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For those individuals that make the healthy life choice to exercise, additional vitamins and minerals may be necessary.It is entirely possible for an individual that works out to suddenly find him or herself faced with a vitamin and/or mineral deficiency.The latter fact is the result of the body’s rapid use of minerals and vitamins which are absorbed through natural, healthy food consumption.Therefore, getting vitamin supplements on a daily basis is highly recommended for those who work out each day.When an individual that exercises lacks the appropriate minerals and vitamins, he or she is also faced with diminished performance, potential fatigue, and other body ailments like cramping and pain after exercise.

A lack of the vitamin B-complex will result in a lack of stamina and potential fatigue.The recommended daily allowance of niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, and cobalmin vary.An individual that exercises regularly should get 15 mg of riboflavin daily, 25 mg of niacin, 10 mg of pantothenic acid, 15 mg of pyridoxine, and 6 mcg of cobalmin daily.Thiamine, another of the B complex vitamins, is necessary on a daily basis and an individual should get 50 mg daily.Vitamin B-complex works in unison in order to improve one’s metabolic rate, to keep one’s skin and muscles in healthy condition, to improve upon immunological functioning, and to encourage proper growth of cells.A deficiency of vitamin B-complexes can result in muscular pain, and other bodily ailments.

Over-the-counter vitamin supplements which can be taken daily can ensure that an individual gets the adequate amount of vitamin A, Biotin, Folic Acid, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorous, Selenium, and Zinc.Whether or not the individual works out strenuously or not, a vitamin supplement is recommended simply because the supplement can deliver to the body the vitamins that one may not consume in his or her regular diet.Food based vitamins are a better choice.

Individuals that work out on a regular basis tend to sweat profusely, and during the process of sweating, the body may diminish the amount of the zinc, iodine, and iron in the blood as well.Many over-the-counter vitamin supplements will help in replacing the diminished minerals that the body uses.Vitamins supplements can also deliver to the body additional calcium which is necessary for bone health, the transmission of nerve impulses, as well as the body’s ability to contract muscles properly.The more athletic an individual is, the more likely the individual require a supplement that replaces the minerals and vitamins mentioned above.

It might be a wise idea to visit a doctor to get a full physical before beginning any exercise program and after one has been exercising for a period of time.A doctor can perform blood work to determine whether or not there are any vitamin deficiencies and/or mineral deficiencies that need to be addressed either before any exercise program begins or after one has been working out for a while.

Author: Robin Reichert

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_Reichert

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he Women Health magazine mentions in its May review — “While Food and Drug Administration daily value recommendations for vitamins haven’t changed since 1968, what we know about nutrition has.”  The Institute of Medicine has new recommendations for vitamins called dietary reference intakes.  

The main four essential multivitamin supplements that women require are

• Calcium,
• Vitamin D,
• Magnesium and
• Vitamin K

Finding the best brand of vitamin supplements can be quite difficult with so many brands to choose from on the market. Though this may seem to be impossible with every manufacturer saying they are the best, we have found it not to be the case. Today more so than before you can do your due diligence by finding reviews that independently compare vitamins. It is important to find a calcium pill that has Vit D in it as the Vit D helps in the best absorption of the calcium into your cells.

Calcium is best needed to help develop peak levels of bone mass in the growth years of a developing woman. If minerals such as calcium intakes are lower in the early years the onset of osteoporosis is quite common when adulthood is reached.

Marilyn Stephenson, a registered dietitian with FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition quotes “The most important time to get a sufficient amounts of calcium is while bone growth and consolidation are occurring, a period that continues until approximately age 30 to 35,” says Marilyn Stephenson, a registered dietitian with FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “The idea is, if you can build a maximum peak of calcium deposits early on, this may delay fractures that occur later in life.”

The supplementation of magnesium not only assist with proper absorption of calcium but also plays an important role in disease protection, lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer. New DRIs say that we should be taking at least 320mgs a day of magnesium for best results.

