Some of us are born flexible and some of us are not. Collagen fibres, found throughout the body in the hair, skin and ligaments are the glue that holds us together and in a few of us, there are small changes in the chemical processes that can result in weakened collagen fibres and more elasticity in the ligaments that hold joints together. A hypermobile joint is one whose range of movement exceeds the norm for an individual. The maximal range of movement that a joint is capable of is determined by the tightness of the “holding” ligaments. Hypermobility is not just limited to joints. Increased mobility issues can cause joint pain, back pain and even gut issues due to this connective tissue becoming too stretchy.
There appears to be enough evidence to support that hypermobility can be an inherited condition and is quite common particularly in children and young people. There are some estimates that suggest one in every five people may have joint hypermobility.
Other Hypermobility Syndrome Symptoms
Is it always a problem? No, there are a few people with hypermobile joints that do not have any problems but when they do, symptoms can often include digestive problems. Stretchiness can also involve the colon so constipation or irritable bowel syndrome can be a finding. Pain and stiffness in joints and muscles, clicking joints, fatigue, recurrent injuries such as ankle sprains, thin and stretchy skin, easy joint dislocations, and dizziness and fainting can be other symptoms of hypermobility.
Hypermobility Syndrome Treatments
Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) is a term used when a few of these symptoms exist. People with JHS benefit greatly from a combination of controlled exercise, preferably Pilates based strengthening and Chiropractic and other therapies. Joints can become stiffer with age; however, joint hypermobility syndrome and associated symptoms can continue into adult life. It is even possible to have some joints that easily lock up in a hypermobile person surrounded by other joints that are moving excessively. Improving the joint movement and strengthening around the skeletal structure is always a priority for greater joint stability, helping in “holding together” the body. It is important to note that good joint movement is paramount in providing proprioception- a neural acknowledgement to where the joint is in space via feedback mechanisms to the brain. Good joint movement prevents the cycle of repeated injury from compensatory changes and is therefore fundamental in recovery. We have seen many ankle sprains with a locked talar joint (the ankle bone) that will continue to provide pain and foot gait dysfunction if it is not gently manipulated. Gait dysfunction can lead to knee and hip problems leading to other pain syndromes.
When we talk about hypermobility, many would not think of the gut connective tissue. It can be however a common symptom in hypermobility syndrome. Supporting the gastrointestinal tract and the production of collagen/ connective tissue production within the body would be an important strategy to help. Glucosamine and Chondroitin is an evidence-based supplement for joint stiffness and pain that could be included in the treatment of JHS. The Cusack Protocol has been used by some which is a protocol of nutritional supplements to supposedly support the development of connective tissue, and can include polysaccharides such as aloe vera, certain mushrooms and a probiotic amongst others. Many people are taking collagen powder for rejuvenation purposes and faster joint healing following injury and could be included to help support hypermobile body types.
Hypermobility Scoring/Testing
A popular screening check for joint hypermobility syndrome is Beightons Score. It does have some short comings as it only samples a small number of joints, potentially overlooking many joints that could be hypermobile. It also excludes other possible involved systems for example the gut and its connective tissue.
Types of Hypermobility Syndrome
Age, sex and ethnicity can play a part with maximal joint elasticity at birth. Women and non- westerners have a higher percentage where fewer than five joints involved is also more common.
Common hypermobility as seen in dancers and gymnasts could be a form of non-pathological polymorphisms (small variations in extracellular genes of collagens, elastin, fibrils) or through acquired hypermobility (pure hard work!). By acquiring the desired mobility, their normal tissues protect them against injury. Acquired diseases such as hyperparathyroidism, chronic alcoholism and rheumatic fever can cause increased mobility. Other forms of hypermobility can genetically involve the proteins and be more a pathological form of hypermobility called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Certain forms of EDS can affect the connective tissue of the blood vessel walls.
Protect Your Body
Most forms of hypermobility can often be managed quite effectively. Exercise should generally incorporate a lot of core strengthening involving muscles that surround the spine and hips. Joints can commonly get “locked up” within a hypermobile body and require gentle manipulation to allow for overall good loading, good joint mechanics and proprioception. Supplementation could be beneficial to support the production of collagen and to support joint integrity.
