Bone Health and Injury

 In the natural health field, most people fail to grasp the importance of "marrow in the bones" to overall health because we tend to think of bones as simply providing support for the body. Bones are not static or fixed and do a lot more than structurally support the body.  The bones in our body are living tissue and constantly breaking down and rebuilding themselves.

Bone health is critical to good health in general as they are the body's mineral storehouse. Bones absorb minerals when they are available in the diet and release them as they are needed by other tissues. The structure of bones is always in a state of flux.

Unfortunately, when people think about minerals and their bones, most people think calcium. This is incorrect as taking calcium, especially calcium carbonate, won't give you healthy bones but more likely cause bone spurs, kidney stones and increased plaque formation on your teeth.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in bones and in the rest of the body, but bone is a storehouse of numerous other minerals, as well. You can't make bone with calcium only.  What is needed is the right form of calcium, fats, proteins and vitamins to assimilate it and many other minerals in order to produce bone to give bones their strength, flexibility and durability.

The structure of calcium carbonate is soft and brittle therefore calcium needs to be combined with other minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese, vanadium, boron and silicon in order to give the flexible strength for strong healthy bones and create durability in the joints which protects them from becoming damaged and arthritic.

These mineral depositions are held together in a protein matrix which creates the bone structure. This protein structure is composed of a special protein called collagen, which becomes gelatin when broken down with water. This same protein forms the basis of cartilage, which protects our joints.

Given these facts, one can easily understand why people have so many problems with their bones in our modern culture as it's not just from a lack of calcium but from a general lack of nutrition. It is no wonder why there is a belief amongst many herbalists and natural doctors that the health of bones and teeth correlates with the body's overall health.  Tooth decay is one of the primary indications of malnutrition.  Teeth and both are composed mainly of minerals.  So, you guessed it, a lack of health in teeth suggests mineral deficiency in bones as well. We can go so far as to say tooth decay is closely linked with widespread arthritis and osteoporosis.  It makes it clear that these structural problems are essentially evidence of malnutrition.

 With all the calcium supplementation and calcium fortification in foods, it's my belief most people are actually getting too much calcium, or at least too much of the wrong kind of calcium, since the cheapest and easiest form of calcium to use for supplementation is calcium carbonate. The problem with calcium carbonate is that it neutralizes hydrochloric acid production which is necessary to absorb calcium, magnesium, iron and numerous other minerals. The calcium in calcium carbonate is absorbed as free calcium. Calcium must be properly bound in the gut to be utilized by bones and tissues. Unbound or free calcium is generally flushed out of the body by the kidneys and increases the risk of kidney stones. A high level of unbound calcium in the blood is also a risk factor for cancer.

One should look for calcium supplements in the form of amino acid chelates, calcium citrate or other forms which assimilate better. However, the best way to get calcium is from the diet and I'm not speaking of dairy products.  Just as yourself the following questions. Why do countries that consume the most dairy foods also have higher incidences of osteoporosis-related fractures if milk is a source of calcium? Why is it that Asian cultures, which have a minimal amount of dairy in their diet have some of the lowest incidences of osteoporosis in the world?

We'll find the answer in the next question. How do cows get so much calcium in their milk and where does all that calcium come from? The answer, it's from their diet, of course. And what do cows eat? They eat green foods like alfalfa, various grasses and other green leafy plants. What do Asians eat more of than we do-green leafy vegetables. The best foods for getting calcium to build strong healthy bones are Swiss chard, beet greens, turnip greens, collards and even broccoli.  

It's not that dairy foods are bad, per se, but what makes dairy not beneficial and downright unhealthy is the way the cattle are being fed, with hormones, antibiotics and commercial feed, not grazing on green plants. Also, the milk produced these days is pasteurized, homogenized, skimmed and "fortified."

If you can get fresh raw milk from "grass fed" cows that have been grazing on good pasture, it would be great for your bones, but it's not just because of calcium in the milk but rather from the other trace minerals and nutrients that are in it.

So now, it should be very clear that we need an abundant supply of minerals in the diet to be healthy. The health of the bones and teeth is the indicator of whether we are being adequately nourished, and particularly if we are getting enough minerals. Fortunately, bones aren't static, so if we start improving our nutrition today our bones will gradually become stronger. So, how do we do this?

For starters, we should consume more nutritionally dense foods which mean organically grown fruits and vegetables.  Mineral water, with a high content of minerals has a healing effect on the body. But we are unfortunate today as most of our water is contaminated with chemicals, therefore some kind of treatment or filtration is needed to remove the contaminants. Sadly, this also removes many of the minerals but this can easily be remedied by taking some Colloidal Minerals or Mineral Chi Tonic.

A high quality Colloidal Mineral supplement is concentrated mineral water.  Studies show that people who drink mineral-rich water have healthier bones and teeth.

Herbal supplements are another great way to get trace minerals into the diet and over their years many herbalist have found mineral-rich herbs to be more effective at restoring tissue levels of minerals than any other approach. HSN-W is a favorite remedies. It contains herbs rich in calcium and other trace minerals, which is good for joints, bones, connective tissue and the nervous system.

CA-Herbal or CA ATC Concentrate is another herbal combination which provides trace minerals for strengthening the bones. The CA-ATC formula is especially valuable as the concentrating process tends to concentrate the minerals.

For injuries to the bones, ligaments, tissues, etc., I would highly suggest using Nature's Fresh Enzyme Spray by spraying it directly on the injury.  Nature's Fresh is loaded with enzymes which are critical for healing.  I have heard from many herbalists that this helps tremendously with bulging discs and other back injuries.  Making a poultice (take ingredients from capsules combine with enough water to make a paste) using PLSll capsules and applying it to the injury several times a day helps to reduce pain and inflammation.

So, to simply recap, if mineral levels are low, then bones, joints and teeth will have problems.  This in turn is an indication to overall health problems due to a lack of minerals. Nutritionally dense foods, mineral water, including Colloidal Minerals, and mineral rich herbs are the keys to rebuilding adequate mineral reserves.