Susan Brady, Author at Nurtured Bones

Healthy Digestion = Happy Holidays

by Susan Brady | Dec 2, 2020 | Digestion

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. Like many of you, I couldn’t resist the abundance of delicious food placed before me! A few years back, I would have walked away from a large holiday meal feeling overly stuffed and bloated, followed by indigestion 2 hours later.

Fortunately, over the last few years, I have worked hard on optimizing my digestion to avoid feeling this way after meals. However, is not just about feeling better after you eat, but digesting better. Good digestion is the foundation of good health. We can’t extract the nutrients needed to successfully run our bodies if we can’t fully digest, absorb, and assimilate them from the food we eat.

Bloating and indigestion are certainly two signs that you are not adequately digesting your food, but other symptoms of poor digestion can include excessive gas and burping, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, and GERD (gastrointestinal reflux). When these symptoms arise, we often reflexively reach for an antacid medication like Tums or Alka-Seltzer to neutralize the acid in the stomach. If these symptoms occur frequently, a doctor might prescribe a proton-pump inhibitor medication such as Prilosec or Prevacid to reduce the amount of acid that your stomach makes. What is interesting is that 9 out of 10 times, these symptoms arise because the stomach isn’t making too much acid, but too little acid instead. Although these medications may provide temporary relief, they can have long term negative consequences on our health.

We need to produce acid in our stomach for several reasons:

Rev up digestion: Even though the digestive process begins when you put the first forkful into your mouth, the digestive process kicks into gear when your food hits your stomach. The production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is not only critical for breaking down protein but also for stimulating the secretion of digestive enzymes further down the gastrointestinal tract.
Ionization of minerals: Stomach acid is needed to reduce minerals, such as calcium, to an ionized state so they can be absorbed. Without adequate hydrochloric acid, minerals can not be broken down and absorbed. Some studies have indicated that suppressing acid production in the stomach may reduce calcium absorption and thereby increase the risk of fracture. However, the results of these studies remain controversial.
Intrinsic factor: Hydrochloric acid is needed to activate gastric intrinsic factor, a glycoprotein that is required to absorb vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 plays an important role in cardiovascular health, DNA production, brain, and nervous system health, energy metabolism, and bone health.
First-line of defense: The acid in your stomach provides the first line of defense against bacteria and viruses we ingest with our food. This can increase the risk of food poisoning but also disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria in our gut microbiome.

Reasons behind low acid production in the stomach:

Age – as we age we don’t make as much acid in our stomach as we did when we were younger
Stress – when we are under stress we go into fight or flight mode and the body turns its attention to fueling our muscles and stimulating the cardiovascular system. At the same time, it shunts blood flow away from the digestive tract which suppresses the secretions of enzymes. So if you are eating under stressful conditions, you decrease the ability of the stomach to produce the gastric secretions needed for optimal digestion.
Autoimmune conditions – people with autoimmune conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes, or Thyroid disease can also be at risk for having autoimmunity against their own stomach cells. Over time, this can impact your stomach’s ability to release digestive enzymes necessary for digestion.

Tips for improving digestion:

Eat in a relaxed environment so your body can direct all of its resources to digest and absorb your nutrients.
Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. Give your body a chance to digest the food coming down the pipe. Chewing also helps to promote relaxation and prepares the stomach to receive food.
Limit your beverages when you are eating. Too much water or other fluids can dilute the enzymes in your stomach making them less effective.
If you are going to sip on a beverage during a meal, opt for something that is room temperature. According to the Indian traditions of Ayurvedic medicine, cold water can cause an imbalance in the body and slow down the digestive process.
Stimulate digestion through the use of natural products
- Some people find taking 1-2 tsp of apple cider vinegar mixed in 1 ounce of warm water prior to a large meal can be helpful with digestion. Although there’s not yet any scientific evidence to support its use, anecdotal reports suggest that ACV may be an effective natural treatment option.
- Try taking some bitters. Bitters are made from bitter herbs such as dandelion root, burdock root, gentian, wormwood. Taken prior to eating can stimulate digestive secretions and act as a digestive aid.
A lot of people also take digestive enzymes to give the digestive system the added enzymes it might need. There are digestive enzyme formulas that have HCL in it as well as other enzymes that can enhance digestion. I would only take digestive enzymes with HCL in them under the supervision of a qualified health care practitioner. Because if you have H. Pylori (the bacteria known to cause ulcers) or a hiatal hernia, it may actually make your indigestion or reflux worse.