Vitamin D is fat soluble and is sparingly found in foods, maybe found as an added nutrient to processed foods or maybe taken as a supplement pill. This special vitamin may also be produced by the action of ultra violet rays of the sun converting Vit D in our skin. For Vitamin D to be bio-available in our bodies it has to undergo a couple of changes in our body system for it to be beneficial and play its part in calcium absorption.

The importance of Vit D in our bodies especially women are that it helps in the calcium absorption in the intestine and helps to maintain required amounts of serum calcium and phosphate level concentrations which are important for bone mineralization and prevention of hypocalcemic tetany.

Hypocalcemic tetany means less serum calcium resulting in muscle spasms. The lack of Vit D will trigger bone brittleness and thinness such as found in patients suffering from rickets. Proper levels of Vit D helps prevent rickets in children. If you took adequate amounts of calcium along with Vit D the occurrence of osteoporosis in adults is reduced.

Vitamin K is an important ingredient that helps with bone health. Though Vit K has benefits you should alway consult your doctor if you are on medication as it can interfere with blood thinners in drugs.

What vitamins prenatal or pregnant women need for optimum health?

For women who are exercising regularly or are pregnant it is recommended that their iron intake should be increased as compared to females who are not. The reason why iron is important during this period is because it plays a vital role in helping hemoglobin to best deliver oxygen to our cells in greater amounts. The lack of or loss of iron will cause headaches, pallor and fatigue among women. Try taking a vitamin that has all the B complex supplements in it. The B group of vitamins help in energy production and good carbohydrate metabolism. Please be aware that women over the age of 50 may need less iron as they do not loose iron as younger women do during their periods. If older women have an iron problem then they need to consult their doctor as the loss of iron could be something their doctor needs to look into.

If women find it hard to have a meat diet, then it is recommended that they should consider supplementing vitamins with the B group of vitamins and iron. Women get tired more easily than men and hence need more B group of vitamins. They can add carrot juice to boost the delivery of Vit A.

For those women who are considering falling pregnant it is prudent to start supplementation of a high quality vitamin before pregnancy.

 Vit B6 or folic acid plays an important role in reducing spina bifida in infants.This infant deformity occurs early in the pregnancy if folic acid is absent.

• Taking a high quality fish oil supplement from a trusted vitamin manufacturer will help with the development of the baby’s brain. Omega 3 fatty acids have been found to improve the baby’s brain development during pregnancy.
• If you are considering falling pregnant please be warned that some supplements have Vit A present in them. Vit A can harm the unborn baby in the womb.

Trading Standards watchdogs and charity Birth Defects Foundation Newlife found a third of products do not carry clear labels showing they contain vitamin A.

Author: Claude Fullinfaw

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Claude_Fullinfaw

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Moderate drinking may help build bone density

By Anne Harding, from Reuters Health.

People who enjoy a glass or two of wine or beer every day could be helping to keep their bones strong, new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests.

However, drinking more — and choosing hard liquor instead of wine or beer — may actually weaken bones, Dr. Katherine Tucker of Tufts University in Boston and her colleagues found.

In an interview with Reuters Health, Tucker agreed that keeping track of the health benefits and risks of alcohol is tough these days. "It is very confusing for people because alcohol has such diverse effects on different things," she said; for example, while drinking may prevent heart disease, it increases breast cancer risk.

Nevertheless, the researcher added, the effect of alcohol on bone mineral density (BMD) that she and her colleagues saw was "larger than what we see for any single nutrient, even for calcium. It’s not ambiguous. It’s very clear."

In the current study, Tucker and her team investigated how different types of alcohol affected bone density in 1,182 men, 1,289 postmenopausal women, and 248 premenopausal women participating in the Framingham Offspring study. Study participants ranged in age from 29 to 86.

Men who had a glass or two of wine or beer daily had denser bones than non-drinkers, the researchers found, but those who downed two or more servings of hard liquor a day had significantly lower BMD than the men who drank up to two glasses of liquor daily.

The women who drank more than two glasses a day of alcohol or wine had greater BMD than the women who drank less. Nonetheless, this finding shouldn’t be seen as meaning that the more a woman drinks the better it is for her bones, Tucker noted; there were simply not that many women in the study who drank much more than this.

