Osteoporosis Treatment
Throughout your life you have witnessed the miracle of your body recovering from colds, headaches, cuts and more…on its own…naturally. But when you lose bone mass and have weak bones, somehow it is assumed that nature is not up to the task. You are pronounced “diseased”, and medications are prescribed to interfere with your bone’s natural remodeling process.
Think about it. Why is it that when you lose muscle mass, you are certain you can strengthen them naturally – with exercise, rest, and nutrition… but when you lose bone mass, natural strengthening is ruled out?
Remodelling for bones is like remodelling a home over its lifetime. As parts of the home become worn and outdated, they’re replaced with new parts. When the paint gets old, you repaint. When the carpet is worn you replace it. Similarly, little tiny worn pieces of your bones are constantly being replaced. This tearing down and building up process never stops for your whole lifetime whether you are 5 or 105.
For the first half of your life, the new bone is packed on faster than the old bone is disposed of, so you experience a net INCREASE in bone density. But by age 40 you start disposing of more bone than you add, with the net result being an annual DECREASE in bone density.
The Snowman in July
So from age 40 and on, our bone remodelling creates an average bone loss of 1% per year every year until we die. (For the first 6 – 10 years after menopause, it may be more like 2% per year due to hormonal change). If we live long enough, every one of us declines to a point called osteopenia and then, as bone density drops further, osteoporosis – the point where our bones are dangerously fragile.
It’s like building a snowman in July – it’s melting off faster than you can pack it on.
So, are your bones somewhat like muscle – that can be strengthened with a concerted natural effort? Can you stop your annual bone loss naturally? Can osteoporosis even be reversed naturally?
The answer is: Yes, you can build new, healthy bone at any age, naturally!
But first…
Osteoporosis Causes and Risk Factors
From age 40 and on we lose about 1% of our bone density each year! With that said, you should be aware of the litany of causes and risk factors that can increase your chances of osteoporosis.
The Top Causes of Osteoporosis
Be on the lookout for the following osteoporosis triggers. Some will come as no surprise. But others just might. Here are some predictable causes:
- Lack of weight-bearing exercise
- An overactive thyroid
- Sugar and sugary-drinks like soda
- Lack of estrogen
However, there are others. (Including the very same drugs you take to combat osteoporosis.) We’ll get into osteoporosis drugs shortly. But first, here’s a handy visual guide to some of the top osteoporosis triggers.
All this said, one of the top causes of osteoporosis is insufficient nutrients for healthy bones. That means not enough of the “good stuff” (calcium, magnesium, boron, strontium and other trace minerals, vitamins D3, K2, A, E, C, B, and omega 3 fatty acids). And it means plenty of the “bad stuff” (excessive intake of pro-inflammatory compounds like refined sugars, pesticides, and endocrine disruptors).
Check out the following article for the comprehensive list of 42 osteoporosis causes and how you can get more of the “good” and avoid the “bad”.
Risk Factors for Osteoporosis
In the past, osteoporosis was thought of as a woman’s disease. Now we know that men also have to worry about weak bones and are at risk of osteoporosis. In fact, one in four men over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture caused by osteoporosis.
The following factors can increase your chances of developing osteoporosis. However, some of these may be out of your control like your age – and that’s ok. The message is this: you are NOT doomed. Frankly, you can do something about your bone loss once you know what is causing it. So go back to our osteoporosis and diagnosis testing section above to pinpoint what that is for you.
- Your Sex – Fractures from osteoporosis are about twice as common in women as they are in men. And according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 80% of Americans living with osteoporosis are women! Chalk this up to biology: women’s bones are naturally thinner and they start off with less bone density than men’s anyways. The drastic decline of estrogen during menopause also doesn’t help, taking bone mass with it. Discover more on how osteoporosis is detected, diagnosed and treated in women.
- Age – Your bones become weaker as you age. As mentioned above, come age 40, we all tend to lose 1% or so of our bone mass every year. Over a lifetime, you can expect to lose 45-50% of your bone mass!
- Race – Caucasian and Southeast Asians have a greater risk of osteoporosis, with white women having the highest fracture risk. Black and Hispanic men and women have a lower but still significant risk. To illustrate the great variance in bone health depending on ethnicity, the risk of hip fracture at age 50 is 15.8% and 6.0% in American women and men, respectively, while those same figures for Chinese women and men are 2.4% and 1.9%.
- Family History – Having a family member with osteoporosis puts you at greater risk, as osteoporosis is genetic. In fact, a study published in the online medical journal Nature Genetics showed as many as 32 genetic regions linked to osteoporosis and likelihood of fractures. One of the study’s authors cautioned there may in fact be over 500 gene variants influencing osteoporosis. What’s more, several studies agree measures of bone health- like bone mineral density- are 60-80% likely to be explained by heredity. Your family genes have a significant influence on your bones’ fate!
- Body Size – Individuals who are thin or have small body frames have a higher risk because they have less bone mass. This one’s self-explanatory. The less bone mass a person has, the more likely that bone is to become brittle, as there’s less density to protect the bone. Osteoporosis creates more holes in your bone- your bones become more porous- so this issue is amplified when the bone is already thinner than most!