My story- many years ago, I was assessed by a podiatrist after noticing that my shoes wore unevenly at an alarming rate, and I was starting to experience knee pain. He said to me that there are three kinds of feet- Rigid, Normal and Hypermobile. He described me as beyond hypermobile but as “Ragdoll,”…I was walking on pancake feet. I have been in orthotics ever since and my children have been in them since they could walk having sadly inheriting my ragdoll feet. I was sent home from school numerous times as a child with terrible stomach aches. I later discovered that it was simply the tight elastic around my tummy. Anything tight now still causes me issues.
I am now in my 50’s and I can still get my foot in my mouth. In the Yoga lotus position, my knees collapse to the floor. Not all of me is flexible. My body does need holding together and can fall apart quite easily. I have responded really well to gentle Chiropractic manipulation and find it very relieving, and the Pilates based exercises have helped me be able to participate in other sports. It is like many things that need to be managed long term. I was delighted when low rise pants came into fashion 15 years ago and was not delighted when fashion then turned to the high waist.! So, I’ll be the 80-year-old trundling along with orthotics in my shoes and a muffin top – fashion keeps repeating though so I reckon I might be on trend by then 😊
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Are you over 65? If yes, then you make up 1 in 7 of the population and you contribute to 9% of the total disability for musculoskeletal conditions! – Disease and disability increases with age and research into this area are significantly important due to the debilitation that it can present.
Study – Spinal Pain in older women and associated Comorbidities
A study involving 579 older community dwelling women with spinal pain found that they had significantly lower mental and physical quality of life scores as well as associated obesity (or were found to be overweight), increased evidence of diabetes, pulmonary comorbidity and cardiovascular comorbidity. Comorbidities were significantly more common in women with spinal pain that in women without spinal pain. It also found that an increase in comorbidities increased the chance of experiencing spinal pain.
Study – Rehabilitation or Spinal Manipulation – Does is Help Older Adults’ with Back Pain?
This study involved 230 individuals over 65 with subacute lower back pain. They had supervised rehabilitation or spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) treatment over a 12 week period with self reported outcome measures of pain severity, back disability, health status, medication use, satisfaction and care and global improvement at weeks 4, 12, 26 and 1 year. The 3 groups were: home exercise: home exercise and SMT: SMT, home exercise and supervised rehabilitation. Pain severity was reduced by 30-40% with the largest difference favouring SMT and home exercise over home exercise alone. The two groups were significantly superior to home exercise alone with satisfaction of care.
Study – Short term and Long term Treatment Chiropractic for neck and low back pain – which is better?
This study involved two groups of 12 weeks of care versus 36 weeks of care for back and neck related disability in older adults.
Both the short term and long term groups reported significant improvements in back disability and the long term management group experienced self -reported greater improvement in neck pain, functional ability and balance at week 36. These findings may be important for healthy aging and spinal care in the elderly and warrant further investigation.
Other Studies
A Nordic Study – Maintenance Spinal Care as Key to Prevention of Low Back Pain
“It has been found that for individuals with recurrent or persistent non-specific low back pain (LBP), exercise and exercise combined with education have been shown to be effective in preventing new episodes or in reducing the impact of the condition. Chiropractors have traditionally used Maintenance Care (MC), as secondary (aiming to reduce the impact of a condition (LBP) that has already manifested) and tertiary prevention strategies (aiming to reduce the impact of persistent or chronic LBP). This is usually done by helping people manage long-term, often complex pain conditions in order to improve their quality of life and ability to function. The aim of this trial was to investigate the effectiveness of MC on pain trajectories for patients with recurrent or persistent LBP”.
Maintenance care is similar to servicing a car or visiting a dentist for teeth cleaning, even though you brush your teeth regularly. The main hypothesis for spinal maintenance care is that treatment may improve biomechanical and neuromuscular function thereby reducing the risk of relapse into pain. This study was actually done on 328 people between the ages of 16-65 years.
