I think I broke my ankle while out running - Part II

Well, I am back to careful jogging after having cracked the medial malleolus of my right ankle. I am even playing soccer with my son. Here are a couple of photos of my ankles 13 days post injury:

If you look closely, you will see that the ankle bone on the inner side of right ankle is noticeably thicker than the left hand side. This bone was fractured when I went over on the outside of my ankle while running off road (Refer earlier report here and compare photos). Some people think I have the boniest ankles in the business!

What is really important is the fact there has been no muscle wasting, there is no loss of ankle mobility and the ankle reflexes have been restored to pre-injury working order. If the ankle had been immobilised for this period of initial healing, there would have been a period of several weeks rehabilitation to restore normal strength and function.

Now, I am not suggesting for a moment that a person with a fractured ankle forgo with immobilisation and commence exercising, including soccer as part of their rehabilitation. However; I am using my case as an example of how a carefully managed "sports medicine" approach to injury management can bring about wonderful results. The fracture was not unstable and did not directly involve weight-bearing bones.

First of all, I ensured there was minimal swelling despite having to continue walking and jogging for an hour after the injury just to get home. I then determined what I could and could not do without stirring up the injury - how to remain active while the scarring and callousing knitted the damage securely enough to take the strain of this or that activity. I had the injury site massaged daily after about the first 36 hours. I took no pain medication, including anti-inflammatories which might interfere with the healing processes. The closest was some flax oil, bone broth and joint food to assist the joint and bone with healing. Long, hot Epsom Salt baths with a cool bottle of beer on the side were my pain management. I walked daily up and down steep hills for as long as the pain was bearable, steadily increasing the distances as the days passed. I practiced balancing exercises to strengthen the ankle muscles and to retrain the reflexes.

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Nutrients for keeping your arteries healthy flexible

As we get older our arteries tend to lose their flexibility. They harden. This shows as an increase in blood pressure. If we were listening to the pulse of hardening arteries through a stethoscope we would hear a hard wooden knock as compared to a soft thud as the heart ejects each pulse of blood into healthy arteries.

Maintain sexual performance by looking after your arteries

Sexual drive and performance relies on the healthy functioning of a number of mind and body systems, including healthy circulation - the ability of the arteries to contract and relax freely. This applies as much to women as much as it does to men, so strategies to improve arterial health should be beneficial for your sex life as well!

All is not lost. Every part of your body is renewed with even the bones being completely replaced about every 6-7 years or so. So, one can assume that arteries can be softened up to some degree if the conditions are right. This starts with good nutrition and we now know nowadays that there are several nutrients that are beneficial for keeping arteries healthy:

Vitamin E
Vitamin E has been used for decades, if not longer, for softening scar tissue. Numerous studies have confirmed the benefits of vitamin E in improving arterial health. This ability to maintain normal blood vessel tone may partly account for vitamin E's benefits in preventing cardiovascular diseases. There has been some adverse, confusing publicity about vitamin E recently. Do not worry; the bulk of the evidence is in favour of the health benefits of natural vitamin E. Stay away from synthetic vitamin E.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential for maintaining healthy collagen tissue. The extreme of unhealthy collagen due to vitamin C deficiency if scurvy. Arteries are made up of collagen among other substances. Vitamin C can also provide some protection of the blood vessels against homocycsteine which is one of the most reliable predictors of heart disease.

L-Arginine
This amino acid is the precursor to nitric oxide, and it is known that nitric oxide can increase the flexibility of arterial walls. Nitric oxide increases endothelial flexibility, and studies have found L-Arginine supplements helpful in angina pain and congestive heart failure. As people age the production of L-Arginine decreases and many experts believe this is responsible for many degenerative processes related to aging. Natural sources include: Nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chocolate, popcorn, raisins, brown rice, carob, gelatin desserts, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and protein rich foods including whey protein.
Vitamin C may further improve the activity of L-arginine.

Garlic
Garlic is rich in antioxidants and increases nitric oxide production. When cloves are chewed, crushed or cut, they release a sulphur-bearing compound called allicin - the chemical that gives garlic its pungent taste and smell. And it's the allicin that scientists have discovered is the magic ingredient thought to be responsible for garlic's many therapeutic qualities. Kyolic garlic and garlic oil are both potent sources of the active ingredients of garlic.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid
This antioxidant has long been used to treat symptoms of diabetic nerve disease. Alpha-lipoic acid works together with other antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. It is important for growth, helps to prevent cell damage, and helps the body rid itself of harmful substances. It has recently been shown to be beneficial for blood vessel health. Good food sources of alpha-lipoic acid include spinach, broccoli, beef, yeast (particularly Brewer's yeast), and certain organ meats (such as the kidney and heart).

