Sources of Calcium

Food                               Portion             Calcium
                                                                 (mg)

Swiss cheese                   2 oz.                 544
Provolone cheese            2 oz.                 428
Monterey Jack cheese     2 oz.                 424
Yogurt, low fat                  1 cup                 415
Cheddar cheese               2 oz.                 408
Muenster cheese              2 oz.                 406
Colby cheese                    2 oz.                 388
Brick cheese                     2 oz.                 382
Sardines, drained             3 oz.                 372
American cheese              2 oz.                 348
Ricotta cheese                 1/2 cup              337
Milk, skim                         1 cup                 302
Mozzarella cheese            2 oz.                 294
Buttermilk                         1 cup                 285
Limburger cheese             2 oz.                 282
Ice milk                             1 cup                 274
Salmon, drained                3 oz.                 271
Ice cream                         1 cup                 176
Ice milk                             1 cup                 176
Tofu                                   3 oz.                 174
Blackstrap molasses        1 tbsp.               137
Broccoli, raw                     1 cup                 136
Soy flour                           1/2 cup              120
Almonds                           1/4 cup              100
Broccoli, cooked               1/2 cup              89
Soybeans, cooked            1/2 cup              88
Parmesan cheese             1 tbsp.               86
Collard greens                   1/2 cup              74
Mustard greens                 1/2 cup              52
Kale                                   1/2 cup              47
Chick-peas                         1/2 cup             40

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com

Bones and Calcium

A lot of us assume that our bones stop growing when we become adults. But that's not correct. Bone tissues continue dissolving and reforming and one way to maintain strong bones is to eat foods rich in calcium.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body but our bodies cannot manufacture it. We have to get all the calcium we need from food.

Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese are storehouses of calcium. Milk and milk products also contain vitamin D and other components that help our body absorb calcium.

Here's a guide to our calcium needs as established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences.

Age or Category                 Recommended Dietary Allowance
                                                      (mg)
Children (1-10 yrs)                           800
Teenagers (11-18 yrs)                     1,200
Adults (18+ yrs)                               800
Pregnant and nursing women           1,200
Pregnant and nursing teenagers       1,600

Next week we shall enumerate food sources of calcium for you to determine a diet that meets your calcium needs.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com

Sinus Problems

Sinus problems are quite normal.  It can be due to allergies, infection, or auto-immune problems.

Symptoms include:

• A feeling of pressure inside the head
• Nasal congestion and discharge (usually green, yellow, or bloody-colored)
• Pain in the upper jaw or cheek
• Pain between the nose and lower eyelid
• Severe headache which doesn’t get better when you take an over-the-counter pain reliever. The headache is worse in the morning or when bending forward.
• Fever
• Swelling around the eyes, nose, cheeks, and forehead

A cool mist humidifier can help relieve sinus misery. Moist air helps to thin out the thick sinus secretions and loosen the mucus that has accumulated while your sinuses were out of order. Warm or cold compresses placed over the sinus area relieve discomfort still further.

Other measures that can help include:

• Drinking plenty of fluids to keep secretions thin and flowing
• Taking an over-the-counter medicine for pain
• Using over-the-counter oral decongestants. Use nose drops only for the number of days prescribed. Repeated use of nasal decongestants creates a dependency. Your nasal passages “forget” how to work on their own and you have to continue using drops to keep nasal passages clear. 

If your symptoms persist despite home remedies, see a doctor. Sinus complications can be serious. You may need a prescribed antibiotic and a decongestant to clear a bacterial infection.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com

Natural Ways to Speed Up Healing of Fractures

Depending on your fracture, doctors will probably put a bandage or a fiberglass or plaster cast on your fracture. Then they will give you pain killers and tell you to let the bone heal naturally for two to three months. However, at home, you can do following:

• Eat fresh pineapple everyday. Pineapple is rich in Bromelain, an enzyme that helps reduce inflammation. If you can’t find fresh pineapples, you can take the supplement Bromelain.
• Take calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin K and boron. They are essential in repairing bone damage.
• Take vitamin D as it aids in clacium absorption.
• Take vitamin C as it helps in the formation of collagen.
• Take zinc to help repair tissue damage.
• Eat foods that are rich in calcium and other nutrients needed for calcium’s assimilation such as sea vegetables, green leafy vegetables (kale, romaine lettuce and other collard greens), soybeans (tofu, miso), nuts, molasses, salmon, oysters, sardines, broccoli and unsweetened yogurt.
• Essential fatty acids are important also and can be found in walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds, and fish.
• Avoid red meat and products containing caffeine as they increase calcium excretion. Sugar and high intake of salt contribute also to bone loss.
• Avoid eating food with preservatives. They conatin phosphorus which can lead to bone loss.
• Stop smoking. Smoking slows the blood flow to the bones, thus slows down the healing process.
• Stop drinking. Alcohol slows the formation of the new bone cells.