When planning meals, those suffering from bone and joint pain need to make an extra effort to reduce acidity and inflammation. The following tips can help.

1. Adopt a low-glycemic, alkalizing diet with lots of vegetables. Plant-based foods provide micronutrients and antioxidants, while addressing inflammation and acidity. They also support the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms.
   
    
2. Decrease or eliminate dairy, cooked oils, nonorganic or processed meat, alcohol, gluten, processed foods, and sugar. These all increase acidity and fuel chronic inflammation, both factors that accelerate bone loss.
   
    
3. Dairy is rich in calcium, but it’s also difficult to digest and is missing its companion mineral for bone health, magnesium. The best choices for calcium are leafy greens, such as chard, spinach, and kale. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli are excellent, as are almonds and other nuts, all of which are also good magnesium sources.
   
    
4. Magnesium deficiency can reduce the body’s ability to absorb calcium, and about half of our magnesium is found in bones.  As we age, we start to lose the ability to absorb magnesium, so diet and supplements become more important. Stock up on green leafy vegetables, beans, whole grains, and nuts. Topical magnesium creams or oils can also be helpful.
   
    
5. Increase intake of omega 3 fatty acids. A study from researchers at Ohio State showed that improving the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 decreased the risk of hip fractures. Omega 3s are found in coldwater fatty fish, such as wild salmon and sardines, as well as flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. A high-quality omega supplement can help as well.
   
    
6. Vitamin K plays a significant role in bone health. This nutrient boosts bone density, reduces fracture risk, and works with vitamin D to enhance bone metabolism. It also helps the body distribute calcium properly, to avoid dangerous calcium deposits around joints and in artery walls.
   
    
7. Vitamin D3 is closely involved in calcium absorption and thus bone density, so maintaining adequate levels can be part of our firewall against osteoporosis. Vitamin D3 can be obtained from spending time every day in the sun, as well as from natural vitamin D3 supplements.
   
    
8. On the joint side, glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, and collagen hydrolysate can help ease arthritis pain, particularly when combined with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory compounds (NSAIDs) and antioxidants.
   
    
9. A less commonly prescribed remedy for joint pain is ginger, an excellent anti-inflammatory. Curcumin, the main active compound in the spice turmeric, has also been found to decrease joint pain, again through its anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Another excellent supplement is modified citrus pectin, which reduces levels of galectin-3, the inflammatory protein that plays a role in fibrosis-related conditions such as arthritis.

No matter how careful you are in the sun, it's easy to slip up. Here’s what you can do in case you get sunburned.

Homeopathic Sun Relief

First, take stock of your sunburn. Then pick the right homeopathic remedy for you.

Apis mellifica is the remedy of choice if skin is swollen and stings, but feels better when cold is applied.

Take Belladonna every two hours if your head and face are hot, red, and throbbing (and you crave lemonade).

A dose of Urtica urens is called for if symptoms include itchy, stinging pain that feels worse after sleep or when water is applied. For general relief externally, you can also dilute four drops of Urtica urens in five ounces of water and swab it on.

Prolonged exposure to sun or high temps can sometimes result in heat stroke, which is a serious matter and should be treated immediately. Here again, homeopathic Belladonna taken every 15 minutes is the remedy of choice, but seek treatment as soon as possible.

Topical Relief

The chief agent of relief is topical aloe vera. Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar writes, “Aloe is truly a remarkable healing agent for burns,” noting, “it contains rich concentrations of anthraquinones, which promote rapid healing and tissue repair.”

According to Gladstar, the gel’s natural sunscreen also blocks up to 30 percent of UV rays. Use one of many natural products containing aloe, or keep a plant handy and split open one of its thick, oozy leaves to apply gel.

For an extra healing boost, add a few drops of lavender, chamomile, or calendula essential oil to aloe gel, and refrigerate the goop to enhance its cooling effects.

Sip, Soak, and Slather

Green tea can benefit a burn internally and externally. Polyphenols and tannic acid in this powerful antioxidant soothe and heal sunburn, reducing redness and inflammation, while counteracting the effects of UV and protecting skin cells.

