LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Osteoporosis Cures and Bone Health

PREVENTION OF NONVERTEBRAL FRACTURES WITH ORAL VITAMIN D

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A few interesting notes here.  First, it should not come as a big surprise that an intervention as simple, safe and inexpensive like Vit D would have a 20% reduced risk of fractures (which, by the way, is greater than that achieved by most medications).  More importantly, it was easier for the researchers to determine the effect when supplementation was over 400 IU per day, meaning that we remain way off the mark by continuing the byline of 400 IU as the RDA.

Lastly, the benefit of Vit D was not dependent on calcium intake.  It still frustrates me when patients come in and have been told to take a calcium supplement for the diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis, but never any mention of increasing Vit D intake.  Most of the research suggests that this recommendation should be the reverse!

Read entire article here

BALANCE PROBLEMS–WANT YOUR LIFE BACK??

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BALANCE PROBLEMS–WANT YOUR LIFE BACK??  Our office has had a whole body vibration device for several years now, and the response for specific conditions has been very good.  Bone density, balance, knee strengthening, leg circulation.  The less active someone is, the better the response.  The unit we have is one of the few sonic units in the Valley which is a safer and more comfortable unit.

In this particular study, the researchers looked at balance in patients with fibromyalgia and found that, in 12 wks, they improved their balance by 36% from a very simple and safe intervention.  More balance can mean a greater chance to exercise and further improve balance.  There have also been numerous studies on balance in seniors and the results have all been just as impressive.

7 WAYS THE DIABETIC SPECTRUM DESTROYS YOUR BODY

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It is not uncommon to hear a diabetic who really doesn’t understand the gravity of their condition mentioned something about eating the cake, but just upping their insulin dose to compensate.  Let me state this so there is no mistake.

There is NO physiological state that is more devastating in every way to the human body than the diabetic spectrum.  Notice that I did not say just diabetes, but rather the spectrum that includes the progression to diabetes as well as life after the diabetic diagnosis.  This definition encompasses arguably 2/3 of the population of the United States.  While these numbers should make pharmaceutical manufacturers salivate, to the rest of us it should once again ring that wake up bell.

This list of conditions that the diabetes spectrum contributes to reads like a Who’s Who of chronic disease:

  1. Multiple types of nerve pain (diabetic neuropathy)
  2. Many types of cancers, including pancreatic
  3. Infertility
  4. Erectile dysfunction (seriously–do we NEED a better reason to take care of ourselves?)
  5. Sleep apnea
  6. Fatty liver
  7. Kidney stones

Ok.  So the list can go on and on.  But before we end the list, we need to add this particular study to the group.  Researchers looked at diabetes and how it affected bone density and the risk of fractures of the head of the femur (hip).  The results should make us take notice.

The presence of diabetes and prediabetes actually INCREASED bone density.  However, consistent with the fact that bone density does not always equal lower fracture risk, despite the higher bone density the bones were weaker and more likely to fracture.

The bottom line is, if you are diabetic, merely relying on bone density testing rather than lifestyle to support bone health, will likely leave you with a false sense of security.

OSTEOPOROSIS DRUG LEADS TO OBESITY AND DIABETES?

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Never forget that the human body is of such incredible design that we could never even begin to understand the depth of relationships within it.  Every cell, every tissue, every organ communicates with one another in a harmony of such incredible proportions as to exceed true comprehension.  This is exactly why interfering with normal physiology with medications is a very, very bad idea in almost all cases.

In this particular case, our understanding of just how integral bone is to maintenance of body composition and diabetes has come to light in the past few years.  Healthy bone contains active cells called osteoblasts that build bone.  These cells also produce a hormone called osteocalcin.  Osteocalcin can be considered an anti-diabetic hormone, helping us to maintain an ideal body weight and keeping visceral fat under control.  So basically, healthy bones = healthy body composition.  The reverse is also true.

So that should mean that drugs like Fosomax, Boniva, Actonel or Reclast, that are good for our bones, should help with body composition, right? 

Pump the brakes, bro…

Many make an incorrect assumption in noting that these drugs are actually good for the bones.  They are not.  They kill off the cells that breakdown bone and destroy healthy bone turnover.  While this may add bone density in the short term (2-5 years), overall they worsen bone quality.  In case this seems hard to believe based on all those wonderful ads we see in magazines and on television, consider this particular article.

Researchers looked at a compound called undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC), which is the form of osteocalcin that helps to maintain an ideal body composition.  Higher is better.  However, the use of alendronate (Fosomax) actually lowered ucOC levels.  Not a good thing and indicates that bone health is in no way improved with this class of drugs.  Rather, our bones become sicker under the influence of this class of drugs and may begin to have long term consequences on our risk for many other chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes.

So, rather than opt for the sickening of your bones, consider lifestyle changes well known to improve bone health.

