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Dr.

Nan de-mystifies bone health in her easy-to-read language,


and reveals a clear path to better bones. This book is a life-changing
resource that can help all women avoid the misconceptions
surrounding calcium and bone loss. With this advice, you can
successfully understand, prevent and manage osteoporosis.
Janet Zand, O.M.D.

THE
CALCIUM
HOAX
Discover the whole truth
behind the medical hoax
thats crumbling the bones
of Americas women!

NAN KATHRYN FUCHS, PHD


Copyright 2013
by
Soundview Communication, Inc.

All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of this report or its con-


tents by xerography, facsimile, or any other means is illegal, except for brief quo-
tations in reviews or articles.
Readers are advised to consult with their own physician before imple-
menting any health idea they read about, whether here or in any other publica-
tion.
Soundview Communication also publishes Nan Kathryn Fuchs newsletter,
Womens Health Letter. To subscribe, or obtain information, please call or write:

Soundview Communication, Inc.


Post Office Box 8051
Norcross, GA 30091-8051
800-791-3459 or 770-399-5617
Table of Contents

Forward ....................................................................................................p. 1

Chapter 1: Do You Have Signs of Bone Loss? ............................................p. 2

Chapter 2: Why Do Some of Us Develop Osteoporosis? ............................p. 6

Chapter 3: Cut Your Risk of Hip Fractures


And Say NO to the Nursing Home!........................................p. 8

Chapter 4: What Determines Frailty


And How Can You Overcome It ..............................................p. 11

Chapter 5: The Calcium Hoax ....................................................................p. 14

Chapter 6: Safe Ways to Get Calcium........................................................p. 18

Chapter 7: Calciums Partner How This Overlooked


Osteoporosis Mineral Can Help Prevent Bone Loss
AND Arthritis, PMS, and Heart Disease ..................................p. 21

Chapter 8: Calciums Ally How This Little-Known Nutrient Works


With Calcium to Cut Your Risk of Spinal Fracture in Half ....p. 25

Chapter 9: The Only Therapy That Makes Bones Stronger


and Fracture-Resistant ..............................................................p. 29

Chapter 10: The Only Drug You Should Ever Take For Osteoporosis ........p. 34
Forward

Ive been writing for years about this popu- ed to risk my reputation and write about what I
lar nutrient that affects your heart and bones. had discovered to be true about calcium. Dozens
Theres been controversy about how much of it is of scientific studies and experts in the field left no
safe and effective. This has caused a great deal of doubt in my mind.
confusion. I had to tell the truth.
Doctors are recommending far too much of Today, Im still asked about this subject
it. And their patients primarily women are more than any other. And Ive watched this
paying a huge price for this erroneous informa- new information Ive talked about for decades
tion. In many cases, this misinformation leads to slowly become mainstream. In fact, many quality
heart disease, muscle cramps, arthritis, and osteo- supplement companies reformulated their prod-
porosis. Yes, theyre getting osteoporosis from ucts after my book and articles became known.
taking a supplement that supposedly prevents But theres still a lot of work left to do. Too
osteoporosis! many women are still taking way too much calci-
Still, doctors and the media insist that um. I want to guide them toward vitamins, min-
theyre right. Ive worked for more than two erals, and diet changes that will truly keep their
decades to correct this misconception and people bones strong as they age. And everything youre
still dont get it. going to read in this book has solid research,
Im talking, of course, about the calcium which I have followed for decades, to back it up.
controversy. This is such an important topic for women
The very first article I wrote for my that Ive put it all together in one place for you.
newsletter 20 years ago was on this controversial Once you read it, the truth about calcium will
subject. make perfect sense and youll be able to make
Before that, in 1985, I hesitated to write health decisions that can spare you from heart
about it in my first book, The Nutrition Detective. disease, arthritis, and even osteoporosis.
At that time, I was worried about being attacked Your voice of reason in women's health,
for being a nutritional heretic. I ultimately decid-
Dr. Nan

1
Chapter 1:

Do You Have Signs of Bone Loss?


Do you know what the health status of your Merck released Fosamax in 1995. It was the
bones is right now? It used to be that doctors first non-hormone drug said to stop osteoporosis.
would offer a diagnosis of osteoporosis when an Fosamax was Mercks golden goose. The problem
older person with brittle bones actually suffered was, women werent buying it. So Merck found
a fracture. In recent years, however, the definition some marketers to change this.
of osteoporosis has changed. Their solution was to get more women
In 1991, a panel of medical experts, in a diagnosed with osteoporosis by having bone
report that appeared in the American Journal of scans. But scans were expensive and there were
Medicine, redefined osteoporosis as: A disease few testing centers. So Merck created a nonprofit
characterized by low bone mass and microarchi- organization called the Bone Measurement
tectural deterioration of bone tissue, which lead Institute with one sole employee: The marketer
to increased bone fragility and a consequent they hired to increase Fosamax sales.
increase in fracture risk. He did this by funding the development of
In plain English, this new definition of less expensive portable diagnostic machines
osteoporosis simply means you have an rather than the large, expensive ones. The less
increased risk of fracture, not that you had a frac- expensive machines brought down the price of
ture or will definitely get a fracture. bone scans. One problem was that these portable
Your doctor will argue that it IS possible to machines measured bone density at the heel,
diagnose osteoporosis in the early stages. And he wrist, forearm, or finger. Not at the hip or spine,
has a test to prove it. where fractures are more likely to lead to death.
Meanwhile, Merck funded studies, leased
The Osteoporosis Drug and Bone Density bone scan machines to doctors, and convinced
Testing Scam! Medicare to reimburse for measuring scans. The
scan helped increase sales of the drug, but appar-
Doctors offices across the country now fea- ently not enough for Merck. So they developed a
ture a breed of diagnostic machines. These low-dose Fosamax for women with osteopenia.
machines measure your bone density and they And when women saw the word osteopenia on
sound like a good idea especially if youre their bone scan reports, they believed they need-
interested in preventing osteoporosis. ed treatment. So did many of their clinicians.
If youre old enough, youre virtually guar-
anteed that one of these machines will convince Osteopenia Isnt a Disease!
your doctor that you have, or are at dangerous
risk of developing osteoporosis. Osteopenia doesnt increase your risk for
broken bones. According to Dr. Susan Ott, associ-
But watch out! The information they give is
ate professor of medicine at the University of
limited. Bones break when theyre thin and frag-
Washington, Fosamax may increase your bone
ile. Your bones may have thinned, yet still be
density, but it doesnt decrease the number of
strong.
fractures. Ive been saying this for years.
Osteopenia is the normal slight thinning of
Also, some of these bone density machines
bones that comes with aging. While many doc-
are more accurate than others, though there are
tors think its a precursor to osteoporosis, not
accuracy problems with all of them. In addition,
everyone with osteopenia gets osteoporosis. It
many are inadequate for precisely monitoring
was just meant to show a huge group who
your progress, including the results of any thera-
looked like they might be at risk, says an osteo-
py you are using to prevent osteoporosis. Yet
porosis epidemiologist who helped define
doctors persist in using these machines for this
osteopenia back in 1992. It was never meant to
purpose as well. Urine tests, which measure the
identify a disease. What changed this? A drug
rate of bone breakdown as reflected in various
company called Merck.
markers, are also problematic. They can produce

2
day-to-day variations of up to 40 and even 50 simply part of getting older. But they can also be
percent. Unfortunately, there are no tests to a sign your bones need extra support. For exam-
measure bone flexibility vs. fragility. With imag- ple, muscle and bone pain can be due to a vita-
ing technology, we can determine flexibility to min D deficiency, which is crucial for keeping
some degree. But we cant compare those to a your bones strong.
fragility standard. If you notice any of these signs, its impor-
In addition, bone density is not always the tant you act now to support the health of your
same throughout your body. A high or low den- bones. The good news is there are nutrients that
sity reading in one area, such as the heel or can keep your bones dense and strong as you
lower spine, doesnt necessarily mean you have age, so youre less likely to suffer a debilitating
similar density elsewhere in more critical loca- fracture. But calcium isnt the nutrient you need.
tions such as your wrist, hip, or upper spine, And drugs arent the answer either.
where fractures are most likely to occur. So if your doctor is looking strictly at your
Finally, to complicate matters even more, bone scans, you might get the talk about
deposits of unabsorbed calcium perhaps from osteopenia or osteoporosis and drugs like
arthritis can result in an over-read. This Fosamax.
means the machine reports higher density than
what actually exists. Osteopenia & The Osteoporosis Drugs:
The bottom line on test results is this: Dont Bisphosphonates
make assumptions. Instead, get straightforward
answers from your doctor about the accuracy Has your doctor said you have osteopenia?
and real meaning of any bone-density and bone- The first thing you can do is to stop worrying. It
loss testing. is just a sign of a potential problem. Get a vitamin
D blood test to make sure your vitamin levels are
4 Little-Known Signs of Bone Loss between 50 and 80 ng/mL. Vitamin D will help
protect your bones better and more safely than
You Should NEVER Ignore the new osteoporosis drugs like Fosamax.
Getting a bone scan isnt the only way to This new family of drugs acts to decrease
tell if youve already suffered bone loss. Your bone loss by preventing bone resorption. These
body could be trying to tell you by giving you drugs, called bisphosphonates, are mineral com-
one of these four often-overlooked clues: pounds whose structures have been altered to
Clue #1: Weak, brittle fingernails Nails act selectively on bone. Two popular bisphospho-
can tell a lot about the state of your health, includ- nate drugs go by the trade names Etidronate and
ing your bones. If your nails are soft and break Fosamax.
easily, it could be a sign youre not getting enough In fact, bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax,
trace minerals such as manganese and copper. can be more harmful than helpful. In some cases,
These minerals play a crucial role in keeping your bisphosphonates cause the jaw and other bones
bones strong, in addition to your nails. to become brittle and die. Over the past few
Clue #2: Decreased grip strength In a years, Ive seen more evidence that while
recent study of postmenopausal women, hand Fosamax may increase bone density, it is more
grip strength was the most important factor destructive than beneficial.
related to overall bone mineral density. You can In a double blind placebo-controlled study,
easily improve your handgrip strength by researchers looked at Etidronate therapy in 135
squeezing a rubber ball or foam device. postmenopausal women without osteoporosis.
Improving grip strength helps you prevent falls At the end of seven to 10 years, women taking
that cause fractures. Youre less likely to lose the drug showed a 3.42% increase in lumbar
your grip on handles and other items that keep spine bone mineral density, compared to a .38%
you steady. decrease among the placebo group.
Clue #3: Receding gums Your teeth are What about Fosamax? It works, but at too
connected to your jaw bone. If your jaw is losing high a cost. In fact, I consider Fosamax and other
bone, your gums can recede. Thats why the stan- bisphosphonates to be among the most danger-
dard X-rays you get periodically when you visit ous drugs you can take.
the dentist may provide important clues into
your bone health. The Dangers of Fosamax
Clue #4: Muscle aches and bone pain
You may accept everyday aches and pains as Current advice from the manufacturer,
Merck, is that patients with low levels of calcium

