Search Results for: blog why does my body need phosphorus

About Last Night

Posted on by

Last night, we had to give Lily an Enema. It truly was an awful experience for everyone involved. If you’ve never had to administer such a procedure to your own child, consider yourself blessed. In a way, though, I guess we should consider ourselves blessed, because this was only the second time that we have had to give Lily an enema. The surgeon who performed Lily’s surgeries and oversaw her recovery told us that he has some patients with Lily’s same condition who require daily enemas. So I guess we shouldn’t be feeling sorry for ourselves. She had been doing … Continue reading →

Why Does My Body Need Boron?

There are many trace elements that the body needs — but only in very small amounts. Boron is one of them. Boron is easily found in the environment: in soil, the ocean, and plants. Green veggies, fruits, and nuts are excellent food sources of boron, and most people get all the boron they need from diet alone. This mineral is thought to help the body use glucose (blood sugar), fats, and other minerals like calcium and magnesium. Boron has been suggested for treating a variety of medical conditions. However, it hasn’t done very well in clinical trials. Hormone regulation: boron … Continue reading →

Why Does My Body Need Phosphorus?

Phosphorus is a mineral that has many useful roles for the body. It is used in energy metabolism, to help the body use some B-complex vitamins, for muscle and nerve function, and for kidney function. But one of the most important roles of phosphorus is to help the body maintain its calcium balance. This mineral is essential to the formation of bones and teeth, and bone and tooth health throughout all stages of life. Cool phosphorus fact: approximately one percent of an adult’s total body weight is phosphorus. However, most of that phosphorus (about 85%) lives in your bones and … Continue reading →

Treating Oxalate Crystals

Struvite crystals used to be the most common urinary crystal by far. Diets were developed to minimize the risk of developing struvite crystals; this did decrease the number of cases of struvite crystals, but increased the incidence of oxalate crystals. Struvite crystals are still the most common type, but calcium oxalate has closed the gap in the last twenty years. If your cat has oxalate crystals, treatment can include: Balancing urine pH. Calcium oxalate stones are more likely to form in urine that is acidic. The recommended pH level for feline urine is between 6 and 6.5. A more acidic … Continue reading →

Types of Urinary Crystals in Cats

Urinary crystals can be a serious health issue for cats. There are several different types of crystals that can form. Struvite crystals — magnesium ammonium phosphate — used to be the most common type of urinary crystal in felines. Twenty years ago, approximately seventy-five percent of urinary crystals were struvite crystals! As a result, prescription diets used to focus on preventing struvite crystals. The diets were low in magnesium. It worked — by the late 1990s, struvite crystals were to blame for less than fifty percent of urinary crystal problems. Still, struvite crystals are the most common urinary crystal seen … Continue reading →

Calcium for Canines

Strong teeth. Strong bones. Calcium isn’t just good for humans — it can be good for our four-legged friends, too. If you’re making your own dog food, you should be concerned about calcium. Dogs with a calcium deficiency may show signs of lameness or have an increased risk of fractures. And yes, dogs can develop osteoporosis! So how do you make sure your dog gets enough calcium in his or her diet? Raw (uncooked) meaty bones contain lots of calcium. Not feeding raw? That’s okay — try ground/powdered bone meal. You can also cook bones until they’re soft enough to … Continue reading →

Working Out With Your Preemie to Prevent OOP

To be born premature is to be born at a disadvantage in life. Significant development happens in the last trimester of pregnancy and even the last few weeks. One major concern is osteopenia of prematurity. Some thirty percent of premature infants suffer from osteopenia which can cause bone fractures and rickets in infants and osteoporosis, later in life. During the last trimester of pregnancy, the mom’s body is making extra calcium and phosphorous for her baby; things that are extremely important to bone development. Obviously, premature babies are missing out on all those extra nutrients. Pediatric researchers are trying to … Continue reading →

Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles

Metabolic bone disease is a common but preventable disease seen in pet reptiles. There is no one cause for this disease — the primary problem is a disruption of calcium metabolism that leads to many related problems. Most often, metabolic bone disease is caused by poor diet and care. Iguanas are very susceptible to metabolic bone disease thanks to their specific light, diet, and environmental needs, but the disease can appear in any reptile. Without getting too technical, metabolic bone disease results from an improper ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the body. In a normal, healthy reptile, the ratio … Continue reading →

Why Does My Body Need Vitamin D?

Back in the 1920s, people prevented rickets by taking cod liver oil. Lucky for us, these days milk is fortified with vitamin D! But vitamin D does more than prevent rickets — do you know what this vitamin does for your body? Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus — two minerals that are important in bone and tooth growth. But it doesn’t only help you absorb the minerals; vitamin D helps your body regulate their use. In other words, the vitamin helps tell your body whether to deposit these minerals into your bones or take them out … Continue reading →