For 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, and 18 million who are thought to be at risk for developing this disease, are a serious problem for their bones, pain, and possible death. In the United States, approximately 250,000 hip fractures per year result from osteoporosis, and 10–20 percent of these people die within the next six months.
Ask a woman on the street what they should do to prevent such problems, and most of them will call calcium supplements as the key. Some of them are also referred to vitamin D. However, according to recent medical studies, calcium and vitamin D do not protect against the risk of bone destruction from osteoporosis.
What is proof?
Two studies in the British medical journals Lancet and the British Medical Journal show that calcium and vitamin D do not play any role in preventing bone fractures in osteoporosis sufferers.
In the first study, when more than 5,300 people over the age of 70 took either dummy pills (for example, placebo), calcium, vitamin D, or both calcium and vitamin D, the frequency of bone fractures did not differ among groups.
The second study showed that 3,314 women aged 70 years and older had a high risk of developing a hip fraction. Those who took daily calcium and vitamin D did not have a significantly different number of fractures than those who actually received a leaflet about diet and preventing falls.
What actually indicates the risk of broken bones?
If you are concerned about the risk of bone fractures, you should ask your doctor to order a red blood cell test. Keep in mind that the bones are made from calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, boron, manganese, and many other minerals. Calcium needs the synergy of all these minerals to maintain stability. Therefore, a test similar to the criterion of red blood cell mineralization, which measures the presence of many essential nutrients, is the best way to determine if your body contains the right balance of ingredients for strong and healthy bones.
The story of my mom osteoporosis
When my mother first performed a bone density test at the age of 67, the results were very disturbing. She had a T-score of -4.3, that is, she had strong osteoporosis in her hips and spine. The World Health Organization has defined T-score levels as follows:
* Normal: T-score is higher than -1.
* Osteopenia: T-score from -1 to -2.5
* Osteoporosis: T-score at or below -2.5
I ordered three additional tests on behalf of my mother, and the results returned as follows:
1. The test for bone loss in my mom returned positively, detecting accelerated bone loss.
2. Her Mineral Test revealed a significant deficiency in magnesium and manganese, but the level of calcium in the blood was within the normal range.
3. Tests of the female hormone showed low levels of estrogen and progesterone.
Based on this information, this is the exact program that I recommended for my mom:
1. Increase its consumption of spring or filtered water (not distilled water).
2. I have assigned pregnenolone. Pregnenolone is the precursor to the progesterone and estrogen production route and is well documented to improve the levels of progesterone and estrogen without the harmful side effects associated with estrogen.
3. I prescribed magnesium and manganese.
4. I recommended the exercise with a light weight.
5. Her diet will consist of 4-5 small meals per day: 2-3 ounces of protein protein: chicken, turkey, fish, eggs (without milk or cheese), 1-2 servings of vegetables and 1/2 cup of approved starch: sweet potatoes, brown rice, no yeast bread.
Results: Periodic bone resorption tests showed a reduction in bone loss. Her bone density test showed a rate of -1.2, an improvement of 72%. It was a serious shock for the doctor who interpreted her results.
How functional medicine helps
My ability to help my mother (and my patients) comes from my knowledge of functional medicine, which uses scientific research to solve a specific problem of an individual problem, instead of prescribing a standard remedy for everyone.
If my mother’s results were different, my recipe would be different. Note that I did not recommend any calcium or vitamin D supplements at all. She does not need this.
To find a practicing medical practitioner near you, refer to the free directory at http://www.functionalmedicinedoctors.com.
