential for healthy bones.

Processed &overcooked foods- Eating a SAD (standard American diet) loaded with processed, microwaved and overcooked food-like products is wreaking havoc on the health of Americans and those in other regions of the world where these products are consumed. Nutrients may be less available to build and nourish our cells from these unhealthy foodstuffs. Fresh, organic whole foods truly taste better, and because the body feels nourished, we may need to eat far less to feel satisfied with the healthier choices.

Antacids- Most people using antacids are doing so for problems with digestion and specifically, the assumption that they have excess stomach acid. For most of these people, this is likely untrue. The symptoms of excess acid are virtually identical to those of insufficient stomach acid, and most of the people that use OTC and even prescription antacids or acid blockers have not had the proper testing to be sure that excess acid production is really what they’re experiencing. Antacids can reduce the ability for the body to digest protein and absorb and utilize our nutrients. They may contain very minute amounts of calcium carbonate (the least utilized form of calcium), but should be consumed only after the testing to confirm that you are one of the very few of us that has an excess production of hydrochloric acid. (I have viewed a few websites from doctors and nutritionists that actually recommend using antacids for a little extra daily calcium. This is simply terrible advice. One would have to wonder about a healthcare provider who would make such a recommendation.)

Excess alcohol- A small amount of alcohol daily has been shown to be beneficial for the majority of us, but excess alcohol consumption may damage our gut, cardiovascular and liver health, putting us at risk for a wide array of serious health conditions, including reduced bone health. Limit alcohol to no more than one to two glasses per day, and make high quality choices in the liquor that you consume.

Excess caffeine, tobacco, recreational, prescription and OTC drugs- I have grouped these altogether, as we all know the risks associated with tobacco, excess caffeine (more so the isolated caffeine present in sodas than the naturally occurring caffeine in organic green tea or a cup of organic coffee) and many recreational drugs. Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications are associated with many side effects, from minor discomforts to serious issues, including death. Although the pharmaceutical industry has disproportionate unchecked power as we enter the twenty-first century, (Did you know that the pharmaceutical industry has more than twice as many lobbyists in Washington as the entire energy industry?), it is still quite prudent for our health and the health of our loved ones to practice prevention and nutritional remedies whenever possible, and use the medications with significant potential side effects only when absolutely necessary. Any of them may alter our ability to enjoy a lifetime of good bone health.

Overeating- Eating too much on a regular basis (or binging) for the level of activity you practice is, of course going to lead to weight gain. Carrying excess weight can be difficult for the bones and joints. But there is another way that overeating can be detrimental to bone health, as well. Binging and overeating can disrupt the endocrine system, further challenging the body’s ability to get nutrients to the cells, causing the body to go into a system of recycling nutrients until there is nothing left to recycle. At that point, things begin to break down, weaker areas first. Overeating and binging can also be a side effect of emotional imbalance that is not being addressed. Please, if you find that you are overeating due to excess stress, please seek support in as many ways as you are able, before your health is seriously compromised.

Here’s where it gets really interesting and quite a bit different from what most of us have been told and therefore believe to be so.

Dairy products- Reduce (yes, I really did say reduce) your milk consumption, and increase your daily servings of organic whole milk unsweetened yogurt for greater availability of calcium and other bone health nutrients.

The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study has observed the dietary and living habits of from 78,000 to 122,000 nurses over the past 30 years, and has found that higher calcium intakes, amounts greater than 450 mg. (by drinking two or more glasses of milk or the use of calcium supplements), does not reduce osteoporosis.

In fact, in developed countries where two to three times as many dairy products and calcium supplements are consumed, people suffer from two to three times as many fractured bones as people in those countries where calcium is consumed in the lowest amounts (from more simple whole foods of those peoples’ traditional diets).

Excess calcium consumption, in the form of dairy products and calcium supplements, may have other serious side effects according to research we rarely hear about as well, such as contributing to hardening of the arteries, arthritis, kidney stones and some cancers.

Up to 70% of Americans and as much as 85% of the world’s population is sensitive to drinking milk and eating most dairy products. The majority, both adult and children, are lactose intolerant, meaning that they cannot digest the naturally occurring sugars in the milk, because they do not produce enough of the enzyme, lactase. Production of this enzyme is naturally reduced in mammals after the infant suckling period. In humans it is estimated that production of lactase is significantly slowed by the age of four. Fewer of the people who are sensitive to dairy are unable to digest the protein in the milk called casein. This occurs more with children and sometimes even in infancy. Most people with dairy sensitivities are able to digest organic whole milk unsweetened yogurt. Because yogurt, through the culturing process, has been pre-digested, the sugars and proteins are easily broken down in the gut, with the nutrients absorbed into the bloodstream and utilized cellularly.