Before you embark on taking digestive enzymes, I encourage you to first just try and relax, enjoy your mealtime company, and savor your food.

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

How to stay Hip and Flexible

by Susan Brady | Nov 5, 2020 | Exercise

Back in September, I woke up your butt by talking about a real phenomenon called Dead Butt Syndrome. A condition where your gluteal muscles – your butt muscles – forget what they are supposed provide strength and stability as you move. More often than not, Dead Butt Syndrome is closely related to tight hip muscles. Having taut muscles on the front side of the hip makes it more difficult to properly activate the gluteal muscles.

The reason why I want to refocus on the hip is because when it comes to strength, balance, posture, and mobility, your hips are the most important region of your body. The flexibility of your anterior hip muscles, known as your hip flexors, is central to proper function and freedom of movement.

The hip flexors are the muscles that lift your leg up when climbing stairs or getting in and out of the car. They also move your leg forward when taking a step or kicking a ball. The muscle group that performs these actions is called the iliopsoas and it consists of two muscles, the iliacus, and the psoas.

Both these muscles lie deep inside under the abdominal muscles.

The iliascus muscle originates on the front side of your pelvic bone, extends down and crosses the front of the hip, and attaches to your upper femur.

The psoas originates from the edges of your lower spinal vertebrate, takes the same path down across the hip, and attaches to the upper femur.

These two muscles work together to move the leg, flex the spine, and provide stability.

The psoas muscle is often referred to as the “mighty” psoas because this muscle can influence many aspects of our health.

It is the only muscle that connects the upper and lower body so it keeps us physically whole.
Because of its length and positioning in the body, it surrounds many organs in the lower abdomen, as well as the nerves and blood vessels. With every step we take, the psoas contracts and relaxes massaging our organs and stimulating blood flow.
It is one of our “flight or fight’ muscles. When we are threatened or stressed, this muscle gets activated so we can be ready to run away or put up a fight. Additionally, it is the muscle that flexes our spine so we can curl up in a ball and protect ourselves.
The upper portion connects to the diaphragm and is intricately involved with our breathing.

Tension in the hip flexors is very common. Two of the biggest culprits for tightness in this area are prolonged sitting and stress. How many of us spend hours sitting at our desk and/or stressed every day!

Tight hip flexors can, in turn, cause all sorts of problems in the everyday person, including:

Bad posture. When your iliopsoas muscles are tight, they can tip your pelvis forward, increasing the normal curve of the spine causing a “duck butt.”
Low back, hip, and/or knee pain. The tightness can cause compression in the joints of the spine and the hip joint as well as potentially entrapping spinal nerves which can create pain throughout the lower half of the body.
Balance and stability. Poor posture and loss of pelvic stability can lead to balance issues and increased risk of falls.
Increased anxiety. The activation of these “fight or flight muscles” perpetuates the sense of threat and fear leading to anxiety.
Dead Butt Syndrome. Tightness in the hip flexor muscles makes it harder to activate the most powerful muscle in the body.

Unlocking these muscles:

Get up and move….I am sure this isn’t the first time you have heard me say this! Getting up and moving around every hour throughout the day is a must for preventing those muscles from locking up.
Dynamic stretching. Standing on one leg, while keeping your upper body still, swing the other leg like a pendulum forward and backward, side to side for a full minute. Switch and perform on the other leg.
Static hip stretch. With feet in a lunge position, slightly bend the front knee and drive the back hip forward. I like to imagine a string attached to the front of my hip pulling it forward. Be sure to keep your body up tall. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat 3 times.
Work your gluts. Activating and strengthening our butt muscles will automatically turn off the hip flexor muscles and encourage relaxation.

The combination of tight hip flexors and weak glutes are probably the most common muscle imbalance that I see as a physical therapist. Stretching the iliopsoas and strengthening the glutes can bring critical balance back to that region and freedom of movement that will help you improve your overall health and regain that bounce missing from your step.

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Choose Your Supplements Wisely

by Susan Brady | Oct 28, 2020 | Supplements

Millions of us swallow down handfuls of vitamins or other supplements every day in hopes of staying healthy, preventing disease, or halting the aging process. Supplements are a big business. When you have Americans spending over 30 billion dollars a year on supplements, everyone wants a hand in the market.