The definition of maintenance care is “…a regimen designed to provide for the patient’s continued well-being or for maintaining the optimum state of health while minimizing recurrences of the clinical statue” and “…treatment, either scheduled or elective, which occurred after optimum recorded benefit was reached, provided there was not evidence or relapse”
Hyperkyphotic posture (Dowagers Hump posture) predicts Mortality in Older Community-Dwelling Men and Women
An increase in the thoracic (mid back curve of the spine) has associated risk factors of vertebral fractures, degenerative disc disease, muscle weakness, decreased mobility and according to this study of 1353 individuals, an increase in mortality. Hyperkyphosis was specifically associated with an increased rate of death due to atherosclerosis concluding that men and women with hyperkyphotic posture have higher mortality rates.
Some case reports suggest that myofascial, spinal, and scapular mobilization techniques improve postural alignment in patients with hyperkyphosis. Physical therapists reported reduced hyphosis after soft tissue myofascial, neurodevelopmental, spinal, and scapular mobilization, and active therapeutic movement techniques.
Why not consider a Chiropractor
Our Sydney chiropractors have a special interest in posture correction and are here to help. Our care is gentle and effective care is possible for many. Exercise alone is often not enough for pain reduction, improving function and movement patterns. Even for old or chronic injuries, improvement in functionality and pain scales can still be possible, We have found that our gentle care, with exercise prescription and combined with the application of low-level laser therapy can really make a difference.
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A pain in the shoulder region is a common musculoskeletal condition. When it is of no specific cause, it is often given the general diagnostic term of rotator cuff related shoulder pain (RCRSP). Simply, it is an umbrella term that can encompass a spectrum of shoulder conditions including tendinopathies, impingement syndromes and rotator cuff muscles tears.
RCRSP are the most common forms of should pain, often presenting with pain and weakness, particularly on shoulder elevation and external rotation (turning the hand to an outwards direction).
Most often, pain is precipitated by an event that has involved an excess or incorrect load. Many factors can also contribute including genetics, co-morbidities, lifestyle factors, central nervous system disturbances, psychosocial and even biochemical factors.
The difficulty with assessing the shoulder lies in the fact that the tendons of the rotator cuff sling create an intimate relationship with the surrounding capsule, ligament and bursal tissue. Due to this fact, the possibility of individually assessing each muscle/tendon complex in isolation through orthopaedic testing is not 100% accurate. A comprehensive clinical interview and examination is still however very important in providing a working hypothesis.
Rotator cuff injury Treatment & Exercise
How Do I Get Better – the evidence
There is strong evidence for the benefits of multiple forms of exercise as the most important management strategy. Included are such things as shoulder blade stability, strengthening of the rotator cuff muscles and shoulder flexibility. There is moderate to high level of evidence for the combination of manual therapy with exercise.
There appears to be limited benefits in corticosteroid injections for rotator cuff injuries, potentially only for short term benefits for some and the evidence for medium or long term use is unclear.
PRP or Platelet-rich plasma is also another form of injectable therapy however researchers concluded it had negligible to only a small degree of success. These findings are not surprising as it is well documented that pain is often poorly correlated with tissue pathology. A lot more research into surgical repair is required including methodology improvements and placebo controls as at present there is not a great support for a non-conservative procedure.
Manual Therapy for rotator cuff injury – from our Sydney chiropractic clinic experience alone, we have found that many shoulder injuries come from the sustained loading of the shoulder muscles due to poor postural control. Compression at the collar bond joint through rounded shoulders is common. The shoulder blades essentially drift outwards away from the thoracic spine causing the muscles under the shoulder blade to overload as well as all the important sling muscles of the shoulder joint. Micro-tears can then become a common feature. Also, through poor postural control, restrictions in the thoracic spine are common. In some cases, the nerve supply to these important muscles can then become compromised and a lack of ‘firing’ is possible causing significant weakness. Manual therapy and specific muscle retraining exercises are then often required. Postural control exercises are therefore very important to implement regularly, Taping is a useful technique for support, relief as well as acting as a reminder.
