By Setareh Kiumarsi
Worried about your bones? Have a family history of osteoporosis? Wondering how to better care for your skeletal health?
Did you know that oil massage with natural oils can deeply nourish your bones? Unlike commercial lotions and moisturizers, natural oils can penetrate down to the marrow and help prevent bone loss.
Which oil blend?
Sesame oil (1 part) + sweet almond oil (1 part) + black seed oil (1 part) + coconut oil (1 part)
Massage your body with this blend 2–3 times per week, then either soak in a warm bath or take a warm shower. Try to keep your bones warm and oiled as often as you can (for more details on oil massage, see the Ayurvedic Massage guide).
What else?
Check your vitamin D levels and take supplements if needed. Vitamin D is a hormone that plays a major role in the absorption of minerals in the digestive tract.
If possible, expose your shoulders and soles of your feet to morning sunlight for about 30 minutes daily. This helps increase your body’s absorption of vitamin D.
Before bed, with an empty stomach, drink a glass of turmeric milk (eat dinner early, light, and at least 3 hours before bed):
1 glass of warm milk + ½ tsp turmeric + ¼ tsp rose powder + 1 tsp honey
(This is also a very effective natural laxative.)
Drink digestive lassi once or twice a day, made with the following spice mix:
¼ cup yogurt (or camel digestive lassi) + ¾ cup boiling water + ¼ tsp turmeric + ¼ tsp powdered dried oleaster + ¼ tsp fennel + ¼ tsp rose powder + a pinch of salt
In a glass of non-cold barley water, add 1 tsp lemon juice and ½ tsp fennel powder. Drink this 2–3 times a week.
Soaked almonds
Eat 10–20 soaked and peeled almonds daily (to learn about proper almond consumption, see the article on almonds in Ayurveda).
Sprinkle 1 tsp of sesame seeds daily on your salad and enjoy.
If you’re not vegetarian, drink 1–2 cups of bone broth daily (either from chicken bones or lamb shank). To prepare bone broth, simmer chicken or lamb bones with a chopped onion, some turmeric, saffron, coriander seeds, salt, and lemon juice in a pot of water, covered, for several hours on low heat. After cooling, skim the fat, refrigerate it, and consume over the next few days.
If you republish this post, which was written with care and in the hope of well-being for all, please credit the author “Setareh Kiumarsi.”