Make a compress by steeping green sencha tea leaves for 20 minutes. Strain and retain the liquid, then soak a clean cloth in the cooled tea and apply it to your burn. Then sip a cup for continuing benefits.

For preemptive skin protection, natural sunscreens use a natural mineral base like zinc oxide, which provides UVA protection by deflecting the sun’s rays. They may also include ingredients such as beeswax, plant butters, aloe vera, chamomile, and calendula to soothe and protect adults and children.

When you’re making your selection, look for “Broad Spectrum” and “SPF 30” or higher indicate over-the-counter sunscreens that pass the US Food and Drug Adminsitration’s standard for protecting against both ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) and ultraviolet A radiation (UVA). Both types of radiation can lead to sunburn, skin cancer, and skin aging. 

Supplements for Sun Damage

There’s some evidence that taking natural extracts from the French maritime pine tree may help protect skin from sun damage and reduce the damage after its done. Oral use of a pine bark extract reduced signs of sun damage and reduced the pigmentation of age spots.

Tis the season to celebrate all things light, from reading to clothing to the literal rays pouring down from the sky.

Yet it pays to be cautious about sun exposure. Rates of the deadly skin cancer melanoma are increasing in the United States. One in five Americans will contract it, according to the Melanoma Research Foundation.

Some of us still look to the sun for a summer glow. Is there such a thing as a healthy tan? “Most consider it an oxymoron,” says David E. Fisher, MD, chief of the Department of Dermatology at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital.

Here’s how to maximize playtime while minimizing ultraviolet (UV) exposure.

Protect Your Skin

Sun-safe options run the gamut from sunscreen and lip balm to self-tanning products, clothing, and even supplements.

Sunscreen Tips

“Put on often; slather on thick,” says Dr. Fisher. He recommends a broad-spectrum sunblock that protects against UVA and UVB. UVB is the culprit when it comes to most cancers, but UVA, responsible for premature wrinkling and aging, can also damage DNA.

Use sunscreen daily if outside for more than 20 minutes, and reapply often if it’s humid or you’re swimming or perspiring heavily. Dermatologists recommend a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 year-round.

Most oil-based sunscreens don’t contain enough SPF, so opt for cream or lotion. Many natural products contain additional healthful ingredients such as vitamins E and C or green tea.

Kat James, author of The Truth About Beauty, recommends choosing a mineral-based sunscreen (micronized zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) for optimum safety. Avoid synthetic ingredients such as methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl paraben.

What to Look for in Lip Balm

Lips get sunburned, too, so apply protection that’s SPF 15 or higher; many lip balms come in pretty summer tints.

Self-Tanners

“If a tan is induced by UV radiation, there’s no evidence that it’s a safe tan,” says Dr. Fisher. He adds, “A sunless tan is a safe tan.”

Kat James recommends a bronzer with mineral pigments (iron oxides), which allows for even application.

Supplements That Protect Skin

For protection from the inside out, several studies support the use of beta carotene to counteract the damaging effects of UV radiation. Other potentially protective phytochemicals being studied include lycopene and caffeine.

As for that much-needed by-product of the sun, vitamin D, Dr. Fisher feels that sun exposure is “a carcinogenic way to get vitamin D. It comes at a price—skin cancer.” He notes, “Vitamin D supplements are chemically identical, functional, and will fully replace the vitamin D we would receive from the sun.”

Celiac disease patients with chronic damage of the small intestine may be more likely to break a hip compared to those whose intestines have begun to heal.

“We believe that giving the mucous membrane—the moist tissue lining the small intestine—a chance to heal can lower the risk of complications, including bone fractures,” said Jonas Ludvigsson, PhD, MD. “Sticking to a gluten-free diet is crucial for minimizing tissue damage and reducing the risk of a serious fracture that could cause other complications.”

Dr. Ludvigsson said his team of researchers determined that celiac patients had a higher rate of hip fractures when tissue damage persisted for a long period.

A 2008 study in Pediatrics reports a significant increase in drug prescriptions for our children. From 2002 to 2005, prescription medicines to treat Type 2 diabetes in kids doubled, children’s asthma drugs rose by over 46 percent, medicines offered for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder increased by more than 40 percent, and controversial prescriptions for cholesterol-lowering meds for children rose 15 percent.

