Extra calcium important for your health
As a natural therapist I usually recommend that most women over 30 start to take a calcium supplement. Calcium is not only important in having healthy bones and teeth but for other areas of the body such as getting our enzymes to function properly, blood clotting, taking care of the nervous system, having a healthy heart and muscle function. Our body monitors the amount of calcium it has and removes calcium from the bones if it is needed elsewhere. That is not a good thing because it makes for illnesses like osteoporosis.
The body stores most of its calcium in the bones which is what keeps them strong but if there is not enough calcium in the blood as there should be then a signal is sent for the body to hold on to the calcium and the kidneys do not release it in the urine. If not enough Calcium is eaten then it also gets taken from the bones and distributed elsewhere. This over a period of time can cause you to have brittle bones which can lead to fractures.
Generally as we get older we are perhaps not as balanced on our feet as we could be or we may be prone to spells of dizziness which could cause us to fall and if the bones are not strong we could easily break them. If our bones are strong we are less prone to injuries.
Osteoporosis is a major Health issue as we get older, particularly for women. It occurs when the bones get thinner and have less strength and is often due to not enough calcium throughout your whole life and can even be a result of not having enough calcium as you were growing up and continuing this into adult life. If your peak bone mass was not reached in the years you were growing this can easily occur. Another reason is when we go through menopause the depletion in hormones changes the way the body metabolises substances and the bones become weaker for that reason also.
On the other end of the scale pregnant women need more calcium than average to assist the growth of the baby and to ensure they have adequate calcium for their own needs.
Statistics show that many women do not consume enough calcium and also do not increase it enough when they are pregnant. The reasons could be that many of us have cut down on our dairy products due to sinus problems and lactose intolerances. Dairy products however are not a good thing to put into the body which is why I usually recommend for my clients a natural supplement. Calcium can also be found in leafy green vegetables although it may not be absorbed easily by the body and you would need large portions of it. Calcium is also found in sardines, tofu, nuts as well as fortified foods such as breakfast cereals. So there are many ways to get your daily supply of calcium and for your body to remain healthy because of it.
Having said this though it also needs to be said that if you have kidney stones or other illnesses which cause your body not to metabolise calcium properly then you need to be careful as to how much calcium you actually eat. The only way to know how to handle this is to consult your natural therapist who will tell you what to take specifically for your case to keep you healthy.
