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NATURALLY Speaking
By Christopher C. Barr Thinning bones has been proclaimed as an indicator for heart disease according to a recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. "No kidding, boneheads", was my immediate thought. The recent study then put forth that drug treatments to prevent osteoporosis might help prevent heart disease. That conclusion would be right specifically for the pharmaceutical companies that commonly phund such research but not for the health of people in general. The mineral calcium is also commonly put forth as a helpful supplement to strengthen bone although in truth this practice trumpeted soundly for many years has not merited much success. The mineral calcium is also a significant part of the blockages that make up the preponderance of heart disease. Surprising silicon For decades the mineral silicon has been shown to quicken bone healing when provided in the proper form. That form is a biological form. In other words from something grown rather than a form manufactured by man. Very few have paid this any attention. It has also been shown that the addition of calcium supplementation to silicon supplementation slows the bone healing action of silicon. It may surprise you that silicon provides both strength and elasticity to the skin. High levels of silicon in the body contribute to youthful skin. Low silicon levels contribute to tough and dried out skin. Therefore it should come as no surprise that high levels of silicon maintain healthy blood vessels while low silicon levels result in weakened blood vessels. Fewer still have paid this any attention. Old studies have noted that those who died from heart disease had low levels of silicon while those that died with healthy cardiovascular systems had blood vessels that were rich in silicon. Therefore it was no surprise at all to me when I read that thinning bones and heart disease are related. I already knew that and I knew why. Dr. Edith Carlisle of UCLA spent decades on silicon and health research. The research of Dr. Carlisle has gone unheralded in spite of her Ph.D. and position as a professor with a prominent university. Dr. Klaus Schwarz noted the connection of silicon deficiency to heart disease almost 30 years ago. Dr. Schwarz was a medical doctor who was a researcher for the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration. Schwarz is credited with establishing the essentiality in human nutrition of six different mineral elements. That is more than any other person who has ever lived. His nod to silicon nutrition didn't garnish much attention to it either in spite of his lengthy list of credentials. There has also been much silicon research outside of America going back to the first half of the last century. The sad truth is that there is little money to be made by pharmaceutical giants from silicon supplementation. As noted before, the success of silicon has been based upon use of a biological form. That means it cannot be patented because it is naturally occurring rather than manmade. Does it surprise you that silicon has not been afforded its place for bone strengthening and heart health? You might even be surprised about the importance of silicon for fetal development, pregnant women, immune function, and healthy hair and nails. That will have to wait for another column as this one is already full up! Christopher C. Barr writes Naturally Speaking from Arkansas: The Natural State � naturally! You may write him at Post Office Box 1147, Pocahontas, Arkansas 72455 or by e-mail at servant[EMAIL PROTECTED]. . |