Evening Primrose Oil (EPO)
EPO is rich in the essential gamma-linoleinc acid (GLA), a very valuable fatty acid that is not found in many plants. It has numerous vital functions in the body. GLA is an essential fatty acid that the body does not manufacture. This fatty acid is known to help prevent hardening of the arteries, heart disease, eczema, cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis, menopause, PMS, multiple sclerosis, and high blood pressure. It has a positive effect on sex hormone response including the hormones estrogen and testosterone, aids in lowering cholesterol levels, and is important in treating cirrhosis of the liver. Research also demonstrates that primrose oil helps relieve pain and inflammation.

Flavonoids
Flavonoids are a family of more than 5,000 potent antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. Studies are showing the importance of these antioxidants for maintaining cardiovascular health, including healthy blood vessels.

Good sources of flavonoids include all citrus fruits, berries, onions, parsley, legumes, green tea, red wine, seabuckthorn, and dark chocolate. I especially recommend dark berries like blue berries, black berries and boysenberrries.

Fish oil and flaxseed oil
Omega 3 fatty acids have also been proven to work wonders for your heart, arteries and veins that make up your cardiovascular system. They help to lower cholesterol, tryglicerides, LDL and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing good HDL cholesterol.

Minerals, including magnesium
Low mineral levels, particularly magnesium, can result in increased arterial muscle tension and an irregular pulse. Supplementation with magnesium can include a bone broth and a nightly soak in a warm bath of Epsom Salts. A bone broth is also a wonderful natural source of gelatine

Monitor cardiovascular health
If you have high blood pressure, or a heart condition and you are intending to try natural therapies including nutritional supplementation, it is important that you monitor your heart health. Do this daily using a digital blood pressure monitor. Consult your doctor and discuss your plans. Heed any advice given.

These nutrients are good for you when taken according to professional guidance. Even if there is no measurable benefit in cardiovascular health from taking these, you may find a pleasant offshoot: healthy skin, hair and nails!

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The health benefits of Epsom Salts (magnesium sulphate)

Funny isn't it that the more we learn about health and nutrition the more we realise how right Granny was with her cod liver oil, her beef broths and even her Epsom salt baths!

It was only after I discovered that I was seriously depleted of magnesium, the consquence of many years of hard physical exertion and emotional stress, that I have begun to realise the powerful influence of minerals on our health and well-being. Magnesium comes at the top of the list of minerals that show measureable health benefits for most people.

It therefore came as no surprise that Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) baths and compresses are making a comeback and for good reason: There really are numerous health benefits! So, I have added Epsom salts to the growing range of products at www.myotec.co.nz

I have copied below the promotional blurb for the salts that is selling for just $5 per Kilo!

Usage

For compresses: Use 1/2 cup of Epsom Salt per liter of water for sore muscles, bug bites and splinter removal.

For soaking: Add tup to wo cups of Epsom Salt to warm water in a standard-sized bathtub. Popular for easing muscle pain and fading bruises. Bathe three times weekly, soaking for at least 12 minutes.

Foot bath: Add a cup of Epsom Salt to a tub of warm water as a popular balm for aching feet.

Studies show the benefits from the major components of Epsom Salt may:

Magnesium:

• Ease stress and improves sleep and concentration
• Help muscles and nerves function properly
• Regulate activity of 325+ enzymes
• Help prevent artery hardening and blood clots
• Make insulin more effective
• Reduce inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps
• Improve oxygen use

Sulfates:

• Flush toxins
• Improve absorption of nutrients
• Help form joint proteins, brain tissue and mucin proteins
• Help prevent or ease migraine headaches

Magnesium - the key component of Epsom Salt -- performs more functions in more systems of the human body than virtually any other mineral, including regulating the activity of more than 325 enzymes.

Studies show that magnesium is:

• An electrolyte, helping to ensure proper muscle, nerve and enzyme function.
• Critical to the proper use of calcium in cells.
• An aid in helping to prevent heart disease and strokes by lowering blood pressure, protecting the elasticity of arteries, preventing blood clots and reducing the risk of sudden heart attack deaths.

Medical research also indicates that magnesium may:

• Increase the effectiveness of insulin, helping to lower the risk or severity of diabetes.
• Reduce inflammation and relieves pain, making it a beneficial in the treatment of sore muscles, bronchial asthma, migraine headaches and fibromyalgia.

Although magnesium can be absorbed through the digestive tract, many foods, drugs and medical conditions can interfere with the effectiveness of this deliver method. Therefore, soaking in an Epsom Salt bath is one of the most effective means of making the magnesium your body needs readily available.

Epsom Salt also delivers sulfates, which medical research indicates are needed for the formation of brain tissue, joint proteins and the mucin proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. Studies show that sulfates also stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and help to detoxify the body's residue of medicines and environmental contaminants. Studies indicate that sulfates are difficult to absorb from food, but are readily absorbed through the skin.

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