Prevent or reverse thinning bones....

Today's Post: Thursday, 8-20-2009

Since I've had to take the proton pump inhibitors for my reflux disease, I've paid some attention to what things I might do to prevent or dramatically slow any bone thinning or increased fracture risk in order to compensate for the effects of those drugs.

In case you have an interest, here are some things I found out.

Drinking any soft drinks tends to thin bones; but drinking a lot of any colas is worse. The excessively high phosphorous intake tends to pull calcium from your bones. (Drinking tea and green tea gives you a lift similar to colas while making your bones stronger instead of weaker.)

The thinking now is that beyond the modest amount in a vitamin mineral daily supplement, calcium is best gotten from food sources. Cooked, wild caught, canned, salmon because of the included bones and nonfat, low fat, and very low fat dairy foods seem to be the best sources.

Weight bearing exercises every week, even if only a daily walk, seem to help.

Low impact aerobics also work, such as elliptical trainers, stair steppers, and using a mini trampoline. (The mini trampoline at www.urbanrebounder.com is less than $190 including taxes and shipping while the others usually require a gym membership. And, you can use the mini trampoline at home.)

Strength training also works. You can do strength training in a gym.

You can also do strength training at home. Push ups work well (start with pushups from the knees instead of toes can work well at first.)

You can do quarter or one third squats with no added weight or holding dumbbells or on one leg at a time when you get stronger (full to one half squats can be a bit too hard on the knees ).

Sitting against a wall legs parallel to the ground as if you are sitting but with no chair also works. The trick with those is to count while you do it. Suppose you feel it’s time to stand back up after a count of 40. That’s fine. Just keep doing more each time until you get over 300. I do 300 in the one third squat position as a warm up and am now up to 356 in the legs parallel position that I do immediately after the 300 warmup. It takes 4 or 5 minutes each time and definitely has made my legs stronger.

We now know that taking at least 2,000 iu extra a day of vitamin D3 is important for your health and among other things will help prevent depression, particularly in the winter, and will help prevent most cancers and even autoimmune diseases. In addition, getting that much D3 each day plus adequate calcium works best to maintain bone strength and density; & it works MUCH better than calcium alone.

(Up to 10,000 iu a day is safe. And, since D3 is very inexpensive, you might even consider 5,000 iu a day if you've not been taking it, to get you to an adequate blood level.)

At least 200 mg a day of magnesium and 3 mg a day of boron may also help maintain bone strength and density. And, they both have other health benefits. (I take 600 mg a day of magnesium as it helps lower blood pressure to health OK levels. I take the boron for its help in increasing alertness and helping prevent prostate cancer. It’s nice to know it helps bone strength too.)

And, for bone strength, they've found that taking a strontium supplement makes bones both harder and stronger within a relatively short time. (I take the other things; & plan to add strontium myself soon.)

Strontium, 3 other supplements, and several of the ones I list above are in a multiple supplement combo for increasing bone density and strength.

I prefer to take supplements separately and get each one from companies I think put the stated amount of the supplement in their supplements.

So, this kind of private label, multiple-ingredient supplement, no matter how well researched, doesn't appeal to me.

However, the ad for this multiple supplement combo for increasing bone density and strength had such strong evidence for strontium, I saved the ad.

Here's a cut & paste from the ad.: (I included the toll free number for those interested -- and, as a compensation to them for providing the information on strontium. I already take most of the other components in their supplement for other reasons.)

"The little-known mineral that cuts your risk of fracture in half — and even reverses 7 years’ worth of bone loss!

This little-known mineral is chemically similar to calcium, but much better absorbed. And it stays in your bones longer than calcium, too.

Multiple studies show that it can help fragile bones weakened by age, heredity, and other risk factors become stronger and more flexible. In fact, studies show that it can reduce your risk of suffering a debilitating or even deadly fracture in half and increase your bone density by a whopping 14%. That corresponds to about 7 years’ worth of bone loss.

Best of all, this mineral is safe, fast-acting, inexpensive — and seems to get results for just about everyone who tries it, no matter what their age.

