We all know of someone who had difficulties and injuries as they aged. Many of these could have been prevented.
Osteoporosis is not a normal consequence of aging. It is the end result of a chronic imbalance of nutrients, lack of physical activity, and disruption of hormones and neurotransmitters from the chronic overexposure of chemicals in our food, water, air, and modern way of life. It is estimated that there are 10 million Americans diagnosed with osteoporosis and an estimated 30-50% of women and 15-30% of men will sustain an osteoporosis related fracture in their lifetime. The Pharmaceutical industry does offer drugs for this problem, but they do have serious side effects and in my opinion a more comprehensive and holistic approach should be given greater consideration.
Bone is Dynamic
Within bone there are cells that build more bone called Osteoblasts. There are also cells that break down bone cells that are called Osteoclasts. This is an ongoing negative feedback process and occurs like it does in any other part of the body. Osteoporosis is the net loss of bone cells in relation to the net addition to new bone cells. This is called a catabolic state. If there were a net gain of new bone cells it would be called an anabolic state. Over time, a catabolic state that exists within bone results in osteoporosis and a lowered Bone Mineral Density (BMD).
A Simple and Effective Exercise Program
Reducing fracture risk is the single most important goal when it comes to improving bone health. Weight bearing exercises such as body weight or free weights are the best for building bone. Even doing something as simple as air squats (without any weight other than your own body weight) next to a chair can help build bone and joint strength.
What You Eat Affects Your Bones and Joints
Most people with poor bone health are more acidic than alkaline when tested. This means they need to eat more fruits and vegetables in order to bring them to a more neutral ph. Juicing and blending fruits and vegetables is a great way to accelerate the alkalinization process if you are too acidic.
Milk and cheese are usually referred to as the best foods for preventing bone loss. However, many have sensitivities to either lactose (the sugar) or casein (the protein) found in milk products. If that is the case, then those foods are going to be irritating to the digestive system, and cause inflammation in our body. In addition these foods are foods that shift the body to the acidic and catabolic side of the ph scale. For this reason, although these foods are high in calcium, they may not have the bone protective effect that people imagine. It is also enlightening to realize that the U.S. and Scandanavian countries consume more milk products than the rest of the world, yet we both have the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world.
Some believe it is because of the lack of vitamin D in our northern climates and while that is an important consideration, it isn’t the whole reason.
As far as I can see, one of the most powerful things we can do to prevent bone loss is consuming bone broth soup. This is not a vegetarian option, but from everything I read, it appears to be the one most powerful recipes to include in our diets. Boiling bones (from pasture raised or wild animals) has been a staple of diets across many cultures around the world for thousands of years. If you are interested in reading more about it, and getting a recipe for it please click the link below.
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/
A Stress Reduction System That is Empowering
Emotional stress also contributes to increased acidity and inflammation while suppressing your immune system and slowing the anabolic process of building strong bones. Meditation, yoga, regular massages and psychotherapy are very common ideas for reducing stress.
There are simple saliva tests that certain labs have tests for to measure cortisol and DHEA levels, two hormones that have a strong connection to how we are managing our stress. In addition, these labs can measure testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone through saliva as well, and all of these are key players in understanding an individual case.
Ph paper like this can be used to test the saliva and reveal whether a person is more acidic, and therefore more catabolic.
Are you Catabolic or Anabolic?
This is one of the key questions in understanding the risk you have for Osteoporosis. If your body has an acidic ph level, if you have blood test markers for inflammation that are elevated, if you have cortisol imbalances due to high stress from work or other issues, if you have chronic stress to your immune system from various sources, if you have toxicity from a poor diet or environmental exposure, this will all contribute to inflammation and a catabolic state and the breakdown of bone tissue. This breakdown is not normal and can be reversed. However the consequences of any of these factors took years to develop and it could take years to normalize. Contact me to have your oral ph tested and to find out which lab tests are most useful to help determine if you are in a chronic state of inflammation or stress.
