Some years ago, people were so debilitated by osteoporosis – the bone-thinning disease – that all they could do was lie on their beds in pain and await the inevitable.  Today, it looks like that is changing, thanks to amazing technological advances. 

A microchip is currently being tested on seven women with osteoporosis to help restore bone density.  Implanted in their abdomens, it has been working via a radio signal to deliver pacemakers using a prescription plan so that they can consume their drugs more easily.  Results from the study showed that all women had a bone density increase.  This is fantastic news for osteoporosis sufferers, although the device is still awaiting FDA approval, which is only anticipated after 2016.  For the future, there are even greater plans for the device, such as it being able to deliver daily doses for 365 days.

Low-Tech Solution

Of course, there are some in the medical field who argue that diet, supplements and exercise alone are adequate to control and fight osteoporosis.  For example, by regularly adding calcium, Vitamin D, magnesium and strontium to one’s diet, one can battle – or even prevent – the onset of osteoporosis.  In addition, weight-bearing (walking) and strength-training (weight-lifting) exercise is vital in this battle.  Most of this is quite well-known, but it is a less-well-known fact that strontium citrate supplements can dramatically help the development of bone density and prevention of osteoporosis.

Middle-Tech Solutions

Until now, osteoporosis patients have been using daily injection pens to help with their condition.  But this could be replaced once the microchip comes into general use and thus patients will be able to control their medication by pushing a remote-controlled button. 

It may not be readily available now, but in the near future it looks as if osteoporosis sufferers will be able to access a much more effective way of dealing with their disease.

It seems like everywhere on the news these days is something about Vitamin D and how we are all poorly lacking in this vital supplement.  Well, Britain is now doing something about it.  Marks and Spencer (M&S) – one of the most popular food chain stores in the country – has now introduced a new line of produce called ‘Simply More.’  This is a new range of food items that has a substantial Vitamin D supplement.  According to the store’s nutritionist Claire Hughes, “we want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to stay healthy and get their daily dose of Vitamin D without having to worry about getting out in the sunshine.”

Of course, for many Britons, they are lacking the essential Vitamin D due to lack of sunshine in the region.  That is why M&S jumped on the bandwagon fast, fortifying milk, yogurt and fruit juices at the store.  In addition, the ‘Simply More’ line will be supplemented with omega 3 and calcium but the prices of these products will not increase.

A lack of Vitamin D can cause many problems such as rickets (children) brittle bones (elderly) as well as the potential for heart disease, cancer and diabetes.  Further, Vitamin D is vital for teeth and bone strengthening and can even prevent Alzheimer’s.

A recent article in Reuters Health found that increasing Vitamin D in one’s diet also substantial “reduced risk factors for type 2 diabetes by improving the function of insulin-producing cells in pre-diabetic volunteers.”  According to one of the study’s authors Dr. Anastassios Pittas, “the results… suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help to improve the main defect in type 2 diabetes.”

Breast Cancer Benefits from the Sun

For so long we’ve been told how dangerous the sun is for us and how exposing ourselves to it could lead to skin cancer. Well, now there’s some good news behind the rays. It seems like, in a recent Daily Mail report, Canadian researchers have found that “regular exposure to the sun’s rays may have a powerful anti-cancer effect by stimulating the production of vitamin D in the skin.” Indeed, it seems that if one wants to reduce their risk of breast cancer by 50 percent, they should spend 3+ hours a day exposed to sunlight!

According to laboratory tests, breast cells are able to convert Vitamin D into a hormone with anti-cancer properties. The research was undertaken using 3,101 breast cancer sufferers and comparing them with 3,471 health women. The women were asked how long they spent outdoors from April to October at different stages of their life. The results (published in the American Journal of Epidemiology) “showed that women who had at least 21 hours a week exposure to the sun’s UV rays in their teens were 29 per cent less likely to get cancer than those getting under an hour a day.” The greatest drop (by 26 percent) in risks to breast cancer landed on women who were outside most during their 40s and 50s and in the 60+ category, “sunshine halved their chances of a tumor.”

Men and Vitamin D

Talking about Vitamin D, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that when it comes to men, if they are getting the right amount of vitamin D, they have a greater chance of avoiding a heart attack and a stroke. The study found that men who were consuming at least 600 IU of Vitamin D daily, “were 16 per cent less likely to develop heart problems or stroke than men who got less than 100 IUD.” But with women, a similar pattern couldn’t be found.