Immerging Therapy For Rotator Cuff Injury
We have found that low level laser (LLLT) for healing is helpful. More research is required in this immerging field. The theory behind implementing low level laser is that it stimulates energy within the cell. When energy is increased, healing can fasten. One of the most commonly damaged muscles is called the supraspinatus. In many people, the blood supply to this muscle is very poor and it needs all the help it can get for recovery. With the use of the photohaemotherapy application (increasing the blood supply) in LLLT to this muscle this procedure could be potentially significant in the recovery.
In summary, for many people shoulder pain can come on suddenly from what can appear an insignificant event. Consider your posture and consider a Chiropractor for shoulder pain to improve neuromuscular control.
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Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFP), pain at or near the knee cap, is traditionally known as movie-goers knee or patella tracking disorder. It actually accounts for almost 50% of all running injuries and is usually a poorly localised pain found around, near or under the knee cap. It has a greater predilection in females and is often aggravated by running hills, descending stairs, lunging, squatting or sitting for prolonged periods. Read more
Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is both a prevalent and challenging condition to treat, commonly been seen as a structural problem with only surgery as the solution.
A recently published PubMed article is titled “Arthroscopic surgery for knee osteoarthritis? Just say No” -offering these suggestions below as an alternative.
Using analgesia – However, it does discuss gastric toxicity.
Nonpharmacological therapy – stating “physical therapy and regular exercise typically reduce pain and improve function of an arthritic knee. Acupuncture may have a small benefit as well.”
Consider a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin – The two combined may provide some relief associated with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis.
If you are interested in this article, please visit and you can follow the reference points.
One suggestion this article fails to mention is Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) or Photobiomodulation for pain relief. Published articles of the benefits of LLLT have been available for at least the last 8 years, around the length of time we first received our Low Level Laser unit to our Lane Cove Chiropractic Centre.
Alignment is the Key
As Chiropractors, we understand this paragraph perfectly and couldn’t have said it better so..
“The human body is a complex mechanical unit composed of many joints held together by muscles, tendons and cartilages which also allow articulation. Gravitational forces must be balanced at all times at each link.
The line of gravity, one of the body’s most important factors as described by Harada, passes through the outer ear-opening and intersects the center of gravity of the human body (located adjacent to the sacrum) and the center of the knee joint.
The understanding of the function of the locomotive apparatus in the upright position and the dynamics of the body is one of the most important factors, so that the gravitational torque has a tendency to extend the knee joints in our daily life”
Here is the article in full for you with the conclusion that low level laser therapy can provide pain relief. One study in 2014 on rat knees showed prevention of degradation of cartilage with LLLT. More studies of course need to be done, but this is promising information. This particular article states “LLLT stimulated cellular activity of cartilage repair and collagen synthesis, accelerating the breakdown of cartilage destroyed by collagenase and stimulating the fibroblast to synthesize repairing collagen III”
In summary, it is saying growth and repair of cartilage! Further information on Low Level Laser Therapy is found below.
For non-traumatic causes of knee pain, we especially like to look for the cause and not purely treat just the symptoms. Non-traumatic knee pain simply means that pain that has not been caused from a direct trauma to the knee itself. Many football playing injuries or skiing injuries for example can have a direct trauma cause of KOA. The majority of knee osteoarthritis cases we have seen however have been the non-traumatic type and respond to a thorough investigation as well as addressing potential foot function issues, hip and pelvic alignment and muscle weakness (particularly the gluteal muscles). Remember, the foot bone is connected to the thigh bone, which is connected to the hip bone! The knee is the middle joint and is thereby subjected to altered functionality if the foot and the pelvis have any distorted movement patterns as mentioned in the above PubMed paragraph. Our in house Foot Leveller orthotics are actually called “Pelvic Stabilisers” for good reason!
Further Knee Osteoarthritis Treatments
Hyaluronic acid appears superior to corticosteroid injections with beneficial effects on pain and function. Published results cause consideration of this with the low-quality evidence supporting corticosteroid injections.
Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) currently appears to be beneficial and superior to placebo and Hyaluronic Acid both in function and pain.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin maybe beneficial and appears more efficacious that paracetamol.
