Osteoporosis
How Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements May Help
 

Osteoporosis is a loss of bone mass and density, and it causes over 1.5 million fractures every year, but it is both preventable and treatable once you have it.  Contrary to what you may have heard, it is never too late to build bone.  Women tend to lose much more calcium from their bones than men do once they go through menopause.
 

Common Symptoms of Osteoporosis
 

Bones that are devoid of calcium of ten go unnoticed until back pain develops and often fractures occur.  Can also cause the "hunchback" appearance often seen in the elderly, especially women, as well as a loss of weight and decrease in height.
 

Common Causes of Osteoporosis
 

A lack of calcium in the diet, and also a lack of calcium absorption from your foods.  In addition, a lack of exercise can cause make osteoporosis worse.  If your body is not able to absorb enough calcium from the foods you eat, your body will take calcium from the bones in order to use it elsewhere in the body, as it is essential for life.  Vitamin D is also essential in order for your body to use the calcium, and so are saturated fats, so believe it or not, a lack of vitamin D and saturated fats can also contribute to fractures.  Vitamin A is also necessary to build strong bones and teeth, and K plays a role in bone formation.  Magnesium helps calcium get into the bones. 

Hormones also play a role.  As mentioned above, women are especially at risk after they go through menopause as estrogen levels drop.  Malfunctioning thyroid and parathyroid can also be a factor.  Poor vitamin C use and assimilation, smoking and excess sugar and hard liquor consumption as well as metal and other environmental pollutants may also be involved.

Taking cortico-steroids over a long period of time leach potassium from the body and can weaken bones.  Sodas tend to do this as well, which is why we are seeing increases in fracture among teenagers, who consume more soda than milk.  Calcium-containing anti-acids, such as TUMS, as also linked to bone problems and fracture.
 

Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutritional Supplements
 

Well, since a lack of calcium, magnesium and fat soluble vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin K all cause osteoporosis, increasing them in your diet can also help to reverse osteoporosis, although like with a lot of diseases, prevention is easier than fixing the problem afterword.  Vitamin C nutritional supplements may also help*.  Anything that aids with hormonal balancing, especially for post-menopausal women, or with the thyroid, if these are problems for you, can also help with osteoporosis*.

Recommended Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements*

• Coral Calcium – for calcium and magnesium in a ratio of 2:1 plus trace minerals like boron, zinc and more
• Cod Liver Oil, high vitamin, for vitamins A & D
• Vitamin C Complex
• Thyroid Complex (QN Labs)
• Goji Juice (for hormonal balancing)
• Fem Balance (QN Labs) (for hormonal balancing)

Food Choices
 

Excessive phosphorus intake, like what you get with sodas, seems to interfere with calcium absorption, and high levels of soda drinking among teenagers seems to be contributing to their high level of broken bones even early on in life.  Stay away from soda!  Aluminum is also bad, and so you should stay away from aluminum-based anti-acids.

Leafy greens and well as dairy products are good calcium choices if they are raw and come from pastured cows.  Don't forget that you need saturated fats in order to absorb the calcium well, so go ahead and put some butter on your vegetables and use full-fat dairy products like whole milk.  In fact, butter from cows out eating fast growing spring or fall grass can be as much as 50 times higher in vitamins A, D & K than other butter!  This butter's golden, almost orange yellow is an indication of the high vitamin content.  You can also get vitamins A and D from cod liver oil, and D from the sun in the summertime.  For more, go to the pages on vitamin A or vitamin D.

Broccoli, sea vegetables, fish and seafood, eggs, yogurt, miso, kefir, bananas, apricots, molasses and more are good sources of calcium, magnesium and potassium.
 

Other Ideas
 

Weight bearing exercise, such as simple walking is one of the best ways to build bone and prevent bone loss.  The length of time you exercise is much more important than the intensity.  Get sunlight on your skin during the spring, summer and fall from the hours of 10 – 2 for vitamin D.  Try to avoid electric blankets, aluminum cookware, fluorescent lighting and non-filtered computer monitors as they tend to leach calcium from the body.

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Healthy Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements