Osteoporosis: Are Your Bones On Fire?
Written by Chicagohealers.com practitioner Dr. Kristina Sargent, DC
As we know there has been a huge focus on inflammation as the real root of many of our chronic diseases. Inflammation is like a long, slow burning fire. It's not creating a lot of damage all at once, slowly over time you start to feel the effects. Then we blame it on age, when the real issue has to do with how you have treated your body. The list of inflammatory chronic diseases includes autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid Arthritis and lupus, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Yes, osteoporosis is another manifestation of inflammation. Where the inflammation occurs in the body may be genetic, but the genes are "turned on" by lifestyle factors. You can control your genetics! The following are factors regulate the inflammatory genes and will help put out the fire in your bones (and everywhere else).
Eating highly process, low-nutrient dense, high-glycemic index foods – processed grains like most bread, bagels, crackers and pasta. These foods begin creating inflammation by blood sugar imbalances. They actually require more vitamins to process than they provide, leaving you nutrient deficient, which turns on the inflammation. Eat fruits and vegetables. This is a no brainer. Fresh or frozen – grow up and eat your vegetables! The chemicals known as phyto-nutrients in Fruits and vegetables put out the fire of inflammation quicker than anything. Eating fast foods with unhealthy fats. Currently, depending on the statistics you read, American's consume 25-50:1 omega 6:3. That means we are eating inflammation in our fats. Omega 3's are essential to create anti-inflammatory chemistry in our body. Unless you can prove otherwise, a high quality supplement with at least 2000 mg EPA/DHA per day – not just "fish oil" or "cod liver oil"- is necessary to maintain some kind of balance between bad fats and good fats. Look at the makeup of the EPA/DHA in the supplement, this will give you an idea of quality. Imbalanced fats with too many omega 6's turns on inflammation. Eating meat with antibiotics and hormones. Free range, hormone and antibiotic-free chicken, beef and pork contains higher levels of the good fat known as CLA, not to mention you won't be ingesting the toxins. CLA is also part of the anti-inflammatory chemistry you need to stay healthy. Drink plenty of water. Basically water acts to cleanse your tissues. Soda and juice contain a lot of sugar, this makes the body retain water in the tissues, not inside the cells where the water is needed. This actually will make you feel bloated and stiff. Drinking water releases the excess fluid and helps hydrate inside the cells. Hydrated cells function more efficiently and last longer, great for healthy aging and lower inflammation. Vitamin D deficiency is on the rise. In my suburban office, I haven't had anyone in the normal range in the 4 years I have been testing for vitaminD deficiency. Vitamin D is necessary for bone health and it plays an integral role in decreasing inflammation. Experts and I recommend at least 2000 IU per day. Do not take Vitamin D without calcium and magnesium. High quality calcium supplements. Not all calcium is the same. Research suggests that the MCHC or citrate form of calcium is absorbed better than calcium carbonate. I recommend at least 1200 mg per day with the vitamin D. Magnesium supplementation. Over 70% of Americans don't get even the small RDA of magnesium of 400 mg per day, yet magnesium is responsible for over 400 functions in your body. Of those functions, inflammation control and bone health are key components to osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Weight-bearing exercise. Thirty minutes of brisk walking, 5 days per week – where you actually break a sweat – reduces more chronic disease and builds more bone than ALL medications combined – the research is overwhelming! Just Do It!
Put the fires out in your body and in your bones by following these simple principles.
Dr Kristina Sargent is a chiropractic physician with 18 years experience. Her mission is to engage, educate and empower people to take control of their health to prevent chronic diseases and lead successful lives through serving people with alternatives to medication. Her toolbox includes personalized diet recommendations, weight loss, exercise, chiropractic care, positive thoughts, prayer and meditation, and massage therapy. Her office, Restor Healing Centre, is located in Wheaton, Il. The website is www.RestorNow.com
ChicagoHealers.com mission is the education and advocacy of natural medicine and a holistic lifestyle.
