EATING FOR HEALTHY BONES

EATING FOR HEALTHY BONES

from the article "Is Exercise Weakening Your Bones?"
By the Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center
Published January 24, 2011

Eating for Healthy Bones

Where can I get calcium and vitamin D? Dairy products are the primary food sources of calcium. Choose low-fat milk, yogurt, cheeses, ice cream or products made or served with these choices to fulfill your daily requirement.

Three servings of dairy products per day should give you at least 900 mg (milligrams) of calcium. Green vegetables are another source. A cup of broccoli, for example, has about 136 mg of calcium. Sunlight is an important source of vitamin D, but when the sun isn’t shining, turn to dietary sources of vitamin D.

Milk and dairy products. Many great snack and meal items contain calcium. With a little planning and know-how, you can make meals and snacks calcium-rich:

    * Milk: Wouldn’t a tall, cold glass of this refreshing thirst-quencher be great right now? If you’re concerned about fat and calories, choose reduced-fat or fat-free milk. You can drink it plain or with a low- or no-fat syrup or flavoring, such as chocolate syrup, vanilla extract, hazelnut flavoring or cinnamon.

    * Cheese: Again, you can choose the low- or no-fat varieties. Use all different types of cheese for sandwiches, bagels, omelets, vegetable dishes, pasta creations or as a snack by itself.

    * Pudding (prepared with milk): You can purchase (or make from a mix) pudding in a variety of flavors with little or no fat, such as chocolate fudge, lemon, butterscotch, vanilla and pistachio.

    * Yogurt: Add fruit. Eat it plain. Add a low- or no-fat sauce or syrup. No matter how you choose to eat this calcium-rich food, yogurt remains a quick, easy and convenient choice. It’s also available in a variety of flavors.

    * Frozen yogurt (or fat-free ice cream): Everybody loves ice cream. And now, without the unnecessary fat, you can enjoy it more often. Mix yogurt, milk and fruit to create a breakfast shake. Have a cone at lunchtime or as a snack. A scoop or two after dinner can be cool and refreshing.


What are other sources of calcium? Many foods you already buy and eat may be calcium-fortified. Try calcium-fortified orange juice or cereal. Check food labels to see if some of your other favorite foods may be good sources of calcium. You also can take calcium supplements if you think you may not be getting enough from your diet.

Excerpted from “Exercise and Bone Health for Women: The Skeletal Risk of Overtraining” by the Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center, a service of the National Institutes of Health

MY THOUGHTS

i love cheese and yogurt.  milk - i tolerate.  but i should take this article seriously. because osteo is serious.

save your bones

7 Ways to Save Your Bones
By Edward C. Geehr, M.D., Lifescript Chief Medical Officer
Published January 08, 2011
http://www.lifescript.com/Health/Conditions/Osteoporosis/7_Ways_To_Save_Your_Bones.aspx?utm_campaign=2011-01-08-70228&utm_source=healthy-advantage&utm_medium=email&utm_content=healthy-well-wise_7%20Ways%20To%20Save%20Your%20Bo&FromNL=1&sc_date=20110108T000000

If you’re over 30, your skeleton’s already rebelling, tossing out bone faster than you can replace it. Doctors deliberate over when to begin osteoporosis treatments, but your best bet is to get serious about diet and exercise. Bone up on how to hang onto your main frame with these tips...

Did your hump-backed Grandma fall and break a hip or has a friend in her 50s cracked a rib moving furniture?

Blame osteoporosis, a loss of bone that leads to debilitating fractures.

The disease is a major health threat for aging females, affecting about 8 million of the 10 million osteoporosis sufferers in the U.S. One in three women over 50 get fractures resulting from osteoporosis.

Another 34 million have osteopenia, a precursor to the disease.

What Bone Loss Looks Like
Bone is not just a solid hunk of calcium; it’s living, growing tissue with a soft core and a hardened framework of calcium phosphate.

The inner core, or marrow, produces our blood cells. And bones (along with teeth) act as a storage tank for more than 99% of the body’s calcium.

As a living organ, bone is constantly breaking down its older framework and replacing it. Formation outpaces destruction until about age 30. After that, the process slowly reverses, causing a net bone loss.

As the loss becomes severe, bones lose density, becoming more porous and fragile.

In fact, under a microscope, osteoporotic bone looks like a sponge. The weakened bone, like a dry twig, becomes more vulnerable to fractures, even under normal stresses.

That’s one reason Grandma hunches over like she’s perennially searching for a dropped penny.

The hump on the back of the elderly – called the dowager’s hump because it occurs mostly in women – results from small bone fractures on the front of the vertebrae, usually upper ones.

