Your Spine is the Key to Bone and Joint Health

PUBLISHED ON October 15, 2020

Bone and joint conditions worldwide are the most common cause of severe long-term pain and physical disability: musculoskeletal conditions include back pain, arthritis, traumatic injuries, osteoporosis, spinal deformity and childhood conditions.1 As life expectancies lengthen and changes in risk factors intensify, these conditions are expected to increase, unless new treatments and preventive measures are found.

With the challenges of Covid-19 affecting people globally, lockdown and business closure restrictions have led to a decrease in physical activities. Being less active makes people more susceptible to bone and joint issues, specifically in the form of spinal pain and disability. World Spine Day is annually on October 16 and this year, it’s particularly important to pay attention to spinal health for well-being.

Active Wellness promotes regular physical activity, which is one important component of spinal health. Good posture, using your knees when lifting heavy objects, and keeping your work environment safe are simple behaviors to adhere to. Yet, most of us tend to slip up and slouch, lift with straight legs and keep a fair amount of clutter around us. World Spine Day reminds us to stay disciplined and at the very least, sit up straight!

Experts estimate that as much as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives, with an estimated one billion people worldwide with spinal pain.2 Most cases of back pain tend to be mechanical and non-organic. This means they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.

The spine is a complex structure of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. Ligaments can be sprained, muscles easily strained, disks can be ruptured and joints, irritated—all leading to back pain. Poor posture, obesity and psychological stress also can cause back pain. Organic causes can be arthritis, kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots or bone loss. Here are 10 tips to keep your spine, and therefore your bones and joints, healthy:

•            Maintain a healthy diet and weight.

•            Stay consistently active. Do whatever your body is comfortable with, but keep doing it every day.

•            Stand and sit properly. (Do not slouch and try to keep the hips level.)

•            Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes that support your feet. Make sure the shoe is snug at the back of the heels. This helps prevent rolling of the foot either to the inside or the outside.3

•            Lift with your knees and don’t twist your body when you’re carrying a weight.

•            Never smoke. Smoke impairs blood flow, which deprives the spinal tissues of oxygen and nutrients.

•            Keep your spine aligned when sleeping. Back sleepers can place a pillow beneath the knees to reduce stress on the lower back. Side sleepers can place a pillow between the knees to keep the hips balanced.

•            Make sure you include enough calcium in your diet to keep bones strong. Kenzen BDZ® and Kenzen® Calcium Complex are your bone buddies.

•            Manage any pain you have with the help of a health practitioner or physical therapist, and avoid opiates as much as possible.

•            Relief from joint discomfort is available in the form of Nikken CM Complex Cream and Kenzen® Joint.

For more information on the products referenced go to www.nikken.com/na/jsj

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Super Yummy and Really Good for Us!

PUBLISHED ON October 8, 2020

“Everything in moderation.” The essential thought is found in the work of the Greek poet Hesiod (c.700 bc), who wrote ‘observe due measure; moderation is best in all things’, and of the Roman comic dramatist Plautus (c. 250–184 bc), who wrote ‘moderation in all things is the best policy.’1 These wise words are especially prudent when it comes to delicious food that may have high calories or may not be the best for us. When something is delicious and beneficial, double bonus! Such is the case with cacao or cocoa powder.

Cacao beans are a source of flavonoids, with the primary type present being flavanols. Cacao beans come from the fruit of the tree known as Theobroma cacao. Theobroma means “food of the gods” and aptly, cacao beans not only contain flavanols but also nearly 400 other identified compounds.2

Flavanols are a type of plant nutrient found in many foods and drinks, such as tea, red wine, blueberries, apples, pears, cherries, and peanuts. They are particularly abundant in cacao beans. Fermenting, drying, and roasting cacao beans yields cocoa powder, which is used to make chocolate. Flavanols in cocoa have been studied for many years. Decades of research and more than 100 published studies have demonstrated the benefits of daily cocoa flavanol consumption, including supporting a healthy heart, blood pressure, brain health and cognition, circulation and skin health. 3 They have been shown to help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the brain and heart, prevent blood clots, and fight cell damage.4

With the emerging recognition of the beneficial effects of flavanols, there has been a shift in commercial production towards chocolate forms with high flavanol content.5 Cocoa powder can contain as little as 10% fat and has up to 6% by weight, flavanols. It also has minerals (Magnesium, Copper, Vitamin K and Calcium), protein, and fiber in modest amounts. The main flavanols present in the cocoa powder are catechins and epicatechins.

Italian researchers tested the effects of cocoa flavanols in 90 healthy 61- to 85-year-olds whose memories and thinking skills were in good shape for their ages. Participants drank a special brew of cocoa flavanols each day. One group’s brew contained a low amount of cocoa flavanols (48 mg a day), another’s contained a medium amount (520 mg), and the third’s contained a high amount (993 mg).

After eight weeks, people who consumed medium and high amounts of cocoa flavanols every day made significant improvements on tests that measured attention, executive function, and memory. The findings were published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A similar study by these researchers published in 2012 showed that daily consumption of cocoa flavanols was associated with improved thinking skills in older adults who did have thinking problems, a condition called mild cognitive impairment. And both studies found that cocoa flavanols were associated with reduced blood pressure and improved insulin resistance. 6

Formulated to help people reach their recommended daily allowance of fruit and vegetables, in other words, to eat an Active Wellness diet, Kenzen® Total Vegan Drink Mix was designed with children in mind. It therefore “hid” its four recommended daily servings of veggies and fruits per serving/scoop with delicious chocolate flavor.

When you check out the ingredient listing of Kenzen Total Vegan Drink Mix, you’ll see that the second ingredient is Organic Cacao Powder. The formulation of this powdered green superfood is proprietary, but we can tell you that there are 3.15g of Organic Cacao in each 6.3g serving. That’s a significant amount, based on studies mentioned above, so whether you’re trying to get veggies into a child or feeding your own adult heart and brain, it doesn’t get easier than this!  Just add water and get a delicious chocolate beverage that is really good for the body and mind: triple bonus!

For more information on this product go to www.nikken.com/na/jsj

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