Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Silica = Collagen

Silica is absolutely essential for the body to create and maintain collagen.

Collagen is the tough fibrous material that holds us together. Many aging problems are a direct result of the body's inability to maintain adequate collagen. Think for a moment about the following aging problems: joint deterioration, brittle bones, hardening of the arteries, dry skin, inability to digest food properly, weakened teeth and gums, and atrophying organs. They all are collagen related in one form or another. When we are young, Silica levels in our body are high and our bones and joints are flexible. Our skin is supple and glowing. As we age, Silica levels decline and without adequate tissue levels of Silica, we manifest many of the symptoms of aging such as joint disease, weakened digestion, and wrinkled skin, to name a few.

Top 9 Nutritional and Therapeutic Applications for Silica

1. Connective tissue strengthening and support (joint, ligaments and muscles)

2. Bone strengthening and support through enhanced calcium absorption
Within bone, silica is the essential component making up the collagen matrix upon which calcium is deposited. This relationship is so fundamental that it is truly impossible to form bone without both calcium and silica. In fact, researchers are exploring the possibility that supplementation of silica, rather than calcium may be what is needed for maintaining strong bones.

3. Strengthening of teeth and gums

4. Cardiovascular support Silica in adequate quantities creates supple arteries and veins and is effective in removing plaque from artery walls. This has actually been known since 1958 when Loeper and Loeper found arteriosclerotic artery walls showed excessively high levels of calcium and lower than normal levels of in silica.

5. Stomach and digestive disorders
Most disorders of the stomach and digestive tract involve a degradation of the lining in the G.I. tract. Silica is an essential element involved in rebuilding and maintaining these tissues.

6. Immune system enhancement
Our skin is our first line of defense against naturally occurring bacteria, virus’s, and other pathogens. Silica promotes and maintains healthy skin tissue.

7. Wound and burn healing
Silica stimulates the rapid re-growth of damaged skin tissue.

8. Thinning hair, brittle nails, and dry skin
All of these external parts of our body are collagen based.

9. Aluminum elimination enhancement
Silica has been shown to be a good eliminator of aluminum. Aluminum has been implicated as a cause of Alzheimer’s.




Given that connective tissue is basically collagen, the inability of the body to rebuild this tissue will result in excessive injuries, general deterioration, or excessively long periods of healing time when injuries occur.

To Supplement or Not To Supplement?
The age-old debate rages on with a definitive swing in favor of supplementation. The American medical establishment is also beginning to embrace the need for supplementation to enhance health and longevity.
Why is there a need to supplement with silica if it is the second most prevalent element on earth? The reason is threefold:

As we age, scientific measurements have shown that the human body retains less and less silica.
Silica does not occur in sufficient amounts in a wide variety of foodstuffs. It is primarily found in natural oats, millet, barley, wheat and potatoes. If we eat these foods at all, they are normally refined to a point where all the silica has been removed. 

The average American diet does not contain adequate levels of essential nutrients especially Silica.

Studies have shown that the average person ingests between 20 to 60 milligrams of silica daily depending upon their diet. Results from people who have supplemented with silica at 375 mg per day support silica's effectiveness and reinforce the fact that 20 to 60 milligrams per day is not adequate. According to researchers some form of daily silica supplementation will be very beneficial.

No comments:

Post a Comment