Mar 14, 20235 min read

I'VE GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU

Have you been diagnosed with the following:

OSTEOPOROSIS

OSTEOPENIA

BONE DENSITY ISSUES

RICKETS

PAGETS DISEASE

OSTEOARTHRITIS

OSTEOMYELITIS

OSTEOMALACIA

Let's look at what could be causing this.......

THE VITAMIN D DEBATE

It seems the best advice these days is to take a Vitamin D supplement but there are so many other thing to consider before you pop that pill.

Firstly, what is Vitamin D good for?

Absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphorous.
Needed for growth and especially important for the normal growth and development of bones and teeth in children (and adults really)
Protects against muscle weakness
Regulates heart rate and heartbeat
Prevents and treats against the following diseases:

Breast and colon cancer

Osteoporosis

Osteoarthritis

Hypocalcaemia (lack of calcium in the body and bones)
Poor immune system or overactive immune system causing auto immune diseases
Thyroid and hormonal function
Normal blood clotting

The next question is how much do you take?

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin which means it doesn’t naturally flush out of your system, there is therefore a risk in taking too much of the supplement. Taking a dose that is too high can lead to Vitamin D toxicity which has a few uncomfortable and risky symptoms of its own. The most serious symptoms are caused by dangerously high levels of calcium in blood, which may harm the heart and kidneys.

Let’s look more closely at the absorption and utilization of calcium. There a few more things to consider besides Vitamin D when it comes to this.

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CALCIUM

Calcium is a mineral most often associated with healthy bones and teeth, although it also plays an important role in blood clotting, helping muscles to contract, and regulating normal heart rhythms and nerve functions. Some of the roles of calcium include:

Supports bone health.
Helps regulate muscle contractions.
Helps maintain weight.
Strengthens teeth.
Transports nutrients.
Lessens PMS.
Supports heart health.
Balances pH levels.

SOME CALCIUM MYTHS:

Only calcium is needed for strong bones!

Incorrect! To maintain strong bones you don't only need an adequate intake of calcium, but also vitamin D for calcium absorption, and vitamin K2 for binding calcium to bone. Vitamin K2 is not commonly found in the every day diet, especially the Indian diet, and Vitamin D is not available in correct amounts in your daily diet. Most people also are now afraid to go into the sun for the body to make its own Vitamin D so the deficiency numbers are great.

We need to drink dairy milk to get calcium!

Incorrect! Almond, Pea and Flaxseed Milk have more calcium than Cows milk

Consuming milk is enough to keep your bones healthy!

Incorrect! Strong bones also require other methods such as weightbearing exercise like weight lifting and walking with weights, and getting enough Vitamin D3.

In fact studies show the following:

Milk doesn't make your bones stronger, and may even increase bone fractures and cause premature death

Harvard scientist looked at the childhood and adolescents, where we encourage children and adolescents to increase milk consumption for stronger bones. But to the surprise of scientists, milk consumption during teenage years was not associated with a lower risk of hip fracture, and if anything, milk consumption was associated with a borderline increase in fracture risk in males.

Puzzled scientist tried to look into the reasons. In a rare genetic disease galactosemia, where you cannot detoxify galactose, leading to elevated levels of galactose in the blood, which leads to bone loss. Perhaps even healthy people can-not clear galactose 100% and can be one possible reason for the bone loss and fractures. Galactose is what scientists use to cause premature aging in lab animals—it can shorten their lifespan, cause oxidative stress, inflammation, and brain degeneration—just with the equivalent of like 1-2 glasses of milk’s worth of galactose a day. In a study, 100,000 men and women were followed for up to 20 years. Researchers found that milk-drinking women had higher rates of death, more heart disease, and significantly more cancer for each glass of milk. Three glasses a day was associated with nearly twice the risk of premature death, and they had significantly more bone and hip fractures. More milk, more fractures.

Men in another study also had a higher rate of death with higher milk consumption, but they didn’t have higher fracture rates. Researchers found a dose dependent higher rate of both mortality and fracture in women, and a higher rate of mortality in men with milk intake. But when folks consumed fermented milk products like yogurt, kefir or lassi, the opposite was true. People have less fracture and fewer deaths, which strengthens galactose theory.

Reference:&

J Bone Miner Res. 2011 Apr;26(4):833-9. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.279.

JAMA Pediatr. 2014 Jan;168(1):54-60. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.3821.

BMJ. 2014 Oct 28;349:g6015. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g6015.

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PARATHYROID HORMONE

We have glands in our thyroid called the parathyroid glands. These glands, located behind the thyroid at the bottom of your neck, are about the size of a grain of rice. The parathyroid hormone produced by the thyroid glands helps maintain the right balance of calcium in the bloodstream and in tissues that depend on calcium for proper functioning.

The Parathyroid Glands produce a hormone called Calcitonin. This regulates and distributes calcium to the various parts of the body that require it. Therefore if the Vitamin D is low, the parathyroid glands can’t regulate the calcium therefore producing illnesses such as Osteoporosis and arthritis.

When the parathyroid glands produce too little of this hormone (PTH), blood levels of calcium fall and phosphorous levels rise.

When the parathyroid glands produce too much of this hormone (PTH) this causes calcium levels in your blood to rise too high, which can lead to health problems such as bone thinning, kidney stones and an obstruction of blood flow.

SYMPTOMS OF LOW PARATHORMONE FUNCTION (HYPOPARATHYROIDISM):

Tingling in the lips, hands, fingers and toes
Dental malformations (eg, misshapen teeth, loss of enamel)
Dry hair, dry skin, brittle nails, thinning hair
Cataracts
Headaches, memory loss
Twitching, muscle cramps/pain in the face, hands, legs or feet
Tetany (severe muscle spasm)
Impaired kidney function
Yeast infection (candidiasis) of the nails, skin, mouth

SYMPTOMS OF HIGH PARATHYROID FUNCTION (HYPERPARATHYROIDISM):

Weak bones that break easily (osteoporosis)
Kidney stones.
Excessive urination.
Stomach (abdominal) pain.
Tiring easily or weakness.
Depression or forgetfulness.
Bone and joint pain.
Frequent complaints of illness with no clear cause.
chronic fatigue
body aches
difficulty sleeping
memory loss
poor concentration
depression
headaches.

Long term effects of high calcium levels in the blood can cause more serious symptoms over time:

Seizure
irregular heartbeat
Heart attack
Loss of consciousness
Coma

So you have been advised to take a Vitamin D supplement and of course a good dose of calcium every day for good strong bones – but have you checked your PTH and blood calcium levels? The risks we see above of not checking are high!

The connection between vitamin D, calcium and the parathyroid hormone are vitally important, not just for healthy teeth and bones but for the rest of your body and health as well.

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At an appointment with us, we check to see whether your PTH and blood calcium levels are off balance – if they are, that is where we start. We also check on your vitamin D levels as that is where it all begins.

Our consultation covers all these bases so you do not end up compromising one area to supplement the other. Balance is the key and we make sure your whole body is supported in all areas.

CALL US ON 083 654 9943 AND ASK FOR AN APPOINTMENT WITH LINDY