15 years ago, we had a different set of bones in our body!  Our bones are not "rocks" that just sit there.  The bones are constantly being remodeled as our bone cells are always working on our bones.  Osteoblasts Build bones and the Osteoclasts break down the bone.

To get the job done, the osteoblasts need the materials necessary to build, and the osteoclasts do NOT need help breaking bone down.

The first myths to address here and now are that taking Calcium and drinking milk are a bad ideas!  Thomas Levy, MD, JD has written a book: Death by Calcium – "The regular intake of DAIRY and CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS promotes ALL known chronic degenetrative diseases, and, it significantly shortens life.

Beware these bone-suckers known as: carbonated belly wash, soda, pop….  They contain phosphoric acid.  The body must neutralize this alien acid!  The body robs the bone of Calcium to bring about this neutralization.  Ka-boom!  You are working on osteoporosis!

Just as the water in salty water is NOT bio-available to quench your thirst, the Calcium in milk is NOT bio-available to get to the bones!  It gets worse.  The protiens in the milk actually suck the Calcium out of the bones.

The hormonal changes we undergo between the ages of 35 and 55 cause some bone loss.

So, what does one do to prevent the amount of loss and / or manage osteopenia or osteoporosis?

Prevention: 

1) Magnesium gets Calcium to the bone (where we want it!) and keeps it out of the soft tissues (kidney stones!) where we don't want it.  Approximately 80% of us are deficient in Magnesium.  Avoid Magnesium oxide, Magnesium sulfate, and Magnesium glutamate and aspartate.  Any other form of Magnesiuim is OK!  You may not need Magnesium, or, you may be taking too much if you get the Milk of Magnesia effect – diarhea.

2) If you did NOT get a bathing suit quality tan yesterday (shoulders, back, chest, belly, thighs, legs), then you should take Vitamin D today.  It is possible to become toxic on Vitamin D, but, it is not easy to so do!  About 1/3 of my patients take 5000 IU a day lof D-3.  About 1/3 of my patients take 10,000 IU / day. About 1/3 of the rest take a little more, and some, a little less with the goal of getting the 25-(OH) D (your Vitamin D level) to between 60 and 100 ng/ml.  Vitamin D activates the bone cells.

3) Vitamin C is essential for our body to make collagen.  Collagen is the connective tissue that holds us together.  Collagen is part of the bone matrix that makes it strong.

4) Exercise strengthens the bones as they remodel.

5) Diet – No soda, no dairy.  The more veggies, the better!

So, what if you get diagnosed as opsteopenic or osteoporotic?  Here's what you might add to the above…….

6) Boron acts as a "helper" for all the enzymes and nutrients needed to make strong bones.

7) Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy – A compounding pharmacy is your best resource for physicians who are skilled and knowledgeable about BHRT.

8) Vitamin K is another vitamin that helps many different phases of the bone building process.

Last, but not least……

9) 2 heavy metals that may turn bones around are Strontium and Rubidium.  These metals can be worked in to the matrix to strengthen the crystals and increase bone density.