• Comprehensive Care: Combines dietary, physical, and medical strategies.
• Personalized Health: Tailors the approach to your unique needs and lifestyle.
• Preventative Focus: Aims to strengthen bones and prevent issues before they arise.

Bone Density Scan (DXA): This test measures bone mineral density only and helps in assessing the risk of fractures.

Vitamin D Levels: Essential for calcium absorption, a blood test can determine if you have sufficient vitamin D.  We aim for 40-60 ng/mL (this is for the US).

Bone Turnover Markers:

These blood and urine tests measure the rate of bone remodeling. They can provide insight into the effectiveness of your bone health strategies.

Bone-Loving Foods:

• Calcium-Rich Foods: Dairy products, (unless you are dairy free) lower oxalate leafy greens, and fortified foods.
• Vitamin D Sources: Fatty fish, egg yolks, and sunlight exposure.
• Magnesium and Potassium: Sprouted Nuts, seeds, and bananas.

Bone-Specific Exercises:

Weight-bearing exercise refers to any activity that requires you to work against gravity while staying upright. 

These exercises involve supporting your own body weight or lifting weight, which helps to strengthen bones and muscles. Key characteristics of weight-bearing exercises include:  

• Strengthening Bones: They are crucial in building and maintaining bone density. Activities like running, dancing, and especially weight lifting require your bones to support your body weight, which in turn stimulates bone cells to grow stronger.  
• Muscle Strengthening: These exercises also target muscle strength and endurance. The resistance against gravity or added weights challenges and strengthens muscles.  
• Balance and Coordination: Many weight-bearing exercises improve balance and coordination, which are important for daily activities and reducing the risk of falls, especially as one ages.

It's important to note that weight-bearing exercises are different from non-weight-bearing exercises like swimming or cycling, which do not require you to support your own body weight against gravity. Both types of exercises are important for a well-rounded fitness routine, but weight-bearing activities are particularly key for bone health.

By combining this holistic approach to bone health strategies, you’re not just caring for your bones; you're investing in a healthier future.

The post A Holistic Approach to Bone Health appeared first on Food For Healthy Bones.

In our recent webinar, Dr. Mike Lewiecki, an esteemed osteoporosis expert, shared his insights on bone health, directly addressing queries from Irma Jennings' community. This blog post provides a comprehensive recap of the webinar, reflecting the crucial points discussed by Dr. Lewiecki in a straightforward and informative manner.

The Importance of Accurate Bone Health Information

Before diving into the specific topics discussed, it's essential to acknowledge the importance of disseminating accurate and up-to-date information about osteoporosis and bone health. Osteoporosis, often a silent condition until a fracture occurs, affects millions worldwide and has significant health and quality of life implications. With evolving research and treatment options, staying informed through expert insights like those from Dr. Lewiecki is crucial for patients, healthcare providers, and caregivers. This session aimed to bridge knowledge gaps, debunk common myths, and provide clarity on modern approaches to managing and treating osteoporosis.

Understanding DXA and Bone Density Testing

Dr. Lewiecki emphasized the significance of DXA scans as the gold standard in bone density measurement, while acknowledging the emergence of new technologies like Echolight. He pointed out that DXA is especially accurate in determining bone strength, but in older adults, spine density readings might be misleading due to arthritis. The webinar also touched upon the potential of Echolight, an ultrasound technology, which is still in early stages of correlation with DXA results, highlighting the need for further research in this area.

Evaluating Fracture Risk

A key focus of the discussion was on the assessment of fracture risks. Dr. Lewiecki highlighted that previous fractures, particularly those occurring in adulthood, serve as strong indicators of future fracture risks, with unexplained height loss possibly signaling unnoticed spinal fractures. Additionally, the FRAX calculator's role in estimating the 10-year probability of major osteoporotic and hip fractures based on individual clinical risk factors was discussed, noting its integration into many DEXA machines.

Navigating Osteoporosis Medications

The session delved into the use of osteoporosis medications. Dr. Lewiecki described the benefits of anabolic drugs like Forteo, Tymlos, and Evenity for patients at high fracture risk, followed by the recommendation of anti-resorptives like Prolia or Reclast. A critical aspect addressed was the bone density loss associated with transitioning from prolonged Prolia use to other drugs. Another point of discussion was the unique feature of bisphosphonates like Fosamax, which offer the possibility of "drug holidays" after long-term use, a benefit not shared by other osteoporosis medications.

Additional Considerations in Bone Health

Throughout the webinar, Dr. Lewiecki stressed the importance of maintaining adequate calcium and vitamin D intake while undergoing osteoporosis treatment, suggesting a target vitamin D level of 30-50 ng/mL. He also discussed the role of hormone therapy in alleviating menopausal symptoms, cautioning that its dosage might not be sufficient for bone protection, thus recommending monitoring bone turnover markers. Lastly, the link between diabetes and an increased fracture risk was examined, indicating the potential need for more aggressive osteoporosis management in diabetic patients.

About Dr. Michael Lewiecki, MD

Dr. Michael Lewiecki, MD, a leading osteoporosis expert and director at New Mexico Clinical Research & Osteoporosis Center and Bone Health ECHO at the University of New Mexico, engages audiences with his accessible approach to complex medication questions. With vast experience in osteoporosis, metabolic bone diseases, and bone density studies, he has contributed to over 350 publications and has been a principal investigator in numerous clinical trials. Dr. Lewiecki is recognized globally for his work, holding past presidencies in major societies and receiving prestigious awards like the ISCD Global Leadership and Lawrence G. Raisz Memorial Lecture Awards.