3
in their blood, severe kidney disease, or who are And Yet More Dangers
pregnant or nursing should not take Fosamax.
The manufacturer also urges that caution be used Now theres a new study that was present-
when Fosamax is given to patients with active ed at a recent medical conference of the
upper gastrointestinal problems. Apparently American College of Chest Physicians. It con-
Fosamax can irritate such problems. cluded that bisphosphonates increase a woman's
The most commonly reported drug-related risk for atrial fibrillation.
side effects in patients taking this drug are mus- So, not only are these drugs bad for your
culoskeletal and abdominal pain, and other bones, they're bad for your heart.
digestive disturbances such as nausea, heartburn, This study followed more than 16,000 older
and irritation or pain of the esophagus. women on bisphosphonates, as well as a control
The severity of the digestive disturbances group. Women who took the drugs were more
should not be underestimated. Fosamax users likely to have atrial fibrillation, a condition that
frequently complain of horrible burning that includes lightheadedness, heart palpitations, and
wasnt helped by either Tums or Maalox. The chest pain. These women were also twice as like-
manufacturer is very aware of this. ly to have serious irregular heartbeats leading to
According to Dr. Susan Ott, associate pro- hospitalization and death.
fessor of medicine at the University of You should also be aware of how these
Washington, Fosamax may increase your bone drugs work by inhibiting bone resorption.
density, but it doesnt decrease the number of This process, in which calcium moves into and
fractures. Ive been saying this for years. out of the bones to other parts of the body, helps
But thats not all. maintain healthy levels of calcium elsewhere
throughout the body for important functions,
We have no long-term studies to tell us including nerve cell communication, contraction
what happens to women who start taking of muscle cells, blood-clotting efficiency, enzyme
Fosamax in their 50s and 60s for osteopenia. Do function, and production of certain proteins.
they prevent fractures later on? No one knows, and
I couldnt find any studies planned to find out. If calcium is not allowed to move around
freely in its normal manner, will any of these
The news keeps getting worse. In the functions be adversely affected? We dont know
largest study of its kind, Canadian researchers at for sure. We need more long-term studies to pro-
the University of British Columbia found that vide an answer.
these osteoporosis drugs, bisphosphonates, near-
ly triple your risk of getting a painful, debilitat- The fact that patients with low levels of cal-
ing disease called bone necrosis. cium in their blood are presently advised not to
take Fosamax might be an early clue to a yes
Bone necrosis is a condition that leads to a answer. In view of these concerns, taking bispho-
permanent loss of blood supply to bone tissues. sphonates to prevent osteoporosis is a much
Without enough blood, the bones die and col- riskier proposition than doctors and drug compa-
lapse. And once bone tissue dies, there's nothing nies are letting on.
you can do to restore it.
In my professional opinion, no one should
Youve no doubt heard of this danger before take any bisphosphonates ever. Many dentists
when Fosamax was found to cause osteonecrosis who are seeing more jawbone necrosis would
of the jaw. Because of this, dentists across the agree.
country are refusing to treat patients who have
been taking bisphosphonates.
One Final Note:
Now were finding its not just the jawbone
that can die. Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, and all
Osteoporosis of the Jaw and Dementia
other bisphosphonates can cause death of bone These two conditions are seemingly unrelat-
tissues in shoulders, knees, and hips. ed, but scientists have recently found a link. The
Originally, we were told that jawbone common denominator was inflammation and a
necrosis affected only 1 in 20,000 people a year. buildup of plaque. Their findings may change the
Now these researchers are saying bisphospho- way you care for your teeth.
nates may cause triple that amount in bones By modifying your dental regime now, you
throughout the body. For the 190 million pre- could protect yourself from osteoporosis in your
scriptions that have already been written this jaw and stave off dementia at the same time.
translates to 5.7 million people at risk every year Plaque is a mixture of bacteria, bacterial
for pain from bone death! waste, and food particles that feed the bacteria. If

4
your dentist doesnt remove it, the plaque trig- and to take care of any infections or other prob-
gers an inflammatory response that can erode the lems as they arise. This should be enough to sup-
socket that anchors a tooth in place. In other port our overall health, since studies have con-
words, plaque can lead to tooth loss. This is the nected heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and lung
same process that weakens other bones in osteo- disease to poor oral health and a buildup of
porosis, like the jawbone. plaque.
The journal Menopause recently published a But its not enough if you only get one or
study of postmenopausal women. In this study, two cleanings a year. Postmenopausal women
the researchers found that women who were at need much more, say researchers at the Case
risk for osteoporosis were also at risk for peri- Western Reserve University School of Dental
odontal disease. All of the women in this study Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic. In fact, we
had increased levels of dental plaque. This was in may need deep cleanings as much as four times a
spite of the fact that all of them brushed twice a year. Thats what I have done most of my life,
day, flossed, and had at least two cleanings a year and I can tell you plaque control is an uphill bat-
with their dentist. Were finding that two cleanings tle but worth the fight.
a year are often not enough to control plaque. Its time to talk with your dentist about how
This increased plaque could put you at risk controlling plaque, infections, and inflammation
for loss of bone density in your jaw. And lead to can affect your heart, bones, and memory. Ask
dementia. Its not what you think. Theres no how often you need professional cleanings and
doubt that all of us should be brushing, flossing, put aside the time and money for them.
and using interdental picks or brushes twice a So if extra calcium and drugs arent the
day. This is the standard way to prevent the answer to keeping your bones healthy, what is?
buildup of plaque on our teeth and to stimulate Before I answer that question, you have to know
healthy gums. why some people develop osteoporosis and oth-
We should see our dentists for cleanings ers dont.

5
Chapter 2:

Why Do Some of Us
Develop Osteoporosis?
If you listened to the general media talk Sizing Up Your Osteoporosis Risk Factors
around the subject, youd believe that just taking
more calcium will prevent osteoporosis. In the future, health-care providers may
Not so. While calcium metabolism is impor- have a test to determine who is genetically at risk
tant, youre going to find out in this book that for developing osteoporosis. Recently, Australian
calcium supplements are not the cure-all for researchers discovered that women with two
osteoporosis. And they can cause other serious copies of the variant of the gene for the bodys
health problems. As for osteoporosis, the major vitamin D receptors reached a fracture thresh-
risk appears to be genetic, not how much calcium old eight years earlier than women with two
you take. copies of the normal gene.
Different genes are necessary for bone min- Until the test is developed, we must rely on
eral density, including some that regulate the other signals of osteoporosis risk. Those include:
activity of bone cells, and others that regulate Loss of estrogen. Women are most vul-
your bodys balance of calcium, vitamin D, and nerable to osteoporosis when they go through
other minerals. menopause, whether it occurs naturally or is sur-
If you have a family history of osteoporosis, gically induced. During these years, the body is
the good news is that you can overcome your changing the way it makes estrogen and as the
genetic predisposition. But you may have to amount of estrogen produced declines, bone loss
work harder to prevent or slow down your own increases significantly. This is particularly true in
loss of bone minerals. In this case, having a the first five to seven years after menopause
health professional evaluate you for good diges- when we can lose from two to five percent of
tion (you need enough hydrochloric acid in your bone mass each year. After that the annual rate of
stomach to break down and use calcium), dietary loss slows to about one percent.
mineral balance, stress reduction, and exercise. Cessation of menstrual periods.
If your family has a low incidence of osteo- Hormone imbalance, often characterized by lack
porosis, this doesnt give you license to eat poor- of menstrual periods, may also contribute to bone
ly, ignore your mineral balance, and not exercise. loss. High-performance athletes are at risk. One
Certain people may have a greater or lesser ten- study found that 40 percent of competitive
dency for osteoporosis than others, but this is women skaters do not have a menstrual period.
only a tendency. Many young women who diet excessively or suf-
fer from anorexia are at similar risk.
Frailty is a huge factor of aging. By age 70,
most people have at least 20 percent less muscle Smoking and alcohol. Researchers have
than they did at age 30. About 70 percent of eld- found strong links between smoking and reduc-
erly women are too frail to lift just 10 pounds, tions in bone mass, resulting in a deficit of five to
and 60 percent cannot perform such household 10 percent in some cases. Because it decreases
work as vacuuming. About 35% of men are levels of calcium and vitamin D in the body,
equally frail. moderate to heavy alcohol use more than two
glasses a day can also reduce bone mass.
The good news, though, is that youre not
destined to become frail. And if youre already so Immobility. Use it or lose it. People who
frail you cant do the things you really enjoy, are bedridden or in a cast for any length of time
theres even more good news frailty doesnt show evidence of bone loss from lack of use. An
have to be part of your life. In fact, studies have example of this is the astronauts who spend time
found that even 90-year-olds can rebuild lost in a weightless environment and get osteoporosis
muscle and bone structure with some careful from their time in space. Women who exercise
exercise. too little lose bone strength as well, placing them

6
at greater risk for osteoporosis-related fractures. Begin by cleaning up your diet. Fruits and veg-
Ethnicity and body type. Caucasian etables contain antioxidants that neutralize oxi-
women are more likely to develop osteoporosis dized LDL.
than members of other ethnic groups. Although Asthma. Is there a connection between
studies show that fewer African-American and osteoporosis and asthma? There may be if you
Hispanic women experience bone loss, they are use inhalers with steroids, says a study published
still at risk and should take the same preventive in The Lancet. Investigators studied 200 women
measures. Thin, petite women are also more vul- from the ages of 20 to 40 who used steroid-based
nerable. Although heavier women produce more inhalers for an average of six years. The partici-
estrogen and are thus better protected against pants had mild asthma.
osteoporosis than thin women, they also need to Researchers estimated that the most rapid
take their risk for the disorder seriously. bone loss occurred in the first one to two years of
Medications. Some medications given for using steroid inhalers. In fact, bone loss was five
other disorders may cause osteoporosis. The times greater than someone smoking a pack of
most common are glucocorticoids (steroid medi- cigarettes daily for 10 years!
cines), generally prescribed for diseases such as While the amount of bone lost was small,
arthritis, asthma, and ulcerative colitis. As this preliminary study is saying that someone
research progresses, we are learning that other using 200 mcg of steroids in their inhaler for one
medications, such as high doses of thyroid hor- year will have minimal bone loss. Someone using
mone, may also increase bone loss. Ask your 2,000 mcg of steroids a day for seven years would
pharmacist or health-care provider if any of your have measurable bone loss (1 ST, or standard
medications fall in this category and what, if any- deviation). Over a period of decades, the use of
thing, you can take other than bisphosphonates. high doses of steroids could impact bone density.
High Cholesterol. Researchers at UCLA If youre using inhalers, you may want to check
(University of California, Los Angeles) found an with your doctor to see how much youre taking
association between high cholesterol and bone and how much you really need.
density. They knew that people with osteoporosis Be aware that at times asthma may origi-
had elevated cholesterol and more clogged arter- nate from emotional disturbances or from food
ies. And they also knew that drugs used to lower sensitivities. Foods containing histamines (wine,
cholesterol also reduced bone fractures. What beer, cheeses, fish, and pickled cabbage) can
these researchers discovered was why. cause asthmatic incidents.
It had to do with high levels of oxidized Try identifying the food or foods that trig-
cholesterol (known as LDL). ger your symptoms. One study, reported by
The researchers cultured healthy immune Melvyn R. Werbach, MD, in his database,
cells (T cells) with normal or oxidized LDL cells Nutritional Influences on Illness, found that near-
and stimulated half of the T cells to mimic an ly 60 percent of the patients with food intoler-
immune response. They left the other half of the ances and asthma had considerable improvement
T cells alone. All of the T cells made cells with after just one month of eliminating these foods.
one purpose: to stimulate cells that destroy bone. Explore every possible cause of your asthma that
High oxidized LDL does more than increase your you can. Finding the cause could help you get
risk for heart disease. It increases your risk for away from steroids all together some time in the
bone loss as well. future and help preserve your bones.
So, if you have high LDL cholesterol, its Dont, however, stop using any medication
time to lower it and your risk for two of the without first consulting your physician.
most common and serious illnesses for women.