Hippocrates’ dictum, “First, do no harm,” is especially crucial when treating infants and children. Most drugs have not been adequately tested among these age groups, so could mainstream medicine be committing “medical child abuse” by overprescribing powerful drugs for our precious youngsters? Homeopathic medicines (minute, diluted doses of natural substances) offer a safer alternative.

Homeopathic Kids’ Kit

• Arnica

  Homeopathic Arnica is one medicine that belongs in every household. Mothers may take Arnica during labor because it’s helpful for the shock and trauma of childbirth. This use conveys a safe remedy to the baby through the umbilical cord and then through the mother’s milk.

  Arnica is also important to have around for the minor accidents and injuries that are a normal part of growing up. Consider homeopathic Arnica for bumps, bruises, and muscle sprains or strains.

• Chamomilla

  Chamomilla is the leading homeopathic medicine for teething and colic, especially when the infant is extremely irritable, demands something only to push it away once it’s offered, and desires to be held and rocked. Chamomilla can also be used for common ear infections when the infant or child is easily upset and when being held and rocked provides only temporary relief.

• Belladonna

  Belladonna is another important homeopathic medicine to have available because it’s useful for the sudden and sometimes high fevers of infants and children. Belladonna is made from deadly nightshade—a dangerous plant in whole, herbal form—but is safe in exceptionally diluted homeopathic doses. In homeopathic form, it may help little ones who experience nightmares or who have night terrors. Homeopathic Belladonna is also useful during ear infections where the ear is very red, the face is flushed, and the child experiences fright.

• Pulsatilla

  Pulsatilla is commonly used for a wide variety of complaints, ranging from ear infections and digestive problems to respiratory ailments. The infants and children who benefit from this important homeopathic medicine tend to have gentle, mild, and yielding personalities and often seek sympathy; their weeping beckons parents to hold and cradle them. Little or no thirst accompanies a fever, but children tend to desire open air; they may be warm enough to prefer few clothes and even throw off covers at night.

Use and Dosage

These homeopathic medicines are recommended for internal consumption and are generally prescribed in the 6th, 12th, or 30th potency. (Unlike conventional medicines, homeopathic dosages are not dependent on size or weight, and overdose is not a concern.) Ideally, use the 30th potency if you are confident that the medicine is the right one for your child and the 6th potency if you are less confident. The 12th potency falls in between. That said, it’s advisable to use whatever potency you have on hand at the time, rather than delay giving a homeopathic medicine to your child.

Our friends at ACURE help us share the basics and talk products.

Feeling fatigued? It’s a good bet that you’re also stressed. Fatigue and stress feed off each other.

How to perk up? Add whole foods to your diet, find more time to exercise, and cut down on sugar and caffeine. Adding some key supplements may also help.

In his book No More Fatigue, natural health expert Jack Challem identifies “The Five Circles of Fatigue” as stress, poor dietary habits, hormone imbalances, chronic illnesses (and many medications), and the aging process.

Common medical causes of fatigue include anemia, sleep disorders, depression, chronic pain or infection, and inflammatory disorders. Stress is an underlying contributor to all of these.

Sugar Sapper

Contrary to popular opinion, sugar is not an energy food and coffee is not an energy drink. Relying on either for a pick-me-up will leave you more tired.

Consider instead the nutritional density of whatever you consume. For example, sugar has a lot of calories, but it offers little in the way of vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients. On the other hand, protein and vegetables are nutrient dense.

Green Food = Super Energy

Many green foods are nutrient dense, including alfalfa, barley grass, chlorella, green tea, kelp, spirulina, and wheatgrass. In addition to being loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, these supergreens have the added benefits of enzymes and chlorophyll. Enzymes are essential for nearly every biological process, and chlorophyll (the pigment that makes plants green) oxygenates blood and delivers magnesium.

Supergreens are available in supplements, including powders, tablets, and tinctures.

Also consider adaptogens: herbs that generate a defensive response to stress. Adaptogens that specifically help fight fatigue and increase energy and endurance include American ginsent, Asian ginseng, ashwagandha, cordyceps, eleuthero, holy basil, rhodiola, and schisandra.