There isn’t a week that goes by when I am not asked questions regarding how to approach and heal osteopenia and/or osteoporosis. I have watched over the years as women’s and some men’s bones get thinner and thinner with more stress fractures occurring from very minor trauma or no real trauma at all.
Most often when women enter menopause, they begin to have a heightened awareness of their bones and the strength of bones. There is an underlying fear that begins to unfold about bone disease and fractures after 50 years old.
Each year an estimated 1.5 million suffer from a fracture due to bone disease in the United States. These bone related fractures lead to more than
- half a million hospitalizations
- over 800,000 emergency room encounters
- more than 2,600,000 physician office visits
- placement of nearly 180,000 individuals into nursing homes
Here are just a few facts from the National Library of Medicine on Bone health and Osteoporosis. I believe these stats are very under reported as of today.
- Osteoporosis is the most common cause of fractures. Roughly 10 million individuals over age 50 in the United States have osteoporosis of the hip. An additional 33.6 million individuals over age 50 have low bone mass or “osteopenia” of the hip and thus are at risk of osteoporosis and its potential complications later in life.
- By 2020, one in two Americans over age 50 is expected to have or be at risk of developing osteoporosis of the hip; even more will be at risk of developing osteoporosis at any site in the skeleton.
- Osteoporosis does not affect everyone to the same degree. Women, especially older women, are more likely to get the disease than are men. An estimated 35 percent of postmenopausal White women have osteoporosis of the hip, spine, or distal forearm. That said, men, especially elderly men, can and do get osteoporosis.
Although this condition is often blamed on hormones and aging this is far from revealing the truth about this picture.
The truth is that we are in the age of acidity.
What do I mean by that? Our environment inside our bodies and out is incredibly acidic.
Why is that? We consume too much coffee, vinegar, chocolate and alcohol and highly acidic foods. We get exposed to chemicals like toxic fragrances, pesticides, herbicides , air fresheners , scented candles, x-rays and other scans and air travel. Chronic long term stress can also add to this issue.
All of this will thin our bones and weaken and destroy our teeth.
Our body pulls calcium from our bones to buffer the overall acidity. When you have been in a state of acidosis for too long it builds over time and sneaks up on you.
The rate at which this happens really depends on what else we have going on inside and that can be unknown to us like toxic heavy metals which will accelerate this process.
What can we do to make the biggest change for healing now?
Let’s always start with food, food first as I often say, food is truly medicine for the body when used in the right way.
Let’s get alkaline
Here is your starting list of go to foods that will support your teeth, bones, tendons, cartilage and ligaments.
- Sprouts
- Bananas
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Chives
- Figs
- Kale
- Mizuna
- Mustard greens
- Red cabbage
- Parsley
- Parsnips
- Pears
- Swiss chard
- Tomatoes
- Tangerines
- Oranges
- Raspberries
- Lemons and limes
- Watercress
- Leafy greens
- Sea veggies
Top herbs/supplements to reverse Osteoporosis/Osteopenia
- Silica
- Nettle leaf
- Horsetail
- Oatstraw
- Red clover
- Turmeric
- Curcumin
- Sage
- Vit D
- Calcium/magnesium
Reduce/remove these from your diet
- Dairy
- ACV
- Vinegars
- Coffee
- Alcohol
- Bone broth
- Kombucha
- Lower your fats
- Lower your animal protein
And last but certainly not least, weight bearing exercise is always a smart addition to any bone building plan. Walking, dancing, yoga, low impact aerobics, light weightlifting, stair climbing and gardening are all beneficial activities.
I hope that this helps you on your way to better bone health.
~ Dr. Sherri Greene
Restorative Physician