7
Chapter 3:

Cut Your Risk of Hip Fractures


And Say NO to the Nursing Home!
Lets face it. Broken bones arent just hip fractured her hip before age 80.
fractures. In fact, hip fractures, which affect Lack of weight-bearing exercise: Women
17.5% of North American women over 50, and who spent four hours per day or less on their feet
6% of similarly-aged North American men, are had twice the risk of women who spent more
not only inconvenient; they also kill, disable, and than four hours per day on their feet. And
substantially increase medical costs. women who walked regularly for exercise had
The older you get, the higher your risk of a 30 percent lower risk of hip fracture than those
suffering a serious fracture. People age 85 and who did not walk regularly. And their risk
older are 10 to 15 times more likely to fracture a decreased as the distance they walked increased.
hip than those ages 60 to 65. In fact, according to Caffeine intake: As caffeine intake
the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, at least increased, so did the risk of hip fracture.
15% of all women who live to be 85 will break Other factors found to increase risk for hip
a hip. fractures are:
Most patients with hip fractures are hospi-
A history of hyperthyroidism.
talized for at least one week, and up to 25%
remain in a hospital or nursing home for at least Use of long-acting benzodiazepines
a year. Sadly, about 1-in-5 hip fracture patients (tranquilizers) or anticonvulsant drugs.
die within a year of their injury. Poor depth perception.
At least half of those who survive are less Poor contrast sensitivity (ability to
able to perform activities of daily living for at distinguish visual contrast).
least a year. In other words, these fractures
usually the result of osteoporosis carry a high A fast resting pulse.
price. To avoid paying that price, we all need to The inability to rise from a chair without
take action to prevent hip fractures. using ones arms.
But how? A history of fractures after age 50.
Are You at Risk for Hip Fracture? Women with multiple risk factors which
may reduce bone density or increase the risk of
A study reported in the New England Journal falls and those with low bone density itself are
of Medicine sheds some light on the subject. The at high risk of fracturing a hip. They should focus
study examined potential risk factors for hip frac- on preventive efforts, researchers stated. That
ture in 9,516 women 65 or older, confirming pre- includes walking for exercise (or spending four
viously discovered factors, identifying several hours a day on their feet).
new ones, and disproving others. Factors that DID NOT increase hip fracture
This information can be used to identify risk: hair color, ethnic ancestry, a maternal histo-
people at risk for hip fracture, inform them of ry of fractures other than hip fractures, the tim-
that risk and help them reduce it. It can also be ing of menopause, past smoking status, cataracts,
used to help people in general reduce their risk the use of short-acting benzodiazepines, and a
of fracturing a hip. low dietary intake of calcium.
According to the study, the risk factors for
hip fracture include: Your Hip Fracture Risk-Reduction Checklist
Maternal history: Women whose mothers
had a hip fracture had twice the risk of having a Increase your level of physical activity.
hip fracture than women whose mothers did not. Walk for exercise.
The risk increased to 2.7 percent if the mother

8
Spend at least four hours a day on your feet. To maximize vision, get your eyes checked
Engage in exercise that may improve your regularly and update glasses prescriptions as
coordination and balance, like yoga, and needed. When you get a new pair of glasses, take
free weights. it extra easy until you get used to the new lenses.
If glasses are interfering with your depth percep-
Decrease your caffeine intake to one or two tion as you walk, work with your ophthalmolo-
cups a day. gist or optician to get the problem resolved. And
Avoid long-acting sedative or hypnotic drugs. if your depth perception is better without your
Quit smoking. glasses, remember to remove them when walking
on uneven surfaces or going up or down steps.
Get regular eye exams and treat visual
problems. Fall-Proof Yourself
Secure loose rugs, electrical wires, and
other falling hazards. There are also a number of ways, beyond
fitness improvements, to fall-proof yourself. For
Use light-colored carpet, paint, or other starters, wear shoes with soles that have a good,
finish on stairs to increase depth perception gripping tread.
visibility. If youre already frail and unstable, use a
At night, use a small flashlight to light up cane or walker at all times. A surprising number
your path from bed to bathroom. of seniors are reluctant to do so. Yes, walking
Install grab bars, stair rails, and other aids can be bothersome, but a severe hip fracture
structures that can help prevent falls in can be life threatening, and the worse your
your shower, tub, and by stairs. health, the more so.
Last, dont leave home without reminding
Make Balance a Top Priority yourself to be extra careful every step of the way
in unfamiliar places especially on steps and
One of the most critical considerations for stairs, and when getting into and out of cars,
such persons is balance. After all, the better your buses, trains, and planes.
balance, the less likely you are to fall and, in turn, A patient of mine recently fell and broke
suffer a fracture. Other key factors that affect bal- her hip while getting off an airplane. According
ance and the risk of falling are strength, mental to the airlines, such a scenario isnt all that
alertness, and vision. uncommon.
A general fitness and exercise program can If youre on a long trip, take periodic brief
work wonders for balance and strength, which walks if possible or do some in-seat exercises to
are closely related. Increased strength can make sure your legs are warmed up and ready to
improve balance. And practically everyone can walk when its time. Then proceed slowly with
increase his or her strength and overall fitness. extra care and caution. Finally, dont hesitate to
Even assisted-care settings often offer physical ask for wheelchair or other assistance. After all,
fitness programs. everyone wants you to have a safe trip.
Limited-ability fitness classes and video
exercise tapes can also be helpful. Fall-Proof Your Home
The bottom line here is that fitness
improvements can help a person avoid a fall, and Just as important as fall-proofing yourself is
even speed recovery if a fracture does occur (the fall-proofing your home, by making changes that
better your health, the faster you heal). would decrease your risk of falling. Make sure
walking surfaces (inside and out) are level, and
An exercise program can also improve men- carpets and rugs are secured in their place. All
tal alertness, by improving circulation, metabo- steps and stairwells should be well lit, plus have
lism, oxygen to the brain, etc. Many medications, side rails to hold onto when ascending and
on the other hand, have side effects that dull descending.
alertness.
Outside steps and smooth walkways that
Work with your doctor to possibly elimi- get wet may need abrasive strips to provide more
nate or reduce dosages of any medication that secure footing. The path from your bed to the
has this effect. Also look into doing the same bathroom should be well lit and free of clutter
with other medications that might make you feel and other objects on which you might trip.
dizzy, weak, cause blurred vision, or any other
side effect that might impair your ability to walk. In addition, consider using handicap aids in

9
your bathroom. These can include raised toilet predictive risks for falls and broken bones. While
seats, sturdy grab-bars beside the toilet, and in all more frequent exercise could improve your heart,
bath and shower stalls. Stall and bathtub bottoms preventing falls and broken hips ranks high on
should also have adhesive stripping or a large, our to do list. Consider starting before youre
top quality bath mat. Also consider using a chair 75! Join a gym with a friend if youre not disci-
or stool in the bath and shower and at the sink. plined, or buy a videotape or two for bi-weekly
workouts.
Its Never Too Late! If exercise hasnt been a big part of your life,
and youre over the age of 75, its quite possible
A six-month study of two dozen women youve become frail. If so, there are some things
over the age of 75 (the average age was 79), you need to consider before you begin exercising.
reports that exercising an hour a day twice a And, there are some very easy exercises you can
week can improve balance, other muscle coordi- do without getting out of your chair that can
nation, and muscle strength. The exercise includ- work miracles. Ill tell you all about it in the next
ed warm-up, light aerobics, and calisthenics. chapter.
Loss of balance as we age is one of the most

10
Chapter 4:

What Determines Frailty And


How Can You Overcome It
The three main factors related to frailty are While we all wish preventing osteoporosis and
loss of muscle, bone, and balance. (Other factors, frailty was as easy as taking a calcium supple-
such as ligament and cartilage damage, also con- ment, its not. Theres a lot more to it. Thats not
tribute, but not to the same degree.) While most to say supplements wont help. In fact, you need
people are aware that muscles are strengthened more than just calcium and Ill tell you all
by exercise, few people realize that bones are also about them later in this book. But first we need to
strengthened by exercise. look at exercise.
Bones are tissues that can grow or shrink,
depending on how well you take care of them. If The Exercise Prescription for Prevention
youve ever broken a bone, youve seen first-
hand how bone tissue grows to heal the fracture. Many years ago, I changed the adage You
In order for your muscles to grow in strength and are what you eat to You are what you eat and
help you keep your balance, you have to subject absorb. My main focus in changing this adage
them to a certain degree of stress. was directed at women and their calcium con-
sumption.
Your bones are no different. The difference
comes in the type of stress each responds to. Well, I want to change this adage one more
While your muscles respond to contractile stress, time. Today, Im changing this adage to You are
your bones must undergo bending, compression, what you eat, absorb, and do.
and twisting to experience stress. As with mus-
cles, you can overdo the stress on your bones, Why You Need to Just Do It
which is when you suffer breaks and stress frac- Its no surprise that our bones benefit from
tures. exercise. But study after study is showing just
On the other extreme, if your bones and how deeply exercise really affects our bones
muscles dont undergo at least a minimal amount right down to our DNA.
of stress on a regular basis, they begin to atrophy. Young women reap the greatest benefit,
The adage use it or lose it definitely applies since they can build bone mass up until their 30s.
here. After that, exercise is critical to maintaining bone
The degree of stress your bones and mus- mass or slowing the rate of loss.
cles must experience in order to grow is called Exercise that forces the body to work
the minimal essential strain. This is the point that against gravity (weight-bearing exercise) like jog-
if surpassed often enough will cause the bone or ging, walking, aerobics, dancing, and team
muscle to call in help to deal with the stress. This sports, strengthens the skeletal system. Non-
help comes in the form of osteoblasts, which weight-bearing activities like cycling and swim-
migrate to the area being stressed and help build ming do not strengthen bone, but are important
more muscle and bone tissue. for cardiovascular health.
As we age, our muscles and joints tighten, As we age, we lose muscle mass as well as
arthritis often sets in, and years of neglecting our bone. Weight training can improve muscle
body begins to take its toll. The exercise we know strength and tone, which contributes to bone
we need gets harder and harder to do, so a health as well. There have been studies in the
sedentary lifestyle sets in (or continues). past that suggested heavier women have greater
Lets face it, very few of us enjoy getting out bone density than thinner women. A more recent
of our comfort zones, especially when it hurts. study, however, now suggests its not a persons
But that inactivity is a prime cause of frailty. weight, but the amount of muscle, that is the
In this chapter, were going to look at the determining factor.
absolute best way to prevent and treat frailty. A group of nearly 250 healthy pre-