As the fractured edge of a vertebra compresses, the vertebrae above it shift forward, curving the spine. The forward tilt results in a hump, or kyphosis (which means "bent over").

As more vertebrae crack or collapse, the hump becomes more pronounced and painful, limiting activities as well.

A woman may have to crane her neck to look someone in the face and breathing becomes more difficult because the new spinal position makes it harder for the lungs to expand.

Other common results of osteoporosis are fractures of the hip and wrists in a fall.

Hip fractures – 300,000 per year – are the most serious.

About 24% of hip-fracture patients and a third of elderly men with hip fractures die within a year, often because they can’t regain mobility.

Women are particularly vulnerable: Their bone loss accelerates in the first few years after menopause as estrogen, which stimulates bone growth, declines.

Small, thin-boned women are at greatest risk. Other factors include:

    * Caucasian or Asian ancestry
    * Family history of osteoporosis
    * Anorexia
    * Low calcium and vitamin D intake
    * Long-term use of steroids
    * Cigarette smoking
    * Alcoholism
    * Inactivity


When Bone Loss Becomes a Problem
As with many trends in medicine, the prevailing wisdom on bone loss is shifting. This has affected recommendations on when bone-loss treatments should begin.

Normal bone mass is defined as the average bone mineral density of a white woman 20-29 years old.

Based on that, researchers developed a T-score: A zero score was baseline (ideal), anything between zero and negative 1 was normal; negative 2.5 or lower indicated osteoporosis.

But scores between negative 1 and negative 2.5 fell into a grey area called osteopenia, which involves low bone density and mass. It became a catch phrase for bone density scores falling outside the "normal" range.

In 2004, the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) advised women who scored negative 2.0 or lower (or negative 1.5 or lower if they had certain risk factors such as family history, smoking, etc.) to get osteoporosis treatment.

That shift increased the number of aged 65-plus women recommended for treatment from 6.5 million to 11 million.

For women 50-64 years old, the treatment group expanded from 1.6 million to 4 million.

Now women’s health experts question whether those diagnosed with osteopenia need medical treatment.

Drugs are expensive and can have significant side effects, such as chest pain, severe joint, bone or muscle pain or heartburn.

The new standard raised questions: How much would the extension of treatment reduce serious fractures? At what point along the bone loss continuum – from osteopenia to osteoporosis – should treatment begin? When do the benefits outweigh the cost and risks?

Your Bone-Saving Options
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for doctors to weigh in to protect yourself. Here are seven ways to strengthen your bones:

1. Eat for better bones. Bulk up on foods high in calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is the major bone builder, but it needs vitamin D to do its job. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium that would otherwise flush out in our urine.

Foods high in calcium include dairy products, tofu, sardines, salmon, turnips and leafy greens.

Foods high in vitamin D: salmon, tuna and other saltwater fish, fortified milk, egg yolks, liver and fish oils.

2. Get some daily sun. Sunlight stimulates the production of vitamin D in our skin. So get about 5-30 minutes of sun – without sunscreen – at least twice a week. (But don’t overdo it because too much sun raises the risk of skin cancer.)

3. Exercise. Just like muscles, bones need exercise to stay healthy. Strength training with weight-bearing exercises (such as walking, jogging and dancing) helps prevent or slow progression of osteoporosis.

Strength-training increases the tug of muscles on the bones and weight-bearing exercise also stresses bones, which keep them strong.

4. Consider supplements. If you can't get enough calcium from food or sunshine, take a daily supplement that includes 1,000 milligrams calcium and 400 I.U. (international units) of vitamin D. But don't take it all at once: The body can only absorb 500 milligrams of calcium at a time.

5. Get a bone density test. A bone mineral density test – a DEXA scan, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry – will show how your bone mass is holding up.

The NOF advises women older than 65, and those with risk factors (like thinness, family history, history of fractures) to get one earlier.

Because bone loss accelerates after menopause, doctors also recommend getting a baseline bone scan, especially if you’re not planning to take estrogen. Talk to your doctor about the test.

6. Move to medications. If you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, discuss drug therapy with your doctor.

Medications include biphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate and ibandronate), raloxifene, calcitonin, teriparatide and estrogen/hormone therapy. Biphosponates, the most widely used medication for osteoporosis, increase bone mass and reduce the incidence of spine, hip and other fractures.

But they have drawbacks: They’re tough to swallow and hard on the GI tract, leading to heartburn and gastric ulcers. Some meds can be given intravenously, but they can cause side effects such as flu-like symptoms, muscle and joint pains and headaches.

