When someone says “osteoporosis,” most people think, “Eat more dairy products!”
But when kidney stones are brought up, the opposite is true— “You’re eating too much dairy!”
Well, there’s a lot more to it than that.
Whether you drink milk or eat cheese may have some impact here, but the real root issue behind both osteoporosis and kidney stones lies in whether your blood level of calcium is where it should be!
And that goes way beyond milk and cheese!
Here’s what I mean:
The players in the calcium game
Although calcium is best known for keeping your teeth and bones healthy, it also aids in the transmission of signals in your nerve cells, and it makes your muscles contract.
That includes your heart, by the way. Calcium works to make your heart contract, and magnesium makes it relax, so together these minerals help regulate your heartbeat. (Your fun fact of the day.)
Because it’s so crucial, your body is constantly monitoring your blood level of calcium, and the main players in this game are vitamin D, your parathyroid glands (which are in your neck—but no relation to your thyroid) and your kidneys.
When your parathyroid glands sense your blood level of calcium is getting low, they secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH) which pulls calcium from your bones and dumps it in your blood. PTH also tells your kidneys to crank out more vitamin D, and vitamin D in turn tells your gut to absorb more calcium than usual.
Once your blood level of calcium is up where it should be, vitamin D tells your parathyroid to back off its production of PTH and leave your bones alone.
When things go awry
It’s easy to see how a monkey wrench in this process can have major consequences.
Because if your parathyroid glands aren’t working right and crank out too much PTH (a condition called hyperparathyroidism), your body will keep pulling more and more calcium out of your bones.
That’s osteoporosis in the making.
Plus over time all that excess calcium in your bloodstream is a great way to create kidney stones.
Why in the world?
One of the causes of hyperparathyroidism is a tumor on one or more of your four parathyroid glands. If this happens, surgery is usually the answer and it’s pretty successful in 95 percent of the cases.
But far and away the more common cause of your parathyroid going haywire is vitamin D deficiency. Without enough vitamin D to act like a “traffic cop” to tell your parathyroid to back off when it should, it will keep cranking out PTH, effectively crumbling your skeleton and making blood calcium levels soar.
How will I know?
Sadly, most people don’t know they have a parathyroid problem until they start getting fractures easily, develop osteoporosis or are hit with the agony of kidney stones.
Other signs are excessive urination, abdominal pain, bone and joint pain, tiring easily, depression and forgetfulness.
Maintain that crucial balance!
First and foremost, if you suspect a parathyroid problem like a tumor, see a doctor for testing. If surgery is necessary, most times it can be done on an outpatient basis under a local anesthetic with minimal incisions and complications.
But more common and important is to make sure your vitamin D levels are where they should be!
This is where many people run into trouble because our excessive fears of skin cancer have made many of us shun the sun, and exposure to sunlight is how your skin makes vitamin D.
Reasonable exposure to the sun unprotected for 20 minutes will allow your body to manufacture vitamin D—just make sure you use sunscreen after 20 minutes, and don’t ever get a sunburn.
But if you don’t have an opportunity to get sun exposure on a regular basis, or want to make sure your levels are adequate year-round, supplementation is the way to go, and Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B is your ticket.
In addition to regulating your blood level of calcium, here is all that vitamin D does for you:
- It helps regulate blood glucose and insulin levels, lowering your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
- It prevents depression by helping to regulate your hormones.
- It protects you against cardiovascular disease.
- It helps prevent cancer.
- It protects you against autoimmune diseases like MS, lupus and psoriasis.
- It supports healthy teeth and gums.
- It boosts your immune function and helps your body fight infections and viruses.
- It helps with learning, memory and concentration.
Embrace the power of Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B and all the ways it can support your optimal health!
To your health,
Sherry Brescia
Susan,
A surgeon who specializes in Parathyroid tumors will look at those tests differently. Google Parathyroid Tumor surgeons in Florida and Atlanta. You will find very good links. If possible, send your labs to them.
What if your body rejects vitamin D? And tests for parathyroid tumor has been inconclusive twice? After visit to ER, stones found in both kidneys . Already have Osteop. diagnosed by Endocrine Dr. Possible Altzeimers too.