11
menopausal women had their bone density So if you want to protect your bones, your
examined. Those who had the highest amount of muscles, and your overall health, you have to
both fat and muscle had the densest bones. Those exercise. It doesnt have to be hard jogging. You
with flabby muscles had low bone density just have to move. The more you move the better.
whether they were heavy or thin. Just dont sit down all day. Remember, you are
While its possible to say that bones that are what you eat, absorb, and do!
dense before menopause will continue to remain You dont have to train like an athlete in
strong and healthy after menopause, this study fact, its better if you dont. A good guideline is 30
strongly suggests that weight alone will not pro- to 60 minutes of exercise three or four times a
tect you against osteoporosis. week. Impossible? Even three 10-minute walks
All women, whether heavy or light, young over the course of a day help.
or old, should increase their muscle mass One study that appeared in the New
through regular weight-resistance exercise. England Journal of Medicine compared mobility
and strength of 100 nursing home residents
Exercise Supercharges Your Bones between the ages of 72 and 98. Half the seniors
Calcium Absorption participated in a 10-week weight resistance train-
ing program.
A new study in the journal Cell Metabolism At the end of this short time, their muscle
suggests exercise is a critical component of bone strength had increased by an average of 113 per-
health. The researchers who wrote the report dis- cent, compared to the non-exercisers. Significant
covered that you can dramatically change your improvement in mobility was also seen, which
DNA for the better simply by doing. made these seniors less prone to bone-breaking
In other words, they found that your DNA falls a very significant achievement in view of
changes structurally and chemically when you the fact that 80 is the average age of persons suf-
exercise. And, if youve been inactive, the change fering hip fractures.
can be significant. While the change doesnt alter One interesting side note: If youre bedrid-
your genetic makeup, it does alter the health of den or cant exercise for some reason, you can
your muscles. still help your muscles release calcium simply by
For years, science thought that a lack of drinking caffeinated beverages. While its not as
exercise just caused your muscles to atrophy effective as exercise, caffeine has the same calci-
(become smaller). They didnt realize that it actu- um-releasing effect on your muscles and calcium.
ally causes the health of your muscles to decline. The most healthful caffeinated beverage you can
Heres what happens. drink for this is green tea. And if its just your
The lead author of the study says exercise legs that keep you from walking, then make sure
induces changes in muscle, including increased you exercise your arms. Every little bit helps.
metabolism of sugar and fat. Our discovery is
that the methylation change comes first. Before You Start: Are You Frail?
Methylation is the alteration of the DNA. So
By now, youre hopefully as convinced as I
exercise causes this change in your DNA. Then
am of the necessity to exercise regularly.
something amazing happens to your muscles.
The change opens up the cells in your muscles. But before you begin an exercise routine,
When these cells open up, two things happen. you need to find out what kind of condition youre
First, important enzymes enter into your muscle in right now. This helps you determine what type
cells, improving their health. Second, your mus- of exercise you can begin with and it sets a stan-
cles release calcium! This calcium then becomes dard you can use to see how youre improving.
available to your bones. To help you in this process, researchers
In fact, I suspect exercise actually causes the have come up with a way to check your frail-
muscles to push the calcium into the bones. ness factor. Roberta Rikli, PhD, a professor at
While there isnt any direct proof of this, we California State University, Fullerton, led a study
know exercise builds bones. And it has to get the of 7,000 Americans ages 60 to 94 that established
material (i.e., calcium) to build from somewhere. a set of tests to help you determine your fitness
Since this study proves exercise causes muscles standards.
to release calcium, and it causes bones to flex Thats an impressive number of subjects
(opening up bone cells), it creates the perfect and lends credence to the project.
opportunity for calcium to transfer from your If the tests signal youre at risk of becoming
muscles into your bones. too frail, we can do something to try to prevent

12
that, Dr. Rikli said. The exercise tests are simple Some doctors already use similar but exper-
enough that many people could try them at imental tests to assess elderly patients limita-
home, but its best to do the exercises with a doc- tions. Theyre very powerful predictors of who
tor, so you wont be tempted to overdo it. will wind up disabled, said Dr. Jack Guralnik of
Rikli and her colleague C. Jessie Jones the National Institute on Aging.
devised the following simple tests:
How many times in 30 seconds can you rise Getting Started
from a straight-backed chair without using With Resistance Exercises
your arms to push yourself up? This meas- Once youve done the simple tests above,
ures lower body strength. its time to start stressing your muscles and
How many times in 30 seconds can you lift bones and re-test yourself. This will help
a weight five pounds for women, eight strengthen your muscles, improve your balance,
pounds for men in a biceps curl? This and help build bone density. Simply speaking,
measures upper body strength. it can reduce frailty.
How many yards can you walk in six Its extremely important that you start out
minutes, to measure aerobic fitness? slowly and not hurt yourself while youre trying
to improve your condition. Most exercise regimes
How long does it take you to rise from a
Ive seen are lengthy and difficult to do if you
chair, walk eight feet, and return to a seated
have any chronic pain and most of us do, at
position to measure mobility?
least at times.
Rikli found that fitness declined with age, We need an exercise program we can keep
on average, one percent a year. Regardless of age, doing even when we have a sore shoulder, pains
people who got moderate physical activity at in our knees, and an achy back. Thats why I
least three times a week were the most fit. Our personally like the idea of specific resistance
main interest is in keeping people mobile and training.
staying physically independent as long as possi-
ble, said Rikli.

13
Chapter 5:

The Calcium Hoax


I hear it every day from my patients and over all others suggesting that calcium is
readers. They go to see the doctor, who tells them enough to prevent bone loss. As a result, sales of
theyre showing signs of bone loss. Then the doc- calcium supplements have skyrocketed and the
tor asks them how much calcium theyre taking. consumption of dairy products has soared as well.
If theyre not taking at least 1,000 mg of calcium, Still, a number of health problems that are
the doctor will look at them in astonishment and the result of calcium-related imbalances, includ-
then give them the first degree about the big mis- ing premenstrual syndrome, arthritis, heart dis-
take theyre making. Their bones are at risk! ease, and osteoporosis, continue to escalate.
Chances are youve found yourself in a sim- Why?
ilar situation, or you worry you may be at risk of We all need calcium for a variety of bodily
bone loss. If so, heres what your doctor isnt functions, including good colon health and build-
telling you. ing strong bones. You need enough calcium in
Those massive doses of calcium your doctor balance with other key nutrients. But you dont
wants you to take could be the exact opposite of need too much calcium.
what you need. In fact, by taking as much as Doctors often say you should take 1,200 to
your doctor recommends, often 1,500 mg of sup- 1,500 milligrams of calcium daily. Yet studies
plemental calcium a day, you risk a number of show this is much more than you need. Most
health problems. And, you can even increase womens diets contain plenty of calcium even if
your risk of brittle bones. Thats right, you can you dont eat or drink dairy products.
increase your risk of osteoporosis by taking too
In fact, the results of a groundbreaking
much calcium!
study published in the British Journal of Nutrition
The truth is, you dont have to feel power- raises the question whether you need to take cal-
less about taking charge of your bone health so cium supplements at all!
you can enjoy the active, independent future you
Researchers compared past studies on calci-
deserve.
um fractures from 1966 to 1999. They found NO
And you dont have to worry about ending association between the amount of calcium
up in a wheelchair or nursing home, or becoming women took and their risk of hip fractures. Thats
a burden to your family. right, NONE!
Thats because what youre not hearing Whats more, a recent study published in
from your doctor are the three most important the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research found
secrets to help you build stronger bones naturally that women dont need more than 566 mg of
and restore your bone density to where it was dietary calcium a day. Thats equivalent to what
when you were years younger. you might get in a bowl of cereal, a serving of
Keep reading, and I will reveal each of tofu, or salmon with broccoli on the side.
these secrets and explain how they can help And, if you regularly eat yogurt or drink milk
you strengthen your bones and cut your risk of a or calcium-fortified orange juice, youre getting
debilitating fracture by half or more. much more than 566 mg of dietary calcium daily.
Thats why I often tell my patients and
Mainstream Media Fuels the Hoax readers not to bother taking calcium supple-
Since the 1950s, the medical profession has ments. If they dont think theyre getting enough
told American women that increasing the amount calcium from their diets, I tell them to take 500
of calcium in their diets can greatly reduce their mg a day at most.
risk of osteoporosis. This brittle-bone disease is a
leading cause of death among older women. High Calcium Intake Can Hurt Your Bones!
In turn, advertisers and the media have Taking more than 500 mg per day may be
emphasized the importance of this one mineral detrimental to your bone health, according to

14
recent studies. And its no wonder. and treat it with a combination of lifestyle,
Your body simply cannot absorb large dietary, and therapeutic approaches.
amounts of calcium at one time. The more calci- Osteoporosis-related fractures can affect
um you ingest at any given time, the smaller the any bone in the body. But it is particularly critical
percentage of calcium your body actually to do everything possible to prevent hip fractures
absorbs. because they can lead to loss of function and
If we adapt to a low-calcium diet, we actu- independence.
ally excrete less of it in our urine and increase A womans frequency of hip fracture
our absorption, research shows. Yes, you read three times that of a mans is more serious
that correctly. A low-calcium diet is more bene- than most of us realize. One hip fracture alone
ficial to our bones than a high-calcium diet. can total more than $30,000 in direct medical
Whats more, in 1988 the National Womens costs. Half of those affected lose the ability to
Health Network made a startling announcement. walk independently, and up to a third become
They said that women who lived in countries totally dependent.
where calcium intake was low had less osteo- Indeed, a hip fracture is even life-threaten-
porosis than women in this country who are on a ing. Studies have shown that within one year, up
high-calcium diet. to 20% of hip-fracture patients die from condi-
And indeed, a great number of studies sup- tions related to the fracture or to fracture-related
port the idea that lowered calcium intake may surgery.
benefit American women as well. It is critical that people especially women
A Dutch study published in 1960 was one of get a true picture of this risk. Weve got to take
the first to caution that excessive calcium could the focus OFF calcium, and take a deeper look at
result in soft-tissue calcification, or arthritis and what causes osteoporosis. In recent years, science
it showed that one possible nutrient can help has revealed much about our bones, and how we
counteract this effect. Ill tell you what it is later can keep them strong. Ill show you how in this
in this book. book. But first, lets look at how calcium increases
your risk for various diseases.
The Truth About Brittle Bone Disease
When Calcium Boosts Your
All this talk about calcium has a huge audi- Heart Attack Risk
ence all of them fearful (rightly so) about falling
when theyre old and breaking a hip. Several years ago, researchers from New
Some 25 million Americans, 80% of them Zealand found that taking calcium supplements
older women, suffer from osteoporosis, or brittle can significantly increase your risk of having a
bone disease. Unfortunately, most women find heart attack. Ive been telling this to my patients
out they have osteoporosis when its too late and readers for decades. For some reason, doc-
usually after a fracture of the wrist, hip or spine, tors still scare many into taking 1,500 mg of calci-
loss of height, or curvature of the spine has um a day. But these researchers confirmed what
occurred. Ive said taking more isnt better. Its worse.
Like high blood pressure, osteoporosis is a In fact, those who take calcium supple-
silent, underlying condition, usually symptom- ments at these levels were 86% more likely to
less, with potentially devastating consequences. have a heart attack compared to those who dont.
All of us lose some bone as we age, but people Whats more, if you rely on supplements for your
with osteoporosis lose an excessive amount. daily calcium intake, youre 139% more likely to
Their bones become fragile and brittle, and their have a heart attack.
skeleton is weakened to the point where even a They found that those participants who
minor fall can result in a fracture. took a moderate amount of calcium (820 mg/day)
Osteoporosis leads to some 1.5 million from all sources had the lowest risk of heart
spine, hip, and wrist fractures in the U.S. each attack. They were 31% less likely to have an
year. Of those, about 40% are spinal, 25% are attack than those who took much less. Whats
hip, and 15% are wrist. Spinal fractures will affect more, those who took much more (over 1,100
one out of every three women in their lifetime, mg/day) had the same level of protection as those
while wrist and hip fractures will happen to one in the lowest intake group.
out of six. In other words, women who took a moder-
Osteoporosis is like high blood pressure in ate amount of calcium were significantly less
another way, too. In many cases, you can prevent likely to have a heart attack than those with low