There is now a campaign underway where healthcare professionals and television commercials are telling people that even if they have a lactose sensitivity, they should still do their best to consume two to three servings of dairy foods every day. This is a lot like telling an alcoholic to drink one or two drinks each day because it may be good for their heart, or telling someone with a sensitivity to wheat to eat it two or three times daily because it’s high in B vitamins! I find this a cruel and inhumane campaign!

Calcium supplements- Sales of calcium supplements have skyrocketed in the last fifteen years or so. Although doctors, the media, most dieticians and chiropractors are recommending high doses of calcium supplements in various forms daily to make our bones strong, studies tell us a much different story. Americans experience the highest rates of osteoporosis, hip and arm fractures, yet we spend more on healthcare, drink more milk and take more calcium supplements than any other people on Earth. Learn what you can do to protect your bone health. It is certainly not what we have been told, when it comes to calcium supplementation.

A large study reported in 1997 in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that the use of calcium supplements may actually double the risk of hip fractures. The use of antacids containing calcium carbonate was shown to increase forearm fracture risk by 70%!

The issue really is related to the fact that we do not eat, nor properly digest, rocks, shells or coral. If our bodies were able to properly digest rocks, we would have no need for grocery stores, food distribution, farms and farmers. There would be plenty of rocks in the back yard to consume, if only we could get nutrient value from them. But this happens only in children’s books! A real human body needs its nutrients from foods, and a wide variety of foods, at that.

Nearly all calcium supplements on the US market are formulated from rocks, specifically limestone, which is the same material that chalk for use on the drawing board is make of, mined from the Earth. You’ve likely thought that your calcium tastes too chalky. There is a very good reason for this! Calcium carbonate is the form that is from the limestone or the ground seashells or coral. You may have heard or read that Calcium citrate (or calcium malate or hydroxyapatite) may be a better form to use for increased absorption. This means that the manufacturer has taken the Calcium and bound it to a citric acid or a malic acid molecule, etc, so as to attempt to trick the body into taking more of this rock form of calcium into the bloodstream, and it certainly seems to be effective for higher absorption rates.

The problem is that the cells of the body cannot use this form very easily at all. Our beneficial microorganisms in the gut, our probiotics, take the minerals (and vitamins) from food sources and during the digestive process, add the various glycoprotein bonds necessary for that mineral to be properly utilized within the assorted cells needing that particular mineral. Just to give an example, as stated in The Life Bridge (Herbal Free Press, 2002), researchers at Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA found that iron, an essential mineral for every cell in the body, needs at least 150 protein bonds in order for it to be properly utilized by respiratory cells. Most iron supplements on the market have one or just a few sugar or protein bonds, helping to explain why, if we are anemic, and require additional iron, taking most iron supplements does little to help (and often causing discomforting side effects such as constipation and irritability). But if we increase our intake of kale, collard greens, yogurt and spinach, we begin to notice more energy very quickly.

The story is quite similar with calcium and other nutrients. For each group of cells, there are requirements of glycoprotein bonds in order for that nutrient to be utilized. Having one, two or even a half dozen of these bonds is likely not going to be enough for proper assimilation.

I find it amazing that, because a well-meaning scientist somewhere noticed that the calcium in limestone looks incredibly similar to the calcium in spinach when looked at under a microscope, that we have been tricked, through slick marketing, into consuming rocks and other minerals harvested from ores from the Earth. These products are incredibly inexpensive to manufacture, and are often very impure, sometimes contaminated with heavy metals, such as lead or arsenic. For many years, in the early days of health food stores, the owners would not carry vitamin and mineral products, because they did not fit the criteria for being natural and whole. But eventually most of them succumbed to the media and marketing campaigns of the supplement companies, and very quickly their shelves became cluttered with bottles of these rock and chemical forms of nutrients that look similar to food nutrients in the lab, but respond very differently within the body.

Now, there are thousands of pill shops across the US selling these far-from-natural products, and many have the nerve to call themselves health food stores! Foods have names like apples, squash and rice. Chemical nutrients have names like hydroxyapatite, aspartate or palmitate. These are the names of chemicals. Sage words of advice, if you are unclear as to whether something is a food or a chemical: If it sounds like the name of a chemical, it’s a chemical! If you cannot pick it from a tree, bush or vine or dig its root from the earth, it’s likely not really natural! Please, do not get fooled by the fact that absolutely anything may be called natural in the marketing of a product in this country (and several others, as well).