Exercise has high quality evidence supporting this treatment for decreasing pain, improving functionality and the quality of life. Certainly, it is important to have the correct Knee Osteoarthritis exercises given particularly with examination of all associated muscle systems including those associated with hip stabilisation.
Knee Replacement. Let’s face it, sometimes things are beyond repair, however conservative treatment would always be the first recommendation to try.
On a final note, Look to the cause to help create the solution. And remember, when one part of the body is not functioning well, it cannot be isolated. In time, it will cause distortions elsewhere. Good mechanical functioning creates far better loading patterns.
For further reading of the benefits of Low Level Laser Therapy, please click Here and contact us directly if you require the research papers addressing the above mentioned treatments.
For your peace of mind, we are following strict protocols for infection prevention and have completed the Government course for Health Care Providers on COVID-19 Certificate of Compliance. We remain open as an essential health service.
Hand washing, hand sanitising ( hand rubbing) and covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing are still the key methods to prevent transmission. We have supplied hand sanitiser at the front desk to be used. Our Chiropractors are using alcohol wipes and sprays on our treatment table and door handles after each patient and use a new set of gloves on each patient.
Here is the World Health Organisation method for handwashing and hand rubbing
The key symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue. These symptoms do not mean you have COVID-19. However, if you develop symptoms, the Government advice is as follows
Stay at home and practice standard infection control measures
Seek medical advice, it is important to call ahead first:
Wearing a facemask in public won’t help to protect you from infection • Only wear a mask if you are sick with symptoms that might be due to COVID-19 (especially coughing) or looking after someone who may have COVID-19 • There is a shortage of masks and we need to save them for use when they are needed for sick people or for those looking after them.
Our additional advice: Be kind and do everything to support your immune system and those you love. X
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Not only is this Banana Bread delicious but also nutritious and good for the gut. Gluten free, Dairy free, nut free and also an option to go egg free. This bake will keep everyone happy.
What’s Great about it!
Bananas are a great source of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function and a wonderful energy food. The add moisture and sweetness reducing the amount of sweetener and oil considerably. Resistant starch is a prebiotic and is great for healthy digestion among other health benefits, read more about resistant starch in our Ultimate Smoothie blog. The chia seed provides necessary omega 3 and macadamia nut oil is a delicious source of monounsaturated fats.
Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
2 apples chopped (skin on)
6 organic eggs
4 fresh pitted dates (chopped)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
60 ml macadamia nut oil, coconut oil or cold pressed olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Apple pie spice mix (1/2 tsp All Spice and ½ tsp Nutmeg)
2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
45g Green banana resistant starch
25g Coconut flour
20 g (1/4 cup / 1 oz) chia seed
Method:
Preheat your oven to 135 C– fan forced.
Combine banana, dates, apples oil, cinnamon, spice mix, vanilla, eggs and baking powder into a blender or food processor and blend until creamy and combined, – alternatively you can do this by hand in a large bowl.
Add the coconut flour, resistant starch and chia seeds and mix through.
Rest for 10 minutes to allow the chia and coconut flour to expand.
Lightly oil one loaf tin and then line with baking paper – The size I used was: 10 1/2 cm wide and 26 cm long.
Spoon batter into the tin – at this stage you can decorate the bread with flaked coconut or sliced banana before baking.
Bake for 1 – 1.15hrs minutes (a skewer inserted into the centre should come out dry).
Cover the top with foil if over-browning.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning out the loaf. Enjoy.
Notes: If you need to exclude the eggs for Vegan friend substitute per egg (2tbls chia seeds with 4tbls water allow to soak for 20mins before adding to this recipe)
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The Ultimate Smoothie- Joint, Skin, Hair, Gut Health and Immunity Combining a red and green smoothie into one helps both lymph cleansing (red) and detoxifying toxic metals (green) and with the addition of collagen powder (joint, skin and gut strength) makes it “The Ultimate Smoothie”. With both liver cleansing and lymph cleansing properties whilst also […]
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Do you want fewer wrinkles, better joints and faster healing from injury? Collagen might be what you need. It is the glue that holds the body together and sadly, it declines with age.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in our body, is an essential protein found naturally, and is the key structural component of connective tissue found in skin, tendons, bones, ligaments, blood vessels and muscles. Approximately one-fourth of the protein in our body is collagen. The strong white fibres of collagen said to be stronger than steel, gives our strength to this connective tissue “glue”.