15
or high intake. Thats why you shouldnt take extreme pain you could ever imagine. And once
more than 500 mg of supplemental calcium. you get one stone, youre at risk for getting oth-
Taking more than this can increase your risk of ers. Theres a genetic component to the formation
osteoporosis, heart attacks, and of kidney stones, but this doesnt mean youre
doomed to get them if you have this gene. There
Arthritis Is Increasing in Women are steps you can take to prevent them.
Some people believe that long-term use of
More women than men have arthritis, and calcium and vitamin D increases a persons risk
the number of people in this country with arthri- for kidney stones. But in several studies, this
tis is on the rise. By the year 2020, the Centers for increase was not related to vitamin D at all.
Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 60 Calcium appears to be the culprit. High calcium
million people will suffer from this disease. The intake from supplements has been linked to kid-
reasons for the expected 40 percent increase ney stones, as well as arthritis and heart disease
appear to be an aging population (the older you conditions of unabsorbed calcium. But not calci-
get, the more likely you are to get arthritis and um-rich foods. For some reason, they reduce the
other illnesses), poor nutrition, lack of exercise, absorption of oxalate.
and obesity.
In addition to reducing your calcium sup-
What's missing here? What's not being seen plemental intake, you need to look at calcium-
or addressed? We need to begin by looking at based antacids like TUMS. Thats because they
why more women than men get arthritis. Could increase the amount of calcium in your urine,
it have anything to do with taking excessive putting you at risk for kidney stones. If you have
amounts of calcium? heartburn, taking an antacid will treat only your
In my opinion, many women are giving symptom. It wont eradicate the source of your
themselves arthritis and clogged arteries through problem, which is a malfunctioning valve called
their diets and supplements, primarily calcium. the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). If you have
This is another reason you should consider a lax LES, youll respond best to an increase of
paring down your calcium intake. This can go a hydrochloric acid (HCl), rather than neutralizing
long way in preventing arthritis. it with an antacid. You can find more information
But theres more. In addition to arthritis, about this on my website (www.womenshealth-
heart disease, and osteoporosis, excess calcium letter.com), and in Dr. Jonathan Wrights book
contributes to kidney stones. Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You (M. Evans and
Co., 2001).
Does Calcium Increase Your Risk for While calcium can cause kidney stones, we
Kidney Stones? now know theres another mineral causing the
pesky stones sodium. Whats worse, though, is
If youve ever had a kidney stone that was combining too much calcium or too much salt
too large to pass, you know that it causes a pain with not enough water. Its a sure recipe for kid-
you dont want to experience ever again. ney stones.
Recently, a neighbor asked me what a friend But thats not all. The researchers in a recent
could do to avoid getting more kidney stones. I study found that these two minerals actually
decided to take a close look at this painful condi- change your genes. Thats right! Taking too much
tion and see what she could do besides drinking calcium or sodium and not drinking enough
more water her doctors only suggestion. water can make you genetically predisposed to
Kidney stones are crystals formed in the getting kidney stones.
urinary tract when chemicals in the urine dont Of course, researchers are now looking to
dissolve as they should. They may be made from develop drugs to inactivate the gene. And they
a variety of chemicals, but the most common kid- will probably develop an expensive test for this
ney stones are made from calcium with either gene. But neither one makes any sense.
oxalate or phosphate.
Why take a drug when you can simply alter
Many kidney stones are tiny and easily pass your diet and have the same impact? And why
through the body in urine. But some grow large take a test for a gene when your body is already
enough to get stuck in the ureters, the tubes that telling you the answer to the test? If you get kid-
go from the kidneys to the bladder. ney stones, youll probably test positive for the
If youve ever had kidney stones that were gene. Sometimes it really is that simple.
too large to pass out of your body in your urine, So how can you reduce your risk of kidney
you know they can cause some of the most stones? Simply reduce your calcium and sodium

16
intake and drink more water. As for sodium, try is way too much. As Ive said before, you dont
not to add table salt to your food, dont eat out need to take more than 500 mg of calcium daily.
too much (restaurant food is very salty), and Also consider your diet. Many women drink too
make sure youre drinking enough water. much dairy, which Ive already discussed. But
How much calcium is too much? Your doc- theres more you need to know about dairy.
tor will tell you to take 1,200-1,500 mg daily. This

17
Chapter 6:

Safe Ways to Get Calcium


For decades, theres been a huge controver- dairy products came down with serious illnesses
sy about the effects of dairy on our health. The while others didnt.
dairy industry wants you to believe that milk Their research had nothing to do with
from the dairy cow is the best source of calcium. organic vs. non-organic dairy products. Or
But thats just not true. rGBH-free vs. dairy that contains traces of this
I warned people more than 20 years ago hormone. Or even raw vs. pasteurized milk,
that a high-calcium diet from dairy could lead to yogurt, or cheese.
heart disease and arthritis in my first book, The In fact, you probably havent heard about
Nutrition Detective. And, many people have a this subject before. It has to do with the type of
difficult time digesting dairy, which can lead to proteins in milk.
intestinal problems like Crohns disease.
Since you do need a little calcium in your The Good Guys vs. the Bad Guys
diet, let me show you how to get it safely. The
interesting thing is, you might also lose weight. All milk contains casein-based proteins, but
Studies show that a diet high in calcium can not all of these proteins are the same. Some can
increase weight loss. It does! But if you don't take contribute to disease. The New Zealand profes-
some important steps, you could be a thinner sors uncovered an important difference in milk
person with arthritis, heart disease, constipation, proteins. Theyre either A1 beta-casein or A2
or muscle spasms. beta-casein.
With a few little tricks, you can use calcium A2 milk proteins are the good guys. They
for weight loss, prevent bone loss, and avoid are easy to digest, and they dont cause disease.
future health problems. Not just any calcium will A1 milk proteins are the bad guys. They
do. It has to be well absorbed, and it needs to are difficult to digest. As your body digests A1
alkalinize your system. Cows milk wont do milk, a tiny peptide called beta-casomorphin-7,
either of these. Let me explain or BCM7 is released. This peptide induces sleep.
It is also a pro-inflammatory that contributes to a
The Strange Fact About Dairy and How number of illnesses, including type-1 diabetes,
heart disease, autism, and schizophrenia.
it Causes Heart Disease, Arthritis, Dia-
A team of Australian scientists added to the
betes, and More New Zealand research. This group conducted a
Dairy is a big red flag for numerous dis- study in which they gave rabbits a diet high in
eases for several reasons either A1 or A2 milk. Their results, which they
But theres one startling issue thats received published in the journal Atherosclerosis, conclud-
very little attention. No wonder. It challenges the ed: Beta-casein A1 is atherogenic compared with
entire dairy industry in this country. This new Beta-casein A2.
information explains how milk can be either ben- This means that A1 milk contributes to
eficial or harmful depending on the genetics of heart disease and A2 milk doesnt.
various herds of dairy cows. A1 milk has also been linked to intestinal
This may sound farfetched, but its not. permeability, or leaky gut syndrome. A2 has
And its more than a theory. Its backed up by not. Im not saying that A1 milk is solely respon-
many dozens of scientific papers. If you include sible for intestinal permeability. But it looks like
dairy products in your diet, this information its a major factor in its development. If you have
will help you decide how much and which kinds this condition or irritable bowel or Crohns
to eat. disease you may want to avoid A1 dairy prod-
This story began in New Zealand in the ucts. This simple dietary change may help. I sus-
1990s, when two university professors discov- pect it will in many cases.
ered, quite by accident, that some people who ate This makes sense. When you cant com-

18
pletely digest the proteins in dairy, your intestin- tivities have a difficult time losing weight, even
al lining becomes more permeable. This allows when they eat just a little bit of these foods. This
proteins to pass through the intestines and get is because food sensitivities contribute to an
into the bloodstream, causing inflammation and acidic system.
contributing to various illnesses. If you can alkalinize your blood, you very
quickly lose weight and bloating that come from
The Genetics of Cows Makes food sensitivities. When you alkalinize your
the Difference blood, cravings are minimized and may even dis-
appear, allowing you to more easily control the
The New Zealand researchers believe that type and amount of the foods you eat.
all cows originally produced A2 milk. Then, pos-
Most proteins, like dairy, are acidifying. So
sibly thousands of years ago, for unknown rea-
are grains, nuts, and seeds. When your blood is
sons, some cattle in parts of Europe mutated.
too acidic, your body sends in an alkalinizer to
Instead of producing A2 milk, their milk con-
correct the imbalance. That alkalinizer is calcium.
tained the A1 protein. Meanwhile, cows in other
If you don't have enough calcium in your diet to
parts of the world like Africa, Asia, and parts of
meet this increased need, your body will pull it
southern Europe, continued to produce A2 milk.
out of your bones leading to brittle bones.
Whether or not the milk you drink contains
But it doesnt have to! You can prevent bone
A1 or A2 is determined by the genetics of the
loss and do it in a healthy way by increas-
various herds of dairy cows. Many herds of dairy
ing your dietary and supplemental calcium. Just
cows around the world contain both A1 and A2
use the right kind of calcium and take enough
proteins in their milk. And even a little A1 can be
magnesium.
harmful. But some herds in Asia, Africa, and
parts of southern Europe still produce A2 milk. Lets talk about the proven ways to get the
calcium you need to avoid heart disease, diges-
If youre traveling to any of these areas, the
tive problems, protect bones, and lose weight
milk and dairy products are probably safe.
Eventually, A2 products may be widely available
in the U.S.
One Safe Way to Get the Calcium You
I have some suggestions that will help you
Need
until that happens But first, I want to share What can you do if you want to avoid A1
more important research about dairy milk fur- dairy products?
ther evidence why you should seek an alternative Its simple. Cows milk originating in this
to cows milk. country contains the A1 protein unless a prod-
uct label specifically says it doesnt. Goat milk
Dairy Wont Help You Lose Weight or products contain only the A2 protein. Theyre
Protect Your Bones safe. Some sheeps milk products contain the A2
protein. When in doubt, do without. But sheeps
The studies say you can lose weight by get-
cheese is more likely to be safer to eat than
ting more calcium in your diet. You can. But you
cheese made from cows milk, especially if it
wont lose weight drinking cows milk or eating
comes from New Zealand or Australia.
cheese made from cows milk.
You can find goat milk products milk,
As Ive said, that type of calcium isnt good
yogurt, hard and soft cheeses in specialty gro-
for you anyway -- since A1 dairy products lead to
cery and health food stores. Goat milk products
heart disease and other health problems. And
dont have a strong goat taste or smell. One of
milk from the dairy cow causes blood to be
my favorite brands is Redwood Hill Farm. They
acidic, which is not good for weight loss. Most
make a variety of goat milk yogurts, kefir, and
people have no idea this is a factor in weight loss.
cheeses that are certified grade A and delicious.
You see, your body's acid-alkaline balance
And, the good news is, sheep and goat milk
is one of the key factors in whether or not you
products are alkalizing so they will help you
lose weight. When your blood is more alkaline
lose weight! But theres another trick that works
you lose weight faster. Thats because alkalinity
decreases food cravings and food sensitivities. If
your cravings decrease, you'll eat less. If you
An Even Better Way to Get Calcium
have fewer food sensitivities, your tissues won't Plus Lose Weight, and Protect Bones
hold on to excess water weight. Theres another safe way to get the calcium
What are food sensitivities? They are the you need and it doesnt involve drugstore cal-
foods you tend to crave. People with food sensi-
19
cium supplements. Buffered Vitamin C magnifies this phenomenon.
My friend and mentor, nutrition writer The concept of using a buffered vitamin C
Betty Kamen, PhD, wrote a book about it. Betty product with highly absorbable forms of calcium
discovered a supplement that contains the right and magnesium for weight control makes sense
kind of calcium specifically designed to alkalinize to me.
your blood. Why magnesium? Many of us are magne-
Buffered Vitamin C was invented by sium-deficient (youll read more about this in the
Stephen Levine, PhD, the founder of NutriCology, next chapter). The balance of calcium to magne-
for people with drug addictions. Then he found it sium is critical to whether your bones absorb cal-
helped people lose weight, as well. cium or not. Im always looking at the balance of
You see, Buffered Vitamin C powder con- calcium to magnesium.
tains calcium carbonate. This form of calcium is For that reason, I think it's wise to consider
not as well absorbed as other forms and can adding even more magnesium to the Buffered
potentially contribute to atherosclerosis and Vitamin C powder than it contains. How much?
arthritis. As I've said many times: either take equal
But the calcium carbonate in this propri- amounts of these two minerals or increase mag-
etary formula binds to the ascorbic acid in the nesium to bowel tolerance.
vitamin C, and is transformed into an ascorbate For weight loss, take one-quarter to one-
form. Calcium ascorbate is well absorbed and half teaspoon of NutriCology's Buffered Vitamin
actually makes your system more alkaline! The C powder mixed in a glass of water between
same is true with the magnesium carbonate and meals twice a day. If this is the right supplement
potassium carbonate in this formula. All become for you, you'll get results with the first bottle.
ascorbates and help alkalinize your system. All buffered C is not the same. You only
That's not all. want one with calcium, magnesium, and potassi-
Calcium reduces food cravings in some um in carbonate form. Also, the source of vitamin
people. When it's combined with magnesium and C in this product is cassava root, which is both
potassium, and added to ascorbic acid, it stops gentle on the system and alkalinizing. Buffered
cravings even better. Calcium sends out a signal Vitamin C from NutriCology is found in many
to your body that it doesn't need any more food. health food stores or may be ordered by calling
It also tells your body that it doesn't have to store 800-545-9960.
fat for the coming famine because there is no If you're going to use calcium to lose
famine. No stored fat equals no weight gain. weight, use the right kind, and use it responsibly.

