Osteoporosis

What Is It?

The origin of the word ‘osteoporosis’ explains the condition - ‘osteo’ for bones, and ‘porosis’ meaning porous. Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones affecting the strength and structure, leaving the risk of fractures high in sufferers. Believed to be a risk for post-menopausal women it is now very apparent that it also affects younger people and men. Globally, osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures per year, resulting in a fracture every three seconds. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the United States and Europe account for 51 per cent of all fractures from osteoporosis.

Cause and Effect

The main possible causes of osteoporosis include inactivity, ageing, hormonal imbalances, long-term use of certain medications, steroid use, low vitamin D levels, emotional stress and nutritional deficiencies. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, hip fractures will increase dramatically by the year 2050, by 240 per cent in women and 310 per cent for men.

This condition has been linked with a high intake of protein-rich and acid-forming foods as well as being linked with a hereditary factor. If osteoporosis runs in your family, it is advisable to include as many calcium-rich juices as possible on a daily basis. Countries with a high intake of dairy foods also have a correspondingly high rate of osteoporosis. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

High acid-forming foods cause an acidic waste load that the body needs to neutralise using alkaline foods. When these are insufficient, the body draws calcium salts from the bones to counteract the acid foods. This means that dairy-rich diets can cause the condition they have traditionally been regarded as helping.

There is calcium in milk, but it is not bio-available to all humans as we have low lactase and rennin levels (two enzymes which babies produce to digest milk, and which cease to be produced in any useful quantities around the age of five). So milk products may contain high levels of unavailable calcium, and at the same time they cause acid waste which leeches the calcium we actually have in our bones.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, smoking was first identified as a causative risk factor for osteoporosis more than 20 years ago.  www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

It is possible that steroid-based medications taken for asthma or multiple sclerosis can be associated with bone loss, and anyone suffering disorders such as Crohn’s disease and celiac disease (www.medicalnewstoday.com) should be aware that the digestion of nutrients can be interfered with, including calcium and vitamin D, both of which are important to bone health.

To prevent bone loss, do not stress your adrenals, pancreas, thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary and gonads - the organs which make up your endocrine system (located throughout the body) that secrete hormones into the blood and help regulate body chemistry.

There are many stressors that can deplete our body of minerals and increase our risk for osteoporosis plus many other degenerative diseases; these include our emotional wellbeing, blood sugar levels, mental stress, physical pain plus much more. Over time, the meals we eat and how we emotionally react to situations in our life dramatically influence our physical health. It’s therefore recommended you do everything you can to minimise (chronic) stress from your life and watch how fast your body can heal itself.  http://www.naturalnews.com

Juice Pharmacy Recommendations

What to Avoid

Stress appears to be a big contributory factor to not only osteoporosis but also many other diseases. Remember that stress can come in many forms - overwork, the foods you eat, the thoughts you have, over- and under-exercising, the relationships you are in, your personal environment and even your toxic load. So, it’s important to look at your ‘whole list’ when looking to avoid or minimise your risk of any disease.  Smoking, caffeine, alcohol and inactivity should be avoided.

Dairy - Reduce or eliminate dairy products and high levels of animal protein from your diet, especially if you have a family history of osteoporosis. As we have seen above, although these products are considered to be high in calcium, they may have an adverse effect on the disease.

Processed foods - Cutting processed foods and sugar from your diet is always a good step to protect your health.

What to Include

Alkaline foods - Osteoporosis may be related to an acidic body environment, so eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to promote a more alkaline environment by flooding the body with foods which are rich in calcium, magnesium, vitamin K and phosphorus, all of which are vital for building strong bones.

Calcium - Although essential and helpful for good bone health, calcium isn’t the only answer. It is the optimal absorption of the nutrient that is important. Vitamins D and K are crucial to help the absorption of calcium and this can either come in supplemental form or through green leafy vegetables in your juice. You may just need to be cautious if taking anti-coagulant drugs as vitamin K supports blood coagulation.

Green leafy vegetables - Bones need vitamin K and calcium to stay strong and green leafy vegetables are full of these.

Omega 3 - For great bone health, reduce inflammation by increasing your intake of omega 3.

Vitamin D - The best source is natural sunshine, but vitamin D is a major factor in bone health.  www.sciencedaily.com

Vitamin K - New evidence shows that it is vitamin K (specifically vitamin K2) that directs calcium to your skeleton and prevents it from being deposited where you don't need it - your organs, joint spaces and arteries. A large part of arterial plaque consists of calcium deposits (atherosclerosis), hence the term ‘hardening of the arteries’. In other words, without the help of vitamin K2 the calcium that your vitamin D so effectively lets in might be working against you by building up in your coronary arteries rather than your bones. There is even evidence that the safety of vitamin D is dependent on vitamin K, and that vitamin D toxicity (although rare with the D3 form) is caused by vitamin K2 deficiency.  www.articles.mercola.com

Vitamin K2 activates a protein hormone called osteocalcin, produced by osteoblasts, which is needed to bind calcium into the matrix of your bone. Osteocalcin also appears to help prevent calcium from depositing into your arteries. So while increasing calcium is good for your bones, it is not so good for your arteries, which can become calcified. Vitamin K helps protect your blood vessels from calcifying when in the presence of high calcium levels. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov,  www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Other essential nutrients for preventing osteoporosis include folate/folic acid, vitamin B6 and B12, vitamin C, manganese, boron, silicon and zinc.

The Juice Recipes

Shot: Fresh Wheatgrass Shot (masticating juicer only)
Juice up to 30ml of fresh wheatgrass that you've grown yourself or bought in containers and drink first think on an empty stomach. Eat a slice of orange straight afterward, it helps with the taste and absorption of iron.

Wheatgrass Shot
Put 1 tsp in 30ml-50ml of water or freshly extracted apple or orange juice, stir well and down as a shot. You can also add a tsp of wheatgrass powder to your favourite green juice or smoothie to add a nutritional boost.

Use fresh wheatgrass and juice through a masticating juicer, buy frozen shots or use the powder if you have no fresh!

Juice: The Bone Builder - taken from The Funky Fresh Juice Book
2 Oranges (peeled)
½ Grapefruit (peeled)
1 Small Root Turnip
1 Large Carrot
Ice
Peel the oranges and grapefruit (leaving as much of the white pith as possible). Juice the lot, pour over ice and drink slowly.

Blend: Bone Strength Blend
1 Cup of Coconut Water
½ Avocado (ripe)
½ Banana (ripe)
1 Handful of Kale
1 Handful of Spinach
½ Cup of Blueberries
⅓ Cup of Oats (soaked overnight)
1 tsp Chia Seeds (soaked in 1 tbsp water overnight)
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend together until smooth.

Disclaimer

Please note, it is impossible to give a definitive list as what supports one person can be a trigger food or allergen for another. You must stay your own juice detective at all times and listen to how your own body responds to certain foods and always consult with your healthcare provider when making changes to your diet which may affect your medication. Please be aware that we are not doctors, so it is important to consult with your GP or medical practitioner BEFORE making any changes to your diet. The suggestions above are not meant as an alternative to any current medical treatment so please DO NOT stop taking any medications you are on. They are also not an endorsement of their effectiveness, or a recommendation that they should be followed but instead, are provided for informational purposes. None of the information on the Natural Juice Therapy site is intended or implied to treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease.

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