There is another big problem with taking huge amounts of calcium supplements. (I have heard women say that their healthcare advisor recommended as much as 2500 mgs of calcium daily!) When a single mineral, or a small grouping, as in calcium, magnesium and vitamin D (unnatural to the body, as real whole foods are not this nutritionally simplistic) begin to pass the intestinal lining into your bloodstream, it throws the delicate blood-mineral balance off. (The blood-mineral balance is essential for homeostasis, inner balance and harmony.) The body’s response to this onslaught of isolated nutrients is to flush them from the bloodstream into the kidneys for proper filtration, and them to draw from the bones and teeth a small quantity of calcium to rebalance that delicate blood-mineral ratio.

I have spoken to dozens, or more likely hundreds, of women over the years who have noticed that the more calcium their doctors told them to take, and they followed those orders impeccably, the worse their bone density tests continued to get. The solution usually recommended by their doctors was to take even more calcium! The information above will likely explain for them, and hopefully many others, why things have gotten so out of balance. For a beautifully eloquent explanation of this process I cannot recommend highly enough the book by Nancy Appleton, entitled Healthy Bones, available from Deluxe Trade Paperback. (To order, go to nancyappleton.com)

Although most calcium is manufactured from rock, a few are still being made from ground seashells or coral. If you are using coral supplements, please, please stop now. More than half of the coral reefs have been destroyed in Okinawa, Japan, the source of many of the coral calcium manufacturers’ raw material. The companies have (once again) lied to the consumers and said that there is no damage done to the reefs as they vacuum up the material from the sea bed floor. While it is likely true that they do not intend to damage the reefs, the machinery has bumped and dinged the reefs, causing irreparable damage.

And then there is the fact that coral (and oyster shells) is not a true source of easily assimilated calcium (just like the rocks), and consuming coral is surely not the reason that the Okinawan people are the healthiest people on Earth. This was another slick marketing ploy to mislead consumers into purchasing millions of dollars worth of product. The people of Okinawa have the healthiest life expectancy likely due to the fact that they consume sea vegetables and miso or natto nearly every day of life, and walk to most of their destinations and practice various forms of meditation or martial arts to keep a healthy mind and reduced stress level.

So, what are you going to do about your calcium needs for maintaining or regaining strong healthy bones? This is easier than we’ve been told, really. Exercise every day, eat real, whole foods, prevent excess stress and keep your probiotics healthy! Read on and you will find a wealth of information about the most nutritious foods, herbs and supplements, providing easily utilized calcium and other necessary nutrients to support strong healthy bones at any age!

Please note: I am not legally able to tell you to stop taking your medications or calcium supplements if your doctor or other healthcare provider has recommended it for you. If you have been prescribed medications or a calcium program and feel it’s not working for you, I would suggest that you read the rest of this article, then read the books in the suggested reading below, do further research for yourself, and speak to your doctor or healthcare provider about these new concepts, so that you may come up with a plan together that will provide you with the nutrient support necessary for your bone and overall good health.

If you feel that you must take a calcium supplement, remember that our body needs its nutrients supplied by complex whole foods, and it most easily utilizes cultured whole foods. Supplementation would be no exception. Low dose, whole food supplements are easy to digest and ready for the body to assimilate, so as to provide safe nutrient support for our bones, joints, kidneys and heart. It is never too late to use nutritional foods, herbs and supplements to support strong, healthy bones! You will find many more solutions as you read on.

A Small Chapter of My Story and the Solutions I’ve Used to Regain Strong Healthy Bones

Here, I would like to share with you a bit of my road to recovery from poor health and compromised bones in my earlier years. I hope you will better understand my journey as I’ve unfolded the many discoveries of using foods, herbs and nutritional supplements to restore vibrant health and wellness in a body that had been riddled with pain and discomfort for the majority of my childhood and teenage years. bout

As a child and young adult, I experienced extensive bouts of chronic pain from juvenile arthritis and multiple chemical sensitivity, and discomfort from nearly constant anemia, eczema, psoriasis and occasional spells of chronic fatigue. Rounds of antibiotics and other medications seemed to quiet the symptoms for a short while but didn’t seem to offer me any long-term benefits. At age nineteen, I was told by a doctor that my bones were brittle and fragile, comparing them to those of an eighty year old woman! That frightened me into action! Unable to take drugs or most supplements, including calcium, due to the multiple chemical sensitivity condition, I went on a crusade to learn all that I could about using nutritious foods and herbs to strengthen my bones, as well as my overall health. By age twenty-five (and after having my first child), my bones had dramatically improved, later being compared to those of a twenty year old!