OSTEOPOROSIS? 5 WAYS YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT HAVE MENTIONED TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BONES

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Bone health is a growing problem in today’s toxic society. Some are diagnosed with osteoporosis. Some with osteopenia, which is considered a “pre” osteoporosis. The vast majority of patients with these diagnosis are given a prescription for Fosomax or Boniva or Actonel.

Read the entire article here

ARE STEROIDS BAD FOR MY BONES?

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Most people are aware that long term use of steroids is bad for the bones and can lead to osteoporosis. But what about short term use? What about use for a year? A day?

Steroids are used to control inflammation. Our body produces its own cortisol (as opposed to the synthetic cortisone), but this is under very tight regulation with feedback loops. Of course, with poor lifestyle changes and chronic stress this balance can get disrupted and create dysfunction.

This particular study gives us a better idea of just how little it can take to begin to destroy our bones with the use of steroids to control inflammation. Long term use of steroids is typical in many conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Short term use is also used far too common in musculoskeletal complaints like shoulder, neck and low back pain.

It is established the the risk for osteonecrosis in long term (>1 year) use of steroids increased the risk an incredibly massive 212,200 times (OR 212.2). I have personally never seen an odds ratio this high before. To put this in some degree of perspective, one would have to smoke maybe 20 packs of cigarettes through a hole directly in the trachea for 100 years to increase your risk this much for lung cancer.

While this study focused on the use of steroids for lupus and RA, we can begin to see how short term use of steroids for musculoskeletal conditions are largely inappropriate.

 The risk of osteonecrosis was quite striking and most often affected the hip. Researchers identified some very interesting trends. The first set of items they looked at was how long ago someone who experienced bone death was exposed to steroids. Oral, injected or IV did not appear to be different. In other words, you took a course of steroids for low back pain last week—how much did this affect you vs taking a course 3 years earlier….

  •  Use ONE day to 90 days ago risk was increased 580%
  • ½ year to 1 year increased 890%
  • More than 2 years earlier 430%

 Can we begin to see that routine use of steroids (for conditions that would very likely respond well to chiropractic care) can increase the risk for serious long term consequence even years later?

 So, while my opinion as a chiropractor is clearly biased, the decision to use a non-drug effective alternative to any musculoskeletal complaint continues to be strongly supported by the medical literature.

A NEW 8TH BENEFIT OF BREASTFEEDING

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I know I may get some flax here as a male stating that breastfeeding should really NOT be an option, but if a couple makes a decision to have a child EVERY decision needs to be in that child’s best interest.  Some say that they couldn’t nurse–so what would’ve happened to that baby 1,000 yrs ago??  I don’t think Mother Nature would’ve planned for a large chunk of newborns to die because the mom couldn’t nurse.

Either way, the benefits of nursing are many.  Some are instantly noticeable, like better sleeping, a stronger connection between mom and the baby and healthier weights.  Some are a little more subtle.  Check these benefits out:

  1. Breastfed children have better focus
  2. Breastfed children experience less pain
  3. Breastfeeding protects against celiac disease
  4. Breastfed children are less likely to be hospitalized for respiratory disease
  5. Breastfed children have better visual acuity
  6. Moms who breastfeed have lower rates of breast cancer
  7. Breastmilk has twice the antioxidants of formula

This particular study adds the 8th benefit of breastfeeding.  Researchers found that exclusively breast fed infants had bone formation centers at the femoral head show up earlier than formula fed infants.  This may likely translate to better bone health and lower risk of osteoporosis decades later.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT DRUGS THAT PROTECT YOUR BONES MAKE THEM WEAKER?

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IS IT POSSIBLE THAT DRUGS TO PROTECT YOUR BONES MAY THEM WEAKER?  If you understand the dynamic process of bone, you will know the answer to this is yes.  Our bones are constantly remodeling based upon stresses placed upon them (Wolfe’s law), and this requires bone breakdown (to clean out the old stuff) and replace with new bone.

A typical vertebral body may have hundreds of microfractures as a normal process.  So what happens when you use a drug like Fosomax or Boniva to stop the breakdown of bone?  These drugs do NOT add bone, they just stop the breakdown.  There is mounting evidence that fracture rate drops for a few years, but after that the rates go up.  Patients also begin to experience fractures in unusual areas.

The problem is that most doctors will keep patients on these drugs for years and years, even AFTER their bone density have improved.  Worse, we are using these drugs for patients with osteopenia, for which there is NO evidence for their use.  That means it is likely that these patients will be on the drugs for even longer.

Even more scary is the strong links between bone health, the gut and weight–yes, bone plays a role in our weight.  Want to improve bone health?  Exercise, healthy fats, Vit D and a plant based diet.  Also, I strongly encourage anyone in their 20’s, 30’s or 40’s to have their bone density checked.  Don’t wait until the crisis stage.  We do bone density testing every few months in our office and I encourage everyone to get tested.