20
Chapter 7:

Calciums Partner How This


Overlooked Osteoporosis Mineral Can
Help Prevent Bone Loss AND
Arthritis, PMS, and Heart Disease
As Ive already discussed, calcium absorp- Making Bones Strong: Chalk vs. Ivory
tion is critical to healthy bones. But most women
cant absorb the excess calcium they take. So it When we talk about healthy bones, the
builds up in your arteries, your heart, and your issue of flexibility is an important one.
kidneys. Flexibility may be the determining factor in
To really understand how to protect your whether or not your bones break when you fall,
bones, you need to discover the real truth about as you get older. The more flexible your bones,
bones. Most people think of bone as a hard per- the less likely you are to break them.
manent substance the skeletal infrastructure Yes, bone density is part of osteoporosis
of our bodies. But bone is living tissue that con- but its simply the part we can now easily meas-
stantly undergoes remodeling. It goes through an ure. Bone flexibility may be even more important.
alternating process of the removal or resorp- New highly sophisticated tests can determine
tion of old bone, and formation of new bone. whether or not your bones are flexible or brittle.
In healthy tissue, bone-removing cells carve But most doctors dont have access to them yet.
out cavities in the bones surface, while cells that This is why doctors talk only about how dense
form bone fill in these cavities. Thanks to this your bones are. Its not all there is that your doc-
remodeling process, about one-fifth of your tor can measure.
skeleton is replaced each year. Calcium contains properties that make
Thats right. Every five years or so, your bones brittle, while magnesium binds to protein
bones are completely reformed. So the steps you in your bones and keeps them supple and flexi-
take now will make a difference in strengthening ble. Take a look at two substances in nature with
those bones. No matter what your age is, you still relationship to these properties of suppleness and
have time to build stronger bones! brittleness: chalk and ivory.
Of course, most people dont think about Chalk is pure calcium carbonate, the stuff
this when they are young. During your first 30 they put in most cheap mineral supplements to
years, your body forms more bone than it loses. help you meet your daily requirements. Take a
Sometime in your early 30s, you reach peak bone new piece of chalk and drop it. Watch it break.
density, and the balance begins to shift to the loss Then compare it with a piece of ivory the same
column. size taken from an elephants tusk. The ivory is a
combination of calcium and magnesium. The
Bone loss is a natural part of the aging ivory bounces and doesnt break.
process. By age 70 or 80, women will have lost
about one-third to one-half of their bone mass. In Now, which do your bones need, more cal-
men, bone mass also declines as a natural part of cium or more magnesium?
aging about 20 to 30% by comparison but Guy E. Abraham, MD, a research gynecolo-
the decline is slower and begins from a point of gist and endocrinologist in Torrance, California,
higher density. believes we can get sufficient calcium from our
In osteoporosis, however, the loss is much foods without taking additional amounts in sup-
greater. Your body doesnt form enough bone or plement form. His supplements, which studies
it removes too much or both. As a result, show can improve bones, are lower than most in
bones become fragile and break easily, leaving calcium.
people vulnerable to pain and injury. You need more magnesium to make your

21
bones more like ivory and less like chalk. You can another may either create calcium malabsorp-
get that magnesium from supplements and from tion or a magnesium deficiency.
food as well. Only additional magnesium can break this
Heres what you should do when your doc- cycle, as a study in International Clinical
tor suggests you take more calcium or consider Nutrition Review reported. Researchers gave vol-
taking hormones or other prescription drugs to unteers on a low-magnesium diet both calcium
increase your bone density. Simply ask them and vitamin D supplements. All of the subjects
what they suggest to make your bones more flex- were magnesium-deficient, and all but one
ible. If they dont have an answer, tell them about became deficient in calcium, as well, in spite of
magnesium. the fact that they were getting more calcium in
Thats because most women dont need their diet.
more supplemental calcium. They need to be able When the researchers gave them intra-
to absorb the calcium they already get from a cal- venous calcium infusions, the level of calcium in
cium-rich diet. And the absolute best way to do their blood rose for the duration of the intra-
this is with the nutrient magnesium. venous feedings. When the researchers stopped
Recently, a study published in the Journal the intravenous calcium, blood levels of calcium
of Applied Nutrition showed an increase in bone dropped again.
density in postmenopausal women who took However, when the researchers gave them
more magnesium and less calcium than has been magnesium, their magnesium levels rose rapidly
generally recommended. and stabilized, but their calcium levels did some-
Yes, magnesium is a mineral we hear little thing surprising. Their calcium levels also rose
about. I know this goes against everything youve within a few days even though the researchers
ever read about calcium. So lets delve a bit deep- had not given them any additional calcium. The
er to understand magnesiums role. Please bear additional calcium didnt come from diet. It came
with me, as this gets a little technical. from their body. It was already there. It just
When women take large amounts of calci- couldnt be used. Now their bones could absorb
um, the level of calcium is elevated in the the calcium they already had.
blood. This can happen when taking calcium This is amazing! Magnesium clearly makes
supplements, or by eating a diet high in dairy calcium easier for your bones to absorb. But thats
and low in whole grains and beans. not all. While magnesium helps move calcium
This high-calcium level stimulates the secre- into bones, to reduce risk for osteoporosis, the
tion of a hormone called calcitonin. At the same benefits of magnesium dont stop there.
time, excess calcium suppresses the secretion of
the parathyroid hormone (PTH). These hormones Magnesiums Effect on Other Health
regulate the levels of calcium in the bones and Problems
soft tissues, and are related directly to osteoporo-
Magnesium is also helpful in eliminating
sis and osteoarthritis.
premenstrual syndrome.
PTH draws calcium out of the bones and
Thats because magnesium helps the body
deposits it in the soft tissues, while calcitonin
utilize B vitamins, as well as inactivate excessive
increases calcium in the bones.
estrogens. And it is these conditions, low quanti-
The optimum execution of these two deli- ties of B vitamins and high estrogen to proges-
cate functions is dependent upon having suffi- terone ratios, which contribute to premenstrual
cient magnesium. Because magnesium suppress- moodiness and irritability.
es PTH and stimulates calcitonin, it helps move
calcium into our bones. Magnesium Also Lowers Your
This chemical action helps prevent Heart Disease Risk!
osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
A magnesium deficiency, however, will pre- In most studies of women and heart dis-
vent this chemical action. ease, the magnesium factor is being overlooked.
And taking more calcium is not the solu- In fact, magnesium may even be more important
tion. While magnesium helps the body absorb than calcium in reducing your incidence of heart
and utilize calcium, excessive calcium blocks the disease.
absorption of magnesium. Taking more calcium Consider this: Calcium causes muscles to
without adequate magnesium and what is contract. Magnesium, on the other hand, causes
adequate for one woman may be insufficient for muscles to relax and your heart is a muscle.

22
A recent randomized, controlled trial using pull calcium from the bones where its needed.
magnesium in about 4,000 patients with acute Yes, too much protein can actually deplete
myocardial infarction (heart attacks) showed that your bones of calcium!
there were fewer deaths in people who were One study, reported in the American
given magnesium than in those who did not take Journal of Clinical Nutrition of 1,600 women,
this mineral. found that those who followed a vegetarian diet
The study recommends giving magnesium for at least 20 years had only an 18 percent loss of
to all patients during acute heart attacks, and bone mineral by age 80, while meat eaters had a
suggests this long-overlooked mineral may be 35 percent bone mineral loss!
beneficial when it is added to traditional medical Also, dairy products contain nine times as
treatments. Today, in many hospitals, emergency much calcium as magnesium. If you have been
medical personnel often give magnesium at the eating a lot of dairy products along with few
first sign of a heart attack. or no grains, nuts, and beans (which are rich in
Postmenopausal women those at highest magnesium) you have probably upset your
risk of heart disease would be wise to consider calcium/magnesium ratio even further.
a diet higher in magnesium (whole grains and In addition, most nutritional supplements
beans) and lower in calcium (dairy products). contain twice as much calcium as magnesium.
Nutritional supplements that contain equal But again, because weve eaten so much
amounts of calcium and magnesium are avail- dairy and so few grains, beans, and nuts our
able. Some, formulated specifically for post- bodies have come to need as much magnesium as
menopausal women, already contain more mag- calcium, or even more magnesium. For example,
nesium than calcium. to bring yourself back into a chemical balance,
And, high-calcium diets may actually you would have to eat three cups of brown rice
increase the risk of stroke, another leading cause every day to compensate for one small serving of
of death in women as well as men. A UCLA dairy.
study recently reported in the Journal of Clinical Because white rice has most of its magne-
Investigation suggests that artery wall cells are sium removed, along with fiber and many other
able to form bone tissue and high-calcium diets nutrients, you would need to eat 10 cups of white
may contribute to such growth. In turn, this bone rice to balance one portion of calcium-rich foods.
growth may contribute to the development of
hardening of the arteries and blockages, which Restoring Your Calcium and
can cause strokes.
Magnesium Balance
Heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis,
PMS all negative health effects from magne- What can you do to help protect yourself
sium deficiency! Im sure, for most people, this is against osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, and
breaking news. Lets get to the heart of the prob- eliminate PMS symptoms as well as reduce your
lem risk of arthritis?
Begin with a magnesium-rich diet.
Whats Causing This Trend in Quit eating refined foods. Many of the
Magnesium Deficiency? foods we eat have been refined, like rice, baked
goods, and pasta. And magnesium is one nutri-
To some extent, our obsession with weight
ent removed in the refining process and not
control may be responsible for much of our cur-
added back in enriched products.
rent magnesium deficiency. We eat (or drink) too
much dairy. Increase your consumption of whole
grains like brown rice, millet, buckwheat (kasha),
We have been assured that high quantities
whole wheat, triticale, quinoa, and rye.
of non-fat dairy products, like milk and yogurt,
were both safe and beneficial. Thats simply not Eat lots of legumes, including lentils, split
true. Too much dairy upsets the bodys balance of peas, and all varieties of beans.
calcium and magnesium. A whole grain cereal or bread in the morn-
When you increase dairy products even ing, a cup of bean soup at lunch, a snack of
low-fat or reduced-fat you are upsetting this whole grain crackers or popcorn, and a serving of
balance of calcium and magnesium. But thats not brown rice, millet, or other grain with dinner will
the only problem with too much dairy go a long way to help increase your magnesium
intake.
The high protein content of dairy, especially
when combined with other animal products, can Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, too. Fresh