Gaining Clarity on Bone Health

This post aims to clearly convey the insights shared by Dr. Mike Lewiecki in our recent webinar. By presenting the topics in a factual and accessible format, we hope to empower our readers with valuable knowledge, assisting them in making informed decisions about their bone health and osteoporosis treatment.

The post Osteoporosis Myths & Treatments Debunked Q&A with Dr Mike Lewiecki + FRAX 101 appeared first on Food For Healthy Bones.

That moment catapulted me into the marrow of my own bones. It forced me to look into the inner workings of my life and make changes. I left my Wall Street career, brought a close to my 20-year marriage, and moved out of NYC after 37 years. Most importantly I became mindful of my life choices.

I returned to school to study "food as medicine" at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition®, studied with the best teachers, and traveled to the far corners of the world to explore how bone health is treated in places such as Bali, Indonesia and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

My life's focus shifted to organic nutrient-dense food, mindful living, movement, joy, laughter and my work as a Holistic Bone Coach.

How are my bones now?

The most recent DXA test was performed at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The DXA technician diligently adjusted my spine, hips and forearm to align properly. Proper alignment is critical for the outcome of the DXA test.

Taking my DXA one step further, I consulted with Dr. Lani Simpson, certified clinical densitometris, (trained in reading DXA's tests) to closely examined my 10/14/18 DXA report.

Outcome:

Comparison DXA 2018 to 2016

**Different machines were used in 2018 and 2016. The femur neck in 2016 is my left femur; right femur in 2018.

Lani’s focus was the L1-L2 range of my spine suggesting  L3-L4 may have arthritis which would skew the results.  She advised an x-ray of my spine to confirm arthritis.

Because of this issue I may have had a possible 5% loss compared to previous versions of my DXA.

In short, since 2005, my bones have remained strong.

I embrace the food choices, lifestyle choices and stress reduction I've made and will continue to use "food as medicine" for healthy bones.

We each have our own bone story and each bone story has it's own nuances.

If you'd like support in "feeding your bones", being lovingly held accountable, and find help in being part of a larger community, please consider joining my community:  Bones Tribe.

You can find more details HERE

From my bones to yours,

Irma

The post Irma's Bones appeared first on Food For Healthy Bones.

When I was a kid, one of my jobs was to rid the lawn of dandelion weeds. It was tough work. The roots reached deep into the soil and didn’t want to come out.

Even though I associated dandelions with this yearly struggle, I was still always delighted to see the bright yellow flowers pop up every spring. I give them credit for piquing my lifelong curiosity about plants.

Fast-forward 55 years and I rediscovered dandelions in Damanhur, a magical 40-year-old eco-village nestled in the foothills north of Piedmont, Italy.

Huge, bright dandelions decorated the walls of the community.  You see, every citizen of Damanhur takes on the name of an animal as their first name and a plant as their second.  The dandelion was the founder’s second name; Falco Tarassaco (tarassaco is Italian for dandelion).

It was his symbol.

And it reminded me once again that dandelions are not just a weed but what I call a REAL health food.

For hundreds of years people all over the world have been using them as medicine. They’ve been used for muscle aches, upset stomach, gallstones, and eczema.

But Skelly and I love what dandelions do for your bones.

For one thing, dandelions have an alkalizing effect on your body. They help balance out acidic foods that could weaken bones by leaching out minerals.

They are also rich in calcium. In fact, just a cup of cooked dandelion greens has about as much calcium as a half cup of yogurt.[i]

And dandelions provide lots of other minerals you need for strong bones including potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus.

But these weeds pack a real punch when it comes to vitamin K. Just one cup of raw dandelion greens gives you more than 500% of your daily needs. Vitamin K is a key actor in bone mineralization and blood clotting. Studies show that when you don’t get enough vitamin K bone mineral density drops and risk of fractures goes up.[ii]

Dandelions are also great for detoxing your body.

They are a strong diuretic and help eliminate toxins in the kidneys. In fact, dandelions are such a powerful diuretic that in France this plant is called “pissenlit,” which means “pee in bed.”

You can harvest fresh dandelions from your yard starting in the spring. But only do that if you have a lawn that doesn’t get treated with any chemicals. And remember to pick them young. Once they put out yellow flowers the greens become more bitter. That’s not a problem for me but you might like a milder flavor.

I like to sauté dandelion greens like spinach with a little olive oil and garlic. You can also use the raw greens to make a salad with red onion and lemon vinaigrette. If a whole dandelion salad is too much of a good thing for you, just add a few leaves to your regular salad.

You can also use the dandelion root, stems and flowers to make a delicious and healthy tea. Or look for dandelion tea bags from the health food store. I like the one made by Traditional Medicinals. But remember – dandelion tea is a strong diuretic, so don’t drink it in the evening before bed.

And one last thing. Like other greens high in vitamin K, dandelion contains blood-thinning compounds called coumarins. If you are taking the drug Warfarin or any anti-coagulant drugs, check with your doctor before drinking dandelion tea.

Please let me know how I can better serve you and your bones.

How are your bones?
Kindly take a moment to tell me more.
My gift for your time is a simple alkalizing salad/veggie recipe video waiting just for you.

You can tell me more HERE

Irma

For more information regarding my Bones Program click HERE

[i] https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2857/2

[ii] Adams J, Pepping J. “Vitamin K in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis and arterial calcification.” Am J Health Syst Pharm August 1, 2005 62:1574-1581.

The post Why These Weeds Make Your Bones Strong appeared first on Food For Healthy Bones.