What changed? For starters, I changed my diet and mant lifestyle habits dramatically. I had been a vegetarial for about three years at that time, but the food I had been choosing had been very poor quality, and I was eating too many starches and too few vegetables.
I learned about eating sea vegetables (yes, seaweed!) Sea vegetables are the most calcium and mineral rich foods on Earth. Their minerals are in a healthy balance for the body and in a form that easily nourishes us. I ate them every day, using them in virtually everything I cooked, soups, stews, brown rice, pasta dishes, baked or roasted veggies, etc. and sprinkling them in powdered or flake form, onto salads, into dips, sauces, dressings and whatever I ate. They add flavor, with a salty taste, but most are very low in sodium.

Sea vegetables have been consumed by our ancestors for thousands of years by virtually all cultures of people on or near the sea. Algae have been eaten by most cultures that were more inland, near lakes and ponds. These nutrient-dense foods provide easily digested, very complex minerals, vitamins and trace nutrients in a balance of protein, high-quality carbohydrate and fiber to support the nutritional needs of bones, skin, organs and the entire body.

I also discovered that there are healthy salt products, and switched from the common table salt (which I almost never consumed at the time) to using real tamari (a cultured soy sauce with a rich, bold flavor) or mineral-rich salt, such as Celtic, Himalayan or French sea salts. These grayish, nutrient-dense salts are not simply sodium but instead, like sea vegetables, offer many important minerals and trace minerals in a broad complex form just as our bodies have been used to receiving for thousands of years.

I began to eat dark leafy greens every day, as well. I put them in soups, and stir-fries, steamed and sautéed with the dinner meal, and made sure I had enough left over for lunch the next day. Dark leafy greens do not include lettuce, even romaine. (Lettuces more closely resemble a white vegetable, as they contain very little chlorophyll.) Dark leafy greens include kale, collard greens, arugula, mustard greens, dandelion greens, watercress, chards, etc. Just like sea vegetables, dark leafy greens contain a wide array of minerals and other nutrients important to bone health. They also nourish our beneficial bacteria in the gut with their high-quality fiber. Remember that a healthy gut is important so that we are able to receive the nutrient value from the foods that we eat every day.

There is a myth that has circulated for decades that states that raw, uncooked foods are better for us than cooked foods. This is not necessarily true. Although it is true that we do get more of the water-soluble vitamins and enzymes from raw foods, research shows that we likely get more mineral value from slow-cooked foods, than from their raw counterparts. This may explain why a hearty stew cooked in the crock-pot or a baked vegetable dish seems to nourish us on a very deep level in the winter months, when our body’s need for minerals may be at a higher point, and a salad feels healthiest in the summer when we are burning up the vitamins more rapidly with our increased outdoor activities.

Nuts and seeds are high in minerals including calcium. To receive an increased nutritional value, you may try soaking the raw organic nuts or seeds overnight. This begins the process of sprouting, and alchemical changes take place, raising the nutrient values and increasing the digestibility of the nuts and seeds. Sesame seeds are particularly high in calcium, as are almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts and Brazil nuts. (Please note that cashews sold in the US will not sprout, as they are not truly raw.) If you prefer crunchier nuts and seeds, toast them at a low temperature until golden brown. You may combine these two processes for maximum nutritional support as described in one of my favorite health informational cookbooks, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, available from New Trends Publishing.

Sprouts are rich storehouses of easily available nutrients, and they are fun to grow. You will need to purchase a sprouting jar or lids (for use with canning jars) from your local health food store. Soak seeds in a few inches of water overnight. Strain, and tip the jar on an angle so that any excess water may drip out. For the next two to five days, each morning and evening, just soak the seeds for about five or ten minutes, and tip on a downward angle for the rest of the time. It’s that easy! Getting the kids to eat a few sprouts that they helped to grow is a great way to get those important vitamins, minerals and other nutrients into their growing bodies!

Herbal teas such as nettles, yerba mate, raspberry leaf, sage and horsetail, are full of the important nutrients for strong healthy bones. Horsetail herb is a wonderful source of natural silica, to increase flexibility of bones and connective tissue. Nettles, in a freeze-dried, tea or tincture form, can dramatically improve bone health while helping to improve allergy symptoms and detoxify our blood and organs. Nettles, sometimes also referred to as stinging nettles (but don’t worry, they don’t sting when dried), are considered the most nutrient rich land plants on Earth. (Only sea vegetables provide more minerals and vitamins than nettles!)

