How I Reversed my Osteoporosis and improved my Bone Density without Bisphosphonates
Dec 12, 2023
How I Reversed my Osteoporosis and improved my Bone Density without Bisphosphonates
I don’t often write about my own health journey – I've kept personal things to what I put in my book, “Heal your Gut, Win at Life”, but this issue of bone density is very personal and important to me.
One year ago I went and got my first DEXA scan at age 61. I foolishly was waiting until my American health insurance would cover it, but they won’t cover it until I turn 65 and am on Medicare, so I decided to self pay.
Imaging my shock when I discovered that despite my healthy lifestyle, exercise regime and nutrition habits, I already had Osteoporosis! Had I waited until age 65 for my DEXA, I would have had even WORSE bone density and maybe would have felt forced to go on Bisphosphonates such as Boniva, Prolia, etc.
As it was, I decided to give myself a year and double down on my regimen and see if I made progress.
Well the GREAT news is that I am no longer in Osteoporosis, but now am in the Osteopenia Zone!
While I am going to share what I did to get these dramatic improvements, this is NOT meant to be personal medical advice and you should work with your practitioner for your own unique medical condition and needs.
- Optimizing Hormones – in my post-menopausal case I had to boost testosterone as my Estrogen and Progesterone were pretty good on my regimen. Through both blood and urine testing, my T was super low so I started pellet therapy with Testosterone. Not only did it help with my cognition, focus, strength, my assertiveness, and libido, it also can help improve bone density. I have seen many women 10-15 years older than me, who forewent HRT, or can’t take HRT due to cancer history or intolerance, who now have severe osteoporosis. Weigh the pros and cons for your individual health condition before considering HRT, but it has been a game changer on many levels for me.
- Supplementing with Calcium, Vitamin K2, and Vitamin D3 – I found a product that worked well for me and have been taking a fairly decent dose.
- Strontium- taking a dose of Strontium before bed, 4 hours away from my last dose containing Calcium. Strontium has also been shown to improve bone health.
- Cyplexinol – this bone growth hormone, while pricey, was a worthy investment in helping with bone growth and repair. Cyplexinol is an oral, demineralized bone matrix extract which contains bone morphogenetic proteins and growth factors, within a partially hydrolyzed collagen.
- Weight bearing exercise – For many years I didn’t do much more than practice yoga and hike, and when this all came about I made a big switch to walking 10K steps per day, and hitting the weights at the gym for strength training. While this is a sacrilege to many who I used to practice yoga with, I know it has had a big positive effect on my bone density. Also, it helps that we adopted a puppy who needs at least 3 miles of walking per day or he is a total maniac.
- Optimizing Sleep – sleep used to be an afterthought but now I realize it is an absolute necessity in order for me to function at the level I need to function to run my practice and be there for my family.
- Increasing dietary protein – for me that meant eating more meat. Another lovely side effect of aging and hormonal changes is Sarcopenia which means loss of muscle mass. Whether my bone density improved at all, I wanted to have some slabs of muscle holding me together so if I did ever take a fall, there would be some muscle to take some of the impact! I know some of my old yoga friends are going to melt down over the fact that I now eat lots of meat, but the labwork doesn’t lie!
- Avoiding Seed Oils – I have scoured my cabinets and pantry and eliminated all seed oils as much as possible from my food plan. While I wasn’t exactly cooking with Canola Oil, it was often hidden in things like protein powders, salad dressings, etc. Since I have been more vigilant, I have lost some water weight fluff without trying. I also thing seed oils and the associated inflammation was affecting my sleep, energy and brain function and am happy to say that all of that is a lot better! This helps me get out and walk and hit the gym for strength training even on days when the weather is “bad”. All supportive of bone density.
- Optimizing Digestive Health -this has been an ongoing journey for me and has improved my nutrient absorption. Those with IBS or SIBO often have damaged gut microvilli and are not absorbing their nutrients and minerals well.
So I want you to all consider getting a DEXA scan BEFORE age 65. Armed with information and monitoring your bone density starting by age 45-50, you can take proactive steps SOONER so that you don’t end up in a bad situation. Many imaging places will offer a discount if you self-pay, so check in your area.
And just to add, my more Woo friends were saying things like “didn’t you intuitively know how your bones were doing?”. My answer is “No I did not!” I felt well, and osteoporosis is a silent illness. But I did know I was more at risk as a thin white woman with a history of digestive problems.
Often you won’t know you have osteoporosis until you have a fracture, or you check with a DEXA scan. And if you wait until 65 it may be harder to reverse. So go get that DEXA scan!