Beer is an excellent source of silicon, a mineral needed for bone health that has become increasingly rare in the modern diet, the researcher noted. Beer’s silicon content accounted for at least some of its bone-building effects in men, she added; there were too few women who drank beer to draw conclusions about how the mineral affected female bone density.

Beer and wine may be better for people than liquor, she suggested, because they contain potentially beneficial plant substances such as resveratrol, while hard liquor has had most natural substances distilled out of it.

It’s likely, Tucker said, that alcohol may help build bones by boosting estrogen levels — which is the mechanism that also may account for the increased breast cancer risk seen for women who drink even moderately.

 "The main message here is that if you are drinking up to one or two glasses of wine or beer a day, you don’t need to stop for your bones’ sake, in fact it’s helpful," the researcher said. "It’s a personal decision."

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Man cannot live on bread alone, and bones can’t be healthy with calcium alone. They also need Glucosamine. The human body naturally produces Glucosamine, but as we grow older, our bodies stop producing enough Glucosamine, causing our bones and joints to wear out at a much faster rate. This affects your hips, knees, and hands, causing bone spurs, pain, deformity, and reduced movement and flexibility.

Glucosamine relieves osteo-related pain, rehabilitates cartilage, repairs joints, and produces synovial fluids. A great deal of research has gone into the benefits of Glucosamine, and when coupled with calcium, it goes a very long way towards keeping bones and teeth healthy, as well as helping to repair bones that have become unhealthy. Glucosamine is also vital in the formation and health of ligaments, tendons, nails, skin, eyes, bones, and heart valves.

Not just any Glucosamine will do, however. You need a high quality Glucosamine, and you need it in liquid form, as opposed to pill or capsule form. Scientists have found that only 10% to 20% of vitamins and minerals in the form of pills and capsules are absorbed by the body, while those same vitamins and liquids in liquid form are absorbed by up to 98%.

This is a huge difference, and your overall health depends a great deal on this difference. It is a shame that so many people think that they are actually getting the vitamins and minerals that they need when they swallow their multi vitamin pill each morning. Furthermore, when seeking relief, it can take up to ten weeks to see any results when taking pills, as opposed to one or two weeks to receive relief when using a liquid formula.

Along with calcium and Glucosamine, the body also requires chondroitin sulfate. This is a glucosaminoglycan that is made up of repeating units of Glucosamine. It is used by cartilage and other joint structures, where it stimulates the production of even more chondroitin sulfate. The body also needs vitamin D3, which helps the body absorb and use calcium.

Look for a supplement which supplies the body with all that it needs for strong bones and teeth. It should contain magnesium, chondroitin, Glucosamine, vitamin D, calcium. and colloidal minerals for better absorption. Zinc, magnesium, copper, and manganese are also included, as these four minerals are vital for proper metabolism in the bone.

All of these ingredients combined serve to aid the entire structural system of the human body. Look for other trace minerals to improve your overall health, and make sure all of the ingredients are of the highest possible quality.

So, while taking a good multi vitamin is important, and taking a calcium supplement is also important, it is also vital that you make sure your calcium supplement includes Glucosamine if you really want to protect your bone structure. Don’t rely on calcium alone to still have you walking when you are in your eighties and nineties!

Author: Steven Godlewski

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Godlewski

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Every woman I know is concerned about osteoporosis. Frightening stories equate it with broken hips, bent spines, wheelchairs, and death - things we all want to avoid. What can we do? Should we take calcium supplements? Hormones? Fosamax? Can we rely on our green allies?

The Wise Woman tradition maintains that simple lifestyle choices - including, but not limited to, regular use of nourishing herbal infusions, medicinal herbal vinegars, yogurt, and seaweed - are sufficient to preserve bone and prevent breaks. And, further, that these lifestyle choices produce multiple health benefits, including reduction of heart disease and breast cancer, without the problems and risks associated with taking hormones. As for supplements, as we will see, they do more harm than good.

