Derek L. Hill, D.O.

Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Surgeon and Specialist

Natural Ways to Keep Bones Healthy & Strong

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Banana and dumbbellsAccording to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 52.4 million Americans over age 50 have osteoporosis, with 80% being women. As you mature, it is critical to avoid fractures and prevent bone loss through the right dietary and lifestyle choices.

Avoid Hidden Causes of Poor Bone Health

Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D3 deficiency is the most common vitamin deficiency in the United States and Canada. Without adequate levels of vitamin D in your body, you cannot effectively absorb calcium. It is important to have your vitamin D levels checked by your doctor to see if you have a deficiency. If so, you can take a supplement to build your levels back up. Most naturopathic physicians recommend 2,000 to 5,000 I.U.s a day.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by the inability to digest the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. This protein is called gluten. If you’re intolerant to gluten, your intestines will be chronically inflamed and this will interfere with your ability to absorb nutrients from food, including vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin K. The best way to test for celiac disease is to talk with a nutritionist or naturopathic physician about a gluten elimination diet for a period of at least 6-8 weeks.

Hyperthyroidism

An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) is often caused by a malfunctioning immune system. After the age of 30, the natural process of bone remodeling (the act of breaking down and building up) is sped up in the case of hyperthyroidism and can lead to significant bone loss. Get tested for thyroid disease and if the results come back negative, but you still have symptoms, seek a second opinion. Conventional thyroid tests often give a false negative.

Corticosteroid Drugs

Corticosteroid drugs taken for asthma or autoimmune disease can have a significant impact on your bone health. These drugs not only interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients, they also encourage the breakdown of bone. Get a second opinion from a naturopathic or osteopathic physician about using nutrition and natural supplements to treat your condition without steroids.

Proton Pump Inhibitors

According to a clinical study published by Osteoporosis International, proton pump inhibitors have been shown to significantly increase bone fragility. Talk with your doctor about weaning off proton pump inhibitors and using digestive enzymes, probiotics, and dietary changes to heal your acid reflux disease.

Keep Your Bones Strong as You Age

Eat a Bone-Building Diet

A bone-building diet is essential in the fight against bone loss as you mature. Slowly wean off junk food and invest in your health with a diet rich in organic produce, fermented foods, grass-fed beef, organic poultry, wild-caught fish, magnesium-rich beans, and healthy fats like coconut oil and butter.

Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise is essential, especially after the age of 30, as this is when your bones begin to break down. Exercise for at least thirty minutes using weight-bearing exercises like walking, hiking or jogging at least three times per week. Light weight training can also help prevent bone loss.

Take the Right Supplements

Even if you eat a very healthy diet, you may still have one or more nutrient deficiencies.

Supplements Shown to Help Prevent Bone Disease

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency can greatly increase your likelihood of developing osteoporosis. Adding a vitamin D supplement can help you better absorb calcium and magnesium.

Calcium

Calcium is important for strong bones. It is best to get this essential nutrient from vegetables or a supplement instead of milk. Milk contains synthetic calcium that is more difficult for your body to absorb.

Vitamin K2

Japanese clinical trials have shown that when combined with vitamin D, vitamin K2 can help prevent bone loss and reduce the likelihood of the development of brittle bone disease.

Magnesium

Magnesium is the most common mineral deficiency in the world. Without this essential nutrient, your body cannot effectively absorb calcium or vitamin D. In addition to helping prevent bone loss, magnesium also helps stimulate a hormone called calcitonin, which helps preserve bone structure by drawing calcium from the blood and soft tissues back into the bones.

Brittle bones isn’t an inevitable part of aging. Prevent bone disease naturally and stay active for years to come!

Written by: Jaime Heidel, FizzNiche Staff Writer

Build Strong Bones & Prevent Osteoporosis

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woman with milkWomen’s health advice can help keep your skeleton strong and fracture-free later.

Few people worry about skeletal health when they are young – but that’s rime time to prevent future problems. Good bone health starts early. Your bones build density from infancy through young adulthood.

Women’s health advice says skeletal mass peaks about age 30 and generally remains flat until age 50, after which bones start to break down. Prevent osteoporosis with action in your 30’s and 40’s.

Women’s health advice says about 44 million Americans have osteoporosis and low bone mass, which often goes unnoticed until a break occurs. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, one in two women and one in four men over age 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime. A woman’s chance of breaking a hip is equivalent to her combined risk for breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.

Although 80% of Americans with osteoporosis are women, men over the age of 50 have a greater risk of breaking a brittle bone than developing prostate cancer. Fractures in the vertebrae cause pain, difficulty walking, and even trouble breathing and eating. Reversing osteoporosis is difficult at best, so it’s important to prevent osteoporosis.

Getting older, having a small frame, being a Caucasian or Asian woman, or having a family history of osteoporosis all increase risk. While building bone mass early in life is the best defense against this silent disease, it’s never too late to build a stronger skeleton.

Osteoporosis experts suggest several ways to strengthen your bones:

EXERCISE

Activities you do on your feet – walking, jogging, dancing, aerobics, tennis – are the best. Bones, like muscles, were built to work.  When we don’t work, we’ve got a tough job of ensuring adequate bone strength.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

Lifestyle moderations can also help protect your skeleton. If you smoke, stop; it can inhibit calcium absorption. If you drink, limit your daily consumption to no more than two drinks (alcohol abuse is a prominent risk factor for osteoporosis). Talk to you physician if you use certain prescription medications that may weaken bones, including antacids, corticosteroids, and other drugs.

DIET

Adjusting your diet is the best way to forestall osteoporosis. Recommended calcium intakes are 1,000 mg daily for adults 18-50 and 1,200 daily for those over 50. Besides dairy products, foods such as salmon and dark leafy greens will help you meet your daily requirements. One green to watch, though, is spinach, along with sweet potatoes and rhubarb. These otherwise healthy foods contain high amounts of oxalates, which may reduce calcium absorption. In addition, high fiber foods such as 100% wheat bran appear to reduce absorption of calcium in other foods eaten at the same time. Remember that soy and almond milks don’t supply the calcium found in cow’s milk.

VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS

Meal planning should not be a chemical engineering exercise.  Don’t overreact. Supplements can help you get enough calcium, but this mineral by itself isn’t enough to build bone density. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium; it’s especially important for seniors, people living in northern climates and those with dark skins that don’t create vitamin D efficiently when exposed to sunshine. Vitamin K2 helps to create the proteins that incorporate calcium and other minerals into bone. Calcium itself is available in several forms, including an algae-based variety called AlgaeCal that is particularly absorbable.

Supplement timing is another key factor. Caffeine can inhibit calcium uptake, so it’s best to wait an hour or two after a cup of coffee before taking your supplement. Try orange juice instead, as vitamin C improves calcium absorption. For maximum effectiveness, split the dose so you’re only taking 500 mg of calcium at a time.

No one wants to suffer osteoporatic fractures and reversing osteoporosis is difficult, so taking care of your bones now can help you prevent osteoporosis and stay active as the years go by.

Here is a resource with more information on health and fitness courses: http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com