Osteoporosis/Osteopenia
Is it possible to reverse osteoporosis and have stronger bones after menopause? I believe it is and have seen it many times in my practice. You can prevent and reverse osteoporosis, as well as prevent/reverse osteopenia. Drug companies would rather you not know this.
Bones are living tissues that are constantly being remodeled, and they are built of what you have eaten over the past few years. Osteoclasts are specialized cells that remove old & damaged bone tissue. Following behind them are Osteoblasts which are cells that lay down new bone matrix in a very strategic way.
Your diet and lifestyle determine if this remodeling process leads to stronger or weaker bones; what you do and what you eat literally decide how strong your bones will be. These specialized cells dissolve old bone and lay down new bone, they are very wise in this process of increasing your Meaningful Bone Density. Meaningful because it creates a flexible bone that is designed for stress, it has the potential to bend with impact; healthy bones don't break easily when you have healthy tissue to work with!
Most of the prescription medications for Osteoporosis Treatment/Prevention hi-jack the actions of these specialized cells. Although these medications can increase your overall bone density; this increased density often does not lead to meaningful increases in bone strength and flexibility.
Tips for prevention:
Diet: Eat real food including animal protein including fatty meats, ribs, and the skin, this contains bone building collagen and other essential nutrients that help you lay down healthy bone material. Eggs and bone broth are great too. Eat plenty of above ground veggies like greens for the mineral profile to support bone remineralization. Avoid junk food like empty carbs, fast food, processed foods will take away from bone grown by being calorically dense, highly flavored, and nutritionally barren. Fast foods typically contain rancid seed oils, extra corn syrup, sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed milled salt, coloring agents, and other potentially disease promoting chemicals that take away from all things bone building. Reduce your soda consumption. The main use of phosphoric acid is in the soft drink industry, particularly cola and root beer beverages. Phosphoric acid functions as an acidulate and provides the specific tart note to the flavor of these products. Regular intake of cola beverages has been associated to low bone mineral density. Drink mineral water instead.
Exercise: To tell your body to build bone density you need to bare weight! Lift weight, do resistance training, pick up the grandkids, quick burst Tabata workouts that get you moving, this is vital to proper bone health maintenance.
Stop SMOKING: Smoking restricts the flow of oxygen-rich blood that nourishes bones, muscles and joints and helps them heal. Smoking affects the body's ability to absorb calcium, leading to lower bone density and weaker bones. Nicotine slows the production of the bone-forming cells that are so crucial to healing.
Supplementation: My go to supplement for osteo prevention is Osteo Px by Restorative Formulations. (find Osteo PX on Fullscript ) This blend contains 500 mcg of Vitamin K2 as MK7 for optimal bone health. Osteocalcin, a calcium binding protein in the blood, acts as a biochemical marker for bone formation. Osteocalcin relies on vitamins D3 and K2, specifically in the form of MK4 or MK7. These nutrients support healthy bone metabolism via their supportive relationship with osteocalcin and calcium. Because Vitamin K2 isn’t stored in the body like other lipid soluble vitamins, it requires daily dosing for optimal bone metabolism. K2 is available in supplement form as MK4 and MK7. MK4 is less ideal because it has a short half-life, so therefore requires multiple doses throughout the day. MK7 is the more bioavailable and active form of K2 which can be dosed once daily, making it the superior form of vitamin K2.A bone supportive formula providing Vitamin D, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K in the form of MK7 to maintain healthy calcium metabolism and optimal health of bone connective tissues. Calcium is good, but too much taken supplementally could cause joint pain and calcium build up in arteries. Calcium is easy to get from your diet. I'm not convinced that women need to take much calcium supplementally. Vitamin D3-shoot for about 2000-5000IUs daily. Get your levels checked once a year. I like to see blood levels somewhere upwards of 80 ng/mL.
Supports osteocalcin activity, arterial health, optimal calcium metabolism and bone health.
Sleep: Sleep is essential for repair. You will not be able to regain your bone loss if you can't sleep. Try for 7-9 hours every single night!
Prescription drugs like PPI's, H2 Blockers, steroids, some diabetic meds will decrease bone density. If you take these drugs, consider getting off of them working with me. We can reverse the need for such drugs with diet and lifestyle changes! It's never too late!
In my opinion, drugs used to treat osteoporosis could possibly create more brittle bones than before as they prevent the natural osteoclast removal of old dead bone cells and lay down new bone over the older cells. I'm not excited about learning that and would prefer to use diet and lifestyle to increase my bone density. I'm not a doctor, please consult a trusted professional for more info. I hope this is helpful! Connie Rutledge CNC ♡
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