However, this can lead to issues of quality, safety, and effectiveness. Even though the FDA has stepped up their efforts to oversee the supplement industry, it does not test supplements for quality or safety before they are sold. This means that there is no guarantee that a supplement will contain the ingredients advertised on the label. Furthermore, many have unwanted ingredients, like heavy metals, pesticides, or additives that may be harmful to your health. In some cases, the FDA has even found supplements that contain prescription drugs, like steroids or antidepressants. Lastly, many supplements have nutrients in forms that can’t be absorbed into the body and merely pass right through your system without any benefits.

Ideally, we should get all the nutrients we need from food. Unfortunately, the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in modern farming practices, the erosion of nutrient-rich topsoil, and agricultural practices designed to improve traits (size, growth rate, pest resistance) other than nutrition have all led to a decline in the nutrient value of our foods. On top of that, many of our vegetables and fruits spend days traveling in trucks and stored on grocery shelves resulting in further loss of nutrients.

So, although I am an advocate of “food first,” when requirements are not being met through diet alone, supplements are necessary. However, it is important that the supplements you take are manufactured with quality supervision and sold reputably.

Without strict oversight and regulations, how do you know if the supplement that you picked up at the store yesterday is going to be safe and effective?

Here are some guidelines to follow which will help you get quality supplements:

6 things to look for when choosing a nutritional supplement:

1. Choose supplements that have been 3rd party tested and certified. When choosing dietary supplements, purchase products from reputable supplement companies that use third-party testing to verify the ingredients in the supplement and rule out contaminants. The best known 3rd party testing groups included ConsumerLab.com and National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF International). ConsumerLab.com provides independent test results and information to help consumers and healthcare professionals identify the best quality health and nutrition products. NSF International is an independent organization that inspects and tests a variety of products to ensure that they meet adequate standards of safety. An NSF certification ensures the consumer that a product has been tested and meets the NSF’s standards of safety.

2. Is the company following Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)? The GMP certifies that companies manufacturing the supplement are following best-practice procedures to ensure that a dietary supplement is manufactured, prepared, and stored properly and meets certain quality standards. If a supplement manufacturer meets GMP standards, they will have the cGMP/GMP designation. So you can be confident that the product is authentic, guaranteed to have no contamination, and have been manufactured consistently and safely.

3. Know the sourcing of ingredients. It is important to know if the ingredients in the supplement are coming from a toxic environment. This is particularly important when it comes to fish oil supplements. The quality of fish oil is directly related to where the fish was sourced. Pollutants like PCB and mercury contaminate many of our fish and therefore affect the quality of the oil used in the supplement. Years ago, my sister, an environmental toxicologist, was testing fish in the Gulf of Mexico shortly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. She revealed to me that a popular supplement company continued to source fish from the Gulf of Mexico during this time despite their elevated contaminants. Not only do you want to look for fish oil that is sourced from a clean body of water, but also from smaller fish such as salmon, anchovies, and sardines, rather than larger or farm-raised fish.

4. Buy supplements that are pharmaceutical grade if possible. Pharmaceutical grade supplements are subjected to stricter regulations because they have to meet pharmaceutical standards. Most supplements you find in health food stores are food-grade supplements that merely meet standards set for human consumption. The difference between pharmaceutical grade supplements and food-grade supplements is how many other substances are added. Pharmaceutical grade supplements must be in excess of 99% purity with no binders, fillers, dyes, or unknown substances. This results in a much higher quality product than a food grade alternative, and in turn, can mean the difference between a product that has an effect or not.

5. If it is cheap, avoid it. Unfortunately, good supplements cost more. No reputable company using high-quality ingredients can manufacture high-end supplements cheaply. The fact is, it costs money to make quality dietary supplements such as vitamins, protein powders, fish oil capsules, or herbal blends.

6. Beware of counterfeit supplements. Fake supplements are flooding the market these days and it is very hard to truly know if a supplement is counterfeit or the real thing prior to purchase. Counterfeiters can create a label to match the best selling brands, and then fill the bottle with an imitation product made from inferior ingredients. Unfortunately, it’s easy to sell counterfeit supplements at reputable online venues such as Amazon. Although it is not Amazon’s intention, they simply can’t adequately “police” their third-party sellers which leads to consumers unknowingly purchasing a fake product. If purchasing supplements from Amazon, please carefully inspect all products in regards to labeling, size, shape, and smell as well as check for expiration dates. Your best bet would be to buy your supplements directly from the supplement manufacturer itself or trusted health care professional.

