Bone Health in Captivity
We are as strong as our weakest link. This saying is apt in my practice as a pain clinician. Pain is our body’s way of telling us that it needs to be treated differently, in short, a lifestyle overhaul. In this perspective, balanced living is vital to treat pain and remain pain-free.
For any chronic pain, fatigue, or weakness I run a blood profile specially VitD3, and have seen enough results now to say that nearly 75% of us are deficient in this naturally producing vitamin. So what has changed in the urban us?
Evolution and bone health
From the time of our evolution as homo sapiens i.e., the present us, our gene pool roughly remains the same. For hunter-gatherers or even the farming ancestors, strong bones were essential for survival. Activities of survival like long-distance walking, occasional running, hunting, foraging for food, working for long hours in the fields, bearing and rearing children, carrying heavy loads and children, placed great stress on the skeletal system. Hence the requirement for robust bones.
So what has changed now if not the genes?
Our movement offloading. In the urban world, we have learned to outsource the so-called repetitive and boring movements. Driving for walking, robots for cleaning, washers for washing, elevator for stairs, and a supermarket jaunt for ordering food on an app. Even the food we get is pre-processed, often not requiring the complete cooking process.
All of these allow us to move less or not at all. When there is no stimulus to move and weight bear, why should the body keep the bones robust? What you don’t use, you lose…
Bone health and captivity
With the new normal, our outdoor movements are reduced to non-existent. This makes us sunlight deficient.
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol. The sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, providing the energy for Vitamin D synthesis to occur. That’s why Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin.
How does being low on Vitamin D feel like
Getting sick often
Fatigue
Widespread muscle pain
Mood swings and feeling low
Weight gain
Reduced appetite
Low sleep quality
If all of this is making you think about the action items please read my next blog, the Sunshine warriors. I will delve into the how and what to do … Until then, open those glass windows, and let the sunshine in. Bask in the sun and enjoy the warmth for 15 to 20 min… cheers
