Joint and bone health
Bones- vitamin D3 with Vit. K2 seem to be a great pairing for bone health.
It has been shown in many studies that the intake of Vitamins D3 (cholecalciferol) helps absorption and maintaining blood levels of calcium. Recently K2 has been shown to help the body move calcium into the bones with studies showing reduction of hip fractures, increased bone density and maintaining skeletal height.
Vitamin D3 doses vary and getting blood levels can be helpful
I usually recommend a dose of 1-2000 IU for people in the summer then increase dose to 2000-4000 IU in the Winter.
Vit k2 doses for osteoporosis or osteopenia in the range of 50-100 mcg daily( beware if taking blood thinners)
Inflammation- Fish oils. EPA/DHA, Tumeric/ginger, Digestive enzymes,Glucosamine/chondroiton
There are many things we can do to moderate inflammation of the joints. I will be focused on some of the more common natural medicines that can be used to help with the inflammatory process
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Fishoils- have the active essential omega 3 fatty acids of EPA and DHA. EPA is more directed to inflammatory response mediation while DHA is geared more for Brain health and functions.
Typical doses need to be high to have a physiological effect. 1-2000 mg of the active EPA/DHA is a good place to start. This can have some blood thinning qualities so tell your doctor and discontinue before surgeries.
Tumeric/ ginger- are two very well know anti inflammatory herbs that may be in your cabinet. They can be found in many anti inflammatory herbal medicines.
Tumeric can be taken at 500 mg 3 x a day and usually starts to show affects around 6 weeks to 8 weeks time
Ginger can be taken 500-1000 mg 2 x a day with similar time to show affects
Digestive Enzymes- As we age our ability to produce stomach acid and our ability to digest our foods decreases. Digestive enzymes are a great supplement to get the most out of our foods. They can also be used to help with inflammation if they are taken on an empty stomach. For inflammatory reduction it is useful to take protein lysing enzymes.
Bromelain, Papain, and protease are great enzymes to be used for anti inflammatory actions.
They should be taken away from food 2 hrs after meals or 30 min before meals. Usually 1 -2 capsules.
Glucosamine/Chondroiton These can be taken together to help with arthritis by increasing the lubrication in the joints. Can start with 1500mg glucosamine and 1200mg chondroitin then move to lower doses if affect is noted.
Exercise- Weight bearing exercise is great for bone health. Light weights, walking, qi gong shaking etc. are all great ways to have the bones remodel to help support our weight.