In my practice, I only recommend certified supplements that come from vetted companies that I know and trust. This way I can be sure that my clients are getting nutrient supplements and natural products that are made from the highest quality materials. I also take the hassle out of searching for reliable and trustworthy supplements by offering an easy and convenient way to order online through Fullscript.com. Fullscript provides a one-stop-shop for purchasing top-quality nutritional supplements and products.

Are you taking a good quality supplement or are you throwing your money away on a product made with inferior ingredients? High-quality supplements can help you address nutrient deficiencies in your diet, but it can be overwhelming to determine exactly what you need, what dosage you should consume, and where you should purchase your products.

Breakthrough the confusion with a Supplement Review!

The 45-minute session includes:

A comprehensive review of your current health and physical well-being
Review, revision, OR development of a customized supplement program
Ongoing discount on all supplements purchased through Fullscript

All of this for the low price of $75. The savings you will receive on the supplements alone will cover the cost of this comprehensive assessment!

Before risking any more money or your health, why not be sure the nutritional supplements you are taking are safe and truly helping you achieve your wellness goals.

Are you ready for a breakthrough?

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Breast Cancer, Bones, and Broccoli

by Susan Brady | Oct 21, 2020 | Healthy aging

October is breast cancer awareness month when people all over the world show their support for women affected by this devastating disease. Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, the first being skin cancer. It is estimated that 1 in 8 American women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Fortunately, thanks to improved awareness, prevention, and advances in medical treatment, these women have a much better outlook than ever before. Women are beating breast cancer!

Unfortunately, one of the most common side effects of many of the treatment protocols for breast cancer is bone loss. Surgery, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy can all negatively impact our bone health and lead to osteoporosis.

Nutrition and exercise are certainly 2 ways women thriving through breast cancer can protect their bones. One of the best foods for supporting both your bones and your breasts is broccoli.

There are numerous journal publications showing a diet rich in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are not only cancer-protective but can also support the body while undergoing cancer treatments. In fact, a large study involving nearly 5000 Chinese breast cancer survivors found that those women who ate approximately 1 cup of chopped cruciferous vegetables a day were 42% less likely to have died from breast cancer. These women were also less likely to have their cancer come back.

Broccoli serves up plenty of bone-building nutrients as well. It is a good source of calcium, magnesium, folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin K — a nutrient that is essential for the formation of osteocalcin (a type of protein found only in the bone).

But more important than any of these vitamins and minerals, Broccoli is a rich source of a compound called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is a powerful phytochemical that appears to neutralize toxins, reduce inflammation, protect your DNA, possibly slow tumor growth, reduce bone resorption, and promote bone formation. Broccoli is not only a superfood for preventing cancer and osteoporosis, but also for protecting against bone loss while thriving through cancer treatments.

However, as with most plant foods, cooking compromises nutrients, including the concentration of sulforaphane in broccoli. So if you enjoy munching on raw broccoli, chew on! But if you prefer your broccoli boiled, microwaved, or steamed until soft, you are probably not getting the full benefits of sulforaphane.

The reason being is that to activate the sulforaphane in broccoli, we need a critical enzyme called myrosinase. Myrosinase converts the precursor glucoraphanin to sulforaphane. However, myrosinase is destroyed in the cooking process. No enzyme, no sulforaphane.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to boost the formation of sulforaphane:

Chop it up – When broccoli is chopped, glucosinolates and myrosinase are brought together and sulforaphane is more readily formed.
Let it sit – Exposing broccoli to the air for at least 40 minutes (90 minutes even better) allows the activation of myrosinase, the enzyme needed to produce sulforaphane. Once sulforaphane has been formed, it won’t be affected by cooking.
Steam it – Steaming broccoli for up to 5 minutes is the best way to retain myrosinase. Boiling or microwaving, even for as little as 1 minute, can destroy the majority of the enzyme.
Add mustard seeds – Adding powdered mustard seeds to cooked broccoli can significantly increase the formation of sulforaphane. Mustard seed contains a particularly resilient form of myrosinase. Horseradish and arugula also contain myrosinase. Click here for a wonderful mustard seed vinaigrette to dress up your broccoli.
Eat broccoli sprouts! – Broccoli sprouts are actually the best source of sulforaphane. In fact, compared to mature broccoli they contain 100x’s more sulforaphane. Garnish any dish with broccoli sprouts or add it to your smoothies, salads, or sandwich.

