Osteoporosis

Here are a couple of bone-chilling facts: Half of all American women over age 50 will suffer a fracture caused by osteoporosis sometime in their lives. And lest you think osteoporosis is a sexist disease, one in five sufferers is male.

Osteoporosis causes bones to thin, making them more likely to break when stressed. Most women with osteoporosis are past menopause. Though doctors don’t know why, the drop in estrogen levels that occurs with menopause appears to speed the loss of bone mass.

Lifestyle can play a role in bone loss, too. People who consume too little calcium or too much caffeine and salt are at higher risk, along with people who smoke, don’t exercise or are constantly dieting. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with the approval of your doctor—may help prevent or slow osteoporosis, according to some health professionals.

Ayurveda

To help prevent osteoporosis, eat a handful of sesame seeds every morning, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also suggests drinking calcium-rich almond milk twice a day, before breakfast and before bedtime. He says you can make your own almond milk by soaking ten almonds in a cup of warm water for ten minutes, peeling them and mixing them in a blender with one cup of cow’s milk, goat’s milk or soya milk, adding a pinch each of cardamom, ginger powder and saffron for flavor. Goat’s milk and soya milk are available in most health food stores.

Food Therapy

“Osteoporosis is a disease of calcium loss, not deficiency,” says Michael A. Klaper, M.D., a nutritional medicine specialist in Pompano Beach, Florida, and director of the Institute of Nutritional Education and Research, an organization based in Manhattan Beach, California, that teaches doctors about nutrition and its relationship to disease. “You need to avoid things that make your kidneys excrete excess calcium, which is a steady drain upon your body’s calcium stores.” These foods include animal proteins such as meats, poultry and fish as well as refined sugars, alcohol, salt, tobacco and caffeine, found in coffee, black tea, cola and chocolate, he says.

Go for food sources that are rich in calcium, such as dark green leafy vegetables, low-fat dairy products and sardines with bones, says Richard Gerson, Ph.D., author of The Right Vitamins. (For more food sources of calcium, see “Getting What You Need” on page 142.)

Juice Therapy

It can be a challenge to get enough calcium in your diet, says naturopathic physician Michael Murray, N.D., in The Complete Book of Juicing. He offers this nondairy alternative: Juice three kale leaves, two collard leaves and a handful of parsley, followed by three carrots, one apple and half of a green pepper. According to Dr. Murray, this cocktail contains about 212 milligrams of calcium and 102 milligrams of magnesium, both essential for building bone mass.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

A person with osteoporosis may want to use the following daily regimen of supplements to help control the condition, says David Edelberg, M.D., an internist and medical director of the American Holistic Center/Chicago: 1,200 milligrams of calcium; 800 milligrams of magnesium; 10 milligrams of zinc; 1 milligram of copper; 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C; 200 international units of vitamin D; 50 milligrams of vitamin B₆; 1 milligram of folic acid; 1 milligram of silicon; 0.5 milligram of boron; and 5 milligrams of manganese. Some manufacturers combine all of these supplements in one capsule, according to Dr. Edelberg; these can be purchased in most health food stores.

Yoga

Standing poses such as the mountain (page 606) and the tree (page 608) can help your leg bones stay strong, says Stephen A. Nezezon, M.D., yoga teacher and staff physician at the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Try to do at least one of these exercises each day. (Dr. Nezezon cautions that the elderly and people with advanced osteoporosis should not try the tree pose.)