23
produce and whole grains will provide your Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) of 350
body with many other essential minerals in addi- milligrams per day for women of all ages.
tion to calcium and magnesium. And its especial- Can you take too much magnesium? Its
ly important for you to not overlook one vitamin unlikely, says Melvyn R. Werbach, MD, author
or mineral for another, since all work together to of Healing Through Nutrition (HarperCollins,
supply you with the nutrients you need. May 1993) and Nutritional Influences on Illness,
Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach a health practitioners reference book. His
contain plenty of vitamin K, which is also good research into medical studies has not found any
for bones. cases of magnesium toxicity from taking it in the
form of oral supplementation.
Sugar, Alcohol, and Your Bones Guy E. Abraham, MD, a research gynecolo-
gist and endocrinologist in Torrance, California,
For strong, healthy bones, its critical to gave postmenopausal women 200 to 1,000 mg of
greatly reduce sugar in your diet. Refined sugar magnesium a day to strengthen their bones. He
and alcohol cause magnesium to be excreted in based the amount he gave each woman on bowel
the urine. Sugar also causes calcium to leach tolerance enough magnesium to cause soft
from your bones. stools, but not diarrhea.
This includes chocolate. Most chocolate These women showed an average bone den-
contains an excessive amount of sugar, so try to sity increase of 11% in one year, by adjusting
develop a taste for dark chocolate that is 80 to their diets to increase magnesium (600-1,000
90% cocoa. mg/day) and lower calcium (500 mg/day).
In fact, you may think your chocolate crav- Another study touting the benefits of mag-
ings are due to a sweet tooth, but they may be an nesium for postmenopausal women, this one
indication that you have a calcium/magnesium from Israel, also suggests it is magnesium not
imbalance. Cocoa powder contains more magne- calcium that protects our bones from the thin-
sium than any other food, so you may crave ning characteristic of osteoporosis as we age.
chocolate if your body needs more magnesium,
less calcium, or both. In the Israeli study, researchers gave 31
postmenopausal women 250 to 750 mg of magne-
Diets that are excessive in sugar contribute sium each day for two years. In almost 75% of
to premenstrual bloating and weight gain. When the women, their bone density actually increased
you increase your magnesium and decrease calci- in some, as much as eight percent. Women
um, eventually the chocolate cravings will leave who refused additional magnesium had a loss of
and chocolate will be more a flavor you enjoy bone density from 1% to 3% an expected
than a craving that drives you. decrease according to most medical doctors.
How Much Magnesium? Most studies on the effect of increasing the
amount of calcium in the diet show that calcium
How much magnesium does your body merely slows the rate of bone loss by an average
need? of around 50%, but does not prevent or reverse
According to the late Dr. Mildred Seelig, osteoporosis.
past executive president of the American College For many women, getting sufficient magne-
of Nutrition, we need about 200 milligrams more sium is a missing link to reduce the risks of
than we get in an average diet. She suggests that osteoporosis, heart disease, and arthritis, as well
geriatric patients on a good diet take between 700 as eliminate PMS symptoms. But magnesium
and 800 milligrams of magnesium supplements isnt the only nutrient you need to really protect
each day. This is considerably more than the your bones.

24
Chapter 8:

Calciums Ally How This Little-


Known Nutrient Works With Calcium to
Cut Your Risk of Spinal Fracture in Half
For maximum bone support, theres a little- daily, depending on how much gets into fruits
known trace element that can double or even and vegetables from the soil and water, and how
triple your bone density! This supplement I think much is in our drinking water. Strontium makes
is far superior to calcium. Its a powerful, well- bones stronger and denser when taken in larger
researched therapy thats been shown to make doses.
your bones 18% thicker cut the risk of fracture Calcium and strontium are almost identical
by 50% and even erase up to 10 years of bone in their ability to accumulate in bone. Together,
loss or more! Yet most doctors dont even they increase bone density more than calcium
know about it. alone.
Strontium works if youve got low bone
What Is This Forgotten Nutrient? density and have suffered at least one compres-
What is this incredibly powerful yet sion fracture. One study, published in The New
overlooked bone-building breakthrough? It is England Journal of Medicine, looked at more than
a natural mineral called strontium. 1,600 women with low bone mineral density. All
of the women had suffered at least one compres-
This mineral appears to be one of the most sion fracture in their spines.
effective substances found yet for preventing and
treating osteoporosis. Because of its chemical Those who took strontium cut their risk of
similarity to calcium, it can replace lost calcium new fractures by 49% in the first year. Thats
in your bones and teeth, increasing bone density. nearly half! They also increased bone density in
Plus, it appears to draw extra calcium into your their backs by 14.4% and in their necks by 8.3%
bones, making them thicker and stronger. on average! Thats equivalent to reversing 10 or
more years of bone loss!
Numerous human clinical studies have
demonstrated the effectiveness of strontium. It works if you only have slightly thinning
They show this mineral is critical to helping you bones. In one study, researchers gave either
build bones of steel that make you resistant to strontium or a placebo to women with slightly
life-threatening fractures. One three-year study reduced bone density in their spines and necks.
published in the New England Journal of Medicine They found women who took strontium were
involved 1,649 postmenopausal women diag- 52% less likely to suffer compression fractures or
nosed with osteoporosis. ANY kind of fracture. Another study included
women with slight bone loss in their spines. Of
Women who took this mineral, along with those who took strontium for three years, more
calcium and vitamin D, cut their risk of fracture than 58% normalized their bone density.
by 49% in the first year of treatment thats
nearly in half! Plus, they increased the bone den- It works if youre over age 80 and at high
sity in their backs by 14.4% and in their necks by risk of hip or other serious fracture. In another
8.3% on average. By contrast, those who took study, researchers gave elderly women between
only calcium and vitamin D saw no increase in the ages of 80 and 100 either strontium or a
bone density. placebo. Those women who took strontium
reduced their risk of fracture by as much as 59%
In fact, studies of strontium have been in just the first year. After three years, up to 32%
appearing in prestigious medical journals since remained fracture-free. Researchers concluded,
the 1980s! Even in the oldest old, it is not too late to reduce
Strontium is a naturally occurring element fracture risk.
found in soil and water. The amount of strontium It works for men as well as women. A
found in our diets is probably between 2 to 4 mg German study looked at the effects of strontium

25
in men with low bone mineral density. After one prone to collapsing. One study found a 20%
year, the men who took strontium experienced reduction in the rate of height loss in post-
30% fewer fractures, an 80% reduction in height menopausal women who took strontium.
loss, and significantly less back pain.
Strontium is able to stave off bone loss and Proven to Draw Minerals Into Your Bones
increase bone density at the same time. Thats and Make Them 18% Thicker
unheard of. NO other nutrient does both!
Scientists have identified exactly how stron-
Yet you need a therapy that does both,
tium works to increase bone density and lower
because your body is always breaking down and
your risk of fracture. In one recent study pub-
rebuilding your bones. Believe it or not, about
lished in the Journal of Bone Mineral Density
10% of your skeleton is broken down and rebuilt
Research, scientists collected bone biopsies from
every year! Your body completely replaces your
people who had been using strontium for five
larger arm and leg bones every 10 to 12 years.
years or more. Then they compared them to those
And your smaller bones, like those in your fin-
from people who had been taking a placebo.
gers and toes, are replaced every two years.
While examining these bone biopsies, the
This constant bone remodeling process
scientists analyzed the mineral layers inside the
relies on cells called osteoclasts to remove old
tissue that forms the bone. They looked at the
bone. It also uses cells called osteoblasts to pro-
number of bone-forming osteoblasts covering the
duce new bone to replace the bone thats broken
bones. They also measured the thickness of the
down.
bones themselves.
But sometimes hormonal changes, lifestyle
The scientists found significantly higher
and dietary factors can affect this bone remodel-
amounts of minerals and bone-forming
ing cycle, increasing the amount of bone thats
osteoblasts, along with bones that were 18%
broken down and decreasing the amount
thicker on average. By performing these tests, the
replaced. Thats why you may be losing more
scientists were able to explain the dramatic
bone faster than your body is able to rebuild as
changes in bone density and thickness seen in
you get older. In fact, postmenopausal women
strontium studies. But thats not all
normally lose about 1% of their bone each year.

The Strontium Secret to Stronger, Denser Also Builds More Flexible Bones Than
Bones That Wont Break Other Therapies Without Dangerous
Side Effects
Heres where strontium does double duty.
First, it helps your body maintain more of the Another study looked at the effects of stron-
good, healthy bone it already has. Thats because tium on women who used this supplement for
strontium is denser than calcium and other min- two years. Scientists used bone-imaging technolo-
erals found in bone tissue. So its much more gy to examine the womens bone density, quality,
resistant to removal by osteoclasts, the cells in and thickness. They found the women taking
your bones that constantly break down bone. strontium developed stronger, thicker, and more
flexible bones.
Second, strontium stimulates bone-building
osteoclasts to quickly form new bone tissue. It Why is it so important to build flexible
does this by acting like a liquid magnet to bones? Because brittleness is what causes bones
draw extra minerals into your bones. This added to break even if theyre dense. But if your bones
mineral uptake makes your bones thicker and are strong and flexible, they wont break if you
stronger in a relatively short amount of time take a sudden fall. Strontium and magnesium
less than a year in most cases! are the only nutrients I know of that have been
shown to make your bones more flexible.
Sometimes you can see results even faster.
One study, conducted at the prestigious McGill Strontium is also perfectly safe. In the 100
University in Montreal, looked at patients who or more studies done on humans, there were NO
took strontium for only six months. These dangerous side effects found. Some studies were
patients showed a remarkable 172% increase in done on women who used strontium for eight
the rate of bone formation. Thats pretty amazing! years. And the studies that looked at bone biop-
sies found the quality of bone was preserved fol-
Other studies show strontium can also help
lowing strontium treatment, further supporting
you stand taller and maintain your height as you
its safety.
age. Thats increasingly important as the verte-
brae in your spine grow more fragile and become You can see how strontium can help you

