What can you do to preserve your bones and teeth?

Wash your hands and brush your teeth often. No, that was a joke but we are still somewhat into the COVID crisis so doing the first is advised. Of course, keeping your teeth clean is important to maintain dental health but it's not the thing I want to talk about.

There are way more factors that can play a role in it than you think. This is a complex topic, just like weight loss. Hormones play a huge role in dental and bone health. Also, the modern diet and lifestyle show no mercy to our bones, unfortunately.

But let me tell you my whole story because I believe it's very educational. Since I had changed my teeth, thanks to God, I had never had a bad tooth until the age of 24. My teeth were strong, then I started making mistakes. At age 21, I started using harsh whitening toothpaste, which made my teeth super sensitive. Then, in 2012, I heard about that healing your teeth was possible and I was hooked. But I listened to the bad advice. I saw one video on YouTube and the woman said that toothpaste with fluoride were harmful to the teeth and she advised a natural "toothpaste" with glycerine and baking soda. About 2 months before that, I stopped eating eggs (which contain vitamin K2 and great for teeth health), the natural toothpaste totally scrubbed off the enamel. My teeth turned fragile and tiny holes started to form.

Since that time, I decided to everything to heal them. I tried juicing, colloid minerals, fasting, vitamins, minerals, hormonal balance. Well, unfortunately, I lost one tooth due to my passion. In 2014, when my acne started to develop, there was a hole in my teeth and started to hurt. I was desperate to heal it but I wasn't successful. I was stupid enough not to visit the dentist until it was too late next year. I had a root canal. And in 2017, I had to accept the fact that it needed to be pulled out. It was one of the most horrific experiences of my life.

It seemed like whatever I was doing wasn't enough (I was really worried about my future dental health), until I started to see some changes. Thanks to God, I've gained lots of priceless knowledge and experiences of what works and what doesn't.

And of course, your dental health is related to bone health because if there's mild osteoporosis, that will be visible on your teeth as well.

I'm gonna write another post dedicated to dental health, which will mention everything else than supplementation.

So, let's dive into bone health!

The basics are that your bones contain several super important components. All of them are important. Protein (which is responsible for the elasticity and endurance), calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and other minerals.

Now, calcium metabolism can be tricky because yes, vitamin D elevates blood calcium levels but you need vitamin K2 that calcium can be ABSORBED into your bones.

In terms of hormonal health and diet, there are hazards, which must be avoided before you start adding the good stuff.

Main bone hazards:

1. Sugar

White processed sugar takes away magnesium from the bones and it's highly related to osteoporosis. It causes problem in the mouth and linked to dental cavities.

2. Acids

This is more dangerous in your mouth because some mild acids have alkalizing effects in the body. From the teeth aspect, acid and dissolve the minerals from your teeth and make them sensitive.

Carbonated sodas are recipes for a disaster. They are acidic, high in sugar, ruin your teeth, and make your body acidic as well.

3. Acidity in the body

Many foods can be acid-forming, processed foods, animal products, white sugar. Metabolic acidity evokes the buffer mechanisms to neutralize it. These buffers can steal minerals from the bones to reestablish healthy pH levels.

A diet too high in animal protein causes acidity, so even if you want to build muscle, it's better to consume more alkaline-forming plant proteins, because otherwise, high acidity will actually cause you protein loss.

4. Stress

This might sound weird because it seems impossible that feeling stressed out has anything to do with your bone health. It actually does. Cortisol, which is the stress hormone causes osteoporosis.

Adaptogens are wonderful for decreasing cortisol. Ashwagandha, rhodiola, astragalus, reishi are great options.

5. Hormonal imbalances

It's well-known that osteoporosis after the menopause is a common issue. Your hormones play a HUGE role in your bone health and bone development. If you want to know how to balance your hormones, check out my YouTube playlist here.

6. Smoking

Smoking is linked to poor bone health. Quit now.

7. Clogged liver

A well-functioning liver is crucial for basically every process in your body. Make sure to check out my other playlist related to this topic.

After the hazards, let's see all the vitamins and minerals, which need to be optimized to heal your bones.

A. Calcium

When it comes to bone health the first thing that probably comes to your mind is calcium and dairy products. Yes, calcium is important but too much calcium can cause osteoporosis because of the blood buffer system. Calcium and phosphorus go hand in hand.

If you want to restore your bone health you have to get plenty of both of them. Decreasing dairy consumption can be beneficial. Also, having a calcium supplement with good absorption. Most of the calcium supplements contain calcium carbonate, which is the cheapest form but its absorption is bad. I would recommend taking organic calcium salts like citrate, lactate.

I've already written a blog post about one of the best calcium supplements, you can read about it here.

What I personally do is that I buy a cheap supplement with calcium carbonate and put it in some lemon juice. Usually, 1 tablet goes into a juice of 1 lemon. Let it bubble out, that might take 30 minutes or more, then drink it (I like to dilute it with water before drinking to decrease the acidity). I use a combined calcium. magnesium, and zinc supplement, which contains about 300mg calcium per pill.

Also, eating dark leafy greens and vegetables, as well as drinking green juices is a great form of mineral supplementation.

B. Magnesium

Magnesium is essential for the bones and the nervous system. As I've mentioned before, non-organic salts have bad absorption, these are like magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, I prefer to put these in lemon juice, following the above-mentioned method. If you want to buy a high-quality supplement, citrate and lactate are great. In addition, these forms are good for alkalizing the body as well.

C. Vitamin D

Vitamin D can be called a hormone as well. It's crucial for numerous processes in the body. One of the many is elevating blood calcium levels. You can take 2000 i.u. of it daily, and even go up to 4000 for some time if you have a deficiency.

Make sure to spend a lot of time outside to get some sun as well.

D. Protein

As I've mentioned before, protein is responsible for bone elasticity. My biology and anatomy teacher talked about 2 experiments. The first is putting the bone into fire, the second is putting it in acid. In the first experiment, you remove the protein and the bone will crumble. In the second, you remove the minerals and it will act like rubber.

Your bones need elasticity as well as the mineral part to be strong. Some people swear by taking collagen, I've tried it, it's not bad. But as I've already mentioned you have to make sure to keep your body alkaline. Plant protein is also a great option, as well as eggs.

E. Vitamin K2

If the blood calcium levels are higher already, make sure to consume vitamin K2 often. K2 is found in eggs, the vegan source is natto, which is a Japanese fermented soybean dish.

In my experience, eggs work better. I eat eggs 2 times a week.

F. Vitamin B12

B12 and iron deficiency cause anemia, which is linked to osteoporosis. B12 is also important for a good osteoblast function, which is a type of bone cell and it is responsible for building the bones.

G. Trace minerals

Besides calcium and magnesium, there are many other trace minerals like boron, iron, copper, zinc, etc...

H. Royal jelly

Every time I take royal jelly my teeth are much whiter and stronger. It contains enzymes, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and it is nothing less than AMAZING for your bones.

I. Antioxidants

Antioxidants and other vitamins can be also important to improve the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Once, I've read that vitamin A and E were also recommended for healthy bones.

When it comes to strengthening your bones, you have to consider all of the aspects. Get rid of the hazards and add good supplementation.

I hope this was helpful!

Have a blessed day! <3