Making sense of Calcium and D-lightful D-clarations

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D-lightful D-clarations A group of female doctors representing the American Medical Women's Association concluded - at a conference sponsored by Big Pharma, no less - that for maximum bone strength and resistance to brittleness and breakage, the best course of action is aggressive supplementation with dietary vitamin D. Not drugs, but the "sun-vitamin" which the VAST MAJORITY of Americans are woefully deficient of. As a little icing on the cake, these lady-MDs also pointed a finger of guilt squarely at that archenemy of all health, sunscreen - As if any

more evidence were needed to convince you to throw open the windows and bask in sunlight's glow - or get outside for at least 15 minutes a day - no matter what your latitude on the map, consider this: New evidence shows that vitamin D could help treat steroid-resistant asthma. According to some recent research conducted by scientists at King's College London, both tests on human cells and trials on a small group of asthmatic patients reveal that vitamin D supplementation may help make even patients that don't respond well to inhaled steroids (the typical asthma treatment) more responsive to their therapy. The study's authors theorize that the vitamin may boost asthma patients' production of a chemical called IL-10, which modulates the immuno-response of T-cells - a key factor in asthma management. According to the WebMD article, the scientists also hypothesize that vitamin D may play a role in helping to control other diseases of the immune system or involving inflammation But enough of the medical gobbledygook. What this means is if you have asthma,

and your mainstream-prescribed steroids aren't helping (or aren't helping as much as they used to), you've nothing to lose - and perhaps a lot to gain - by aggressively supplementing with vitamin D. Or you could eat plenty of D-rich foods, like meats, eggs, and milk (only if you can find a source of raw milk). Continuing in the same vein, below is an article related to what has been said above .. Calcium absorption too requires Vitamin D Why and How can you get it easily - Read

on Making Sense of Calcium URL - http://drbenkim.com/nutrient-calcium.html Calcium is the most abundant mineral found in your body. Approximately 99 percent of the calcium in your body is found in your bones and teeth while the remaining 1 percent is found in your blood and remaining tissues.What Does Calcium Do in Your Body? Helps to form strong teeth and bones Allows muscle tissue to grow and contract properly during physical activities Helps regulate blood pH,

which is essential to your body's ability to properly transport oxygen and carbon dioxide Allows for proper blood coagulation Allows for proper functioning of your heart and nerves Due to its importance to a number of critical metabolic activities, the amount of calcium that is available to your blood and tissues must be carefully regulated at all times. Your bones and teeth serve as reservoirs of calcium that your blood taps into for its ongoing need for calcium. Ultimately, the amount of calcium that your blood saps from your bones and teeth is determined by the amount of calcium that your blood receives from your diet. Clearly, the health of your bones is closely linked to how many calcium-rich foods you eat and how

well you digest and assimilate them. Here are some healthy, whole food sources of calcium: Whole Food Sources Serving Calcium (mg) Sardines 3 ounces 372 Chinese cabbage, cooked 1/2 cup 239 Spinach, cooked 1/2 cup 230 Rhubarb, cooked 1/2 cup 174 Wild salmon, canned with bones 3 ounces 167 Kale, cooked 1 cup 122 White beans, cooked 1/2

cup 113 Bok choy, cooked 1/2 cup 79 Broccoli, cooked 1 cup 70 Pinto beans, cooked 1/2 cup 45 Red beans, cooked 1/2 cup 41 Three additional healthy food sources of calcium are: Broths made with organic bones Organic, unpasteurized dairy from properly raised goats, cows, or sheep Super green food products that contain a variety of organic green vegetables Eating plenty of healthy, calcium-rich foods does not guarantee that you will have healthy bones and teeth. Please be aware of the following factors that can influence your calcium and overall health status: Your body needs an adequate amount of vitamin

D to properly absorb calcium through your intestinal wall. Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the western world today. Taking iron and zinc supplements can inhibit calcium absorption. If you eat lots of whole grains without soaking, fermenting, or sprouting them, the phytic acid found in the bran of whole grains can bind onto calcium and prevent its absorption into your blood stream. Soaking whole grains overnight before preparing them to eat can neutralize phytic acid and prevent problems with calcium absorption. Stress is capable of leeching calcium out of your bones. Eating too many acid-forming foods like flesh meats, dairy products, flour products, salt, sugar, and caffeine can pull calcium out of your bones. Because of the many variables that can affect how well you absorb calcium into your blood and maintain the strength of your bones and teeth,

it is practically impossible to provide an accurate recommended daily allowance of dietary calcium for different age groups. There are, however, a few concrete steps that you can take to promote healthy calcium and bone status: Strive to eat some of the calcium-rich foods listed above on a regular basis. Don't forget to apply principles of how to eat for optimal digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Do some weight-bearing exercise every day. I don't know of a single better weight-bearing exercise than walking outdoors. Ensure that you have a healthy amount of vitamin D in your system by getting some exposure to sunlight and eating foods rich in vitamin

D on a regular basis. Choose to eat iron-rich and zinc-rich foods before resorting to synthetic supplement forms of iron and zinc. Soak whole grains overnight before preparing them to eat. Find ways to effectively manage emotional stressors in your life. Be on the lookout for a new article on this topic that I will post in the near future. Don't use large amounts of flesh meats, flour products, salt, and caffeine. Sugar is best avoided completely. These are the guidelines that I personally follow to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth and ensure healthy calcium status in my body.