7. Protect yourself from falls. Remove slippery area rugs; salt icy pathways; wear snow and ice traction cleats on your shoes (buy them online or at sporting stores); use a cane or walker if you need one. This won't keep you from getting osteoporosis. But given the devastating repercussions of hip fractures, it doesn't hurt to skid-proof your house.

What’s Your Supplement IQ?
You know that taking calcium supplements can help build strong bones when you don't eat enough dairy foods, but do you really know all that you should about supplements? Test your IQ with this supplement quiz.

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MY THOUGHTS

yesterday, i drove a distant aunt 100 kms away from the city.  she's suffering from ostoeporosis.  brittle bones.  bones that look like sponge. she was concerned because the treatments are vey expensive.  doctor advised a brace.  she's 79.  most of the time, i drove in silence.  because years from now, i will be her age and i don't want to have to suffer the agony brought about by brittle bones.  today, i'm taking stock.  how do i avoid this.  and this article is heaven sent.

Are Expensive Skincare Products Worth It?

Are Expensive Skincare Products Worth It?
By Valerie Monroe
O, The Oprah Magazine  |  February 17, 2009


Q: Do more-expensive skincare products have some kind of "professional strength"?

A: Price alone has nothing to do with the strength and effectiveness of skincare products, says Cheryl Burgess, MD, medical director at the Center for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery in Washington, D.C. A drugstore mask or moisturizer can have the same concentrations of active ingredients as one from a department store or spa. But there is a correlation between the strength of a product and whether it's prescription or over-the-counter, says Burgess. A prescription product will likely contain a higher concentration of active ingredients than an OTC formula, and for that you may pay more than you would for some products with a lower concentration.

Bottom line: The price and strength of a product do not necessarily correlate.

MY THOUGHTS

makes sense.  you buy value. and what's valuable is what works. most of the time

Real Causes of Dark Undereye Circles

Real Causes of Dark Undereye Circles
By Valerie Monroe
O, The Oprah Magazine  |  October 13, 2009
http://www.oprah.com/style/Undereye-Circles-Beauty-and-Makeup-Advice_1

Q: Dark undereye circles make me feel exhausted.

A: I see you were too tired to ask me a question. You need to determine the cause of your dark circles before you can treat them. The main cause for shadows under the eyes is rubbing provoked by allergies—both seasonal and product induced, says Cheryl M. Burgess, MD, medical director at the Center for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery in Washington, D.C. The second most common cause is excess pigment that may be hereditary, and the third is visible veins.

If your problem is due to allergies (your eyes are itchy and watery; rubbing them causes shadows), you'll want to use a mild, soapless cleanser and a moisturizer for sensitive skin. You might also need a .5 percent hydrocortisone cream to relieve the itching.

Dark circles due to excess pigment (press down on the discoloration—if it doesn't disappear, it's pigment) can sometimes be lightened by lotions or creams containing hydroquinone, arbutin, or kojic acid. Three or more treatments with the Fraxel re:store or Fraxel re:fine laser are also an option.

And visible veins can be treated with the Nd:YAG 1064nm laser; several treatments are usually necessary. (You might also try the simpler solution a curious reader asks about at left.)

Keep in mind: Judicious application of concealer can work very well to hide your discoloration. Use a creamy concealer the same shade as your complexion, lightly tapping it on and then blending over the dark areas.

MY THOUGHTS

i just hate dark undereye circles.  makes you look sick.  and of course, you are if the cause is allergies.  i thought lack of sleep causes the darkness.  i have a feeling mine is pigmentation.  argh!!!

Meanigful Beauty: Inside Out

Natural Beauty, Inside and Out
By Aine McAteer
Original Content  |  February 26, 2010
http://www.oprah.com/food/Natural-Beauty-Recipes-Aine-McAteers-Blog

"In youth, you have the face you were born with; in adulthood, you have the face you deserve."
— Coco Chanel

I worked for several months as a live-in chef/helper for an elderly woman living in a retirement home in Chicago. I was living in New York at the time and very much into my cool, groovy fashion. One day, I went to catch the bus that took us for our weekly trip to the local mall, and as I approached one of my lovely friends—a resident in the home—all dressed up in my black shorts, knee-high boots and leather jacket, I saw the lady sitting next to my friend whisper something in my friend's ear.

Later, as I was having lunch at the mall with my friend, she told me that the lady had commented as I approached, "That girl is so disgusting in those skimpy clothes." A few minutes later, another resident of the retirement home approached me, introduced herself and said, "I just want to tell you, you're such a beautiful woman and every time I see you with your lovely style, you brighten up my day." It was one of those enlightening moments in my life where it was clearly demonstrated to me that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

Which mind, I thought to myself, would I want to inhabit? The woman who looked at me and saw something disgusting or the person who looked and saw beauty? I also noted the effect each comment had on me—being told I looked "disgusting" certainly dampened my spirits, but this was quickly dispelled by the comment moments later of the woman who saw and acknowledged my beauty—her comment made me feel beautiful.
Beauty is around us all the time, but do we have the eyes to perceive it?

