Wake Up to Wellness: The truth about osteoporosis

LESLIE

GEATCHES PRESIDENT, TARTAN PUBLICATIONS

The loss of bone mass is caused by calcium deficiency, right? No, wait—isn’t it that we’re not getting enough Vitamin D? Or don’t we just need to drink more milk? In a word, no, no, and no. While calcium and Vitamin D are essential to overall wellness and are found in milk, our skeletal structures need much more than these nutrients alone provide. I don’t want to lose (or bore) our lay audience with too much tech talk, so I’ll boil it down to this simple formula: the more acidic the body, the greater the chances of developing osteoporosis (and many other diseases) over time. The correlate to this is that when cells are more alkaline, they are more tolerant, better able to detoxify, and have more energy—i.e., they’re much healthier!

Hold on now! Acidity? Alkalinity? What’s that got to do with bones? Actually, regularly measuring body pH is a great way to assess your health in general and a good determinant of bone health in particular. Our bodies are highly intelligent and know how to sustain vigor. It’s critical that our blood, for example, stay at a slightly alkaline pH of 7.4, and our

READ from page A1 can feel safe and comfortable.”

The HonkyTonk distinguishes itself from other alcohol-serving establishments in town also in its hours of operation. It closes much earlier, not aiming to provide drinks to all hours.

“I just want to keep driving this home: it’s better food, better quality, better service, everything about it is just a next level up,” Cameron emphasizes. “I’ve noticed that even in The Dalles or Yakima, you go someplace, and the food’s pretty expensive. You spend a lot on dinner, and you’re disappointed. It’s frustrating. We have better food— that’s the number one comment I get, how great the food is, how refreshing.”

He cites the restaurant’s meat as a case in point. “I upgraded the hamburgers, all our meats, the steaks, everything like that,” he says. “Instead of cooking the meat on a fl at top, now they’re open fl ame grilled. It’s really good. The ribeyes used to be pre-packaged, pre-portioned cut ribeyes. We got rid of that completely. And now we use our distributor and get a full prime cut ribeye cap, and then we hand-cut the ribeyes out of that. So it’s really good quality, really fresh. You’re not getting something that’s been sitting on a shelf forever. Every time you order a steak, our head cook goes back, hand-cuts the rib eye, and throws it on the open flame grill.”

Drinks, too, are on a notch above the ordinary. The HonkyTonk has a new bar manager. “Sarah worked at a whiskey bar over in Idaho for a while,” Cameron states, “and she moved to town, and she’s brought that next level of drinks. It’s not just your simple bottled beer or just a two-drink cocktail. We have new drink menus. It’s really good, quality drinks. Like our Huckleberry Moscow mule that sells really well; it’s something you’re not expecting to see in town.”

(That’s huckleberry vodka mixed with fresh lime juice and ginger beer.) They also now have 12 beers on tap, the only place in town with that many.

“It’s that upscale casual,” Cameron reiterates. “That’s what we’re going for. Where if you want to come out for a nice romantic dinner, you defi nitely can. If you want to come out with a bunch of friends and have a good time, this is the place. You don’t have to worry about anything happening. It’s just a fun, quality spot to be.” bodies take care to maintain that very tight pH for us. That may sound cool, but it’s often at the expense of our precious bones.

In general, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is just that—pretty sad. One of its saddest aspects is how acidic it is as a result of the large quantities of coffee, colas, alcohol, iodized salt, protein (especially from meat,) dairy, and other acidifying products Westerners tend to consume. With such consumption, it’s no wonder that our bodies become more acidic over time. Because a blood pH of 7.4 is so critical to life, as soon as even the slightest drop from this is detected, the body calls out the troops to raise it back to the safe, alkaline zone. How does this happen? One way is by leaching acid-neutralizing nutrients out of our bones. Our bones have a difficult enough time keeping up with their own regeneration as we age; add to that the load of being stripped of vital minerals to neutralize the blood, and a loss of bone mass is an unfortunate consequence.

The best way to assess pH is to test your urine. The pH tester I’ve found to be most accurate and affordable is called General Hydroponics pH Test Indicator, available on Amazon for under $8.00; some people use litmus strips,

FAMILY from page A1 at 150 West Main Street in Goldendale as WAGAP looks for a permanent location. A Youth Outreach Worker from TNDI will work from Columbia High School in White Salmon. Together they will provide services county-wide by reaching out to youth and families through schools, community organizations, and Community Health Workers and holding virtual sessions when needed.

