naturopathy for osteoporosis

Latest Bone Health Articles

Firstly, your body needs protein, because amino acids are part of the bone matrix. If you don’t consume enough your body can’t form strong, dense bones. You want to ensure you eat sufficient high quality (organic) meat, fish and eggs.   Mark Sisson of Primal Blueprint recommends 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily. 

Dehydration contributes to osteoporosis.  Your body is 70% water.  Even slight dehydration triggers biochemical changes similar to the stress response.  This raises cortisol, which leads to accelerated bone loss.² The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is approx. 3 litres and for women 2.2 litres daily.³

Trace minerals, which most of us are deficient in due to our mineral depleted soils, are necessary for the transport and absorption of calcium.  As Dr Thompson, author of The Calcium Lie explains, calcium does not treat osteoporosis.  Giving calcium and vitamin D alone will cause a worsening of osteoporosis and a cascade of health issues leading eventually to auto-immune disease.  Why?  Because bone is made up of at least 12 minerals, all of which are required if you want to restore bone density.  See Dr. Thompson’s diagram of the “Calcium Cascade” in his book The Calcium Lie.⁶

In a nutshell, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2, magnesium and at least another eleven minerals work synergistically together to promote strong, healthy bones.  Your sodium to potassium ratio also plays an important role in maintaining your bone mass. Getting sufficient amounts of omega-3 fats is another factor for building healthy bone.

Weight-bearing exercises are essential in avoiding and treating osteoporosis. Remember, bone-building is a dynamic process, so you need to exert enough force on your bones to stimulate the growth of new bone via the osteoblasts.⁴ This is why the orthodox treatment using Bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel) which block the breakdown of bone via the osteoclasts causes bones to become more brittle and more likely to break, because if your bone doesn’t break down, it won’t get the signal to build itself back up.

Chris Kresser in his blog of 28 September 2016 links your microbiota to your bone health – click here to read further.

Chris maintains that people with Gut problems often have bone complications.  Those suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) have increased risk of osteopenia, osteoporosis and bone fracture. 

The subsequent malabsorption of calcium and reduced levels of Vitamins D and K affect your bone density, as does taking corticosteroids. 

Leaky gut causes inflammation which in turn directly affects bone remodelling. 

Also, since a compromised gut equals a compromised immune system and our immune system in closely involved in the regulation of bone health, it is essential to keep our internal microbiota population healthy.⁷

The bone resorption test by Genova Labs measures how fast your bone is breaking down, which is a good indicator of bone health:

https://www.gdx.net/product/bone-resorption-assessment-hormone-test-urine