What is this exciting new bone-building mineral? It’s called Strontium.

If you haven't heard of strontium before, I'm not surprised. Though it’s been around for quite a while, the news about its remarkable benefits for bone health has only recently come to light.

Strontium has been used as a medicinal remedy for over 100 years. But its effects on bone health were first tested back in 1959, when researchers at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic treated a group of patients suffering severe bone loss with strontium. Much to their shock, every patient in the study experienced some level of improvement.

As impressive as this news was, it didn't receive much attention. Why? When the drug companies found their patented form of strontium used in the studies, called Strontium ranelate, was no more safe and effective as the non-patented natural forms, they decided not to sell it. They couldn't profit from it, so it wasn't worth their time.

So this remarkable news remained buried for nearly 50 years.

But strontium is finally getting the attention it deserves, thanks to a wave of exciting clinical studies conducted over the last two years. The results make it clear that strontium could be the key to making your bones virtually unbreakable — and keep them that way for decades to come. Consider this:

• It cuts risk of fracture nearly 60%: In one study of elderly women over the age of 80, those who took strontium alone slashed their risk of fracture by 59% in the first 12 months of treatment. These findings prove strontium can drastically reduce fracture risk and improve overall bone health no matter what your age. Imagine what this can do to help you remain active and independent for the rest of your life!

• It’s more effective for building healthy bones than calcium and vitamin D combined: In another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, women who added strontium to their bone-building program cut their risk of fracture by 49% in the first year. That’s practically in half! Plus, they increased bone density in their backs by 14.4% and in their necks by 8.3%. Meanwhile, the group who took only calcium and Vitamin D saw NO increase in bone density whatsoever.

• It can help you stand taller and stay pain free: Other studies show strontium slows the rate of height loss by an amazing 20%. It also helps 20% more patients experience relief from back pain. That’s important, because the vertebras in your spine become more fragile over time and more prone to collapsing. Strontium can help slow down, even reverse this process — while helping to soothe your aching back, too.

So exactly why does strontium work so much better than calcium to make your bones practically unbreakable? Because unlike calcium....

Strontium performs double-duty action for boosting your bone health

Strontium not only slows down the breakdown of bone, it actually stimulates new bone growth. That’s unheard of. No other nutrient can work so well at doing both.

Strontium: The Remarkable Bone-Building Superstar Your Doctor Doesn't Know About

If you’re at high risk for osteoporosis, strontium may help. But whatever you do, please don't confuse it with strontium-90, the man-made, radioactive compound that has nothing to do with bone health!

I’m talking about natural strontium. This is a non-toxic trace mineral that studies show can help fragile bones weakened by age, race, heredity, or other factors become stronger and more flexible. Natural strontium is safe, even in high doses.

Ultimate Bone Support delivers 500 mg of strontium, the level shown in studies to provide the most benefits. It’s also provided in a form that’s easy for the body to absorb, citrate, the same form that’s best for calcium.

Strontium is chemically similar to calcium, but it’s stronger and less dense. Your body absorbs strontium just like calcium, so it can replace lost calcium in your joints and teeth and even increase bone density.

But you should not take a calcium supplement at the same time as strontium. When that happens, strontium and calcium compete for absorption in the body—and in that tug of war, calcium always wins because your body uses calcium in other ways. Which means you'll miss out on strontium’s bone-building benefits completely, even if your bones are fragile.

So if you want to take a calcium supplement, make sure you take it a minimum of 4 hours prior to taking Ultimate Bone Support.

Just two capsules of Ultimate Bone Support daily gives you ‘extra’ insurance for making sure you stay healthy, remain independent, and live each and every day doing the things you love to do. After all, isn't that what life is all about?

Ready to get started? Click here or call toll-free 1-800-791-3395 to order Ultimate Bone Support today.

How does strontium do this? It attracts important minerals like calcium, magnesium, boron and zinc to absorb directly into your bones. As a result, your entire skeleton becomes thicker and stronger in a relatively short time — less than a year, in most cases.

