Over the past 7 weeks we have covered a lot in relation to your bones. There are a lot of conflicting messages out there and many just do not know what to do for the best.
So here I will share with you some of my own story. My mam has bad Osteoporosis and she was not diagnosed until a few years ago, as I have already mentioned genetics/family history can play a big role so I decided back 5 years I wanted to get myself tested and see where I was at.
At that stage because I was under 40 medically they did not want to test me, I insisted, after all I was paying for it, so why not? The Dexa scan showed the very early stages of osteopenia on both of my hips and my lower spine. I was delighted to find out so I could work in earnest at reversing it.
The doctor then said, wow, you are lucky to be finding out at such an early age! I said yes but it was only because I insisted… Anyway a few months back I went for a follow-up. The osteopenia in one of my hips has completely reversed, the other hip is 99% there and one of the vertebrae in my back had very slightly worsened. I was absolutely thrilled. This made perfect sense to me as with all of the exercise I was doing I was not specifically targeting my lower spine. This is why I recommend early detection. Prevention is always better than cure!
I am doing specific exercises now to strengthen my spinal column, sitting/standing a lot are both very bad positions for the spine. I stand a lot everyday working with my clients. Therefore I have to pay particular attention to keep doing things to counteract this activity to ensure my bones remain healthy and strong.
So that is what I am now doing and this is why I emphasis EXERCISE is so important. Diet is only one part of it, but if the minerals are not being compacted onto the bone the bone matrix cannot get strong. I have never taken a calcium supplement, I take magnesium regularly on top of my healthy diet. I have never drank milk in my life, as I child I could not stand the taste of it, so I never have had dairy in my diet apart from the odd occasion of cheese or ice-cream but it is such a rarity I certainly would not count it towards my calcium and mineral intake.
I eat and juice lots of green veg and include things like Tahini, Brazil nuts, figs etc. in my diet. I chew my food very well to ensure the best absorption of whatever I’m eating. So keep in mind its not actually the amount of calcium present in foods, it’s the amount of nutrients you absorb overall and it’s the array and variety of nutrients all working together to ensure your body is being nourished the best it can be.
The idea of Bisphosphonates medication is to slow the loss of bone mass. They can initially strengthen the bones by hardening them but hard bones are not necessarily the answer, the bones must be strong yet flexible so they do not break with impact. You certainly have enough information now to help you decide what you need to do. If I can be of any further help please feel free to contact me at gertrude@kinesicare.ie or if you want to get started with lot sod healthy recipes, see my Healthy you pack below.
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