The Ankle Bone's Connected to the Leg Bone

I receive lots of questions about osteopenia and osteoporosis and since more and more women are developing this condition, I think it’s important to explain some of the basics that your doctor may not have told you.

First of all, this is not usually about calcium. I know, you thought calcium is the only issue at play here, but I’m going to burst your bubble, because it’s not. Let’s begin with a basic concept … bones are storage garages for calcium and phosphate predominantly. So when you are calcium deficient your body will tend to carve calcium out of bone to top up the blood supply for other tissues. I know, you thought bones are the only place where calcium is used in the body, but once again, you’d be wrong.

Calcium is used throughout the body, but especially for the skin and the immune system. If someone, especially a child, tends to fever frequently, they are calcium deficient. Blood clotting, muscle contraction, menstrual health and nerve conduction all rely on bioavailable calcium. Which brings us to the first issue regarding calcium. Most calcium supplements use types of calcium that the human body cannot actually break down and utilize such as calcium carbonate (from oyster shells). Calcium must be ionized and it must be present with the enzymes and cofactors that are required for absorption, such as magnesium, Vitamin D and phosphorus.

So when we talk about bone loss in osteopenia and osteoporosis, we are talking about a loss of density and therefore strength of bone. So yes we may be talking about calcium loss, but simply adding more calcium doesn’t solve the problem of why we have such noticeable loss. The solution is to address the factors that cause loss of bone density. Let’s look at the image here. On the left is healthy bone development. On the right is osteoporosis, so you can see that there is a loss of density of the bone and it is much more fragile looking and more prone to breaking.

One of the most important reasons for bone loss is a problem with the thyroid and parathyroid. You may not realize it but you have four tiny parathyroid glands, each the size of a grain of rice and their big role is to release PTH which is a hormone that tells bone cells to dump their calcium into the blood. They also control how much calcium is absorbed from your diet and how much calcium is excreted through the kidneys.

This works along with Vitamin D which is what increases intestinal calcium and phosphorus absorption. But this doesn’t mean you should start swallowing milk by the gallon for Vitamin D. Your body makes vitamin D in the skin. What does the skin need? Calcium. Are we going in circles here? In fact, Vitamin D is made in the skin from cholesterol (YES, cholesterol) and Vitamin D in the presence of sunlight. So if you have good levels of essential fats and you get sun exposure, you’re a Vitamin D factory.

Now we turn to the thyroid, every woman’s nightmare gland. The thyroid is the opposition in the calcium war by releasing a hormone called Calcitonin which does the exact opposite of PTH, it inhibits osteoclasts, the cells in bones that break down bone tissue. So if your thyroid is a problem, guess what else is a problem … bone health.

So our first two medicinal options in osteoporosis are dessicated parathyroid glandular and iodine for the thyroid. We also want to provide all the catalysts for calcium absorption because if you’ve got bone spurs, calcifications in the breast tissue, gallstones or kidney stones, then you are not absorbing calcium well and giving you more is just ridiculous. Instead let’s get the calcium you have mobilized with whole food Vitamin D, liquid phosphorus and something very few people realize is key in mobilizing calcium and building bone - essential fatty acids. Yes, once again healthy essential fats appear on the stage. They aren’t just important for your cholesterol balance and for making Vitamin D, they are essential for your bones and joints. No essential fat, no cartwheels, no rumba and no skipping.

So let’s review before the quiz, osteoporosis is due to poor calcium absorption, hyperparathyroid activity, thyroid dysregulation, low levels of Vitamin D, phosphorus and essential fatty acids. Calcium need not apply! It also requires a look at your stomach digestion to be sure you make enough hydrochloric acid to break calcium out of your food to even get it into the bloodstream in an ionized state. If you have acid reflux, you definitely are not getting enough calcium into the blood, or most other minerals for that matter.

Which brings us to the final consideration, bone mapping. Collagen is a protein that lessens as we age, but is critical to mapping out bone density. So consider adding to your regimen a bone protomorphagen along with some good old-fashioned collagen. Best of both worlds? Bone broth. Yes, grandmother’s favorite for a winter day, bone broth with all the goodies.

So dump the calcium and create a body environment that is conducive to bone health. No drugs needed!