Are you passionate about your car? A silly question, perhaps, but we literally spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year keeping our car’s interiors clean and sparkling. Window cleaners, upholstery cleaners, leather cleaner, carpet cleaners, car mats, detailers, vacuums and much more are all investments that many of us put into our automobiles.
So my question today is … do we take better care of our car’s inside structure than we do of our own skeletal structure? Ask yourself that question and then consider, “What am I doing to build my bone strength?” Not a question you think of often, I bet.
The following statistics have been confirmed by research conducted by Shaklee:
- 44 million Americans are at risk for osteoporosis
- 50% of women over age 50 are at risk
- 78% of women over age 20 get less than 100% of the daily recommended dose of calcium
Bones are Living & Growing in Your Body
Some people think of bones as rigid and lifeless, but they are in reality live, growing tissue. Our bones support us and permit us to be in motion. They guard our heart, brain and other organs from injury and damage. Our bones also store minerals including calcium and phosphorous, which help maintain bone strength, and release them into the body when we need them for other uses.
Each of our bones consist of three key components that make them supple and strong:
- Collagen, a protein that provides a flexible framework
- Calcium-phosphate mineral complexes that keep bones hard and sturdy
- Living bone cells that remove and replace weakened sections of bone
One of the most important facts to consider is that simply taking a pure calcium supplement alone is not enough. Our bones are made of cells. This is soft tissue. We grow new bone regularly, provided we give our body’s cells the “food” it needs to build those new bone cells.
What Do Our Bone Cells Need?
I can almost guarantee the typical first response would be calcium. However, that’s just the beginning! Think of calcium as the bricks to building strong and healthy bones. Bricks can be strong and stable only when combined with mortar. In the case of calcium, the mortar consists of:
- Vitamin D
- Magnesium
- Vitamin K
- Zinc
- Copper
- Manganese
With the assist of these additional nutrients, calcium has the support it needs to actually build bone density when you’re young, and minimize bone loss as you age. Peak bone mass typically occurs between the ages of 18 and 25. The more bone you possess at this time of maximum bone mass, the less likely are the chances that you will break a bone or be diagnosed with osteoporosis in later years.
Maintaining Bone Health as We Age
As a person grows older and matures, each of us loses more bone than we create. After that prolonged period of peak bone mass, the balance between bone formation and bone loss can begin to fluctuate. In midlife, bone loss typically rapidly accelerates in men and women. This continues to increase for the female population after menopause due to steep drops in estrogen levels. During the decade after menopause is complete, women can lose up to 20% of total bone density (in some cases substantially more). Osteoporosis happens when you lose too much bone, make too little bone, or both.
It is a troubling and seemingly contradictory fact that even though the United States has one of the highest rates of dairy consumption and calcium intake among all developed nations, Americans also have one of highest rates of osteoporosis. This tells us that we simply cannot rely on dairy alone to build our bones. In fact, numerous studies suggest that the human body cannot even properly digest dairy … but that’s a separate issue (or maybe not).
What Can You Do to Take Care of Your Bone Health?
Of course, there are numerous things we can and should be doing to help keep our bones healthy and vigorous. Partaking in foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, getting an abundance of exercise, and maintaining positive overall health habits do their part to keep our bones well.
Unfortunately the high rate of osteoporosis in our country means that these actions are often not enough. Through my years of involvement with Shaklee, extensive research done by the company that I have studied, and real-life testimonials I have heard and read about, I have come to the conclusion that it’s time for all of us to wake up and take action, take charge of our health, to prevent bone loss. Both men and women can achieve this with proper daily supplementation.
The steps you take now will pay off now as well as later on in life. Osteoporosis develops and progresses continually year after year, due to a lack of important nutrients that bone cells need. That initial broken bone is often the first confirmed sign we receive that osteoporosis has set in. Osteoporosis results in bones becoming weak and more prone to breakage and fracture from seemingly minor falls, bumping into things or in severe instances, sneezing! It also impedes healing and can affect posture. Typically, people suffering from osteoporosis most often break bones in the wrist, spine and hip. But no bone in the body is guaranteed to be immune from its consequences!
I’ve pleased to share that Shaklee has developed two great products to achieve positive bone building goals:
1. OsteoMatrix
4 caplets contain:
- 1000 mg of calcium (from calcium carbonate, calcium citrate)
- 600 iu Vitamin D3
- 400 mg Magnesium
- 40 mcg Vitamin K
- 1.5 mg Zinc
- .2 mg Copper
- .2 mg Maganese
Note: OsteoMatrix is available in both 120 caplets or 360 caplets size bottles.
2. Chewable Cal Mag Plus
4 berry-flavored tablets contain:
- 1000 mg of calcium (from calcium carbonate, calcium citrate)
- 600 iu Vitamin D3
- 100 mg Magnesium
- 1.5 mg Zinc
- .2 mg Copper
- .2 mg Maganese
Note: Chewable Cal Mag Plus is available in one size only – 120 tablets.
Make no “bones” about it (pun intended). Taking care of your bone health is absolutely one of the most important long-term preventative health measures you can take…and it should start now. For you, your spouse, your children, your friends, colleagues and neighbors, supplements can make the difference between a long, healthy lifestyle and one that might be marred by broken bones and weak bone health.
Choose Your Calcium Supplements Wisely.
Do your research. All brands are not the same. I encourage you to improve your bone health by selecting supplements from a company that knows how important it is to understand the quality and type of calcium the human body requires along with other supporting nutrients. Leave it to Shaklee, who have been getting it right for nearly 60 years.
Contact me to learn more. I’m ready and available to help you on your path to greater health.