Whether you are undergoing breast cancer treatments, striving to keep your bones strong, or just trying to stay healthy and fit, be sure to get your daily dose of broccoli.

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

The Body Follows the Mind

by Susan Brady | Oct 7, 2020 | Healthy aging

When I started out on my integrative health and wellness journey 20 years ago, one of the first books that I read was The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton. In this book, Dr. Lipton, a cell biologist, explores how the power of the mind can have a commanding influence on your health and well-being. He explains how every thought we have, whether positive or negative, emits an energy that affects every cell and every system in our body. Everything that runs through our mind has the ability to strengthen or weaken our body.

It is no wonder that stress plays a significant role in many different diseases and disorders.

But what are we supposed to do about it? The stressors we face in the modern world are ongoing, some are worse than others, but always present. Right now we are hearing a lot about how we are living in “uncertain” times, but the truth is that life is and always has been uncertain. No one can fully control or predict what is going to happen tomorrow. However, we do have control over how we react and respond to the stress and uncertainty that challenge us every day.

Stress is often defined as anything we perceive to be a threat to our wellbeing. It is a very individual and personal experience because we all perceive things differently. Our perception is influenced by our life experiences, our current capacity to cope, our personality, and even our genes. If you perceive something as a threat that is going to cause you harm, it will trigger a stress response in your body.

However, by changing your perception and how you view the circumstance or event, can also change how your body reacts.

Here are some ways that you can reprogram your stress response:

Change how you think about stress. When you encounter a stressful situation, you will notice that your heart rate goes up, you start to breathe harder, maybe you get butterflies in your stomach. You can view these physiologic changes as the negative signs of stress, or as a positive sign that your body is preparing you to meet the challenge that you are about to face.
Watch your words. The words we use cue our brains and guide us on how to react. When someone asks you how you are, do you respond by using words such as busy, stressed, or tired? Those words send a message to your brain that you are…busy, tired, and stressed…and the brain and body react accordingly. Using more positive words like challenge, opportunity, or excited have a much different effect on our mindset and outlook.
Live life in the moment. Studies show that we only spend about 10% of our energy or attention in the present moment. Nearly 50% of the time we’re worried about the future and about 40% of the time we’re still thinking about the past. The only thing you are able to take control of is the moment that you have with you right now. There is no point worrying about the past or being anxious about the future.
Think before you respond. Try to stop and think through a bad situation before you respond. Shifting from reactive survival mode to reflective and responsive thinking that can give you the opportunity to better assess the situation and how it can be most effectively addressed.
Pay attention to your limits. We all have a different capacity as to how much we can do and how much we can handle. It can vary from day to day, even minute to minute. When the demands on our time and energy outweigh our capacity, it can result in stress and be overwhelming.
Center on yourself. Every day, take time to show compassion towards yourself and put yourself first. On a daily basis do at least one thing that brings you joy, lightens your load, and makes you smile.

One final thought.

A few years back I listened to a TED Talk titled “How to Make Stress your Friend” by health psychologist Kelly McGonigal. Dr. McGonigal referenced a study entitled “Does the perception that stress affects the health matter? The association with health and mortality.” In this study, the researchers concluded that stress itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but believing that stress is bad and harmful is the actual problem.

The researchers tracked 30,000 adults for 8 years. At the beginning of the study they asked everyone 2 questions:

• How much stress have you experienced in the last year?

• Do you believe that stress is harmful to your health?

They then used public death records to find out who died.

What the researchers found was:

People who experienced a lot of stress in the previous years, and believed that stress is harmful to their health had a 43% increased risk of premature death.
People who experienced a lot of stress, but did not view stress as harmful, actually had the lowest risk of dying of anyone in the study, including people who had relatively little stress

Their conclusion was that people didn’t necessarily die from stress, but from the belief that stress had a negative impact on their health.

So, if you think your stress is hurting your health, it’s likely it is.

We are never going to get rid of stress and there is always going to be uncertainty in life, but we can change how we think about it and how we respond to it. And when we change the way our mind perceives stress, we also change the way our body reacts to it.

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!