Bones are the body’s first lines of defense. They protect the brain, heart and lungs and anchor the muscles. They keep us mobile. And all they ask in return is our support to keep them strong: good nutrition, weight-bearing exercise, calcium and Vitamin D.

Bones’ needs also vary with age. You accumulate an astonishing 90 percent of all your bone mass by the time you’re 21, so it pays to bank that calcium in your early years. After that, it’s all about maintenance — which is important if you don’t want to be a senior citizen with broken hips or curved vertebrae, which can lead to hunched posture and difficulty breathing.

Because once you hit adulthood, you are cruising on what you’ve accumulated in calcium and in Vitamin D, which helps you metabolize that calcium.

Read more about bone health at Newday

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

The main causes of osteoporosis are reduced production of the hormones estrogen (in women) and testosterone (in men) as we grow older. It is most common in women after the menopause. However it can also appear in older men and in younger people, usually as a result of hormone deficiencies, sometimes due to calcium deficiency or certain medications.

Osteoporosis is a condition defined as low bone mineral density – in other words, weak bones. Weak bones are likely to break more easily and the classic case is a senior lady who frequently falls and breaks wrists, hips and other bones. The risk of these fractures occurring is increased of course if the person easily loses their balance. This is associated with certain diseases but also happens much more often in elderly people. Poor eyesight also results in more frequent falls.

Broken wrists can make independent living difficult, especially as it is quite common to break both in the same fall. Fractures of major bones like the pelvis are more serious and often require surgery. Read the rest of this entry »

MSNBC has this article about losing weight as you get older. Thought it would be great info for people that are struggling these days.

While time may adorn you with new lines on your face, a new color hair (gray) and a new waistline, the passing decades are not to blame for all of the changes in your body. Your eating habits, your attitude and your approach to everyday experiences also play key roles.

As we age, our bodies lose muscle and gain fat. Our nutritional needs change, as well. But you don’t necessarily feel these changes on a daily basis. Metabolism gradually slows each decade after age 20, so it’s not as if you suddenly wake up 10 pounds heavier. It creeps up slowly. Fortunately, you do have some control over your changing body and slowing metabolism. Some strategies to help you avoid a midlife diet crisis: Read the rest of this entry »

I am really stretching the vitamin D thing lately but I just saw some medical news out of a skin conference in Praugue that explained research that a certain kind of Vitamin D supplement was more effective that topical steroidal cream for getting rid of eczema, this is bound to be big news in my house.

Almost half of patients with steroid-resistant hand eczema had complete or near-complete clearance when treated with the oral vitamin D analog alitretinoin, according to data from two randomized clinical trials.

Almost 80% of patients who relapsed after alitretinoin withdrawal regained disease control when treated again with the 9-cis retinoic acid agent, Uwe Hillen, M.D., of University Clinic in Essen, Germany, reported here at the International Congress of Dermatology.

“Alitretinoin produced improvement in all of the individual signs and symptoms of chronic hand eczema,” said Dr. Hillen. “Patients who relapse after initial treatment can be effectively retreated with alitretinoin, suggesting it is a suitable, intermittent treatment option for the long-term management of this chronic, relapsing disease.”

So the question is how hard would is be to get alitretinoin prescribed for this. The other question is weather taking alitretinoin is a bit of overkill for most people that have eczema probably this is suspected to be the best treatment for people with very bad rashes.

I wrote a post last week about the seeming epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency. My wife, sister, and friend all have this and I was kind of wondering why thinking that maybe the lack of time in the sun in the Winter may be the culprit.

As we all have heard in the past the best way to get Vitamin D is to get time in the sun although there are many food sources for Vitamin D like  salmon, sardines, shrimp, milk, cod, and eggs.

I found the following snippet of info from a Canadian doctor in talking about our body synthesizing and getting Vitamin D from being in the sun: Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday my wife got results from some blood tests and they showed that she had a vitamin D deficiency. I thought that this was odd since I was under the impression that anyone that got enough sun would have their bodies create enough vitamin D to stay healthy.

I was apparently wrong.

