Rubbing You the Right Way: Massage & Osteoporosis

Feed Them Bones!
— Dr. Vic Shayne

Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are of growing concern. Why is this? Much of our health picture today is reflected by the foods we eat in our daily diet. Simply put, most women, especially when they are young and in their middle ages, don’t eat enough of the right kinds of foods to support healthy bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons and joints.

Read about PROMIN COMPLEX
Further, there are certain things that people eat that destroy the musculoskeletal system, which results in more serious health issues later on in life. Such “things” include sugars (not just table sugar, but sugars in many foods and condiments), so read labels carefully; alcohol, and artificial ingredients. Many nutritional oriented doctors also feel that an overabundance of acid-causing foods create joint and bone problems.
Calcium is great, but just not enough. Calcium is very important for bones, but there are other nutrients that are just as important, including vitamin K foods, proteins, amino acids, sulfur-bearing vegetables and essential fat. And women can’t forget the importance of feeding their hormonal system either. Hormones have much to do with a healthy musculoskeletal system (from joints to bones).

Very Healthful, Helpful Nutrients:
CalMag Balance
ProMin Complex
FemPlex (for women)
GreenNutrients
Coconut Butter

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Massage Therapy Helps Osteoarthritis

By Maureen Williams, ND

Healthnotes Newswire (January 11, 2007)—Massage therapy might be a good prescription for people with osteoarthritis, a new study suggests.

The cartilage that cushions the joints is constantly wearing away due to everyday activities and being replaced through healthy repair mechanisms. But as we age, the repair process slows down and the joint cushion thins. The result is osteoarthritis, marked by joint pain, stiffness, and physical disability.

As many as 21 million people in the United States suffer from osteoarthritis, the most commonly reported chronic condition in elderly people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that osteoarthritis causes more physical disability than lung disease, heart disease, and diabetes, and annual costs associated with osteoarthritis are estimated at $60 billion.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are typically prescribed to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, but this family of drugs can cause dangerous side effects including gastritis, gastric ulcers, and liver and kidney problems.

Few treatment options address the causes of osteoarthritis; they generally don’t slow the wearing away of cartilage nor stimulate cartilage repair. Some studies have found that antioxidants might slow cartilage loss, and glucosamine sulfate can stimulate cartilage repair.

A new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at massage therapy as a treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee. Massage therapy relaxes the muscles that support joints, increases circulation, and promotes lymph drainage. These effects could benefit arthritic joints by easing stiffness and pain, and possibly enhancing cartilage repair.

Half of the study’s 68 participants received a one-hour full-body massage twice per week for the first four weeks and once per week for the second four weeks, then no massage for eight weeks. The other half had no massage in the first eight weeks, followed by eight weeks of massage therapy.

The first massage group saw improvements in pain, stiffness, and physical function after their massage therapy period while the group that was not receiving massage therapy did not. These improvements were largely unchanged eight weeks after their last massage. The second group saw similar improvements during their massage therapy period.

“People with arthritis have very few good options, especially now that some commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs have been found to cause serious cardiac problems,” commented Louise Tolzmann, a naturopathic doctor in Portland, Oregon. “Given its very high safety profile and apparent effectiveness, massage therapy should be offered as a treatment option to people with osteoarthritis.”

(Arch Intern Med 2006;166:2533–8)