When a tooth goes bad, what will it be…root canal, implant, bridge, denture appliance or just extract the darn thing? I will review an interview with Michael Einsohn, DC the owner and founder of The Thermography Center of Dallas. He sees daily how the health of each tooth and the type of dental practices affect all parts of the body. Then I’ll ask holistic dentist Philip R. Kozlow, DDS about the benefits versus risks of each common approach to a problem tooth. It is much more complicated (and more important) than most people think. We’ll take your calls about dental issues. Call the live show with questions at 1-800-281-8255. Click here to find podcasts, show archives and how to listen nationwide.

 Enough already
We’ve had it beaten into our heads that we must take lots of calcium from cradle to grave if we hope to forestall osteoporosis. Not only is that a sadly incomplete message about building strong bones, that advice if followed for too long, can cause real trouble. Last week Bill Sardi told us that over-mineralization (excess storage of calcium, iron and copper) increase the risk for chronic diseases and premature aging. In this newsletter, I continue the discussion about calcium. (To learn how to resolve over-mineralization I encourage you to listen to the Sardi interview at this link to the archive if you didn’t hear it live.)

Building bone in early years. Calcium is vital to building bone. However, it doesn’t by any means act alone. Bone-building also requires magnesium, zinc, manganese and boron among other nutrients. The minerals are held in a framework of collagen which in turn is helped by vitamin C. Then there is vitamin D₃ which is essential to the absorption of calcium. (Children who do not get sufficient vitamin D₃ can develop Rickets, a condition of soft bones. We thought that disease was a thing of the past but, overuse of sun screen has caused recent occurrences.) Vitamin K₂ helps make sure calcium goes into bone rather than into arteries thereby setting us up for atherosclerosis. By age 35 or so we’ve reached peak bone mass. After that, it is a matter of maintaining–cramming ourselves with calcium in supplemented orange juice, calcium chews and pills won’t add protection.

Middle age maintenance. If we keep piling on the calcium (especially in the absence of vitamin K2 needed to assure it is going into bone), we may accumulate an excess in other cells (including in the brain) where it gums up the works. Consider this for example: there is some cholesterol in the plaque in arteries that cause heart disease and stroke, but 50% of the deposits are calcium. In middle age, we need to not only back off the intake of calcium but, as Bill Sardi discussed, as we age we must also get sufficient amounts of the chelating agents to remove excess. But, what about preventing osteoporosis? See next item.

Osteoporosis. It should be a clue that what we have been doing isn’t right when the US has the highest intake of calcium and the highest rate of osteoporosis. According to authorities that I respect, osteoporosis is not due to lack of calcium intake but, rather the loss of it from the bones mainly due to declining estrogen in menopause. And, consider this…where does the calcium coming out of the bones go? Some of it goes into that plaque in the arteries from whence it can cause heart disease. (Remember that vitamin K2 helps with that aspect.)

Wait a minute. Didn’t hormone replacement therapy fall out of favor in part because its use was linked to an increase in heart disease? The apparent contradiction is due to the fact that the type hormone replacement in use at the time was not replacement of what a woman would naturally have in her body. The estrogen used was Premarin which is an assortment of estrogens (from pregnant mare urine) only a few of which match that of an actual human. Of perhaps even more concern was that the so-called “progesterone” used to balance the estrogen and prevent uterine cancer was a synthetic (Progestin). The synthetic only does part of the job of real estrogen and I have to wonder if it might not also block some actions of the progesterone the body is able to produce.

Solution. A low carbohydrate diet and exercise help menopause symptoms as do phyto-estrogens (plant estrogens as in flax seed and resveratrol). Vitamin D3, vitamin K2, boron and vitamin C are important for bone health. However, if there is already bone-thinning, the most reliable answer seems to be to replace fading hormones with hormones identical to those the human female creates naturally—bio-identical hormones. (As a bonus, women with sufficient estrogen have smoother skin and thicker hair.) More importantly, their cardiovascular health may be protected as well. LINK. Bio-identical hormones are not discussed in the media very often because of the money behind promoting the patented versions.

National Menopause Month?
For some reason, September is National Menopause Awareness Month. (I’m pretty sure those who are suffering are already aware.) From the way the website set up to support the day plays down the benefit of anything natural, I think it is quite possibly a self-serving creation of the pharmaceutical industry.

Last Week Follow-up
LISTEN to that show in the archives. Nutritionist, author, blogger and terrific radio host, Bill Sardi discusses over-mineralization–how the minerals calcium, iron and copper can increase the risk for disease and premature aging when adults store them in excess. We also covered some ways to reduce those excesses, including resveratrol.  I brought up recent news on vitamin D.

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MY BOOKS:

Fat-Free Folly. Challenges dangerous mainstream thinking about fats. Supported with generous amounts of current science and grounded in a common sense historical framework. Learn how to build health and lose weight while enjoying more delicious food.

Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments. Besides explaining the dangers of these medications and helping fix the real cause (which is seldom too much acid) this book is also helpful for solving other digestive problems.

Aloe Vera – Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy. Research shows that Aloe has benefit beyond skin and digestion–also for immune function, detoxification, nutrient absorption, blood antioxidant levels, blood sugar regulation and more. Learn how to pick the most potent brands.

The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2014 Martie Whittekin, CCN