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Mind Body Bone Connection
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Mind over muscle — how using your brain could help your bones

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Perhaps you’ve heard of the “placebo effect” in clinical trials — that strange situation when some people who don’t receive a beneficial intervention see a benefit to their health anyway, for no obvious reason. By way of explanation, most clinical researchers think that when participants believe they will improve because of the “treatment,” their body takes its cue from the mind and responds as if a therapeutic agent is actually being used.

If only we could capture this seemingly magical ability of the mind to direct the body — what could it do for our own ability to heal?

Mental imagery makes a difference

In fact, a few years ago, some researchers showed that we can capture this ability (Clark et al. 2014). They induced muscle weakness in 29 adult volunteers — healthy people who had more or less similar muscle strength at baseline — by immobilizing the hand and wrist of the subjects’ non-dominant arm using a rigid cast (15 other volunteers had nothing done to their arm and served as controls). They trained 14 members of the group with immobilized wrists in a mental imagery program in which they were told to imagine their immobilized hand and wrist was doing specific movements, such as flexing and pushing, without actually activating the muscles. An electromyogram was used to make sure they didn’t actually flex their muscles during the mental imagery sessions. The remaining 15 people whose arms were immobilized were not given mental imagery training.

What they found was startling: In the participants who underwent mental imagery training, the loss of muscle strength associated with immobilization was half that of those who didn’t get training. They also concluded that lack of neurological activity, rather than lack of muscle activity, accounted for almost a one-third of the strength decrease in the immobilized arm. In other words, simply directing the brain’s attention to the nervous system in a specific part of the body provides sufficient stimulus to the musculoskeletal system to make an important difference.

A mind-body-bone connection?

I’ve noted before that bone strength depends on muscle strength, and most of us know that muscle strength is a “use it or lose it” proposition. This study shows how the power of the mind can be brought to bear on muscle strength — and though it didn’t look at bone specifically, if you’re supporting muscle, you’re also supporting bone. I can’t help but wonder whether a study that also looked at the effects on participants’ bone mass might not show a similar improvement in bones! I bet you dollars to donuts it would.

Better bones affirmations

Better bones affirmations

Reference

Clark BC, Mahato NK, Nakazawa M, Law TD, Thomas JS. The power of the mind: the cortex as a critical determinant of muscle mass. J Neurophysiol. 2014;112(12):3219–3226.

10 predictions for the new year
Dr. Susan E. Brown

2015 New Year predictions for bone health

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image[1]Once again it is time to polish up my crystal ball — and I see a year filled with bone health advancements.

Better Bones Crystal Ball predictions for 2015

  1. Stress will be acknowledged as a major cause of osteoporosis.  Key researchers will publish on the topic in prestigious journals. Sorting fact from fiction, scientists will declare that one’s overall stress index outranks menopause as a major cause of bone loss.
  2. There will be a new awareness documenting how thoughts, intentions and beliefs alter gene expression.  With pure thoughts and focused attention, we will be able to turn on beneficial genes and turn off those that are not serving us.
  3. Conventional docs will break a new boundary going beyond their limited belief that just calcium and vitamin D are essential for bone health. Because of this new awareness, they will begin suggesting that their patients on bone drugs use all the 20 key bone building nutrients. (Unfortunately they’ll still be rote- recommending bone drugs for a while more).
  4. While fractures will still be common, fracture healing time will be greatly reduced as more and more people embrace the natural nutritional and lifestyle ways to speed fracture healing.
  5. Tai chi and Qi Gong will become household words on a par with yoga as the bone- threatening repercussions of poor balance and falls are fully appreciated.
  6. Every physician will realize that steroids such as prednisone cause 20% of all the osteoporosis in this country.  Knowing this, physicians will restrict their use of steroids moving instead to uncover and heal the root causes of the unwanted inflammation.
  7. Sarcopenia, that is aging muscle loss, will also become a household word as muscle loss with aging is found to parallel aging bone loss — and be just as threatening.
  8. The US Public Health Service will declare vitamin D adequacy as a national priority, and vitamin D testing will be offered to everyone at no expense.
  9. The old-fashioned concept of “caring” will return to the field of healthcare. Health professionals will begin to listen and partner with their patients in exploring individual health maximization.
  10. Today everyone knows about the detrimental effects of acid rain, within the next year everyone will become aware of the detrimental effects of excessive acidity within the human body and the oceans upon which life depends.  Given all this, new awareness widespread replenishment of alkalizing mineral compounds will become commonplace.

My best wishes for a happy and healthy 2015!

 

Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Fracture healing tips for JaVale McGee, other NBA stars and you

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Dear Mr. McGee,

I’m a bit of a basketball fan, and even though I must confess I most enjoy watching the often thrilling (and often top ranking) Syracuse University team, I’m following the news of your fractured leg and that you’re out the remainder of the season.

Hand and basketball ball isolated on white

I spend my days counseling people about bone health and keeping up with the activities they love. And while most of them don’t make it into the NBA Playoffs or have a reality show with their former WNBA star mother, they are just as anxious to recover as you are. In fact, many of them are looking for ways to speed their fracture healing and so I thought you might be interested in the advice I give them.

Tips to heal your fracture more quickly

1. Take a comprehensive multivitamin and mineral supplement. By weight, bone is roughly 70% mineral content and healing any fracture requires extra minerals be available to do the repair work at the fracture site. Many of us just don’t get enough of the needed vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. I tell my clients to consume at least two cups of fresh vegetables for lunch and dinner. High antioxidant intake is particularly important for fracture healing. With fracture a great deal of oxidative damage occurs, and nutrient antioxidants help prevent excessive bone breakdown from inflammation.

