Phosphorus and Cost Containment

Some NIH material is below on phosphorus.  Many years ago now some one at Medicare decided you could save on health care costs if you deleted this test from the blood chemistry panel.  Fact is that this test is really necessary to make sure you have some idea of how calcium is functioning and your level of bone health.  Labs charge in the area of $120 extra for this test depending on the lab and where you live.  Not much to be said for contining health costs.

Phosphorus is a treat minerals found in some foods such as Cereal Grains, Pasta, Pumpkin, Squash, and Watermelon Seeds. It plays an important role in proper cell functioning, regulation of calcium, strong bones and teeth, and for making ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and also the phospholipids that form all cell membranes(1a).

Phosphorus and bone health
Phosphorus, which constitutes hydroxyapatite with calcium, is a important component of bone. It is considered that there is no need to worry about the lack of phosphorus in the ordinary dietary habits, because a various of foods contain phosphorus.  There is a report of parathyroid hormone and bone resorption markers are increased in case of low calcium/phosphorus intake ratio. In the Dietary reference intakes for Japanese, 2010, shows 3,000 mg/day as a tolerable upper intake level of phosphorus. Some issues such as the intake ratio of calcium to phosphorus and an effect of organic phosphorus and inorganic phosphorus remain to be solved.  SOURCE

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A simple vitamin can strengthern your bones

Natural vitamin K2 in the form of natural MK-7 builds bone strength, helps prevent osteoporosis, and protects the heart. Noted vitamin K expert Dr. Cees Vermeer led the European study which found that natural vitamin K2 as MK-7 (MenaQ 7 ®) significantly increases the strength of both the spine and the hip in postmenopausal women. The study also verified earlier findings about the cardiovascular benefits of this nutrient. Specifically, the use of MK-7 results in improvements in vascular elasticity and a decrease in age-related stiffening of the arteries. The dose used in this trial was 180 mcg of natural vitamin K2 as MK-7, which is the level commonly found in Japanese diets. The trial lasted for 3 years, with relevant improvement in the hip neck area being apparent after 2-3 years. This explains why previous, shorter studies have not typically shown MK-7 benefits on bone and cardiovascular health. This is surely welcome news for all of us who are looking to strengthen our bones and protect our hearts naturally. I am pleased with this scientific validation of what I have been reporting for years — MK-7 offers great benefits for both the skeleton and cardiovascular systems.

My article about Vitamin K and food, overlooked for bone and heart health.

Reference: Vermeer, C., et al., “Mena Q7 Significantly Improves Bone Strength and Prevents Cardiovascular Aging”, Pre-publication presentation, Vitafoods, 2012, Geneva, May 22, 2012

Selected posts (over 30) from Natural Health News

Natural Health News: Lycopene and Vitamin K

Jun 03, 2011

A year later, the same journal published a study showing girls with a better vitamin K status had better bone turnover. But bone health wasn't the only association researchers noticed. Over the next few years, studies on ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Calcium and Bone Health

Jul 30, 2010

“MGP is the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known, but non‐supplemented healthy adults are insufficient in vitamin K to a level that 30 per cent of their MGP is synthesised in an inactive form.

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: More on the Benefits of Vitamin D

Jun 13, 2011

Along with calcium, vitamin D is the nutrient that most people recognize as important for bone health (Holick 2007). But, even today, few people understand the powerful and complex ways that vitamin D acts to promote not ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Bone Health is not Helped with Soap or Fluoride

Oct 15, 2008

Bone Health is not Helped with Soap or Fluoride. Today's news ... I usually suggest that people consider using a high quality vitamin-mineral compound with vitamins D3 and K, as well as high absorption calcium. To that I add ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

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Most Taking Rx for Bone Drugs Quit

Certainly this is no surprise.  Osteoporosis drugs have many problematic and even life threatening side effects. They also require many lifestyle adjustments that after time many people, both men and women, find difficult.  Additionally many are fluoride based which causes the reduction or even ending of the function of osteoclast cells in your body.  Many severe fractures and jaw bone problems are linked to this drug function.



There are more natural things you can do to protect bone health.  And there are many natural approaches to keeping them strong and healthy.


Walking and weight bearing exercise are great!  Learn Tai Chi. Look into Lymphology at IAL.


A healthy diet and the right supplements are great! (Just don't be taking so much calcium.  Generally doctors tell you to take about twice what you need and the wrong type - carbonate).


