keep us from drinking the water we need for proper hydration of our bones and body. Again, balance is the key as too much water can lower the concentration of minerals in the blood. So how much is enough? drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds you will need to drink 75 ounces of water per day. If you exercise you will need an additional 16 ounces of water with electrolytes, to replace the minerals and electrolytes lost per hour of sweat producing exercise. Speaking of exercise, we have become very sedentary beings sitting for long periods at a desk, riding in cars, taking the elevator and parking as close to our destination as possible to avoid walk- ing. We need to move and that movement should be weight bear- ing preferably barefoot or in thin soled tennis shoes as thick soled running shoes tend to cushion us too much from the pull of gravity that is necessary to prevent bone loss. On the other hand, too much exercise especially in young females results in lower body fat with lowered estrogen levels and bone loss as a consequence. Stress which is ubiquitous in our lives today is harmful because of its effect on the adrenal glands. Cortisol levels rise and this upsets both hormonal and glucose balance in the body. We have seen that high cortisol levels contribute to bone loss in patients with chronic cortisol excess as in Cushings and also in patients on long term steroid medication. Managing stress and balancing hormone and glucose (sugar) levels in the body therefore, can play an important role in bone health.
Things we can do to maintain healthy bones:
1) Limit grain consumption and focus on non-gluten grains such as brown rice, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa and gluten free oats.
2) Avoid dairy unless it is organic, raw, unpasteurized, non-ho- mogenized and cultured or fermented.
3) Consume healthy fats found in organic eggs, grass fed and free range meats, nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and cold water fish.
4) Cook with extra virgin olive oil at low heat, unrefined sesame, sunflower, coconut or palm oils or clarified butter which is free of casein.
5) Make sure you get enough protein. A rough gauge is to con- sume half your body weight in grams of protein each day – more protein may be needed for those who exercise strenuously.
6) Avoid sugar. 7) Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
8) Avoid caffeine as it depletes calcium and increases fracture risk. Caffeine = liquid stress – it raises your heart rate and blood pressure and can contribute to adrenal fatigue.
9) Limit alcohol as it depletes magnesium which results in de- creased deposition of calcium in bone. Low magnesium also de- creases parathyroid hormone which is important in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Alcohol also decreases bone formation especially in men.
10) Consume sea salt which is full of trace minerals and is very alkalinizing. It also helps maintain water and pH balance in the body.
11) Daily weight-bearing exercise. 12) Reduce stress.
13) Limit medications, especially steroids and cortisone which are known to be associated with bone loss. Over the counter medica- tions such as antacids interfere with protein digestion and deplete phosphorus which is important in bone health. Fluoride causes brittle bones by interfering with the enzymes involved in collagen production. Anti-androgen therapy such as lupron used in men with prostate cancer and anti-estrogen therapy such as arimidex used in women with breast cancer have also been shown to cause bone loss emphasizing the importance of hormone balance in healthy bones.
14) Balance hormones naturally and avoid exposure to environ- mental toxins which contribute to hormone imbalance.
Dr. Deanna M. Cherrone is a board certified Internist who
practices Functional Medicine at Natural Health & Healing, LLC located at 12 West Main Street in Avon, CT. She can be reached at 860-677-4600 or via email at drcherrone@naturalhealthand-
healing.net. See ad on back cover.
24 Natural Nutmeg
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