Jini Carlson Massage Therapy Blog

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that can not only be prevented but also treated.  It is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break.  If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks.  It is much like high blood pressure in being a “silent killer”.

While any bone can be affected, the hip and spine are of special concern.  A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery.  It can impair a person’s ability to walk unassisted and may cause prolonged or permanent disability, and even death.  Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain and deformity.

This disease causes more problems than just demineralizing bones.  People with osteoporosis are more likely to suffer from Coronary Artery Disease, Peripheral Vascular Disease, stroke, kidney stone and gallstones.  The reason for this is that the calcium lost from the bones is not all excreted into the urine.  A lot of it is deposited in the arteries and kidneys.  There is also prevalence for ectopic calcification in other tissues, especially in the discs between the vertebrae.  It is also sometimes deposited in soft tissue, which is why people with Fibromyalgia and related diseases suffer so much from soft tissue pain.  This is actually not new information, the first studies were done in 1931 and the first articles written over 75 years ago. (1)

While women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease, men also suffer from osteoporosis.  Women’s bone mass peaks between the ages of 25 and 35, and thereafter, bone mass loss can begin. For many women, once they begin to experience the slightest symptoms of Menopause, their health care professional begins discussions with them about how to prevent and treat osteoporosis, nearly always with calcium supplementation.

While you won’t hear this from your Doctor, osteoporosis is a disease rooted in calcium DRAIN-  NOT calcium deficiency. It is firmly rooted in diet – and has much to do with the pH balance in our bodies.   It is well documented that fruits and veggies help reduce urinary calcium loss and help the body to maintain the alkalinity that is needed for optimal health. Everything else that we eat pretty much increases the acidity in our body.  In order to compensate, we release the largest reservoir of alkaline salt in the body which is calcium bicarbonate in the bones.  The calcium part of this salt goes out the urine while the bicarbonate helps to reduce acidity.  Taking more calcium does nothing to relieve the problem and can cause unnecessary build up of calcium from the bones and the ingestion of calcium supplementation may led to the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones amongst many other problems.  All living things have calcium, and plants have very bioavailable calcium.   So the bottom line is, the more plants you eat, the more calcium you will keep. (2)

So here are some substances and foods that create calcium drain in the body.

Caffeine – found in coffee, soft drinks and some “sports” drinks and so called “health drinks”.

Phosphorus- also found in soft drinks and in meats and processed, manufactured foods; i.e. things that come in bags, cans, and boxes.

Table Salt (not Sea Salt), Alcohol, Tobacco, Steroids and some cholesterol and blood pressure medications – .

Stress – Long term high stress levels produce Adrenaline, which depletes bone    mass.  Let me know if you would like info on some good stress management tools.

Aluminum – Don’t cook with aluminum as it can inhibit the parathyroid gland, also leading to osteoporosis.

So what are some things you can do to promote good bone health and calcium absorption?   Engage in regular weight bearing exercise.  More than 100 studies confirm that regular exercise such as brisk walking, aerobics, tennis, and badminton strengthen bones and reduce the risk of fracture in premenopausal and postmenopausal women and men.

Be sure your diet includes 9-13 servings EACH of fruits and veggies each day – AND one from each color of the rainbow.  Dark green leafy veggies are THE best food to eat to insure we are getting enough calcium, as well as all the other thousands of other vitamins, minerals and nutrients that they need to work properly in the body.  Despite what the traditional western medical community and Dairy Association would like you to believe, Milk, is NOT a good source of calcium, or a source of any other good nutrition.

Consume WHOLE Soy products like, Soy Beans, Edamame, Tofu, Tempe, etc.  Foods that are made from the whole soy bean.  Foods that have been Soy “fortified”, contain Soy isolates, and have been linked to cancer, and should be avoided.

Add freshly ground flaxseeds to your daily diet – put them a morning smoothie or sprinkle them on your cold or hot breakfast grains or salad.

It is never too early, especially for women, to start thinking about their bone health.  Young child hood and teenage years spent consuming large amounts of Caffeine via either coffee or soft drinks, and other foods that promote calcium drain, sets one up for not only osteoporosis but also a VERY unpleasant Menopause.

So what about calcium supplementation?  As I mentioned earlier, it is standard operating procedure for traditional doctors to suggest mega dozes of isolated man made calcium supplements to women once it is suspected they are approaching menopause.  However, there is no convincing data, research or reasoning to prove that calcium supplementation can prevent osteoporosis. And, because these calcium supplements don’t work, lots of times down the road people face the choice of taking pharmaceuticals to reduce the risk of bone loss and bone fracture.  Yet, pharmaceuticals have associated with them a whole list of possible side effect, some of which are VERY serious.* (2)  So why not be responsible and proactive with our health and our bodies and bones – consider making lifestyle changes, which can both prevent and even reverse osteoporosis.

As I previously mentioned, we need to get our calcium (and ALL of our nutrition for that matter) supply from WHOLE FOODS and we need 9-13 servings of fruits and veggies each and every day.  This is a very difficult thing to do, and only about 5% of our population actually does it.  So what are we to do?  The answer is Juice Plus+ – which is 26 fruits, veggies, grains, in concentrated form in capsules.  It is an incredible asset in helping maintain strong bones.  It is alkaline to the body, and is highly bioavailable.  It will give you the energy you need to get up and to out and exercise.  Many doctors over the past 16 years since JP+ has been available, have marveled at how patients have reversed the loss of bone density from taking it each day.  Plus it supports efforts to age more gracefully. (2)    Juice Plus+ bridges the gap for us on the days we don’t eat our 9-13 servings, which for most of us is everyday.

Juice Plus+ has 27 medical research studies done in eight countries on four continents that show it is bioavailable, that it increases antioxidant levels in the blood stream, that it improves immune system function, protects DNA, reduces oxidative stress, and positively impacts several key indicators of cardiovascular health.  Please visit my website at www.HHPJini4WholeFoods.com to learn more about Juice Plus+ and its medical research.

(1)  Dr. Pam Popper

(2)  Dr. Mitra Ray