9
Whitewing Labs, Inc.
Journal of Natural Health, April 2000
Nature’s Most Powerful Bone-Builders
by Megan Shields, M.D.
One thing my women patients
all have in common is they want to be beautiful and youthful their entire
lives. But, ladies, simply applying make-up and using hair color is not
the answer. Women’s beauty does not stop above the shoulders!
I always advise my women patients
to take care of the basics, and that includes being sure they pay attention
to the prevention of osteoporosis, the technical name for bone loss. Osteoporosis
is one of the most serious and common diseases faced by women and, to
a much lesser extent, by men (who tend to have thicker skeletons than
women).
You simply can’t get
around the fact that if you’re not healthy inside, there’s no way you
can look great on the outside. And when we’re talking about your bones
and tendons and even your teeth—basically, what we doctors call your skeleton—well,
then, taking care of your inner health is even more imperative.
I mean, we’re talking about
the basic structure of your body—the support elements that help to keep
your cheek bones high, firm, and well formed, that give an erect posture
to your shoulders, keep your back straight, and vitally enhance your glow
of health.
Without healthy bone
structure, there’s a lot you lose out on. You won’t be able to exercise
vigorously enough to keep your muscles in shape. So because osteoporosis
kind of sneaks up on women, I really do have to be extra vigilant in my
practice to sensitize my women patients and work with them to get them
to value their inner health—including their skeletal health.
Beyond ERT
Of course, your
doctor’s usual answer to bone loss is to prescribe estrogen replacement
therapy (ERT).
More than likely when a woman in
her late forties or fifties, suffering menopausal symptoms, visits her
doctor, she’ll be routinely put on ERT, told to pop a few Tums, eat more
dairy, and sent home. No mention of consuming foods rich in bone-building
vitamins and minerals. And probably no mention of the importance of exercise.
Prescribing ERT is convenient,
quick, standard medical practice—for doctors who don’t know what else
to tell women about the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. But
ERT is not by any means the entire story of preventing and reversing osteoporosis.
Beyond ERT, a healthy diet, rich in a wide range
of bone-building nutrients, intelligent use of the proper dietary supplements, and consistent
exercise remain the key to long-term skeletal health.
Key Bone-Building
Supplements
I advise my women
patients to complement their basic multiple vitamin and mineral formula
with one oriented toward their special bone-building needs. Osteosafe®
from Whitewing Labs is an excellent bone-building formula.
Healthy bone metabolism is dependent
on an intricate interplay of many nutritional and hormonal factors. When
women think of osteoporosis and dietary supplements, the common perception
is that calcium supplementation is all that is required to prevent
the progression of osteoporosis. Unfortunately, this belief can give women
who only take calcium supplements a false sense of security, resulting
in their overlooking other important dietary and lifestyle modifications
that are equally important in keeping their bodies free from this brittle
bone disease.
Besides calcium, be
sure your formula contains the following key ingredients, all of which
can be found in Osteosafe:
Vitamin D. Vitamin D stimulates the proper
absorption of calcium. Thus, women may consume more than sufficient amounts
of calcium, but without an adequate quantity of vitamin D, the calcium
cannot be effectively utilized for bone formation.
Magnesium. Vital to strong bones, only twenty-five
percent of women meet the RDA for magnesium. Foods richest in magnesium
include wheat bran, tofu, wheat germ, dried beans, bulgur wheat, pumpkin,
watermelon, sunflower and squash seeds, whole-wheat flour, fish, nuts,
peanut butter, cereals, green vegetables, and dried apricots.
Boron. It is important to keep in
mind that minerals often work together for an enhanced, or concert, effect.
In an important study, for example, 12 women between the ages of 48 and
82 who supplemented their diets with boron daily retained more
calcium and magnesium than those who did not, says Forrest H. Nielsen,
Ph.D., Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand
Forks, North Dakota. Several women on boron also raised their overall
estrogen levels back to the days of their youth.
Red clover. This vital source of phytoestrogen is important
for keeping the ovaries in good health. “Red clover contains a plant estrogen
called coumestrol and one of its medicinal actions is to stimulate the
ovaries,” says Sandra Cabot, M.D. “It is a good ‘alkalinizing’ herb that
is described in herbals as an alterative, which means that it restores
healthy body function.”
Osteosafe, combined with exercise and a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, whole grains and limited non-fat dairy, can complement any women’s beauty regimen and may even reduce their need for bone-building drugs.