2. Think super nutrition. With a fracture, your body needs to gather your protein building-blocks to synthesize new structural bone protein matrix. Adding even modest amounts of extra protein to the diet can help reduce complications, shorten the healing phase, and minimize further bone loss in the area as the fracture heals — by as much as half. Adding more calories is a good idea too, as fracture healing requires a lot of energy. For example, an active adult may require 2,500 calories a day, but a bedridden, injured patient with multiple fractures may demand 6,000 calories per day for proper healing.

3. Block pain without aspirin and ibuprofen. These two anti-inflammatory drugs can actually slow down fracture healing as they work to block pain. That’s because inflammation plays a key role in the cleaning and re-building process of healing a fracture. Ibuprofen and aspirin inhibit this necessary inflammation and therefore delay healing. A better choice for pain relief would be acetaminophen, or better yet, give natural supplements a try — such as vitamin C, quercetin, and omega-3 fatty acids.

For many of my patients, I also recommend mild exercise. I’m pretty sure you’ve got this one covered! As you can see, you really can take a much more active role in your healing than you may have realized.

Best wishes for your own good health (including a quick recovery),

Susan E. Brown, PhD

 

fracture healing
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Fracture healing at any age

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So often, my readers’ experiences highlight many of the most important issues in bone health. Recently, I received an email from a concerned daughter about her mother’s fracture healing:

“My mother, age 90, complained of back pain in November. She was mobile enough to go to her doctor. The pain increased. The doctor took an x-ray for pneumonia but discovered a fracture at the T11. She did not fall or do anything we are aware of to have caused this fracture. She has no history of fractures.

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“The doctor said it would take two or more months to heal. So far my mother has mostly been in pain and in bed. But on occasion she seems to be able to get up and sit in a chair without a lot of pain.” — Rosemary

Suffering a fracture is a major concern for older women — and also a strong reminder to their daughters, family and friends that it’s never too early to take an active role to improve their own bone health.

6 ways to help your fracture healing time

In fact, many of the simple steps for overall bone health can also make a significant difference in your fracture recovery time:

• Get enough of key nutrients with a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Your bones are about 70% mineral content by weight, and specific key nutrients — zinc, copper, calcium, phosphorus and silicon — are critical to fracture healing. For elderly women, fracture healing is going to take longer so it is important to supplement with all 20 key bone nutrients.

• Increase protein. Adding 20 grams extra protein to your diet can help reduce complications of a fracture, shorten the healing phase, and minimize further bone loss in the area as the fracture heals — by as much as half. As you get older, you may not feel like eating as much, so try special high protein drinks, such as whey protein powder shakes.

• Reduce inflammation naturally. Rather than reaching for aspirin or ibuprofen, reduce inflammation and relieve pain with 2-3 grams of water-soluble quercetin dehydrate a day, combined with vitamin C in the form of buffered ascorbate.

• Increase circulation. Good circulation and the flow of nutrient-replenishing blood to the fracture site help with healing. If you are able, talk with a physical therapist about the best exercise options. For elderly women who cannot exercise, gentle massage and touch therapy are good options. A warm sesame oil massage can produce special healing effects.

• Enjoy an alkaline diet. Soups and stews high in vegetables and root crops are easy to digest and can be protein-enhanced with meat or lentils.

• Keep uplifted. Create a healing environment. Surround yourself with interesting and uplifting movies, magazines, spiritual readings, books on tape and happy friends.

I want to reassure you fracture healing can take place at any age with the right support for your body. For more information, see “How to speed fracture healing.”

 

Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

3 tips to help heal fractures

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Breaking a bone can stop us all in our tracks, no matter what age we are. But particularly for women in their 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, a fracture can come with a lot of fear and, worst of all, the feeling of helplessness. With 9 million osteoporotic fractures occurring every year, you should know that you can do more than just sit back and let it heal. We have much more influence over the healing process than many practitioners convey. Everything from what you eat to how you move can speed or slow down healing.

Here are three ideas that will have you on a fast track to heal your fracture

1. Aspirin and ibuprofen slow healing. What do you reach for when you’re in pain? So many of the people I talk with at the Center for Better Bones say aspirin and ibuprofen are their first choices when in pain. But these anti-inflammatory medications can delay the healing process. Inflammation is an important part of the cleaning and re-building process of healing a fracture. Ibuprofen and aspirin inhibit this necessary inflammation and therefore delay healing. A better choice for pain relief would be acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol). And I always suggest more natural supplements like vitamin C, quercetin, and omega-3 fatty acids.

2. Your body requires more nutrients, protein, and calories. Fracture healing requires a lot of energy and can increase your metabolism significantly. Depending on the injury, your body could require up to double your normal caloric intake! Protein is particularly important during this time because about half of bone is comprised of protein. The protein matrix is where mineral crystals (the other half of bone) are laid to build strength. Supplementing your diet with minerals like zinc, copper, calcium, phosphorus, and silicon will give your body the building blocks for strong new bone. Vitamins C, D, K, and B6 also specifically help in the bone building process. So don’t skimp on alkalizing fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and quality protein.

3. Exercise may be a good thing. Though it may seem like the last thing on your list, exercising is a key component to speeding fracture healing. For one thing, it increases blood flow to the fractured area, flooding the area with more nutrients to help with healing. Joint loading also prompts the bone to increase matrix synthesis. Of course you’ll want to avoid direct stress on the broken bone, but try range of motion, tendon-gliding, and joint-loading exercises — talk to your practitioner about specific exercises, or get a referral for physical therapy.

There are many other things you can do to speed fracture healing. For more detailed information, read my full article on how to speed fracture healing. You’re not helpless when it comes to healing a fracture. Give yourself a hand with the right bone support.

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