In one study conducted at the prestigious McGill University in Montreal, patients who took strontium for only six months showed a remarkable 172% increase in the rate of bone formation. They felt less bone pain, too.

Since strontium is stronger and denser than calcium, it’s also more resistant to the action of osteoclasts — the cells in your body that cause your bones to weaken and break down. So it slows down the cycle of bone destruction, too.


People ask me all the time: “If strontium works so well, why hasn't my doctor recommended it?”

Good question. With doctors having to squeeze in as many patients as possible in a single day, they're more pressed for time than ever. As a result, they don't have time to keep up with all the latest studies. And whatever news they do get is either through drug company sales reps, or in medical journals subsidized by the drug companies.

Strontium’s benefits for bone health flew under the radar until recently. I first heard about it two years ago and researched it extensively. I ended up with a four-inch-thick pile of studies on the subject. At last count, I found over 220 published articles on strontium and its effects on bone health.

Judging from the research I’ve seen, strontium seems to get results no matter how old you are, or how weak your bones may be. Plus other studies suggest strontium is more effective than calcium for supporting the health of your teeth and joints.

There are more than enough studies on strontium’s benefits for building up bones and avoiding fractures. I suggest you consider it. It’s completely non-toxic, even when taken in large doses over a long period of time.

In fact, a two-year, double-blind study found strontium to be safer than a placebo! Not only did the women taking it significantly improve their bone mineral density, but they experienced fewer side effects than those taking the placebo.

Where can you get strontium? It’s not widely available in supplement form — unless you know where to look. That’s why I got together with the research team at Advanced Bionutritionals.

Together, we created an exclusive formula called Ultimate Bone Support. It combines the bone-building power of Strontium with 9 additional nutrients to keep your bones strong and fracture-free for life. Nutrients like..."

X* X* X* X*X*

This is very persuasive information. I have, however, found that most supplements are available from other companies even when one company claims this is not the case.

I've not yet added strontium to my supplements as I can only afford so many, & I'm giving priority to those that support general good health and those that prevent cancer, heart disease, and mental decline.

However, by April 1st, I'll have more income & likely will begin taking strontium then.

Unfortunately, since I've not yet researched a good brand for stand alone strontium supplements, I can't yet recommend one. But a knowledgeable health food store owner who carries several brands might know of one. Or you can enter strontium at www.vitacost.com in their search box as they carry most brands of supplements.

Three other supplements are included in that multiple bone strength supplement that are worth mentioning.

Silicon & l-lysine.

Here's their info on Silicon: "Silicon: When doctors back in Ancient Greece treated bone discomfort, one of their standby remedies was an herb called horsetail. We now know horsetail is a rich source of silicon, a nutrient that helps form collagen and connective tissue. It also helps stimulate the activity of osteoblasts — the bone-building cells.

In the recent study of the offspring of more than 2,800 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, researchers found that those who supplemented with silicon experienced higher bone density.

Ultimate Bone Support contains 4 mg of Silicon from horsetail extract."

The ad also noted that l-lysine helps the body form new connective tissue -- including in bones. (And, if you take it with 1500 mg a day of vitamin C, it may help prevent heart disease.) Whole Foods Markets has a Whole Foods brand of l-lysine that is quite inexpensive. For the heart protection, I take two 500 mg capsules a day. So, for bone health, I already have that base covered.

The third supplement is their version of hops extract. They say that this makes your body continue to build as much bone as the natural process tends to break down. And they note that in younger people these two processes are in balance; but in older people for some reason the breakdown part continues fine while the build back process slows down – which results in decreasing bone density and strength.


So, since hops extract also tends to lower anxiety levels, taking a hops extract may also make sense as a bone strengthening supplement.

(Since beer tends to contain some silicon and definitely contains hops, that may mean that an occasional dark beer also might be helpful.

Unfortunately, drinking enough to provide as much silicon and hops as the supplements will likely make you fat and may cause other problems.)