Not only is my wife deficient but a friend of hers as well as my sister too. I am not sure how widespread the problem of vitamin D deficiency is but in looking this up I have found that it is a lot more common than we would believe.

The body creates vitamin D and you also get it from fish and bread that is fortified with Vitamin D. Other sources of Vitamin D include eggs and liver. Read the rest of this entry »

Children from newborns to teens need double the previously recommended amount of vitamin D, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). New research points to growing evidence that the nutrient once called “sunshine vitamin” is needed in increased amounts to prevent serious diseases, in addition to strengthening bones.

The new recommendation of 400 units daily replaces a 2003 AAP recommendation of 200 units daily. To meet the new vitamin D recommendation, millions of children will need to take daily vitamin supplements. This includes breastfed infants and many children and teens. The new recommendations include:

• Breastfed and partially breastfed infants should be supplemented with 400 IU a day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life.
• All non-breastfed infants, as well as older children, who are consuming less than a quart per day of vitamin D-fortified formula or milk, should receive a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU a day.
• Adolescents who do not obtain 400 IU of vitamin D per day through foods should take a supplement containing that amount.
• Children with increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, such as those taking certain medications, may need higher doses of vitamin D.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have a new batch of posts that I have run across that I wanted to let you know about. These are about all sorts of things but are all a really great read if you want to do more to keep yourself healthy.

12 Winter Depression Busters

We are entering Winter. If winter is not ourside of your front door then it is probably getting close anyway. Here are 12 tips that should help you stay healthy over the winter.

Checking your Vitamin D

Did you know that Vitamin D deficeincies happen most during the Winter? When there is not as much sun in the sky and we are outdoors less we do not get a chance to get as much Vitamin D as we may need. Dr Gabe Mirkin tells us about a blood test that we can get to check our level of Vitamin D in our system.

10 Commandments of Primal Gym Time

Zen to Fitness is a great blog and I loved the pic on this page of Arnold the Governator with his future wife probably taken back in the early 80s. Anyway the article itself is a great list of things to do to get the most our of your weight workout.

I have written before about the best way to suntan and the best ways to get rid of a sunburn but now that Summer is here and I really do get concerned about the people that read my suntanning articles.

I worry that people will get sunburned, I know that people can easily get skin cancer from overexposure to the sun but also I remember how hard I tried in my late teens and twenties to get the best suntan possible with the skin type that I have.

These sun worshipers bake themselves carefully and with proper apparent care. They are careful to turn and twist their bodies in a way best calculated to get an even, rich suntan over as much of their skin as possible. They slather themselves with the latest lotion that promises to keep out harmful sun-ray effects and most importantly guarantees a deep tan.

“Ah, it feels so good,” they say. And I, with a trace of the sun worshiper still in me, agree. The warmth feels like a balm. Vitamin D is brought to the body by the sunlight’s effect on the skin. The pimples of acne can diminish or disappear when the sun’s ultraviolet rays play upon them.

Any teen-ager who winces with pain of sunburn when clapped on the back can testify that the extra time in the sun is never good. For everyone there is an amount and degree of sun beyond which danger lies.

Even a person who tans readily and easily may get harmful changes in his skin if he has too much exposure. Read the rest of this entry »

1. 20 calories: Mushrooms have essential nutrients that are good for heart health and help boost immunity. They have fewer calories than a rice cake.

2. Flavor: Mushrooms have umami — the fifth taste. They add savory flavor when paired with other foods.

3. Vitamin D: Mushrooms contain 4 percent of the daily value of vitamin D. No other fresh vegetable or fruit has vitamin D.

4. Good for you: Mushrooms’ antioxidant capacity is comparable to that of brightly colored vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, red peppers and broccoli.

5. Hold the burger: Data suggest if men substituted a 4-ounce grilled portabella mushroom for a 4-ounce grilled hamburger over the course of a year, they could save more than 18,000 calories and nearly 3,000 grams of fat. That’s the equivalent of 5.3 pounds, or 30 sticks of butter.

Learn more at mushroominfo.com.