From the age of 25, collagen is said to reduce by 1.5% a year so by 45, there could be as much as a 30% decline. Not only does collagen reduce with age, but poor lifestyle choices cause a decline in collagen formation too. High sugar diets, smoking and excessive sun exposure add to its demise.
Ancestral diets would have contained far greater collagen than our modern diets do now .Rarely do we eat the high sources of collagen found in bone broths or bone marrow as our ancestors did as we have mostly been content with eating just muscle meat.
The inner layer of the skin, the dermis, contains large amounts of these collagen fibres providing strength, texture and springiness. Working in conjunction with elastin, collagen helps skin maintain its elasticity, characteristic of youth. With age, there is a reduction in collagen density and therefore a reduction in dermal thickness. This dermal collagen network becomes increasingly fragmented presenting less organised fibres over time so boosting collagen nutrients can improve skin health including the improvement of fine lines, wrinkles and skin dryness.
So, is there any research that supports taking collagen supplements? Yes there is!
Research
1.“Preliminary results are promising for the short and long-term use of oral collagen supplements for wound healing and skin aging. Oral collagen supplements also increase skin elasticity, hydration, and dermal collagen density”. J Drugs Dermatol. 2019;18(1):9-16. on”==typeo
2.“Daily oral supplementation with collagen peptides combined with vitamins and other bioactive compounds improves skin elasticity and has a beneficial effect on joint and general wellbeing” with a take home message of “might be an effective solution to slow down the hallmarks of aging.”
3. “After 4 weeks of follow-up treatment, a statistically significantly higher skin elasticity level was determined in elderly women.”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23949208
4. One research paper highlighted “the potential application of CPs (collagen peptides) as a healthcare supplement to combat cancer and cardiovascular disease by inhibiting platelet release.”
Convinced yet? Let’s look at the type of collagen fibres in the body and see where collagen can help you.
Types of Collagen
Type I: The densely packed fibres of Type I gives great strength and accounts for 90% of your body’s collagen. It provides structure to skin, bones, tendons, fibrous cartilage, connective tissue and teeth. It is important to note that the lining of the gastrointestinal tract is made of connective tissue. Wound healing would be the benefit for Type 1, holding together the skin to prevent tearing of the skin via its elastic properties.
Type II: This type is made of more loosely packed fibres and is found in elastic cartilage, to cushion joints. Healthy joints rely on type II collagen. The lack of type II collagen could lead to age associated joint pain, including arthritis.
Type III: This type supports the structure of muscles, organs and arterial walls and is found in bone marrow. There is evidence that type III support cardiovascular development as type III fibres are found in the heart. Type III benefits skin (elasticity and firmness), hair and nail growth as does type I.
Type IV: This type is found in the skin anchoring system, or basement membrane. The basement membrane anchors the epithelium to the dermal layer and would therefore be helpful in tissue regeneration following injury. Epithelia cells line our digestive organs and respiratory systems so the basement membrane has a very important function here. Type IV fibres are also found in the lens of the eye.
Type V: This type is important for the development of type I and type III collagen. It is required to make cell surfaces, hair strands and placental tissue.
Type VI: This type is considered cell protective.
Type 10: Type 10 is important for bone tissue and cartilage formation and therefore could be important in the healing process including fractures and synovial joints.
Regarding anti-ageing Type I and Type III are the stars, minimizing fine lines and wrinkles, improving skin elasticity, improving circulation, thickening hair and slowing hair loss, increasing skin hydration and decreasing micro-furrows. For joint health, its Type II.
Science is telling us that this is an important to introduce collagen into our every day life.
How do I get additional collagen into my body?