We try to create beauty with our lotions and potions, and it's promised to us on every shelf we look at in the cosmetic department—beauty in a bottle. Yet, true beauty really is something that emanates from the inside out, and our ability to perceive beauty around us is a direct reflection of our state of mind and appreciation of where true beauty lies.

Eat Yourself Beautiful
Ancient Greeks and Egyptians believed that to be beautiful was to be in harmony with the universe. To be in harmony with the universe, we need to be in harmony with nature.
Eating foods as nature intended is a major consideration in achieving radiant health, glowing skin and shining hair. I am vain, and even though my main motivation for adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle is that I got hooked on feeling great, a big part of it is that I noticed how it made me look when I was fueling my body with healthy, nourishing foods.

My Crunchy Berry Parfait should certainly give you something to smile about. It can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert after a light meal. It is rich in antioxidants from the berries to get your skin glowing from the inside out and essential fatty acids from the cashews—now that's my kind of medicine!
Note: Cashews have a relatively high fat content, but it's considered "good fat" because of its ratio of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (1:2:1), which scientists believe is ideal for good health. They're also high in protein, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and manganese, all essential for overall health and glowing skin.

Slather Yourself Beautiful
Everything that you put on your body is absorbed into your blood stream through your skin, so read the labels on your skincare products as you would on your food. Many skincare products, even those sold in health food stores, are derived from petrochemicals that can dry and irritate the skin and may have other damaging side effects.

Proper skincare using natural, chemical-free products will ensure the skin will maintain its healthy natural and youthful glow. These days, there's a vast range of natural skincare products on the market, many of which are quite expensive, so if you want to save money and be naturally beautiful, it's really quite simple to make your own products, using ingredients right from your kitchen.
Here are some simple recipes and ideas to get you started.

Exfoliating Face Wash
You can use either ground almonds, fine oatmeal, ground azuki beans or bran, mixed to a paste with a little warm water. (If your skin is dry, add a few drops of olive oil.) Mix this up in a little bowl or cup. To wash your face without the strong exfoliating effect, you can put the mixture into a little piece of cotton or muslin and gently scrub your face.

Eye Treatments
•Tea bags: Tea bags soothe tired eyes and relieve puffiness around the eyes. Chamomile tea is particularly soothing. If using loose-leaf tea, you can brew it up and soak cotton wool pads in the tea, then place over the eyes.

•Cucumber: Place slices of cucumber or grated cucumber over the eyes to detoxify around the eyes and leave them bright and refreshed.
•Aloe vera gel: Apply to cotton wool pads and place on the eyes as an anti-inflammatory and to reduce puffiness.

•Flower waters: Rosewater and orange flower water are soothing, calming and anti-inflammatory. Lavender water can relieve headaches. Soak cotton wool pads and place over the eyes.

Nourishing Masks
•Avocado nourishes and hydrates the skin. It is high in vitamins and minerals, is easily absorbed by the skin and can be used on all skin types. Simply mash half an avocado and add one to two teaspoons of water. Add one teaspoon honey for dry or mature skin, or one teaspoon lemon juice for oily skin. If you want a thicker mask, you can also add one tablespoon. ground almonds.

•Banana hydrates dry, mature or wrinkly skin. Mash the banana until creamy and apply to skin. You can add one tablespoon natural yogurt and one teaspoon honey to enhance the effect, or for oily skin, add one teaspoon lemon juice. If you want a thicker mask, add one tablespoon ground oatmeal.

•Yogurt helps draw oil and bacteria out of the pores, making it ideal for oily or spotty skin. You can use just yogurt if skin is oily or add one teaspoon honey for more mature, dehydrated skin or to smooth out wrinkles. To thicken, add ground almonds or oatmeal.

•Honey is highly antibacterial, and hydrates and moisturizes the skin. It is beneficial for all skin types. Mix two tablespoons aloe vera gel with one teaspoon honey to make an excellent mask for sensitive skin, skin infections or acne.

•Coconut is an excellent conditioner for all skin types. To make a nourishing mask, mix two tablespoons coconut cream with one teaspoon honey. You can add a little warm water to get the desired consistency.

