Who says a low bone density number in an older person is a problem? In fact, it’s the natural progression of aging, and a person who is 60 should indeed have a lower bone density than a 30-year-old. According to Michael McClung, director at the Oregon Osteoporosis Center, “We have medicalized a nonproblem.”
When people of the same ethnic background and age group are compared, we see a gradual decrease in bone density as we age, among everyone across the board. When a 30-year-old and a 60-year-old are compared, however, it makes it appear that the 60-year-old has a big problem. But is this a problem?
According to Sayer Ji, founder of GreenMedInfo.com, we must first understand that bone mineral density is not the same thing as bone strength. Bone density is an indicator of resistance to breaking when being crushed, but it’s not a good indicator of resistance to breaking when being pulled or stretched. To understand this, think of something like a glass shattering: glass is strong but brittle, with high density. Think of a spider web, which has incredible strength but no density. The concepts are related but not always definitive.
So why are we taking dangerous drugs like Fosomax? What does this drug actually do? Is it strengthening our bones? No, it’s not.
Fosomax is also called Alendronate or Naproxen, and can cause gastric ulcers, esophagus injury, stress fractures, atrial fibrillation, femoral fractures, jaw osteonecrosis and osteoporosis, cytotoxicity to bone-building cells, and excess mineralization causing micro-cracks, as well as other adverse health effects.
Safe Ways to Truly Strengthen Bones
Most people are under the impression that osteoporosis is caused by calcium deficiency, and that we can naturally solve this problem by taking more calcium. Not according to Dr. Suzanne Humphries, a medical doctor, and writer for GreenMedInfo.com.
Dr. Humphries believes that supplemental calcium and drugs like Fosomax are problematic and only degrade bone further, causing bones to be brittle and break even more easily. Whether you are diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, both calcium and bisphosphonates (Fosomax) will cause blood vessels to calcify and harden, including heart valves.
Healthy bone will incorporate calcium from whole foods properly when hormones are in balance and the right nutrients are present, such as Vitamin C, Vitamin K2, Vitamin D3, magnesium and minerals like boron and silica. Often patients who are taking hypertension medication, a thiazide diuretic, will retain calcium and deplete potassium and magnesium. This imbalance causes the hardening of blood vessels and valves.
To strengthen bones, eat foods that incorporate these vitamins and minerals, and engage in weight-bearing exercise, which builds real bone cells. Begin slowly with light weights and gradually increase the repetition and weight. Always make sure to engage in proper form with good posture, and never move into pain. If a certain exercise hurts or feels like a strain, stop doing it.
Why take Vitamin C to strengthen bones? Vitamin C stimulates new bones cells to grow by mineralizing the bone. It also inhibits bone-absorbing cells and prevents degradation of the bone. It helps prevent oxidative stress, which increases as we age, and last it is important for collagen synthesis.
Low levels of Vitamin C cause bone to degrade and new bone is not formed. A high-quality Vitamin C supplement can help to re-balance real bone strength when the estrogen level has lowered with age. The best types to buy are liposomal Vitamin C, sodium ascorbate or ascorbic acid — never Ester-C or calcium ascorbate.
As a patient, it’s important to do the research and educate yourself on the truth about diseases and solutions. You can choose to blindly follow advice from a Big Pharma advertisement for Fosamax, or you can choose to do the real work and find out the best course of action for yourself.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Marc Bonacci is a chiropractic physician certified in Physical Medicine Modalities and Therapeutic Procedures. For 18 years, his compassionate and creative approach to solving chronic pain issues has led him to develop a system in which he manually aligns nerves, muscles, connective tissue and joints to re-train the posture and allow healing. Learn more about RegenAlign™ at arizonapainandposture.com
By Marc Bonacci, DC, PMMTP
Sources:
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/osteoporosis-scurvy-bone-not-calcium-deficiency
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/osteoporosis-myth-dangers-high-bone-mineral-density
