The Complete Yoga Community

Osteoporosis, calcium, yoga and dairy products – what’s the connection?

Most people following the yogic way of life are vegetarians or vegans and because of this, many have been made aware of some of the associated dangers – like that of the high incidence of a very common yet poorly understood disease, osteoporosis, whereby calcium is leeched from the bones.

Yoga is of foremost importance where osteoporosis is concerned as the skeleton is in fact not a dead coathanger on which all the more interesting parts of the body are hung. Bones are alive and are constantly being rebuilt, and it is correct feeding and regular heavy, strong movement which holds calcium in the bones, and inactivity which looses it the fastest.

We are inclined to think of calcium only in terms of bones and teeth, but it is vital in many bodily functions such as nerve response, muscle control, blood coagulation, regulation of heart rhythm and blood pressure.

The Major Causes
The blood has to maintain a certain calcium level for the abovementioned functions to progress normally and, if this level drops and no usable calcium is available from the diet, then the body will “borrow” from the bones, resulting in loss of bone density and osteoporosis. One of the main reasons our systems lose calcium is because of our acid forming diet. A low protein intake facilitates calcium retention. Certain foods such as animal products like milk, eggs, cheese and, to a lesser degree, grains all have an acid reaction on the blood and leave “acid ash” in the blood stream.

When our diet is more than 25 per cent acid, the body needs to neutralise the acidity in some way (the reason being that the blood is slightly alkaline: +/- 7.35 – 7.45 on the pH scale) and if the blood were to become too acidic we would die. The body, in its natural wisdom then, utilises its neutraliser buffer and the main ingredient of this system happens to be mineral calcium, which it obtains from the bones and teeth resulting in bone and dental decay and osteoporosis.

Countries that have the highest incidence of dental decay and osteoporosis also have the highest intake of animal protein and dairy products. Research studies show that dairy calcium is in fact not needed to prevent osteoporosis and that sufficient calcium can be obtained from vegetables and grains. Every single fruit, vegetable, nut and seed contains calcium and even a fruitarian diet can supply the daily recommended calcium requirements.

Certain calcium supplements don’t work either because, while it is not difficult to get calcium into the stomach, it is very difficult to get it from the stomach into the cells. Calcium absorption requires a specialised process that is dependent upon a delicate balance between acid and alkaline and, to be absorbed, calcium must be of a specific type.

There are two types of calcium: organic and inorganic. Organic calcium refers to that which exists in a living entity like vegetables. Inorganic calcium is derived from minerals and is held together by what chemists term “ionic bonds”. These are extremely hard, strong bonds that the body cannot break apart and therefore this form of calcium is unusable.

Because plants have the ability to take hard bionic bonded materials and change them into a form that we can use, all organic minerals come to us from the plant kingdom. Plants can break apart these hard minerals and rearrange their bonding into something called “covalent” bonds. These are gentle, loose bonds that the body can combine as needed and this is the reason we need fruit and vegetables in our diets. They supply us with the calcium as well as all other vital minerals which the body needs for maintenance and repair or just to add to the storehouse of minerals called the “alkaline reserve”. Surprisingly, fruits and vegetables supply us with every complete protein that we need for all our bodily functions too.

Why can’t we use the calcium in milk? It’s organic!
Milk is altered in the pasturisation process – the heating process turns it into a hard, indigestible mineral. This type of calcium unfortunately gets into the blood stream and the body not only cannot use it, but it also has the added chore of neutralising it in some way. Some of it is stored along the inside of blood vessels where it contributes to the formation of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

Another place to deposit some of this unusable calcium is the joints where it would show up as arthritis. It might seem unreasonable that the body shows calcium deposits on the outside of the bones as arthritis and at the same time shows a loss of calcium from the interior of the bones demonstrated as osteoporosis. The body is responding very intelligently to the stimuli that it is receiving. It recognises that some calcium is usable while another kind is not and has to be put somewhere else.

So what should we eat?
Mostly fruits, nuts and vegetables, decreasing protein consumption. Should you wish to take a calcium supplement, here is a recipe which will provide the very best calcium available:

Fill a wide mouth jar with fresh, clean egg shells, free range if possible (about 6 eggs). Cover with freshly squeezed lemon juice and place in the fridge for a minimum of 48 hours. Agitate the jar several times during the day and, when the bubbling stops, your lemon eggs are ready. Lift out the shells and leave the milky liquid. Take only one teaspoon a day.

This will provide your body with an excellent, gentle organic source of calcium which the body can readily use and, in addition, it will improve your energy levels. There’s a complex biochemical process in the body called “the citric acid cycle” in which many different substances are acted upon with the end result being energy. Some of the citrate part of the lemon egg enters this process thereby improving your energy too.

To sum up:

• Return to a natural diet of living food, decreasing protein consumption. Start each day with fresh fruit only. (One teaspoon of sesame seeds on fruit salad plus one almond a day is a good habit).
• Combine foods properly and avoid tea, coffee, cool drinks, table salt, cigarette smoking, alcohol and use of drugs (all acid forming).
• Consume a type of living calcium that the body can use. Add supplements of magnesium, boron and vitamin C.
• Remember osteoporosis may be hormonal too, especially if there has been a hysterectomy. Consult your doctor.
• Keep active – daily yoga!

Most disease has its origin in the emotions. If you feel you cannot cope and that the world is crumbling, remember you are supported by the Divine Mind and reconnect through meditation.

By Glenn “Turiyana” Hudson