Recipes for natural toners and moisturizers

Toners
To tone the skin after cleansing or applying a mask, you can put flower water into a little spray bottle. The following make excellent natural toners:
•Rosewater has cooling, soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be used on all skin types, particularly dry or mature skin. It can also restore the skin's pH and relieve eczema.
•Orange flower water is more astringent than rosewater and is an excellent toner for oily skin.
•Lavender water is a wonderful remedy for all skin types. It's great to carry and spray while traveling—it can soothe sunburn and insect bites.
•Witch hazel has mild astringent and soothing properties for irritated skin. It can be mixed with rosewater for mature skin or with lavender or orange flower water. It has excellent cleansing action.

Moisturizers
Many plant oils are high in vitamin E, which is an antioxidant and can prevent damage to skin cells while slowing down the process of aging. Oils such as jojoba, avocado oil, coconut oil, wheat germ or rose hip seed oil can be used as skin moisturizers.

To make an excellent moisturizer for all skin types, combine two parts aloe vera gel with one part jojoba oil and whisk or blend until creamy. (I like to use a handheld plunge blenders.) This can be used as a face and body moisturizer, or as a cleanser. It's a good idea to make a big batch and keep a small tub in your bathroom with the rest in the fridge until ready to use. I also like to add a few drops of rose essential oil.

Remember, however much you lather and slather, there's nothing quite as engaging and beautiful as a happy, smiling face!
A smile lifts and tones your facial muscles, and when it comes from the heart, it can bring a little more sunshine into the world.

Sending you a big smile to brighten your day,
Aine

MY THOUGHTS
what i know is that no amount of make-up can hide the sadness in your eyes.  at the same time, you can radiate happiness evenif your face has no cosmetics at all.  it's like when two of you are so in love with each other and you wake uop next to each other in the morning (at your worst) but you see each other as the most beautiful creatures in the world. beauty from inside.  nothing can beat that.

3 Everyday Tips for Immune Support
By Emily Sohn, "3 Everyday Strategies to Boost Your Immunity," September/October 2010
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/immunity/3_everyday_tips_for_immune_support?page=2

1. Fill Your Vitamin D Tank.
You may have fewer health problems—ranging from colds to cancer—if you get enough vitamin D. Your body naturally makes vitamin D from sunlight. You can also get it—albeit in smaller doses—from fatty fish, such as salmon, and fortified milk. But because Americans don’t get enough vitamin D, most experts recommend a D supplement. New research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that taking such a supplement may help boost your immune system. In a study of more than 300 Japanese children, those who took daily vitamin D supplements (1,200 IU) were 40 percent less likely to get a common flu virus than kids who took a placebo. Laboratory studies indicate that the nutrient may help immune cells identify and destroy bacteria and viruses that make us sick, says Adit Ginde, M.D., M.P.H., a public health researcher at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. Aim to get at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily (check with your doctor before taking more).

2. Get a Daily Dose of Soluble Fiber.
Mice that ate a diet rich in soluble fiber for six weeks recovered from a bacterial infection in half the time it took mice that chowed on meals containing mixed fiber, according to a recent study in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. Soluble fiber—abundant in citrus fruits, apples, carrots, beans and oats—helps fight inflammation, says lead author Christina Sherry, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Insoluble fiber—found in wheat, whole grains, nuts and green leafy vegetables—is still important for overall health, but it doesn’t seem to have the same impact on immunity. Strive for 25 to 38 grams of total fiber a day, Sherry says, paying extra attention to getting the soluble kind

3. Stay Lean.
Overweight adults who cut their daily calorie intake by nearly a third saw a 50 percent boost in immunity, according to a six-month study out of Tufts University. (Those who cut calories by 10 percent had smaller improvements.) Restricting calories may reduce levels of compounds in the body that depress your immune response, says Tufts nutritional immunologist Simin Meydani, D.V.M., Ph.D. Animal studies suggest that calorie restriction could work in normal-weight individuals too. “Try to maintain your body weight at what is considered ideal,” Meydani says, because eating more than what you need drags the immune system down. And remember: when you cut back on quantity, you need to be even more vigilant about the quality of your diet. Aim to eat more fruits and vegetables—and choose lean protein sources, such as fish, chicken and low-fat dairy

MY THOUGHTS
vitamin d from sunlight? that's not difficult. it's free. staying lean can also be free.  we just need to have the discipline and the desire,i guess.  apples,carrots and oats are no problem.  beans i need to think about it. not so fond of it.  sometimes i take wheat grass. on weekends when i'll be home all day.  it certainly makes me feel lighter. but the taste. uggh!!! whew!!! that's probably the real reason why i don't drink it often.  i gulp the whole glass with my eyes closed.  i also shut off my brain so i won't have to think of how yucky it tastes.