- Breast Cancer – Women who have had breast cancer are at increased risk of osteoporosis, especially if they were treated with chemotherapy. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases reports that due to loss of ovarian function during cancer treatment, estrogen levels drop. And as we outlined in the previous point, a reduction in estrogen promotes bone loss. The National Institutes of Health-sponsored Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI-OS) also found breast cancer survivors had increased risk of fractures.
- Diet – A diet lacking in calcium (and many other bone-friendly nutrients) plays a major role in the development of osteoporosis. This may seem obvious, but not only is it important to consume calcium, it’s important you get the right kinds of calcium. Supplementing with your typical store-bought calcium is not the best way to get enough and expect to ward off osteoporosis.
Here’s why: those calcium supplements you’re swallowing are actually made from rock.
That’s right… marble and limestone to be precise. And our bodies aren’t designed to absorb rock ingredients. It’s not a natural osteoporosis treatment like calcium derived from organic sources like food and plants. That’s why you should be diligent about the kind of calcium you put in your body!
We recommend a plant-based calcium source that actually contains proper calcium and the other crucial trace minerals your bones are made of, and need on a daily basis! In fact, this naturally-occurring calcium source actually mirrors the same mineral composition in your bones. And no 1-ingredient rock calcium supplement can claim that.
A Multi-Nutrient, Proven Treatment for Osteoporosis
The problem with store-bought calcium supplements – aside from being rock-based- is that they’re a single element solution to a multi-nutrient problem.
That’s because your bones are composed of 13 minerals. Calcium is just one of the minerals your bones needs.
You also need zinc, magnesium, vanadium, strontium, silica, boron and more. Each mineral plays a unique role in your bone’s health. So, today’s emphasis on just one mineral is an oversight.
Without other minerals present, calcium can’t even do its job!
Why feed your bones one ingredient when in fact, they need much more?
That’s why we created a multi-nutrient calcium supplement that’s a natural osteoporosis treatment. It’s actually taken directly from a plant-based superfood right from the pristine shorelines of South America.
This superfood is called Lithothamnion superpositum (or Algas calcareas as the locals call it). It’s a rare marine algae that mimics the mineral composition of your bones. Because it’s plant-based, the minerals your bones crave are already “pre-digested” by the algae. That means your body has a much easier time absorbing the nutrients, getting the full bone-building effect that lets us guarantee you increased bone density (or your money back).
This natural calcium supplement is called AlgaeCal Plus. The “Plus” means you get full clinical doses of added vitamins and minerals to ensure your body gets the most out of the AlgaeCal powder.
There’s more than a full daily dose of vitamin D3. And the maximum allowable amount of magnesium. Even a full day’s worth of the most expensive vitamin on earth – which acts as an efficient calcium recycling plant for your bones – vitamin K2!
Plus added vitamin C and boron make AlgaeCal Plus the natural solution your bones need to stay – or to get – healthy.
But there’s another trace mineral that you may have not heard of, it’s called Strontium. In its natural form (Strontium Citrate), Strontium helps stimulate bone-building cells while inhibiting natural bone resorption.
This “double-whammy” is crucial to maintaining strong, healthy bone no matter your age.
In fact, Strontium is a powerful sidekick to our flagship AlgaeCal Plus supplement. Using Strontium with AlgaeCal Plus can at least triple the rate of your bone building over a year’s time!
So we created our own “Bone Builder Pack” that completely stacks the odds in your bones’ favor. AlgaeCal Plus and Strontium Boost provides your bones with all the nutrients they need.
AlgaeCal Plus isn’t simply a calcium supplement that only provides you one element: Calcium. It’s a smorgasbord of over 70 vital bone-friendly minerals and plant nutrients. The best mother nature has to offer. (Complete with all the minerals we’ve mentioned here.)
Combine it all with Strontium Boost, the only science-backed Strontium around- and you’ve got iron-clad protection for your bones everyday!
AlgaeCal is Clinically Proven to Increase Bone Density
AlgaeCal Plus is clinically proven to increase your bone density. In one study published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, 414 postmenopausal women each took different formulations of AlgaeCal Plus for 12 months. The result? The lowest average increase in bone density was 1.3%.
In another study published in the same journal, 216 men and women took AlgaeCal Plus with our Strontium Boost supplement. In just 6 months, they saw an average increase of over 2% in bone density.
Don’t forget, we lose bone density every year after age 40. And other calcium supplements at best only slow down the bone loss. But AlgaeCal Plus shows outright growth!
Here’s the most amazing part: in AlgaeCal’s most recent clinical study, 172 women in their mid-60s increased bone density 7 consecutive years with the AlgaeCal Plus and Strontium Boost combo!
On average they gained 1% a year, every year. Until now, this sort of result was unheard of. But it’s not only possible with our Bone Builder Packs, it’s guaranteed.
No one should suffer from osteoporosis when we now have the means to naturally reclaim low bone density. It’s a preventable disease when you know how to protect yourself every day.
