It seems that forever people have been seeking the answer to maintaining beautiful, radiant skin as well a lovely strong nails and of course gorgeous lustrous, shiny hair – yes we want it all!! Did you know one of nature’s beauty secrets is a trace mineral called Silica. Silica assists in preserving the composition of our nails and hair. It is also an essential function of the formation of collagen which in turn is also a component of connective tissue. Connective tissue assists in the linking of all sorts of cells within our body, and more importantly when it comes to solving our beauty problems - it is essential for the growth of our skin, hair and nails.

Our connective tissue is in fact made up of collagen, elastin, mucopolysaccharides and mucous carbohydrates. These components all aid the retention of moisture in our body and it is their ability to retain moisture which can assist in prevention of premature ageing. Studies have shown when the body is lacking silica, it cannot continue to maintain our body’s strong hair, nails, teeth, gums and skin elasticity.

There are not a lot of foods which contain Silica, or more importantly the amount one would need on a daily basis. When we are young our tissues are able to absorb and maintain sufficient amounts of Silica which then means our bodies are more flexible and supple. As we get older however, our body’s levels of Silica will slowly wane to the point where believe it or not, by the time we are an adult our body will have used around 80% of our body’s Silica. This then means there may be a hastening of the ageing process.

Silica can also be beneficial for other health conditions.

We always think of Calcium and Vit D as being the most important supplements when strengthening our bones.  It’s also believed supplementation of Silica may be linked to higher bone density. It seems our body finds it difficult to utilize and absorb Calcium without sufficient Silica in our body. In fact, it is thought our body has the ability to convert the Silica into Calcium as our body requires it, and particularly when there is a deficiency. Silica is therefore beneficial for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and in the healing of fractures and prevention scarring around the fracture.

Heel spurs are another condition which can be helped by supplementing with Silica. Spurs occur from many years of calcification of the bone when calcium is deposited on the outside of the bone instead of being absorbed into the bone matrix. Silica is able to reabsorb the Calcium and re-deposit it inside the bone matrix. Keep in mind this can take some time to work however we have seen customers experience amazing results by using Silica for this complaint.

Silica is an important component of our cartilage. Cartilage is the tissue which protects the ends of our bones which form our joints, which in turn shields the joint from direct contact and allows one bone to smoothly slide over the other.  Silica is vital for preserving the strength and general operation of the cartilage. It could as well be an important factor in reducing wear and tear in this tissue. Silica can also be helpful in maintaining healthy tendons and ligaments as well as healing of wounds.

I have taken colloidal Silica in a liquid form for many years for many of the above reasons. Interestingly my hairdresser always knows when I have stopped taking Silica, by the condition of my hair. This to my mind is always a good test to indicate the Silica is working.

For more information on Silica or any other health issue call in to see Bev and the team at Go Vita, Your Health Store at 5 North St, Batemans Bay or phone on 4729737. Don’t forget to tune into Bev on 2EC every Wednesday at 12.30pm.