Please give credit to the original author when republishing all or part of any article. Also, kindly link back to www.ChicagoHealers.com
As we know there has been a huge focus on inflammation as the real root of many of our chronic diseases. Inflammation is like a long, slow burning fire. It's not creating a lot of damage all at once, slowly over time you start to feel the effects. Then we blame it on age, when the real issue has to do with how you have treated your body. The list of inflammatory chronic diseases includes autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid Arthritis and lupus, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Yes, osteoporosis is another manifestation of inflammation. Where the inflammation occurs in the body may be genetic, but the genes are "turned on" by lifestyle factors. You can control your genetics! The following are factors regulate the inflammatory genes and will help put out the fire in your bones (and everywhere else).
Eating highly process, low-nutrient dense, high-glycemic index foods – processed grains like most bread, bagels, crackers and pasta. These foods begin creating inflammation by blood sugar imbalances. They actually require more vitamins to process than they provide, leaving you nutrient deficient, which turns on the inflammation. Eat fruits and vegetables. This is a no brainer. Fresh or frozen – grow up and eat your vegetables! The chemicals known as phyto-nutrients in Fruits and vegetables put out the fire of inflammation quicker than anything. Eating fast foods with unhealthy fats. Currently, depending on the statistics you read, American's consume 25-50:1 omega 6:3. That means we are eating inflammation in our fats. Omega 3's are essential to create anti-inflammatory chemistry in our body. Unless you can prove otherwise, a high quality supplement with at least 2000 mg EPA/DHA per day – not just "fish oil" or "cod liver oil"- is necessary to maintain some kind of balance between bad fats and good fats. Look at the makeup of the EPA/DHA in the supplement, this will give you an idea of quality. Imbalanced fats with too many omega 6's turns on inflammation. Eating meat with antibiotics and hormones. Free range, hormone and antibiotic-free chicken, beef and pork contains higher levels of the good fat known as CLA, not to mention you won't be ingesting the toxins. CLA is also part of the anti-inflammatory chemistry you need to stay healthy. Drink plenty of water. Basically water acts to cleanse your tissues. Soda and juice contain a lot of sugar, this makes the body retain water in the tissues, not inside the cells where the water is needed. This actually will make you feel bloated and stiff. Drinking water releases the excess fluid and helps hydrate inside the cells. Hydrated cells function more efficiently and last longer, great for healthy aging and lower inflammation. Vitamin D deficiency is on the rise. In my suburban office, I haven't had anyone in the normal range in the 4 years I have been testing for vitaminD deficiency. Vitamin D is necessary for bone health and it plays an integral role in decreasing inflammation. Experts and I recommend at least 2000 IU per day. Do not take Vitamin D without calcium and magnesium. High quality calcium supplements. Not all calcium is the same. Research suggests that the MCHC or citrate form of calcium is absorbed better than calcium carbonate. I recommend at least 1200 mg per day with the vitamin D. Magnesium supplementation. Over 70% of Americans don't get even the small RDA of magnesium of 400 mg per day, yet magnesium is responsible for over 400 functions in your body. Of those functions, inflammation control and bone health are key components to osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Weight-bearing exercise. Thirty minutes of brisk walking, 5 days per week – where you actually break a sweat – reduces more chronic disease and builds more bone than ALL medications combined – the research is overwhelming! Just Do It!
Put the fires out in your body and in your bones by following these simple principles.
Dr Kristina Sargent is a chiropractic physician with 18 years experience. Her mission is to engage, educate and empower people to take control of their health to prevent chronic diseases and lead successful lives through serving people with alternatives to medication. Her toolbox includes personalized diet recommendations, weight loss, exercise, chiropractic care, positive thoughts, prayer and meditation, and massage therapy. Her office, Restor Healing Centre, is located in Wheaton, Il. The website is www.RestorNow.com
ChicagoHealers.com mission is the education and advocacy of natural medicine and a holistic lifestyle.
Please give credit to the original author when republishing all or part of any article. Also, kindly link back to www.ChicagoHealers.com
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