Yoga - Meditation - Healing - Music Therapy - Counselling - Mystic Yoga Studio - Corporate Programs

January 16,2012

In a wild life documentary I noticed that when a pack of dogs attacked a lion, two of them were killed by a very slight movement of the lions paw. This could perhaps be attributed to the remarkable hardness of the bone of its fore leg. Legend says that the lion and other wild animals derive their bone strength from a salt less diet. Excessive salt intake is of course known (medically proven) to weaken bone density in humans.

Whether you are 16 or 60 it is never too early or too late to start your quest for increasing bone strength or density. Dont we all want to stay fit, stay strong, and stay healthy? Is not arthritis, lumbar problems, disc issues crippling physically and more so psychologically? Join me in a quest for a race that has strong knees, strong spine and a stable mind.

Other than genetic set up, nutrition and exercise are two of the biggest determinants of the bone strength or bone density. Broadly speaking our lifestyle as well

Imagine (barely) how an average software engineer uses his body compared to an individual in Tibet. Also think (superficially) what a kid from a middle class family in Mumbai eats compared to a child in rural India.

Next intake of nutrients is not sufficient by itself. Absorption of nutrients for growth and strength of bone is dependent on the right type of exercise. Weakening or strengthening of bones is a gradual process, running down at least into years and often decades. If popping a few pills was a remedy osteoporosis (loss of bone density) would have been instantly reversible!

DIETARY CAUTION Beware of calcium robbers!

Often young adults complain of loss of vigor after excessive intake of caffeine or colas especially along with Pizzas. Rationally speaking certain foods actually suck the minerals out of the bone or neutralize the bones ability to grow. It is certainly a wise idea to carefully monitor your Salt, Cola, Caffeine, Alcohol, and to your surprise Vitamin A intake.

Salt

Salt saps calcium from the bones, weakening them over time. Processed foods like canned soup, beans, junk food, wafers, fries, may be consumed very sparingly. Or simply put those who eat out often end up ingesting double the 2,300 milligrams of salt we should get in a day. For every 2,300 milligrams of sodium you take in, you lose about 40 milligrams of calcium, dietitians say.

Soft Drinks / Colas

The fuzziness in carbonated drinks often comes from phosphoric acid, which ups the rate at which calcium is excreted in the urine.

Caffeine

The numbers for caffeine aren't as bad as for salt, but caffeine's action is similar, leaching calcium from bones. For every 100 milligrams of caffeine (the amount in a small to medium-sized cup of coffee), you lose 6 milligrams of calcium. That's not a lot, but it can become a problem if you tend to overindulge. Adding milk to your coffee helps to offset the problem, of course. (However adding even a drop of milk to tea makes it acidic. Strictly avoid milk in tea)

Vitamin A

In the case of vitamin A, recent research is proving that you really cant get too much of a good thing. Found in eggs, full-fat dairy, liver, and vitamin-fortified foods, vitamin A is important for vision and the immune system. Switch to low-fat or nonfat dairy products only, and eat egg whites rather than whole eggs (all the vitamin A is in the yolk).

Alcohol Think of alcohol as a calcium-blocker; it prevents the bone-building minerals you eat from being absorbed. And heavy drinking disrupts the bone remodeling process by preventing the bone-building cells, from doing their job. So not only do bones become weaker, but when you do suffer a fracture, alcohol can interfere with healing.

DIETARY SUGGESTIONS:

Green and leafy vegetables are of course the most natural source of calcium, magnesium and trace minerals that help strengthen the bones. Other than that I will like to offer 2 concrete suggestions.

1. Raw turmeric boiled in milk: Sounds like grandmas recipe. Doesnt it? Sports men (list includes Sachin Tendulkar) have been loyal to it for years together. Legend says night time is the best time to have this potent drink for best results.

2. Flax Seed: It may be tiny, but its mighty. The flax seed carries one of the biggest nutrient payloads on the planet. Flax seed is high in most of the B vitamins, magnesium and manganese. Further it contains Omega-3 fatty acids and is a key force against inflammation in our bodies. Increasingly research shows inflammation is a key force in many chronic disease like arthritis, slip disc and spondylitis. Organic flax seeds are available at health stores or wellness shops. Easiest way to use: sprinkle them on your salad or sand witch.

YOGA, LIFESTYLE & BONE STRENGTH

According to physician and yoga expert Mary Schatz, M.D Yoga stimulates bone remodeling and improves the absorption of calcium from the intestine and promotes its deposition on the bones. Yoga does this through weight-bearing poses (like arm balances, inversions, and standing poses) that affect the whole spine, arms, shoulders, elbows, legs, knees, ankles, and feet, while encouraging full range of motion.

Good Posture:

Good posture is critical to keeping your spine healthy, strong, and flexible. Yoga, particularly standing and seated poses, can help. When a woman suffers from osteoporosis, her vertebrae weaken and become vulnerable to collapse. If she has poor posture on top of a weakened spine, the likelihood of vertebral fracture increases. If the head sits forward on the shoulders, the weight is not evenly distributed along the spine. Instead, the fronts of the thoracic vertebrae receive the majority of the weight and are prone to stress fractures. Systemic practice of Yoga teaches us to sit, stand and walk with the right posture.

Sunbathe:

Paramahansa Yogananda, exponent of Kriya Yoga science to modern man came up with the philosophy & practice of Heliotropic healing, i.e. healing through sun rays. Everyone knows the dangers of getting too much sun. However, early morning sun taken for 10-15 minutes 2-3 times a week provides all the vitamin D your body needs in order to be able to absorb and utilize calcium properly. Yogananda emphasized on sunbathing mindfully to exponentially increasing the healing propensity of Helios or the sun. Like there is a difference between sun falling on paper or sun falling on paper via a magnifying glass. Similarly, when we are aware of the sun rays caressing the body, skin absorbing or drinking of it, the person, the process of sunbathing becomes a healing meditation.