Get hydrated!


Cut down on exposure to EMF and fluoride as well as other environmental toxins (the DEXA test is one of these and so is your cell phone).


Consider drinking nettle tea.


Consider using homeopathic cell salts.


Get tested for and take vitamin D3. (25 OH test)


Watch soy, it can block calcium, and is too often GMO.


Susan Brown PhD has been writing on this subject for years. Check out her book, Better Bones.

By Frederik JoelvingNEW YORK | Mon Feb 27, 2012 5:27pm EST(Reuters Health) - People with the bone-thinning condition osteoporosis often skip the drugs they are prescribed, and telephone counseling does little to change that, according to new research.
Researchers said osteoporosis is involved in more than two million fractures a year in the U.S., racking up medical costs of $19 billion.
In addition to exercise and a healthy diet with enough calcium and vitamin D, as well as measures to prevent falls, medications may reduce the risk of broken bones -- which can take a serious toll on the health of old people.
For people at high risk, bone drugs such as bisphosphonates may cut the yearly fracture risk from five percent to three percent, said Dr. Daniel Solomon of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
But people often stop taking the medications, added Solomon, also of Harvard Medical School.
"It's the problem with all chronic conditions," he told Reuters Health. "Drugs for asymptomatic chronic conditions are universally poorly adhered to."
Some 10 million Americans currently suffer from bone thinning, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. The majority are postmenopausal women.
Bone drugs include Merck's Fosamax, Roche's Boniva, Novartis's Reclast and Warner Chilcott's Actonel.
To see if they could convince people to take their drugs, Solomon and his colleagues divided more than 2,000 men and women with osteoporosis into two groups.
The participants were all on Medicare, the government's health insurance for the elderly, and got their meds for a co-pay of no more than a few dollars.
All of them received fall-prevention lifestyle tips in the mail from the researchers, and one group also had about eight counseling sessions over the phone.
During those sessions, trained counselors tried to identify why people skipped their drugs and to motivate them to get back on the treatment. The intervention ended up costing about $281 per patient, including training of the counselors.
After one year, there was little difference between the two groups.
Those who got counseling filled their prescriptions 49 percent of the time, while the others did so 41 percent of the time, based on claims data. That gap was too small to be reliable, statistically speaking.
The researchers didn't find any differences in how many people broke a bone or reported falls, either.
According to Solomon, people who skipped their medicine often said they had forgotten about it, didn't like the way it made them feel or didn't think they needed it.
Still, Solomon, whose findings appear in the Archives of Internal Medicine, wasn't willing to give up on counseling.
"It would be overstating the data to say that we should use this. What I'm saying is you don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater," he said. "I think that counseling is something we need to continue to examine."
Researchers have been experimenting with a lot of ways to get people to take their drugs, including beeping pill caps and financial incentives, Solomon added. But the results have often been disappointing.
"At this point there really aren't any proven interventions," he said.
In an editorial, Dr. Seth Berkowitz and Dr. Kirsten Johansen of the University of California, San Francisco, say behavior change is an increasingly important part of medicine as chronic diseases continue rise.
"There is likely no 'magic bullet' in the behavior change arsenal in general or for increasing treatment adherence specifically," they write. "This does not mean, however, that the effects may not be clinically significant."
SOURCE: bit.ly/yMrnv4 Archives of Internal Medicine, February 27, 2012.

Selections from over 30 on Natural Health News

Natural Health News: Chipping you with drugs

Feb 18, 2012

Osteoporosis drugs have many drawbacks. The same drugs have many risks including the risk of very bad fractures and having your jaw bone eaten away (necrosis). For the most part the drugs are fluoride based and cause ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: How big is the bang from osteoporosis drugs?

Dec 27, 2011

Researchers asked if “real-world” patients taking bone drugs received the same fracture-reduction benefits seen in the clinical trials. After analysis of hundreds of studies, they found that highly compliant, “real world” patients ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Bone Drugs Cancer Protective?

Feb 03, 2010

New results from a landmark women's health study raise the exciting possibility that bone-building drugs such as Fosamax and Actonel may help prevent breast cancer. Women who already were using these medicines when ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Bone Loss Problematic, Bone Drugs Risky

Nov 18, 2008

Bone Loss Problematic, Bone Drugs Risky. In January 2008 the FDA issued warnings regarding the class of drugs developed to allegedly help people with osteopenia and osteoporosis. Numerous problems are associated ...

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