Healthy Bones and Joints the Natural Way
Keeping bones and joints healthy throughout your life, and especially as you age, is vitally important if you want to keep moving easily and enjoy all that life has to offer.
Your body’s ability to renew itself becomes less efficient as you age and Osteoarthritis can be the result. Even when you’re young it’s important to keep your bones in good shape, especially after injury.
Bones are not as rigid as you think
We often think of our skeleton as being rigid, but this isn’t true. Bones grow all the time as old bones cells are replaced with new ones, and far from being rigid they have a great deal of flexibility. This can diminish as a result of Osteoporosis, leading to fragility and fractures.
How do you ensure that you are doing the best for your bones and joints?
The things to avoid:
- Smoking – toxins in cigarette smoke can inhibit the formation of new bone by Osteoblasts (the bone making cells)
- Diabetes and Insulin Resistance cause the cells that are responsible for the breaking down of old bone, called Osteoclasts and the deposition of new bone by Osteoblasts, to degrade into fat cells
- Contraceptives Including even Low Dose Oestrogen Pills cause significant and sometimes irreversible bone loss.
- Anti-depressants that raise the level of serotonin in your body inhibit the action of the Osteoblast cells
- Anti Reflux Stomach Medication inhibits the stomach acid necessary for the absorption of vital minerals e.g. Calcium and Magnesium
- Wheat - wheat gluten can cause chronic inflammation in your intestines and this interferes with the absorption of vital minerals. It also disrupts the activity of your bone cells. Gluten sensitivity is far more widespread than you might think so do get yourself checked for this by your naturopath.
What can you do to help and prevent Osteoarthritis?
The things to include:
- Eat a diet rich in fresh vegetables (organic if you can manage it)
- Include oily fish or take an Omega-3 supplement
- Get plenty of Vitamin D from the sun or take a supplement
- Eat only grass fed meat (beef and lamb) no grain
- Eat full fat dairy produce – including butter, cheese
- Eat probiotic foods like yoghurt and sauerkraut
- Include Coconut Oil in your diet
- Avoid sugar in any form including too much fruit
Is there a supplement you can take for Arthritis pain?
The supplement, which has been shown in clinical trials* to reduce the moderate to severe knee pain of Osteoarthritis is Glucosamine with Chondroitin. These substances naturally occur around your joints and help maintain their integrity. Taking this supplement may help with pain and be a good alternative to prescription anti-inflammatory drugs, which can have side effects.
As always if you have any doubts about the best supplement for you, do consult your health care professional and definitely do not stop any prescription medication without consulting your doctor.
