Osteoporosis affects around 52% of women and 28% of men over the age of 60 in Australia. This disease is characterised by reduced bone building cells leading to poor bone density and strength which increases the risk of fractures.

Factors which contribute to osteoporosis include:

Nutritional deficiencies (especially calcium and Vit D). Eat plenty of calcium rich foods such as low fat dairy, tahini, nuts, sesame seeds, fish, green leafy veggies and broccoli.

Being too sedentary (move it or lose it!). Exercise, especially weight-bearing activity, promotes bone remodelling and mineralisation. Strength training, walking, tennis and dancing are all recommended.

Chronic systemic inflammation (toxicity, allergies, gut issues). Inflammation disturbs bone homeostasis and drives bone destruction.

An acidic diet. Having an acidic system results in the body taking calcium from the bones to try and keep it alkaline.  Dietary changes and/or supplementation with potassium citrate is important if your urinary pH is less than 6.0

Too much stress. High stress levels result in elevated cortisol levels and calcium being taken from the bones. Stress also decreases thyroid hormone production resulting in reduced bone growth.

Low sex hormones. Reproductive hormones also influence the health of our bones. Oestrogen prevents bone breakdown and progesterone stimulates bone growth. Natural oestrogen supplementation with bio-identical hormones or herbs such as red clover ands soy are important for post-menopausal women. In ageing men, testosterone levels need to be kept optimal to prevent bone loss.

Too little sunshine. Vit D plays an important role in calcium metabolism and bone growth. Vitamin D levels should ideally be greater than 100nmol/L otherwise supplemental Vit D is recommended. Get outdoors during the safe hours of the day and expose your bare skin to the sun without sunscreen to absorb Vit D.

Please note that choosing the best form of calcium to take is very important as many are not well absorbed and have very little therapeutic benefit. Choose one derived from whole bone (microcrystalline hydroxyapatite extract) which provides all the natural elements needed.

Keep kicking those heels up for as long as possible in life!!

Tinned tuna is a good source of protein and essential fatty acids but eating too much can lead to mercury toxicity.

Exposure to high levels of mercury can lead to fatigue, fever, chills, shortness of breath, coughing, a burning sensation in the chest, and inflammation of the lungs.

Mercury is also harmful to the nervous system and can lead to emotional instability, tremors, memory loss, muscle weakness, and numbness.

Read more…..http://blog.naturaltherapyforall.com/2012/09/21/too-much-tuna-may-lead-to-high-mercury-exposure-new-study-warns/

Have you ever followed a weight loss program and shed some kilos but stacked them back on as soon as you stopped the diet? Ever wondered why this rebound weight gain occured?

I’m going to share with you the main reasons why people fail to lose weight and keep it off.

Read on…….

We’ve been led to believe that the only effective cures for cancer are the big three: chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery.

But there are many natural remedies that have been proven to effectively cure cancer, including high doses of Vitamin C.

Intravenous Vitamin C given directly into the bloodstream at doses of around 10,000 milligrams a day can kill cancer cells, without damaging healthy cells (unlike the other three options). Vitamin C can help block tumour growth and reduce the size of existing tumours.

Ian Brighthope, a medical doctor and surgeon, has been treating cancer patients with intravenous Vitamin C for over 35 years. He says “It has been interesting to see how something that was previously regarded as absolute quackery has now become a mainstream treatment”.

When the level of Vitamin C in the body reaches a critical mass, which can only be achieved through intravenous doses, it causes a reaction that produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. Normal white blood cells make and break down their own peroxide but cancer cells can’t, and the build up causes them to burst.

Many patients have benefited from having Vitamin C therapy alongside conventional cancer treatment. Brighthope says “it reduces the toxic effects of chemotherapy as well as the inflammation caused by radiotherapy. It also boosts the immune system and stimulates white blood cells to mop up dead cancerous tissue and fight infection”.

So why don’t more people know about this cheap, effective cure for cancer? It comes down to money. You can’t patent Vitamin C so there’s no money in it for pharmaceutical companies…..”There’s a lot of information available on non-toxic ways of helping cancer patients survive and thrive-but it’s not being promoted by my profession,” says Brighthope.

You can hear Dr Brighthope speak more on Vitamin C therapy by watching the film ‘Food Matters’.