To help boost the production of collagen, supplement your diet with a variety of nutritious foods that contain collagen making vitamins and minerals. Many people, including us also choose to take a collagen supplement to help nourish the skin, improve joint health and combat the effects of ageing. Drinking Bone broths is a lovely way to add collagen.
Vitamin C is involved in every step of collagen production making it a vital component for healthy skin and healthy body. No Vitamin C means no collagen production. Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are important to fight against free radicals that can break down healthy tissue. Anthocyanidins are another form of powerful antioxidants. These can be found berries, cherries and red grapes. Vitamin C is found in leafy greens, citrus, tomatoes. Visit our vitamin page for a more extensive list.
Chromium is a mineral that helps regulate insulin and glucose. A diet high in sugar disrupts collagen production so including chromium foods in your diet supports collagen manufacture. Most importantly, reduce sugar intake and be aware of hidden sugars, found mostly on supermarket shelves labelled as low fat. Also look for low GI foods. Start reading labels when you go shopping and try and buy fresh.
Zinc activates proteins (it is called a cofactor) involved in the synthesis and the remodelling of collagen. Zinc plays an important role in skin repair and wound healing. Found in almonds, grass fed meat, spinach and eggs. For a more extensive list, visit our mineral blog.
Omega 3’s fatty acids are considered heart healthy but they are also known as collagen boosting. There are 3 main types of omega-3 fatty acids and they are ALA, DHA, and EPA. A diet rich in omega-3s enhances collagen production, can support ligaments to heal and is helpful for reducing inflammation. The plant source rich ALA Omega-3s can be found in walnuts, pecans, flaxseed, and spinach. Fatty oily fish (trout, salmon, mackerel, prawns, sardines, oysters) and seaweed provide DHA and EPA fatty acids.
Proteins are made up of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Amino acids such as proline and lysine are necessary for the production of collagen. Proline can be found in spinach, legumes (beans, lentils, and chickpeas), cabbage and asparagus. Lysine foods are red meat, chicken, fish, eggs and legumes.
Silica is essential in the development of healthy skin, hair, and nails. As silica levels naturally decline as we age, adding silica to your diet is therefore important to help prevent dry skin, brittle nails and bones. For better collagen production to keep skin radiant and supple longer try adding carrots, cucumbers with skin, bananas, brown rice, nettle leaf tea and oats.
Sulfur is one of the most abundant minerals in the body and is essential also for the production of collagen. It supports the structure and strength of the body’s connective tissue. A diet deficient in this essential nutrient can result in a host of skin problems such as acne and dermatitis. Sulfur deficiencies are also linked to wrinkle formation. Minimize wrinkles and support collagen development by eating food rich in sulfur like brussel sprouts, kale, fermented vegetables, and onions.
Green tea is rich in polyphenols and due to their powerful antioxidant nature, they have been shown to stimulate the production of collagen and prevent its breakdown. Green tea is also beneficial to build a certain type of good bacteria in the gut.
Types of Collagen Powders
Marine Collagen peptides or Grass Fed Collagen peptides are the two choices. They both seem comparable, however marine collagen might have a greater risk of intestinal upsets for a limited number of people. Some believe that Marine collagen peptides could have better absorption and bioavailability due to their smaller particle sizes compared to other animal collagens.
Plant collagen does not exist exactly as collagen peptides are found in animal sources, however, there are plant-based vegan/vegetarian elixirs that can help boost amino acids (glycine, lysine, and proline) that are required to make collagen. It is not however comparable to the animal sources.
Important Amino Acids In Collagen Powders
Glycine makes up about one-third of the protein. It helps build DNA strands, important in blood sugar regulation, crucial for soft tissues including the gut lining and therefore important in repairing leaky gut, it’s required for joint health and is one of three amino acids to help make creatinine that promotes healthy muscle and boosts energy production. Proline is important for blood vessel integrity and joint health. Glutamine research has shown benefits for anxiety, sleep, concentration, wound healing, joint pain, digestion and immunity. Arginine breaks down into nitric oxide, an important compound for heart and arterial health. Immunity and male libido benefits have also been reported.
