Bone Building
Greetings! Evergreen Nutrition is very pleased to announce that a variety of health screenings will be available in the store on April first. In conjunction with Northwest Wellness you can make an appointment or simply drop in to get a bone density scan or several other lab tests including glucose, cholesterol, liver enzymes, PSA and/or TSH. (There are eleven different tests available.) The rates are very reasonable and there are special package deals for multiple tests. Please note that you pay Northwest Wellness directly so your Evergreen Club discount is not applicable. This is a great opportunity for the uninsured or for those of you whose health insurance does not cover lab tests.
We are planning on having these in-store health screenings at least every six months so it presents an opportunity to see how you are progressing with your alternative treatments. To encourage you to take good care of your bones, we will have three great bone-support formulas on sale in April. Take them for six months, then come back in October and have another scan to see how they are working for you.
THE STUFF THAT BONES ARE MADE OF
Bones are not static, they are constantly being remodeled by the processes of resorption (breaking down) and deposition (building up). Bones support our soft squishy parts, but they also act as a storehouse for minerals necessary for many physiological functions. If we are not getting adequate amounts of minerals from our diet and/or supplements, our bones give them up. Therefore it is imperative to supply the essential building blocks of bone to keep us in balance.
Most of us know that calcium is important for maintaining bone density, but its not the whole story. Underlying it all is the protein-based bone matrix containing a large amount of collagen which helps maintain flexibility.
Next, many minerals form the bone. Magnesium creates well formed, resilient bone crystals on the matrix. One of the most abundant minerals on land and sea, strontium, adds strength to bones and teeth, brings calcium into the bones and is attracted to sites of active remodeling. (It is very safe and not to be confused with strontium-90.) Boron decreases urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium and enhances vitamin D. Manganese stimulates the production of the protein matrix while zinc enhances calcium uptake. In addition, phosphorus, silicon and copper support strong, flexible bones. These minerals not only make up bone tissue, but help to maintain proper blood levels of calcium which is important because too much calcium in the blood can lead to hardening of the arteries.
Vitamins also play a role in creating healthy bones. Vitamin D works with magnesium and phosphorus in forming crystals which give strength and elasticity to our bones and it helps to regulate the amount of calcium in blood and bones. Vitamin K also attracts calcium to the protein matrix and keeps it there, and it encourages bone remodeling and repair. Vitamin C is essential for collagen formation.
THREE GREAT BONE SUPPORT FORMULAS
Coming up in our April sale will be three of our most popular bone support formulas. BONE STRENGTH TAKE CARE by New Chapter and Vitamin Codes RAW CALCIUM from Garden of Life are organic whole-food supplements containing probiotics and active enzymes. Equally important, both contain AlgaeCal, a certified organic, marine-sourced, vegan mineral complex containing calcium and 73 other elements and trace minerals. Both of these products contain calcium, magnesium, strontium, silica and vanadium from algae, a highly bioavailable form, and vitamin D3.
In addition, New Chapters Bone Strength contains vitamin K1 plus MK-7, the form of vitamin K2 which is superior for binding calcium to bone and inhibiting calcification of the arteries. On the other hand, Garden of Lifes Raw Calcium has vitamin C, vitamin K2 and boron. Two-part GROW BONE has a bottle of Raw Calcium and a bottle of Growth Factor S which contains strontium citrate as well as food-created strontium in a special probiotic, enzyme and raw food blend. Please note that Growth Factor S should not be taken by children or by pregnant or nursing women.
Our third, very popular, bone formula is BONE-UP from Jarrow. In this blend the minerals come from MCHA, sourced from Australian bovine bone from chemical-free, range-grazed calves (not veal calves). The advantage of MCHA is that it contains minerals, proteins and other substances found in human bone plus bone-growth-stimulating osteoblast cells. Bone-Up also has collagen-supportive vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin K1 and MK-7 plus half a dozen additional minerals.
The effectiveness of these products is supported by research but you have the opportunity to see for yourself with an easy and inexpensive bone scan at Evergreen Nutrition on April first followed by a second scan in October. We hope you will give one of these products a try — we think you will be pleased with the results.
To learn more check out these websites:
algaecal.com
gardenoflife.com
jarrow.com
newchapter.com
From Evergreen’s Archives: March 2011
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