Osteoporosis

February 9, 2012 by Dr. Saunders

“Grandma fell and broke her hip,” is the story we’re told.  She goes into the hospital and has surgery, but it’s just the beginning of the end.  It’s all downhill from there.  We then go to the doctor who does a test and tells us that it’s going to happen to us if we don’t take some medication.  Then, we see famous actresses on television advising us how crucial it is to take osteoporosis medication.

There is a whole culture of fear surrounding the aging process, fear that it’s going to strike us – and we never know where it will strike next.  Out of fear we take calcium and bisphosphonates (prescription drugs) to ward it off.  But, everything you heard about osteoporosis is wrong!

Osteoporosis History: Rickets

The reality of osteoporosis is very different.  It is a disease of the Industrial Revolution, hardly appearing on the scene before then.  Prior to the Industrial Revolution, people lived, worked and traveled outdoors in the sunshine. But since that time, several changes have happened.

• Work moved indoors under artificial lighting.
• Cities also became polluted with soot that prevented the ultraviolet light that makes vitamin D from reaching the people.
• People started bathing more often.
• Children among the wealthy class were kept indoors without exercise since cities were dangerous places and, as a result, became more susceptible to rickets because they didn’t have enough calcium.

Many may remember the storybook (and movie) of Heidi.  Her friend, Klara, lived in the city and was in a wheelchair, becoming weaker and weaker.  But when Klara went to visit Heidi in the mountains, she gained strength and was miraculously able to walk again.  Her recovery was attributed in the story to the clean mountain air.  Really, however, Klara had a disease called “rickets.”  The “clear mountain air” was the sunshine she was getting for the first time in her life that made vitamin D.  By the middle of the 20^th Century, everyone knew what Rickets was and how to prevent it.  My mom even lined her kids up for a dose of Cod Liver Oil specifically for that purpose.

Modern Day Osteoporosis

In our modern society things have only gotten worse!  We forgot about rickets and stopped thinking about getting enough sunshine.  Not only do we work indoors all day, the dermatologists are now telling us to avoid the sun at all costs.  We use sunscreen; we wear hats and clothing, we stay indoors or stay shaded from the “cancer-causing sunshine.”  (This is the topic of another discussion.)  Moreover, we bathe every day.  I had a beach volleyball player who was out on the beach without a shirt or sunscreen every day and he was still in the “osteopenia” range of vitamin D.  It turns out that every time he finished playing he would go take a shower, washing all his vitamin D down the drain.  Did you know it takes over 24 hours to absorb vitamin D through the skin?

Vitamin D helps us to absorb and use calcium.  Without a constant supply, the calcium is taken out of our bones to make our muscles and nerves work.  Osteoporosis is just a mild form of Rickets.  Osteopenia is a little milder, and so forth.  The scale looks like this:

Home Cures that WORK!

Osteoporosis Drugs

Warning: Prescription drugs for osteoporosis are poison and should be avoided at all costs.  They kill bone cells, inflicting permanent damage.  They cause a disease called “osteopetrosis” which is thick, brittle bone, as well as necrosis of bone, especially of the jaw, after a tooth extraction, for example.  They also damage the lining of the esophagus, stomach and intestines.  They should be treated like toxic waste (which is where they came from).  Read the package insert that comes with this pharmaceutical drug and it will tell you why.  This is the first kind of medication I remove from every patient who comes in my office.

Calcium supplements

If you take calcium supplements, then you cause imbalances in other areas such as magnesium.  If you don’t have a good balance of nutrients, then the calcium deposits in your body cause bone spurs, kidney stones and hardening of the arteries.  It is a mistake to take more calcium to build the bones because the food we eat has plenty.  What we need is balance and proper usage.

Achieving balance

The nutrients that work together to build bone are complex and should be derived from food.  Vitamin D supplementation is essential for all the reasons we discussed.  In many years of testing hundreds of people, I have only had two patients in the normal range.  One was going to a tanning booth twice per week, and the other had just gotten back from an extended stay in Hawaii.  If you aren’t sure, every doctor now has access to testing.

Vitamin D works with vitamin K and vitamin A, as well.  Moreover, there must be adequate magnesium to build bone, which is found in green vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds.  Since Americans don’t live on these, but rather eat them occasionally, it’s common for people to be deficient in magnesium.

Build Bone with Exercise

You cannot build bone without exercise.  I repeat: If you don’t stress the bone, you can take all the supplements you want, but you won’t increase the strength of your bones.  I cannot emphasize enough the value of regular (3-5 times per week) weight-bearing exercise.  Walking is OK.  Running is better.  Most will have to start slowly and gradually increase to a one-mile jog.   Jack LaLanne-style calisthenics at home are also a great idea.  (Besides, it’s the BEST way to stay out of a nursing home!!!)  I want to encourage this because of our tendency to think we can take a pill instead – don’t even think about it.

Strong Bone Recommendations

1. Exercise regularly.
2. Take Vitamin D3 – 50,000 IU once or twice per week.  (In my experience, one gets people into the 50-70 range, and two gets them to around 80.)  Test if you aren’t sure.
   Safe and approved Vitamin D3 supplements are listed HERE.
3. Take Vitamin K2 – about 2 mg per week
4. Take Vitamin A (natural form of mixed retinoids and carotenoids) – 50,000 IU per week.
5. Take Magnesium – 400mg in the evening before bed.  (Better yet: eat more green vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds!) For those magnesium supplements that are safe for consumption and easy to use, click HERE.
6. Continue exercising 3-5 times per week – FOR LIFE!

Recommended supplements are available in our Amazon store!  See the safe product list HERE.

The easiest way is to create strong bones and avoid osteoporosis is to take the vitamin D, exercise and eat whole foods.  This would be adequate to not only build bone, but improve your strength, stamina, energy and immune system, as well.  Moreover, your chances of getting cancer would drop by over 50%!

Stamp Out Osteoporosis

Studies in nursing homes where inmates never see sunshine or the light of day show that there is much more to vitamin D than just building bones.  In fact, there wasn’t enough increase in strong bone mass to account for the drop in fractures.  Those who were given vitamin D also had fewer falls, more strength, better agility and more mental clarity.  Using the above method of curing and/or preventing osteoporosis you will have many, many other benefits!