Osteoporosis

a naturopathic prescription for the signs and symptoms

• Osteoporosis - "thinning of the bones" - affects one in two women in their life time (fractures), but can also affect men.
• It is much more than simply lacking calcium in the diet (as the dairy marketing people would like us to believe) - it is a complex combination of lifestyle, hormonal as well as nutritional factors.
• Bone is not "permanent" as many might think. It is a dynamic living tissue, and gets continually laid down (by osteoblasts) and continually taken away for use by the body elsewhere (by osteoclasts). Naturopaths aim to preserve enough mineral mass in the bones while preventing the loss of the protein structural components, and to activate the osteoclasts to remodel the damaged areas of the bone.
• Hormonal factors. The amount of calcium in the blood is strictly maintained between narrow limits by the use of naturally occuring hormones. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) maybe advisable for early menopausal women who have never had children or who have had their ovaries removed.
• Please, please stop smoking. Here is a link to Quit Line. Evidence is conclusive.
• Please, please exercise three or four days a week - 45 mins to 1 hour of moderate exercise. This is so important. Use it or lose it.
• Exercising outdoors should also give you exposure to sunshine - essential for vitamin D synthesis, needed by the bones.
• Sorry, but these are the bad guys: soft drinks, coffee, alcohol, refined sugary foods, added salt, high protein diets (including too much dairy).
• And these are the good guys: vegetarian diets, green leafy vegetables (Vitamin K), prunes, almonds, tofu, tea, soy beans, tahini (sesame seed paste) and edible bone fish such as sardines.
• You need to have adequate secretion of stomach acid for proper calcium absorption. Your naturopath will advise you what to do. Apple cider vinegar can help.
• Take care! Watch where you are walking. Avoid slips and falls. Lose the loose mats. Get handrails installed. If you need a walking aid, please use one - don't slip on your pride!
• There are many forms of calcium supplements - some are better absorbed by the body than others. Calcium citrate is recommended.
• Select a supplement from the following recommendations for your country (clicking the hyperlink refers you to a suitable supplier). Look for products with the following ingredients: calcium, magnesium, boron, vitamins C,D,K, flavanoids, evening primrose oil, fish oil.

If the symptoms of osteoporosis persist, you need to make an appointment to consult a professional health practitioner.

A naturopath considers WHY a person has osteoporosis and then treats accordingly.

David Wilson, Naturopath

See also Menopause

Keep me informed about any news concerning osteoporosis.