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Nature's soothing flower
The extract from St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been used as a medicine for mild depressive disorders, psychological complaints and sleep disorders for over 2000 years. It is highly recommended for stress reduction, promoting calmness and relaxation. New research also shows that the herb contains high levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and can be used effectively for treating insomnia and jet lag.
An Age-related Risk Factor
The elderly patient, admitted to the emergency ward of Vancouver General Hospital, was in trauma. Walking along Broadway during the busy lunch hour, she had suddenly fallen. The result of the mishap clearly showed on the x-rays: a pathological fracture of the pelvic girdle.
A fractured hip is not uncommon after a bad fall, particularly among the elderly—except, this was different: Dorothy hadn't actually fallen.
As she lurched forward, a male pedestrian had caught her before she crumpled to the pavement. Dorothy had fractured her hip by simply walking—causing her to fall.
Incidents like Dorothy's are becoming more and more common as our population ages. Many fractures in the elderly do not occur because of a severe trauma; instead, it is the fracture that initiates the trauma - old bones simply giving way under ordinary use. Unfortunately, for many of the elderly, being bed-ridden with a fractured pelvis is often the end game to an otherwise healthy life.
As our bodies age, we lose the ability to maintain a healthy bone structure. Low levels of vitamin D (generally caused by the lack of exposure to sunlight in the elderly), impaired conversion of vitamin D to its active component in aging kidneys, impaired renal conservation of calcium and reduced intestinal absorption of calcium from the diet all contribute to reduced serum levels of this important nutrient. The decreased levels of calcium in the blood signal the parathyroid glands (small glands situated alongside the thyroid at the base of the throat) to increase the levels of parathyroid hormone. This hormone, in turn, draws calcium from the bone matrix, making it available for important body functions. This contributes to substantial bone loss in the elderly, with the consequent onset of osteoporosis, or softening of the bone.
Osteoporosis is particularly problematic for women, once they have entered menopause. This is because post-menopausal reduction in levels of the female hormone estrogen accelerates the leaching of calcium from aging bones. Previous studies have determined that, for post-menopausal women, a minimum daily calcium intake of 1500 mg is necessary just to maintain calcium balance.
Despite this, calcium intake remains low throughout the U.S. and Canada, especially in elderly women. A recent study of factors determining calcium intake in elderly women, showed that the average calcium consumption was 563 mg/day, far below the recommended daily intake of 1500 mg. The authors found that low socio-economic status was highly predictive of low calcium intake. In addition, they found evidence that dietary calcium intake was highly dependent on personal attitudes toward milk and yoghurt consumption. Individuals who ate regular meals, drank milk, and consumed yoghurt, exhibited better calcium levels than those who did not. Disturbingly, none of the 184 elderly women involved in the study achieved the recommended intake of 1500 mg/day.
This and previous studies present strong evidence that all elderly women should receive both calcium and vitamin D supplementation in order to achieve their recommended daily calcium intake. No bones about it - maintaining healthy serum calcium levels, through supplementation with calcium and vitamin D, is paramount to a long and healthy life.