“Our Youth Outreach Workers add supportive intervention for students and families who might need help navigat- but I’ve not found these to be as accurate. First thing in the morning after at least six hours of sleep (or rest if you can’t sleep) without having urinated during this time, collect the urine in a clean cup, and follow the directions on the bottle. The pH of the sample will cause a color change anywhere from yellow (acidic) to dark blue (alkaline.) The lower the number, the more acidic the urine. Seven is neutral. Anything above seven is more alkaline. The ideal urine pH is between 6.5 and 7.5. If the number is low, some alkalizing dietary changes may be in order. There is abundant information online about foods that alkalize. A recent article worth reviewing is draxe.com/nutrition/ alkaline-diet. It covers many more benefits of an alkaline diet than just bone protection. As you change your diet, continue to monitor your urine pH for a few weeks to track the impact over time. Due to the limited space for this column, I recommend you do your own reading and research. However, here are some general guidelines:

A plant-based diet of fresh fruits and fresh, colorful vegetables (i.e., not corn or potatoes) is much more alkalizing than a meat-based one. While bad news for carnivores, you may be surprised at how ben- ing resources or other challenges,” said Heather Howard, the youth services program manager at TNDI. “They can provide emotional support and help complete applications for resources, employment, or housing. They will also provide academic support and work to identify student success goals.”

The grant runs through September 2023, and the partners are working hard to build the capacity to continue this work beyond that period. In addition to seeking future grant funding, the partners are encourag- eficial some small changes each week may be. Start with slow shifts in ratios— i.e., rather than having a few leaves of spinach with your prime rib, double the spinach and halve the meat. If that’s more than you can muster, increase/decrease by thirds or quarters. Humans do have an amazing facility called acquired taste. Coupled with the knowledge of the benefit these changes will make, and you may actually start enjoying the fl avors! Go to www. nbihealth.com/top-alkalinefoods-to-eat-acid-foods-toavoid for a list of what foods to eat and to avoid; there’s also a comprehensive table for download. A counterintuitive point to be aware of is that a food may be acidic or alkaline outside the body but is alkalizing or acidifying once consumed. An example of an alkalizing food is lemon; your body metabolizes acidic lemons into alkaline byproducts during digestion. The same applies to naturally fermented sauerkraut, which is acidic outside, but turns alkaline when metabolized. Eggs, on the other hand, which are alkaline outside the body, are acidifying once ingested.

Admittedly, this is a controversial subject. While proponents of the acidityleads-to-osteoporosis theory with their supporting rand- ing community members and organizations to participate in the Gorge Youth Mentoring program and local prevention coalitions such as CPAKC, the Klickitat Community Link Project (K-Link), Our Klickitat Prevention Coalition, and Klickitat-Lyle Against Substance Abuse Coalition (KLASAC). These coalitions support building strong relationships between youth and parents or caregivers. To learn more about the new Family Resource Center, call the Goldendale Housing Office at (509) 773-6834.

What affects my energy bill in winter?

omized, double-blind studies are numerous, there are a few opponents who argue against it, also backed by their own studies. Both sides are worthy of consideration; but there’s another critical element that’s kept me in favor of the theory for a long time—years of personal observation among many dozens of friends, family members, and co-workers. Specifically, how do the diets of those who develop osteoporosis compare to the diets of those who do not? Invariably, those who’ve become skeletally frail and stooped over time and develop chronic ailments tend to consume unhealthy, acid-inducing diets; while those who age with strong bones, straight backs, and otherwise healthy bodies, tend toward plantbased, alkalizing diets. That’s pretty straightforward to me.

There are other factors known to contribute to osteoporosis, including a decrease in sex hormones, medications, prolonged illness, anorexia nervosa, alcohol intake, and cigarette smoking; but other than the first, these factors are, again, primarily lifestyle related. After all, those who’ve taken good care of themselves, eaten well, and stayed moderately active tend not to develop chronic illnesses, tend not to be on medications, tend not to starve themselves, tend not to consume too much alcohol, and tend not to smoke. So let’s get alkaline! As stated by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Otto Warburg, “Disease cannot exist in an alkaline body.”

Additional reading:

• https://academic. oup.com/jn/ article/138/2/415S/4665069

• https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/ health-disease/bonehealth#:~:text=The%20 major%20minerals%20 found%20in,to%20the%20 organic%20protein%20 matrix. • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/10926173/ • https://www.mdpi. com/2072-6643/12/3/688 • https://www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC3195546/ • https://holisticprimarycare.net/topics/prevention-practice-pearls/ the-alkaline-way-ten-tipsfor-reversing/ • https://www.mcgill. ca/oss/article/science-science-everywhere/diet-and-bonehealth#:~:text=Bone%20 is%20dynamic%2C%20 some%20is,the%20 bones%20to%20release%20 calcium • https://www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC5946302

During the winter, your energy bill can differ from one month to the next for a lot of reasons.

A sudden cold snap may occur which requires your heating system to run more frequently. Fewer daylight hours mean your lights are on for longer periods. Having kids at home for school vacations and guests stay over the holidays can affect the amount of energy you use each month, as well.

Learn what else impacts your winter bill and better manage your costs using our helpful online tools.

Go to myavista.com/winterbill