Getting in Balance
These six natural treatments can prevent or reverse osteoporosis. The idea is to aid the body in appropriate deposition of minerals in the bone for the healthiest state.
1. Physical activity- Physical activity puts stress on the muscles and bones. This causes the bones to remodel to respond to the stress. This remodeling keeps the bones from getting "brittle". Being active with walking helps. But adding some weights can be more helpful. They don't have to be heavy.
2. Vitamin D- Vitamin D is an essential hormone for bone health. It is needed for remodeling. A good level of Vitamin D is above 50. This generally requires taking 5000 units of D per day.
3. Appropriate calcium formulation- Calcium and phosphorus work together to maintain good bone levels of calcium and good blood levels of calcium. Therefore, a calcium supplement with only calcium is inadequate. The calcium supplement should have calcium, phosphorus, vitamin K and vitamin D.
4. Eat an alkaline diet- Eating an alkaline diet helps maintain an appropriate balance of calcium between the bones and blood. The opposite of an alkaline diet is an acidic diet. When someone eats an acidic diet, more calcium is pulled from the bones to "neutralize" the acid environment. Eating an alkaline diet is eating vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries, and a good protein. The key is not eating processed foods. Processed foods lead to an acidic diet.
5. Supplement with Strontium- Strontium is a mineral similar to calcium. But it is larger. The osteoblasts will deposit the strontium along with the calcium and because the strontium is larger, the bones will be denser.
6. Hormones- Low sex hormones leads to lower bone density. This is very evident for women with low to no hormones after going into menopause. However, men with low testosterone can also develop lower bone density over time, especially if they have become sedentary. This would be hormone replacement with estrogen and progesterone for women and testosterone for men. For hormone replacement therapy, you will need a prescription.
As always, if the situation becomes overwhelming, seek professional help regarding your physical and mental symptoms.
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