Osteoporosis? 5 Ways Your Doctor May Not Have Mentioned to Strengthen Your Bones

Bone health is a growing problem in today's toxic society. Some are diagnosed with osteoporosis. Some with osteopenia, which is considered a "pre" osteoporosis. The vast majority of patients with these diagnosis are given a prescription for Fosomax or Boniva or Actonel.

The use of medications to treat osteopenia is completely out of line with all the guidelines used for treatment of lower bone mass. Someone with osteopenia is still at a very low risk of suffering a fracture, although it is clear that they are on a trajectory towards losing too much bone. If someone is at a very low risk of a fracture, if we medicate this person, they will likely be taking this class of drugs for an extended period of time. Recent research suggests that, after 3-5 years, because this class of drugs interferes with normal bone turnover, patients will now be at increased risk of fractures in other bones besides the hip and spine.

For most of our history, we have viewed bone as an inert tissue that is used to provide support for the body, attach muscles to for movement and act as a source of calcium when blood levels drop. This view has changed dramatically in the past few years.

We now understand that bone is an integral tissue that is involved in the regulation of body composition and actually produces a hormone called that protects against diabetes. When bone is healthy and building, the cells that build bone, called osteoblasts, produce the hormone osteocalcin. Absolutely astonishing information that is changing the way we view bone.

To further complicate the picture, gastrointestinal health also interacts with bone. When the gut becomes stressed (psychological stress, poor diet, drugs to treat acid reflux or heartburn, etc..) the enterochromaffin cells lining the gut produce more serotonin. Yes--serotonin, that "feel good" hormone that we think of when we think depression and Prosac and Paxil and Zoloft. Many do not realize that over 2/3 of the body's serotonin is actually derived from the gut.

So, more stress on the gut produces more serotonin. This serotonin then affects the activity of the osteoblasts in bone, slowing their activity and slowing bone building.

A few things I have realized in my years practicing functional medicine:

1) In most cases, drugs are the only approach taken. Most patients are mistakenly led to believe that this class of drugs (bisphosphanates) actually build bone. They do not. All they do is slow the breakdown of bone by sticking to the osteoclast (the cell that breaks down bone). To truly have an impact on bone health, a comprehensive approach that slows bone breakdown and improves bone formation is needed. Anything else falls short.

2) Calcium is recommended despite the lack of strong evidence of benefit. Recent studies have confirmed that supplementation with calcium does not affect bone density when the diet is high in calcium

3) Weight bearing exercise is crucial to send the signal to the bone to build

4) Vitamin D is rarely recommended, and, if it is, the levels are too low to have an impact. Supplementation should usually start at 2,000 IU / day and go up from there if bone health is an issue. Blood levels should be maintained between 60-100 ng/ml

5) Inflammation is clearly a strong player in breaking down bone. When inflammation is present, bone produces more osteoclasts, leading to increased bone breakdown. What good is a drug that binds up the osteoclasts when we don't control the inflammation and stop the continued production of these same cells? http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2362.2011.02545.x/abstract

Overall, it should be clear that our current approach to osteoporosis has little to do with true bone health and more to do with stopping the normal process occurring in bone turnover. A true approach to bone health goes hand in hand with an anti-diabetic, an anti-cancer and an anti-heart disease lifestyle. This makes it pretty easy. Follow one lifestyle and lower your risk for all.

One final note. Most guidelines recommend bone density screening via DXA scanning in our 50's. This is long past the point where an easy fix is possible. I remain a strong advocate for an initial bone density test in our 20's or 30's. In our office we continually identify patients in this age range that are 10, 20 or 30% below where they should be for their age. At this age, however, small, positive changes can have large payoffs decades down the line.

An Introduction to the Gallbladder Diet

The digestion of fats would be very difficult if the gall bladder didn't exist. Actually, the bile is responsible for the digestion of fats, and it is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. The bile can't digest fats when there are some problems with the gallbladder or in cases where the bile duct is blocked because of gallstones. Gallstones or gallbladder stones are formed from cholesterol, salts and minerals from the bile. When the gallstones are formed, the function of the gallbladder is impaired, and one of the most frequent symptoms is the pain. People suffering from this disease feel pain in the upper-right side of the abdomen. When the gallstones are small, they can be treated with medications and by changing the eating habits. The main change in the diet is to reduce the intake of foods, which contain fats. However, if the gallstones are big, the best option is gallbladder removal surgery.

In the following part of this article, we are going to discuss the gallbladder disease diet.

One of the main reasons for the gallbladder disease is consuming too much foods rich in fats and being physically inactive. One of the things the affected person should do, is avoid consuming red meat. In addition, it is equally important to eat smaller portions of food several times a day. One of the questions which bother most of the people having problems with the gallbladder is what foods they can eat and which foods they have to avoid. We are going to make a short list of both, but remember that it is best to consult your doctor about this issue in order to get all the necessary details about certain types of food.

Allowed foods:
• Fresh fruits
• Fresh vegetables
• Whole grains
• Lean meat
• Poultry
• Fish
• Dairy products low in fats

Foods to avoid:
• Red meat
• Fried foods
• Dairy products rich in fats like ice cream, cheeses, butter...
• Highly processed foods

One important thing in the gall bladder diet plan is to avoid extremely harsh diets and rapid loss of weight. When someone loses weight too fast, the chance of gallstones formation is highly increased. So, it is important to follow your gallbladder diet if you want to save yourself from the undesirable symptoms associated with gallbladder disease. Simply following your diet and being physically active will help you have a better and much more quality life.