4 Amazing Health Benefits of Bone Broth

Fruits, vegetables, Omega-3s — we all know the basics of a healthy eating plan. But have you considered incorporating bone broth into your diet?

The flavorful liquid, often found in traditional Chinese cooking and restaurant soups, is made by simmering lamb, chicken, or beef bones in vinegar and water for at least 24 hours. Thanks to the nutrients found in marrow, cartilage, and bone, the broth is being praised as one of the healthiest things we can consume. Rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, and collagen (just to name a few), bone broth has been shown to benefit many parts of our bodies, including the kidneys, liver, and lungs.

Here are just four of the ways bone broth can impact your overall health:

Liver detox: The liver is credited with being the hardest-working organ in the body, as its job is to process nutrients and rid our system of toxins. Bone broth is brimming with an amino acid called glycine, which plays an active role in the first phase of this detoxification.

Healthy bones and joint support: Bone broth is an excellent source of calcium, which is essential for encouraging healthy bones, muscle relaxation, and tissue repair. The chondroitin sulfate found in cartilage is important for maintaining joint health and stimulating immunity, while also lowering cholesterol and the risk of heart attack.

Gut health and wound healing: The gelatin in bone broth has shown to aid digestion and protect the lining of the digestive tract. For this reason, the broth is often recommended to those with issues such as leaky gut and IBS. Collagen, which is more or less a form of gelatin that’s found in the body, is needed to heal bruises and ease inflammation.

Beautiful skin: Speaking of collagen, the protein is also responsible for giving skin its firmness and shape. Bone broth can delay the formation of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as help repair itself after an injury.

Nutritionists suggest consuming bone broth at least once a day, either on its own, like tea, or as a base for soup. You can buy pre-made bone broth online, as long as it’s grass-fed and organic, or make your own at home. There are countless recipes for bone broth. Consider adding herbs and spices such as garlic, ginger and turmeric, which will increase the medicinal properties of the broth as well as play up its flavor.

Remove Scar Tissue With Massage

The formation of scar tissue is the result of the body’s natural healing process following an injury. After the occurrence of a wound such as a deep cut or burn, the body works to produce new collagen to strengthen the skin. This collagen is what’s responsible for the fibrous scar tissue that develops on top of the wound. It can take anywhere from three to 18 months for a scar to fully mature, depending on the severity of the injury.

While scarring is proof of our body’s amazing ability to heal itself, it can also lead to further problems down the road. When occurring across a joint, a hardened scar may cause skin to shorten or contract, which can limit range of motion or even cause deformity. If not managed correctly, scars may even dry out and reopen, causing a worse injury than before.

Often more damaging than the physical effects of scars are the psychological ones. Those with visible scarring may feel embarrassment, anger, sadness, or fear. If the scars were caused by an emotionally traumatic event, their presence can act as a daily reminder of that experience. Being forced to feel these negative emotions on a consistent basis may lead to bigger issues such as anxiety and depression.

For the right candidate, massage therapy can offer a wonderful solution for scar management. Post surgery there is often left behind scar tissue.  If the scar tissue is at surface of the skin, to remove it with massage gentle, circular motions are applied on and around the scar.  This speeds up healing by increasing blood circulation, encouraging lymphatic drainage, and easing the constriction of the damaged tissue.

For deeper level scar tissue, below the skin, the massage is deeper and will apply pressure in the direction perpendicular to the line of the scar, to help remove adhesions and restore muscle elasticity (“stretchiness”).

A study published in the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork also found that five weekly massage sessions made scars feel more comfortable and their appearance less noticeable. What’s more, massage has been proven to reduce negative states such as depression and anxiety, which can have a huge benefit on those who suffer from the psychological effects of scarring. 

Massage therapy for the management of scar tissue must be performed at the proper time in order to ensure the best results. The treatment is most effective on scars that have not yet fully matured, but are healed enough that there’s limited risk for reopening. In general, massage therapy can begin when the scar is fully closed and there’s no scabbing present, roughly two weeks after the initial injury.

If you have scarring that you think might benefit from massage, schedule an appointment with a licensed massage therapist in order to design a plan for your needs.