Staying Strong :: Health and Disease :: Bones, Joints, and Muscles

> Health and Disease > Bones, Joints, and Muscles

Staying Strong

Healthy eating and regular exercising are both proven to be beneficial for bone health. We can also use supplements available at natural health stores to help keep our bones and joints strong and working well.

Calcium is an essential mineral for bone building. The daily adequate intake (AI), according to Health Canada, is between 1,000 and 1,300 mg for adult men and women. Calcium supplements are best absorbed in divided doses, one to one-and-a-half hours after meals. A liquid form of calcium citrate may be more easily absorbed and utilized than calcium carbonate solid tablets or capsules.

Vitamin D in sufficient amounts is required for our skeletal system to properly absorb calcium. The daily AI for vitamin D is between 200 and 600 IU for people over age two.

Magnesium, along with vitamin D, allows our bodies to absorb calcium. It also aids in the prevention of calcification of soft tissue. Health Canada’s RDA is between 310 and 320 mg for adult females and between 400 and 420 mg daily for adult males.

Glucosamine sulphate may help repair the normal wear and tear on joint cartilage. Adults can take up to 1,500 mg daily and should notice a difference in the ease of motion in their joints within two weeks to three months. There is evidence to support the use of glucosamine as an adjunct therapy in treating osteoarthritis.

Chondroitin sulphate has a beneficial effect on joint function and mobility and may allow decreased use of anti-inflammatory drugs when used for six to 24 months. Adult daily dosage is 200 to 400 mg, two to three times daily; 800 to 1,200 mg once-daily doses have been used in some medical studies.

Evening primrose oil is a source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that can help maintain healthy joints. To maximize relief from symptoms of arthritis, start with four 1,000 mg capsules of evening primrose oil with a meal. The daily dosage may be increased to up to 10 capsules a day. It may take one month of supplementation to realize the full benefits.

Omega-3 fatty acids in some fish, algae, and plant oils help to maintain joint flexibility and mobility. They also lessen stiffness, swelling, and tenderness in joints without any short–or long-term side effects. These benefits are attributed to the fatty acids EPA and DHA. A combination of EPA and DHA–up to 3 g daily–is recommended to reduce pain and inflammation.

Vitamin K helps strengthen bones and prevent osteoporotic fractures. A healthy adult male’s AI for vitamin K is 120 mcg daily; for adult females it’s 90 mcg daily. People on prescribed blood thinners should seek their health care professional’s advice before taking vitamin K as it can interfere with these medications.

High-quality supplements ensure that bone-building and strengthening vitamins and minerals are readily available and easily absorbable. Tablets containing poor-quality excipients, such as binders, fillers, and coatings, can alter the absorption of active ingredients. Knowledgeable staff at your favourite health food store can recommend high-quality products.

Source: alive #300, October 2007

Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is an illness that took my whole lifetime to mature and five years to battle into submission. The symptoms and causes, like almost all so-called incurable diseases, piled up, stone upon stone, beginning to create my tombstone.

Grease Your Gears!
Mobility is a gift we often take for granted. We walk, run, dance, eat and do 10 thousand actions both voluntary and involuntary.

Fidgety Facts on Restless Legs
Picture, if you will, settling into an easy chair after a long day to watch your favourite television program or read a few chapters in your book.

Exercise to Beat Joint Pain
If you suffer with joint pain don't wait until you feel better before you start exercising. Instead, start exercising to feel better! The longer you are inactive the harder it will be to start exercising and the worse your condition will become.

Get a Grip on Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Disorders
In her book, Get a Grip on Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Disorders, Lorna Vanderhaeghe clearly demonstrates her belief in empowering people with health knowledge so they can achieve optimal wellness.

Metabolic Aging
Everybody wants to live a long and healthy life. If you carry excess body fat on your frame, though, you may be setting yourself up for a shorter lifespan than the one you were aiming for.

Bone Health
Our bones are alive and are constantly being renovated: old bone is dismantled, removed, and replaced with new bone. We continue to build bone mass until our early thirties and then our bodies simply work to retain existing bone.

Bone Health for Children
By the time you are in your early 20s, you have reached your peak in bone mass development. After this age you can expect a slow and steady decline to occur each year.

Hyaluronic Acid
Joint pain can be burning, stiffness, an ache or tenderness. However it manifests, we want it to go away!

The good news is that a new natural compound has recently come to light that successfully alleviates joint pain.

Osteopenia
Osteopenia is not a disease. It is a condition marked by a decrease in optimum bone density that can be a precursor to osteoporosis, where bones become brittle and subject to fractures. Data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study show that osteopenia affects 46 percent of women and 39 percent of men aged 50 and over.

Got Gout?

Arthritis Action

Bone-Building Foods
If your idea of bone-building foods starts and ends with a glass of milk, it's time to go global and expand your culinary horizon. The narrow focus on dairy foods as the only source of bone-building nutrients is rapidly changing to encompass a broader perspective.

The Copper Connection
Copper is at the core of normal body function. Without copper, we cannot form superoxide dismutase, the superpower of all antioxidants. Copper also helps our bodies create collagen, the protein that forms healthy joints and supple, young skin. And it has a role in helping our bodies store iron, a critical component of the formation of hemoglobin in red blood cells.

Prehistoric Horsetail and Modern Healing
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a direct descendant of the giant fern-like plants that covered the Earth some 200 million years ago. Today a much smaller version of this prehistoric perennial, resembling asparagus, can be found growing in moist or sandy soil along shady steams and creeks in early spring.

Silent, but Preventable
Osteoporosis, literally "thinning of bone, is a disease involving genetics, endocrine function, and exercise and nutritional habits that leads to bone fragility and risk of fracture, especially of the hip, spine, and wrist.

Muscle Pain
Dr Leyton:I am 66 years old and when I wake up after eight hours of sleep I'm in violent pain all over my body. I'm also so stiff it's a great effort to put my socks on or my leg muscles will cramp.

Here's to health
Those who drink alcohol, coffee, tea, and colas or eat chocolate are robbing their muscles of precious water, which can lead to a decrease in muscle strength and reduce muscle hypertrophy (enlargement).

Osteopathic Medicine
Of all of the natural and holistic health care disciplines, osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest growing, providing a viable and noninvasive alternative to risky surgeries or expensive diagnostic procedures.

The Bone-Building Solution
Few writers have the power to influence their audience as readily as Sam Graci. His generous personality always shines through, motivating readers to better understand health and improve their personal lives.

Building Buff Bones
Our 206 bones are dynamic living tissue. Within our bones, there is a balance between the cells that build up bone and those that tear it down. Both processes are essential for optimal bone health.

Stand Up to Back Pain
Most back and neck pain is not the result of an isolated injury but of ongoing stress. Our spines and back muscles work together to hold us up, but we must care for them to avoid strains, sprains, and soreness. Here are five strategies for banishing back pain, safely and naturally.

Yogic Relief
If you suffer from lower back pain, the relief you've been looking for may be a little farther than the medicine cabinet, but as close as the local community centre. There you may find yoga teachers who are familiar with the therapeutic aspects of yoga for lower back pain.