Herb teas may be enjoyed by people of all ages, from infants to elders. Simmer most roots and barks or steep leaves and flowers for five to fifteen minutes, but be sure to have a tight-fitting cover with either method to avoid loosing those vital nutrients up in the steam! Two to four cups of tea daily is a wonderful way to take in many of the necessary nutrients for good bone health as you enjoy a delicious beverage.

A great practice that I’ve used over the years to make delicious teas available for my family is as follows: Boil water a few minutes before bed and pour over either bulk herbs or tea bags in one or more quart canning jars. (Use one rounded teaspoon of bulk herbs or one teabag per cup of water, or prepare to taste.) Place the cover loosely over the top, and in the morning you have tea all ready to warm or drink iced or at room temperature for the day! Try adding peppermint, spearmint, raspberry leaf or fruity flavors for kids or anyone who wants a yummy taste treat. Kids love to have teas on hand, and this can reduce their intake of sugary juices and soda, while providing nutritional and detoxification support.

Salves, creams and lotions rich in comfrey, calendula, ginger and other supportive herbs may be rubbed into sore hips, thighs, arms or ankles to support strong healthy bones and joints. This is a soothing practice just before bed or anytime these regions feel sore and achy.

These next few suggestions are for those who choose to consume meat. Strict vegetarians will likely want to skip these next few paragraphs, unless the information may suit a parent or other loved one.

Marinating meat with the bone in it is a wonderful practice, used for hundreds or thousands of years, to assist with strong healthy bones. Try making a marinade using grated organic ginger, garlic and/or lemon or lime juice, as these are all particularly good at breaking down proteins. The nutrients from the bone dissolve and provide us with some important minerals, including calcium.

Please be sure to purchase meats from animals that have been raised on organic feed, allowed to move freely in a pasture, and treated humanely. The commercial meat industry is a cruel and merciless business selling sad, malnourished, unhealthy animals that will change only when we the consumers stop supporting it. When we support these appalling practices by purchasing commercial meat products and serve them to our families for dinner, we receive the unhealthy, low life-force energy of those animals that were raised in filth, constant fear, chronic pain and continual discomfort.

Many fish are rich sources of calcium and other minerals, too. Sardines, mackerel, wild salmon and bluefish provide a high quality resource for bone health. Other seafood to consider would include shrimp, crabmeat, oysters and scallops.

Bone broths (made from organic meats) are a wonderful way to receive bone nutrient support. It is best to purchase and prepare meats with the bone in and retain the bones to make up a broth for your next soup or stew. This adds a delicious flavor with the additional nourishment. You may make the broth up immediately and use fresh within a day or two or retain it in the freezer for another day, or just freeze the bones for making the broth up in the future.

After consuming chicken, turkey, beef or fish, the carcass may be tossed into a large pot with enough water to cover. Add vegetables, vegetable scraps, herbs and spices to taste, and simmer for at least a couple hours. Some people prefer to simmer their broths for several hours or overnight. Strain and use in your favorite recipes.

Vegetarians may make vegetable broths in a similar fashion or add miso. Although not as strong in the nutrients associated with bone health, this will increase flavor and nutrient value in all your favorite soups and stews.

Foods that are rich sources of sulfur, such as eggs (only from happy, free-running hens), garlic and onions are also important. Food sourced sulfur is another nutrient needed for healthy bones.

Many low-processed natural sweeteners, especially blackstrap molasses, raw honey and grade B maple syrup contain vitamins and minerals, including calcium and B vitamins, to support bone and overall health.

Brittle bones seem to respond well to a one to three month regimen of homeopathic comfrey, called Symphytum officinalis (6, 12 or 30c or x). This homeopathic remedy can also support the body in the repair of fractures, sprains and strains, is safe enough for even small children and can be taken safely with any medications.

As you can see, living a healthy lifestyle is the best medicine when it comes to preventing damage and supporting Strong Healthy Bones at Any Age! The added benefits of better cardiovascular, digestive and mental health seem to make it a win-win program for everybody, regardless of age. Remember, as long as we’re still breathing, it’s never too late to begin making better choices toward health, wellness and vitality!

Recommended Reading on the topic of Strong Healthy Bones at Any Age:

The Life Bridge by Sarnat, Schulick and Newmark from Herbal Free Press 2002

Healthy Bones by Nancy Appleton from Deluxe Trade Paperbacks

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, from New Trends Publishing

Research References

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