Cold damp weather tends to bring on aches and pains in the joints: However there are a number of helpful steps we can take to:
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Improve the health of our joints
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Speed up recovery time from injury
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Improve our blood circulation
1. Healthy Joint Function: We can normally relate painful, stiff joints to a lack of “raw material” to feed the joint and improve the integrity of the bones, muscles, tendons and cartilage. Equally, an acidic diet aggravates joints and increases the risk of arthritis because the acids tend to settle in the joints. Adopting an alkaline diet can improve our health in a multitude of ways. The following Foodstate supplements provide us with the essential “raw materials” to maintain healthy joints:
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Glucosamine: This nutrient resembles a vitamin and we produce it naturally in the body, but as we age our production diminishes, causing joint pain
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Enoceride: This product was created to promote healthy skin, however it is rich in marine collagen which helps the body to repair and regenerate cartilage. Cartilage has very modest blood supply so is slow to heal, but over time it can be regenerated
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Joint & Bone Support: This excellent multi-nutrient has been created with a number of foodstate vitamins and minerals that support every aspect of the joint - the muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. We have used this product extensively to help elderly people recover bone mass density
- Avoid Calcium Supplements! Don’t take calcium supplements unless they are in food (foodstate) form. They will not help your bones and in some instances will actually damage them – see further notes below**
2. Recovering From Injury: If you have suffered an injury or had an operation then we highly recommend Foodstate Vitamin C to speed up the healing process. Vitamin C is water-soluble so we don’t store it, and as such we need regular replenishment. It is a potent antioxidant which supports the immune system and also:
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Supports the structure of connective tissue
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Supports the structure of blood vessels
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Supports the structure of healthy bones
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Supports healthy skin
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Supports healthy teeth and gums
3. Improving Blood Circulation: Poor circulation is more prevalent in winter as temperature drops, but there are some things you can take to improve your circulation
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Omega 3 Fish Oil: We normally associate Omega 3 fish oil with brain function, but it also plays a role in maintaining a healthy heart and improved circulation because the oil in fish acts as a natural “anti-freeze”. Our Omega 3 Fish Oil provides high potency DHA-EPA (omega 3) fatty acids extracted from whole fish (sardine & anchovy) with the livers removed. Omega 3 is a healthy fat which cannot be produced by the body and must therefore be obtained through diet or supplementation.
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Magnesium: Cramp can be associated with poor circulation and is very often caused by a simple deficiency in Magnesium. Leg cramps can be painful and debilitating, and can often interrupt sleep with incidences more common at night-time. Although Magnesium deficiency is the most likely cause, cramp can also be caused by a deficiency of zinc, calcium, Vitamin B3 and Vitamin C. Cramp that occurs during intense exercise can be alleviated with Vitamin E
**Calcium Concerns: Joint and bone health is becoming a bigger and bigger issue, especially for women during and after the menopause. Calcium is important to bone health - basic knowledge tells us that bones contain calcium, and this is where bone nutrition began – with supplying as much calcium as possible to people with brittle bones. This has been a disaster for 2 reasons: Firstly, we need more than just calcium for bone health, and secondly, 99% of Calcium supplements simply don’t help. Bones are a complex structure of many minerals including Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper, Silicon and Sulphur, along with protein and collagen to build up the honeycomb matrix. What tends to happen is people take high doses of calcium (normally calcium carbonate which is blackboard chalk) creating a calcium excess in the blood, which then needs balancing with phosphorus. To achieve that balance, phosphorus is leached from the bones with the net result of bones weakening further.
However - Calcium is still Essential! Food Calcium is not only essential for bones, it is also vital for brain function, blood clotting, muscle contraction and communication between cells. The supply for all these needs comes from calcium circulating in the blood. If there is insufficient in the diet then calcium is pulled from the bones to compensate.
So how do Foodstate nutrients help this situation? Primarily, all our nutrients have their own inherent delivery systems, so that they won’t rob the body of its own resources to satisfy their own needs. Secondly our formulas are carefully designed to include a variety of nutrients needed for particular functions within the body, rather than focusing on just one element. This way we help you take care of the body as a whole.
Do Dairy Products Help? Not in excess. Dairy foods encourage mucus production within the digestive tract, interfering with the absorption of nutrients across the intestinal wall. Coupled with this, in the presence of milk proteins, calcium absorption is poorer still. Although green leafy vegetables may appear gram for gram to contain less calcium, their digestibility and ease of absorption makes them a particularly good source. Conversely, meat protein causes calcium excretion with women over 50 excreting twice the calcium if they are heavy meat eaters as those who arn’t.