Adding Collagen Nutrients directly on to the Skin
Adding a rich source of Vitamin C onto your skin is important for skin health and recovery as well as well as for the production of collagen. Our very own Australian Kakadu plum has the highest source of Vitamin C in the world.
Collagen is formed indirectly via peptides and antioxidants (Vitamin C). By adding these products on to your skin, you are helping create collagen.
Certain essential oils and natural peptides have tiny molecular sizes which can penetrate the skin to activate this collagen synthesis.
We stock a few amazing organic products important for anti-ageing. An Ayurvedic brand, Puraveda contains peptides, Matrixyl (speeds up the synthesis of Type I, II, IV, elastin and hyaluronic), argireline (nature’s botox), CoQ10 as well as hyaluronic acid that plumps up the skin. Within their products are botanicals that reduce inflammation, promote collagen and stabilise collagen. They boast that it has been clinically proven to reduce wrinkles and fine lines by up to 60% in less than 60 days. Depression scarring can also be helped with these products.
Our other product line is Wildcrafted Organics. Their Wild Plum Illuminating C Complex contains the amazing Kakadu plum. Also containing knotgrass, which is photo-protective and Leuphasyl, another botox like peptide. Antarctine increases levels of Collagen I, IV and Elastin.
Toxic chemicals are not required to get amazing results from your skin care. Plant botanicals are extremely powerful and in the right combinations can assist your skin recover, grow collagen, and glow!
Cosmetic Procedures to Induce Collagen for Rejuvenation
Inducing collagen can occur via laser technology and needling. This is creating collagen at speed! We have found the needling mechanism traumatic and painful and not quite as effective as laser treatments. Some needling techniques have also been known to tear the skin and interrupt the skin barrier system.
Ablative laser therapy is definitely a more intense treatment with greater down time but faster effects by thermal and wound induction. Effects are generally noticed after a few months as the collagen continues to form.
Non- Ablative laser therapy is a gentler approach to forming collagen that thermally causes the induction of collagen. Another form of non- ablative treatment is Low level laser therapy. This would best be suited for the highly sensitive and for those who’s skin has been damaged by needling. Effects are also noticed after a few months.
Take Home Message
Supplementation with high quality collagen could be beneficial to promote collagen synthesis in the body, helping to restore collagen to its former state. This is important for the skin, gut, blood vessels and joints. As collagen is important for skin elasticity, many people choose to take a collagen supplement to help combat the effects of ageing. Peptides and antioxidants are the best way to boost collagen naturally. Bio-availability is the important factor in collagen supplementation. Collagen is a large molecule but hydrolyzed collagen has amino chains broken down to smaller units making it easier for the body to assimilate. This is what you need to look for when purchasing a collagen product for ingestion.
Generally, we are not getting enough collagen in our diet as our ancestors did. Eating nose to tail has become less frequent or virtually non-existent in the standard western diet. If nose to tail eating is not to your taste, you can find collagen in foods that contain gelatin, such as bone broth. Gelatin is a protein substance derived from collagen after it has been cooked. Some people report a histamine reaction after consuming gelatin or gelatin powders and supplements, so gelatin may not be appropriate for those with severe histamine intolerance’s.
Alternatively, try some of our collagen powder recipes to help you get collagen into your body. It is your body’s scaffolding. You’ll be pleased to know that collagen powder is tasteless and can even be added into your tea or coffee. Start with a tablespoon in your morning coffee or tea. If you are not a beverage drinker, then just mix into slightly warm water or room temperature juice. For the best benefits, drink it on an empty stomach.
Here is our Matcha Beauty and Power Balls recipe, getting the benefits of green tea too. It is really easy to add collagen powder to anything. To make your own bone broth, try this.
https://www.lrcc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Depositphotos_36058765_s-2019.jpg6641000lrcchttps://www.lrcc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/LRCC-Logo_CMYK-340-156.jpglrcc2019-07-24 04:54:242022-04-06 05:18:17Health Benefits Of Bone Broth- Joints, Skin and Brain
At the moment our chiropractic clinic continues to operate as an essential service, with rigorous sanitisation and infection control procedures in place.