FORGET OSTEOPOROSIS

First, we must rid ourselves of the idea that osteoporosis is important. In the Wise Woman Tradition, we focus on the patient, not the problem. There are no diseases and no cures for diseases. When we focus on osteoporosis, we cannot see the whole woman. The more we focus on disease - even disease prevention - the less likely we are to know how to nourish health/wholeness/holiness.

In fact, focusing our attention narrowly on the prevention of osteoporosis actually increases the incidence of breast cancer. The postmenopausal women with the highest bone mass are the most likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Women who take estrogen replacement to prevent osteoporosis, even for as little as five years, increase their risk of breast cancer by twenty percent; if they take hormone replacement, the risk increases by forty percent.

These risks might be vindicated if we could show a correlation between bone density and bone breakage, but there isn’t one. When I found myself at dinner in 2000 with Susan Brown, director of the Osteoporosis Information Clearing House, I asked her to point me in the direction of any study that shows a clear relationship between osteoporosis and broken bones. She smiled. "There are none."

"In a recent study," she continued. "Researchers measured the bone density of people over 65 who had broken bones. Twenty-five percent had osteoporosis. Twenty-five percent had high bone density. And fifty percent had normal density." Notice that those with high bone density broke their hips as frequently as those with osteoporosis.

GET FLEXIBLE

If osteoporosis isn’t the problem, what is? In a word: inflexibility. Flexible bones bend; stiff bones break. This holds true even if the flexible bone is thin, even if the stiff bone is thick. Think of a piece of dead pine wood. Though it may be thick, it is brittle and breaks easily. Think of a green pine twig. Even a small one is nearly impossible to break. Flexible bones, whether thick or thin, bend rather than break.

Flexibility is synonymous with health in the Wise Woman Tradition. It is created by nourishing and tonifying. Bone flexibility is created by nourishing the bones and tonifying the muscles around them. Tonifying is as important as nourishing, but because we are herbalists, let’s focus on the benefits nourishing herbs offer to women who wish to have strong, flexible bones.

NOURISHING OUR BONES

Old age does not make weak bones. Poor nutrition makes weak bones.

What are bones made of? Like all tissues, they contain protein. They are rich in minerals, not just calcium, but also potassium, manganese, magnesium, silica, iron, zinc, selenium, boron, phosphorus, sulphur, chromium, and dozens of others. And in order to use those minerals, vitamin D must be present and the diet must contain high-quality fats.

Bones Need Protein

I have heard, and no doubt you have too, that animal protein leaches calcium from the bones. This is only half true. All protein, whether from meat, beans, soy, grains, or vegetables, uses calcium in digestion. Protein from soy is especially detrimental to bone health; soy is not only naturally deficient in calcium, it also directly interferes with calcium uptake in the bones. Traditional diets combine protein and calcium (eg, seaweed with tofu, tortillas made from corn ground on limestone with beans, and melted cheese on a hamburger). Protein-rich herbs such as stinging nettle, oatstraw, red clover, and comfrey leaf provide plenty of calcium too, as do yogurt, cheese, and milk (which also provide the healthy fats needed to utilize the minerals). Limiting protein limits bone health. Increasing mineral-rich proteins increases bone health.

Bones Need High-Quality Fats

Hormones are kinds of fats, and cholesterol is the precursor to many of them. Post-menopausal bone problems do not, to my mind, arise from a lack of estrogen, but from a lack of fat. If the diet is deficient in good-quality fats, hormones will be produced in inadequate amounts. And vitamin D, a hormone-like vitamin, will not be utilized well. Further, mineral absorption is dependent on fats. A low-fat diet, in my opinion, makes it quite difficult to have healthy bones.

Bones Need Minerals

Bones do need calcium, and they are the last to get it, so our diets need to be very rich in this mineral. But to focus on calcium to the exclusion of other minerals leads to broken bones, for calcium is brittle and inflexible. Think of a piece of chalk, calcium carbonate, and how easily it breaks. A six-and-a-half year study of 10,000 white women over the age of 65 found that "Use of calcium supplements was associated with increased risk of hip and vertebral fracture; use of Tums antacid tablets was associated with increased risk of fractures of the proximal humerus." The other minerals found in bone lend it 19c7 flexibility. When we get our calcium from herbs and foods (containing a multitude of minerals) we nourish healthy bones.

