Posts Tagged ‘bone’

How Vitamins Rebuild Bone: Osteoporosis

It is never too early to begin supplementing calcium and vitamin D for building bone mass.  Osteoporosis is a common problem among the elderly, but is totally preventable and treatable.  Women especially are at risk, because they can lose up to 5% of their bone mass every year for up to seven years after menopause.  With crippling fractures and death from complications of fractures on the rise, we need to be sure that we are letting people know how vitamins and supplements can help them prevent and treat osteoporosis.

Our bodies only build bone for the first 20-30 years of our lives.  After that, we begin to deplete the stores of calcium that we have.  We lose a lot of bone mass in our 30’s and 40’s.  Some people are already losing bone mass in their 20’s and are unaware of it.  Vitamins and supplements, diet and exercise are crucial to retaining calcium stores.

Your body constantly uses calcium to support your muscles, heartbeat, nerve function, and blood coagulation.  This calcium needs to be in your blood, so your body constantly takes it from your bones.  If you are not getting enough calcium in your diet, then your bones are quickly depleted and left brittle and porous.

Some people don’t understand just how serious osteoporosis can be.  You don’t have to fall down or have some sort of accident to break a brittle bone.  Brittle bones are a lot like porcelain lace and do not have the flexibility of healthy bone.  They are lacking the calcium that makes them hard.  They do not have the healthy living cells of normal bone that are responsible for repairing damage.  Bones can break and crumble with something as simple as a sneeze, bending over, or moving a kitchen chair.

Preserving and constantly replacing your bones stores is essential.  A normal person needs as much as five cups of milk every day to keep up with their body’s calcium requirement and you could need even more if you are pregnant, lactating, or in menopause.  Most people cannot keep up with this requirement, plus, most people can’t even absorb all of the calcium in dairy products.  Better sources of calcium include certain greens, beans and broccoli.  Eating enough of these foods every day is not likely to happen, so supplementing is highly recommended by doctors.

In addition to calcium supplements, you need vitamin D to help the calcium be absorbed.  Many people are unaware that they are vitamin D deficient.  Working indoors, using sunscreen, and relying on milk to provide vitamin D all contribute to becoming deficient.  It is extremely difficult to put vitamin D in milk.  Recent studies show that over 70% of milk samples do not contain nearly the amount of vitamin D that is printed on the label.  Since vitamin D is crucial for calcium absorption, most doctors urge patients to supplement with vitamin D and calcium together.

Other vitamins and supplements are important, too.  Magnesium is required to convert vitamin D into an active form and is also essential for shuttling calcium into the bones.  Magnesium usually comes from vegetables, but magnesium is depleted from soil over time, so vegetables now have less magnesium than we might have thought.

Talk to your doctor before you buy vitamins.  Taking the right combination of vitamins and supplements on a daily basis can help you to prevent and treat osteoporosis.  Remember that it is never too early to be concerned with your bone health, so talk with your physician today.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C Powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamins or buy supplements of the highest quality.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/how-vitamins-rebuild-bone-osteoporosis-1412545.html

Safeguard Joints that are Prone to Injury

Many of us take joint health for granted. The strange thing is that you can injure a joint and not even know it. Injury can take place by simply overusing a particular joint or wearing the wrong type of footwear. But once an injury has taken place, it can lead to a gradual degeneration of that joint. The cartilage can begin to tear and bone rubs against bone causing pain and inflammation of surrounding tissues. Joint pain can often manifest after the age of forty and after that the need for joint pain relief can grow more intense. By caring for your joints now, you could avoid pain later.

Which joints require the most care or joint support? Let’s take a look at 10 joints that are most prone to injury.

Joint Support for Elbows: Injuries to the elbow joint can occur when playing sports like mountain climbing, racquet sports, baseball, or any sport that involves a throwing or swinging action like golf and volleyball. Elbow injury could also be caused by an occupation that involves repetitive use of the elbow joint.

Joint Support for Ankles: The ankles bear the largest weight. Injuries to the ankle usually occur when we step on uneven surfaces and twist the ankle. Vigorous physical activity such as jumping, landing on a hard or uneven surface can also cause injury to the ankle joint. Joint pain relief becomes vital since it can limit our mobility.

Joint Support for Knees: The knee joint is a weight-bearing joint. Common knee injuries can be due to a blow to the knee by a fall, a sudden stop while running or a twist of the knee, or overuse. Pain can gradually increases with age.

Joint Support for Back joints: Historically the lower back usually incurs more wear and tear. The back bears the weight of the body, but also bears extra stress when we lift heavy objects. Laborers and athletes who do weight training are more susceptible to back aches. Injury can also occur due to poor posture or being overweight. Joint pain relief may be found by massage therapy. Injuries to the back can be difficult to rehabilitate and are more likely to recur.

Joint Support for Shoulders: Being a ball and socket joint, the shoulder joint is flexible and affords wide range of motion. Pain here can arise due to poor posture, wear and tear, overuse, aging, sports such as baseball or tennis, even repetitive household chores that affect the shoulders. Many have found joint pain relief by adopting a proper posture or giving adequate recovery time between sports events.

Joint Support for Neck: A pain in the neck can be due to contact sports, lifting heavy objects or a jerking movement of the neck. It can also be due to poor posture or sitting at your desk for extended periods without stretch breaks. Stretch exercises for the neck can help bring joint pain relief.

Joint Support for Wrist: The most common injury to the wrist is linked to joint impact due to a fall or an accident. The wrist can also suffer injury due to poor positioning of the wrist on a keyboard for prolonged periods. Repetitive use in daily activities can also trigger wrist pain.

Joint Support for Fingers: Wear and tear occurs more easily and shows itself gradually. Simple tasks become difficult such as paring an apple, knitting, or opening the lids of a jar. Joint pain relief may be found by increasing circulation and regular exercise.

Joint Support for Hips: The hips are weight-bearing joints. The cartilage can begin to wear and tear faster especially for those involved in sports like golf, skiing, track, soccer or football. Professional dancers are also prone to hip pain as are those who over-exercise. Many find joint pain relief through low impact exercises.

Joint Support for Toes: Injury here is more common among people who play on artificial turf.. People who wear footwear that does not give support to the forefront joints are also prone to toe injury.

Some of you reading this may think the damage is already done, what can I do? There aren’t any ways to bring back time but fortunately there have been scientific breakthroughs that can help restore joint health to some extent.

Joint health supplements such as GoFlex contain a list of scientifically supported ingredients—both natural and herbal—that can help to nutritionally support the healthy functions of your joint. GoFlex also comes with a topical, fast-acting cream which contains Food and Drug Administration-approved ingredient for pain, capsicum. Ingredients for joint support include glucosamine sulfate, MSM, hyal joint, Interhealth collagen type II, boswellin, white willow bark, grape seed extract and more.

GoFlex is a scientifically-based, physician-approved joint health supplement containing herbal and natural nutrients that specifically support vital joint functions for maintaining mobility and flexibility. GoFlex includes a joint health supplement and joint pain relief cream containing an Food and Drug Association-approved ingredient for fast-acting joint pain relief.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/safeguard-joints-that-are-prone-to-injury-1382136.html