Extracting Minerals

From the Wise Woman perspective, the perfect way to maintain bone health, bone flexibility, and resistance to fracture is to use mineral-rich herbs and foods. Because minerals are bulky and do not compact, we must consume generous amounts to make a difference in our health. Just as eating a teaspoon of carrots is laughable, so is taking mineral-rich herbs in capsule or tincture form. Because minerals are rock-like, we need to break open cell walls to get at them. Raw, fresh foods do not deliver minerals to our bodies.

To extract minerals, we need heat, time, and generous quantities of plant material. I prefer to extract minerals into water or vinegar. To make a nourishing herbal infusion, I pour one quart/liter boiling water over one ounce/30 grams of dried herb in a canning jar, covering it tightly, and letting it brew overnight. In the morning, I strain out the mineral-rich liquid and drink it - over ice or heated, with honey or milk, mixed with black tea, seasoned with mint, spiked with rum, however you want it. You can drink the entire quart in one day, but do finish it within two.

My favorite nourishing herbal infusions are made from oatstraw (Avena sativa) or nettle (Urtica dioica) or red clover (Trifolium pratense) or comfrey leaves (Symphytum uplandica x). I sometimes add a little bit of aromatic herb such as peppermint (Mentha pipperata), lemon balm (Melissa off.), or bergamot (Monarda didyma) to change the flavor.

To extract minerals from fruits and vegetables, I cook them for long periods of time, or until there is color and texture change, evidence that the cell walls have been broken. Kale cooked for an hour delivers far more mineral to your bones than lightly steamed kale. Fresh juices contain virtually no minerals. Cooking maximizes the nutrients available to us, especially the minerals.

Herbs Are Mineral Powerhouses

Eating a cup of cooked greens every day is difficult, even for the most motivated woman. But drinking nourishing herbal infusions, eating seaweeds, and using medicinal herbal vinegars is easy. They are tasty, fun to prepare and use, and add a big nutritional plus with virtually no calories attached. Nourishing herbs and garden weeds are typically far richer in minerals than ordinary foodstuffs. Not only are nourishing herbs exceptional sources of minerals, their minerals are better at preventing bone breaks than supplements.

The ability of herbs to counter osteoporosis may be more complex than their richness of minerals, however. The minerals in green plants seem to be utilized more readily by the body and to be ideal for keeping bones healthy. Dr. Campbell, professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, has done extensive research in rural China where the lowest known fracture rates for midlife and older women were found. He says, "The closer people get to a diet based on plant foods and leafy vegetables, the lower the rates of many diseases, including osteoporosis."

IN SUMMATION

My own experiences in helping women regain and maintain bone density and flexibility have led me to believe that life-style modifications work exceptionally well for motivated women who wish to avoid the risks and expense of long-term pill use. Nourishing herbal infusions, mineral-rich herbal vinegars, yogurt, and seaweed, combined with attention to tonification of the muscles, unfailingly increases bone density and creates flexible, healthy bones and women.

Green blessings to you all.

8 KEYS TO HEALTHY BONES

1.Good nutrition for your mother while pregnant with you.

2.Good nutrition for you during the formation of your bones.

3.Monthly menses throughout your fertile years, especially before 30.

4.Special attention to maintaining high levels of protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins from herbs and foods in your diet when menses cease during pregnancy, lactation, or after menopause.

5.Regular rhythmical movement, the faster the better, daily.

6.Consistent practice of yoga, tai chi, or any strengthening, opening, flexibility-building discipline.

7.Chop wood, carry water.

8.Eat yogurt.

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material contained herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

Susun Weed

PO Box 64

Woodstock, NY 12498

Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Author: Susun Weed

Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

Susun is one of America’s best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women’s health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at http://www.susunweed.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susun_Weed

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