26
build stronger, thicker bones that are more resist- How Much Strontium Do You Need?
ant to fractures. Thats why I made sure I put a
full 500 mg of strontium in each daily dose of Studies suggest it takes 300-600 mg a day of
Ultimate Bone Support, based on the latest scien- strontium, while others say a minimum of one
tific research. In a review of 116 other supple- gram. We need additional studies to know just
ments Ive found that contain strontium, almost how much strontium it takes to protect the bones
all of them give you far less a mere fraction of of older women who already have osteoporosis.
the amount seen to work in studies. But since it appears to be non-toxic, you may
But as hard working and effective as stron- want to give it a one-year trial.
tium is, its not the only nutrient you need to Most studies on strontium have used a syn-
keep your bones strong and healthy as you age. thetic form called strontium ranelate. The reason
Research shows you need a combination of nutri- for this is simple: Strontium ranelate is a drug
ents to address the many different aspects of patented by Servier Pharmaceuticals.
bone health Pharmaceutical companies can afford to pay for
expensive trials, and the research on strontium
Got an Aching Back or Joint Pain? ranelate is compelling.
Strontium Helps You There, Too! But strontium ranelate isnt the only form of
strontium that builds bone. It may only be the
If you suffer from bone loss, its not just the most expensive form. An older study used stron-
fear of a painful, debilitating fracture that may be tium lactate to treat osteoporosis at the Mayo
bothering you. Your back and other joints might Clinic. In this study, scientists gave 1.7 grams of
be hurting right now! strontium lactate three times a day, one hour
When you have even slight bone loss in before meals. They found that 84% of the patients
your spine, youre much more prone to compres- in this study had marked improvement.
sion fractures that trigger miserable backaches. Strontium gluconate and strontium carbonate
This chronic back pain can take a devastating toll also have been used to successfully remineralize
on your ability to exercise, walk, shop, spend bone.
time with your family and friends, get a good There are enough studies on strontiums
nights sleep, or simply enjoy life to the fullest. safety and effectiveness in bone health for me to
The good news is, research shows taking suggest you seriously consider it. Strontium is
strontium can help reduce and even eliminate completely nontoxic, even when administered in
chronic back pain. One study looked at women large doses.
who had suffered multiple compression fractures Whats more, a two-year, double-blind
and were experiencing frequent back pain. study found strontium to be safer than a placebo!
Not only did those women who took stron- Not only did the women taking strontium signifi-
tium notice significantly less discomfort, more cantly increase their bone mineral density, they
than 31% became completely free of back pain experienced fewer side effects than those taking
after 3 years. And they felt most of the improve- the placebo.
ment within the first year of treatment! In one study, researchers showed a signifi-
In fact, taking strontium can help you cant increase in bone density for healthy, younger
notice less discomfort in ALL of your jointsnot postmenopausal women. They found that there
just your back. Thats because this powerful min- was a 2.4% increased benefit after taking one
eral helps fend off joint damage. It actually saves gram of strontium ranelate for two years. On the
your joints from the normal wear-and-tear other hand, another study found that just 680 mg
destruction that happens over time. (roughly two-thirds of a gram) of strontium
In one large Danish study, researchers reduced the risk of a vertebral fracture by 41%.
pulled together a group of more than 2,600 post- This is impressive.
menopausal women who had suffered bone loss. If youre at high risk for osteoporosis, stron-
They gave half of them strontium and the other tium may be just the ticket. With no toxicity
half a placebo. After just 3 months, those women reported, its at least worth talking over with
taking strontium showed 15 to 20% less cartilage your doctor.
deterioration than the women taking the placebo. I would certainly take 450-650 mg of stron-
You, too, can see dramatic relief for your tium daily before considering Fosamax or other
aching back and joints once you start taking pharmaceuticals, which have unwanted side
strontium each day. effects. I also recommend you focus your osteo-
porosis treatment on magnesium and strontium

27
rather than overdo calcium or take supplemental have started taking Ultimate Bone Support. In
vitamin K. The latter is important for your bones, fact, many have been taking this powerful formu-
but you dont want to take too much of vitamin K. la for a while. And theyve been so inspired by
Strontium citrate, strontium lactate, and their results to write and tell me how much its
strontium gluconate can be found in some sup- helping them.
plements in health food stores. I would choose For example, Karen from California found
strontium citrate, as it is very well-absorbed in out she had slight bone loss after undergoing a
the intestine so it will have the greatest effect. bone density test. Heres Karens story
There is one important note we need to add
to our discussion of strontium. Since strontium is 72-Year-Old Woman Strengthens Bones
structurally similar to calcium, it can compete Naturally and Stays Active and Healthy
with calcium. So its vital you take strontium
away from calcium and magnesium both in foods Years ago, Karen saw her mother suddenly
and supplements. In other words, if youre get- fall and break a hip, go into a nursing home, and
ting calcium and magnesium with breakfast or spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. So,
another meal, take the strontium before bed or in when Karens doctor told her she had mild bone
the afternoon on an empty stomach. This will loss after reviewing her bone density test results,
prevent the minerals from competing with each she didnt take this diagnosis lightly.
other. Karen followed her doctors recommenda-
So, if strontium is the secret to truly strong, tions at first, but decided she wanted to take a
supple, unbreakable bones natural approach. So she increased her intake of
vitamin K. She also took calcium, but was con-
Why Isnt Your Doctor Telling cerned about taking too much.
You About This Exciting Breakthrough? Karen began wondering what other nutri-
ents she could take for bone health. Then, she
Chances are your doctor never heard about received a bulletin in the mail about Ultimate
these studies on strontium in medical school. Bone Support. The information on strontium
Thats because the majority of these studies took looked promising, so she decided to take action.
place in just the past decade. After taking this formula for a while, she
Whats more, strontium is completely natu- went back to her doctor for another bone density
ral. So drug companies have been unable to come test. Her results were so good, Karen decided to
up with a form of strontium they could patent write me the following letter
and use to make huge profits except for stron-
tium ranelate which is patented by Servier February 5, 2010
Pharmaceuticals. If most drug companies arent Dear Dr. Fuchs:
selling it, most doctors arent hearing about it. Im thrilled to report that after two years of
As a result, the only so-called solutions taking Ultimate Bone Support (no other treat-
your doctor has to offer you are the same ones ment) and your suggested amount of calcium,
youve been hearing for years. Thats why Im my bone density report came back with the fol-
writing this book to show you the research and lowing results: 10.7% improvement in the hip
proven results from strontium. and 7.7% in the spine from the last test (2 years
And, its why, in 2007, I created a bone ago).
health supplement that contains strontium. I Im so happy. I also exercise regularly
called it Ultimate Bone Support. This advanced (weight training, aerobics, hiking, walking, yoga).
formula gives you the ideal mix of bone-building I will be 72 in April.
nutrients based on the latest cutting-edge science. Thank you for your enlightened reporting
It is the best way to help you keep your bones on women and bone density. I will continue to
strong and resistant to fractures as you age. If use Ultimate Bone Support (my husband too)
you have difficulty finding strontium, you can and pass on information about this excellent
get this formula from Advanced Bionutritionals product to friends.
by calling 800-791-3395.
Warm regards,
So far, more than 49,000 women (and men) Karen OConnor

28
Chapter 9:

The Only Therapy That Makes Bones


Stronger and Fracture-Resistant
Ive got another story to tell you, that of In fact, so many factors are involved in keeping
Donna, from Wisconsin. Donnas doctor thought your bones strong and healthy, several nutrients
she was crazy to take a natural approach to besides strontium play an important role. Thats
bone loss. But Donna started taking calcium and why Ultimate Bone Support also gives you nine
vitamin D anyway. And when she found out other crucial bone-building nutrients to ensure
about Ultimate Bone Support plus calcium and peak bone health.
magnesium, she decided to take these nutrients You may not be getting enough of these
instead. superstar nutrients in your diet or from supple-
Shortly thereafter, Donna began seeing a ments. In fact, some of these nutrients are hard to
significant improvement in her bone density find anywhere except in this formula. Let me
tests. Of course, her doctor tried to deny it was explain what they are and why I included them,
due to the supplement she was taking. But starting with
Donnas results speak for themselves. At age 70,
shes able to walk four miles a day. And even The Essential Bone-Building Partner
though shes slipped and fallen on icy sidewalks, Youre Not Getting Enough Of
shes never broken a bone!
The #1 reason I believe Ultimate Bone You may not realize this, but vitamin K isnt
Support is working so well for so many women a single vitamin. Its actually a group of plant
like Karen and Donna is because it contains compounds. And theyre found mainly in dark-
strontium and some of the best bone-building green, leafy vegetables like kale, turnip greens,
nutrients available. I just told you about stron- collards, and Swiss chard.
tium, so now Ill tell you about other nutrients If you dont eat at least one generous serv-
that build and protect bones. ing of these vegetables every day, youre proba-
bly not getting enough vitamin K from your diet.
A Combination of the Worlds Best Nutri- Its found only in trace amounts in meat, cereal,
ents to Give Your Bones TOTAL Support and other grains. And most multivitamins leave
out this important nutrient altogether.
Having healthy bones is about more than Yet you need vitamin K for strong bones. In
maintaining good bone density and fending off fact, vitamin K is required for getting calcium
dangerous fractures. You need a strong skeleton into your bonesand keeping it there. Thats
to give form to your body, and allow you to sit, especially important since calcium is what your
stand, and walk. Your bones also protect vital body uses to actually build bones.
organs for example, your ribs guard your heart The trouble is the calcium you get from
and lungs, while your skull covers your brain. your diet and supplements doesnt always get
But thats not all. Your bones also play a into your bones. As Ive said before, much of it
central role in your bodys overall health. They ends up elsewhere in your body, where it creates
act as a bank for vital mineral reserves, needed big problems.
for all your bodys organs and tissues. They pro- Keeps wayward calcium out of your joints
duce red and white blood cells within bone mar- and arteries and moves it into your bones
row to support immune function and supply where its needed most
oxygen to your body.
Excess calcium settles in and around your
Whats more, new research at Columbia joints, causing them to swell up and become
University Medical Center shows your bones painful. It sticks to your artery walls, turning
secrete hormones that help control blood sugar into artery-clogging plaque. It builds up in your
metabolism and weight. brain, where it triggers poor memory and mood
You can see how complex your bones are. problems.

29
Thats why you need vitamin K. Vitamin K has a keen mind and lives on her own on the
makes sure the calcium you consume gets where third floor of a row house. So what does she con-
its needed mostyour bones! In fact, Im not sider the secret to her remarkable longevity and
surprised research shows vitamin K may be more continued independence?
useful for increasing bone density than calcium I drink stout. Its good for you, baby! this
supplements. feisty lady recently told The Washington Post.
In a study of postmenopausal women She admits to a particular fondness for a smoothie
already suffering from bone loss, researchers made of Guinness stout mixed with Ensure, a
gave some of them calcium and some vitamin K. drop of vanilla flavoring, and a sprinkle of nut-
Those women who took vitamin K showed a sig- meg.
nificant increase in bone density. Meanwhile, the Betsy is right beer is a rich source of nutri-
women who took calcium actually saw their bone ents that can keep your bones strong. Thats espe-
density decrease! cially true of beer with high amounts of hops,
Upping your vitamin K intake can also cut like stout.
your risk of hip fractures. This was proven in a 7- Now theres a better way to enjoy the bone-
year study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture building benefits of hops, thanks to a patented
(USDA) and Tufts University. The study found that hops. A hops extract, which I included in Ultimate
older adults with higher dietary intakes of vitamin Bone Support, contains potent compounds that
K were 57% less likely to break a hip during that can slow bone loss to a crawl.
period. Thats right, they cut their risk by more
than halfsimply by getting more vitamin K! Saves Healthy Bone From Being
Needlessly Destroyed
A Natural, Easily Absorbed Form You
Can Take With Confidence Even if Youre As I explained earlier, your body is con-
on Blood Thinners stantly breaking down and rebuilding bone. But
once you hit age 40, theres often more bone bro-
You can see why its so important to get ken down than is rebuilt. Thats because hormon-
enough vitamin K. But you also have to make al changes can trigger an imbalance in bone
sure youre getting the right kind. Vitamin K2 is metabolism.
better than the cheaper K1 form typically found This imbalance can throw your entire
in supplements. Its also safer. bone remodeling process out of whack.
Thats because vitamin K1 is primarily used Osteoclasts may become overly active, breaking
by your liver to promote blood clotting. Too down perfectly healthy bone. At the same time,
much K1 can interfere with certain blood-clotting osteoblasts have a harder time turning minerals
therapies. into new bone.
Vitamin K2 doesnt interfere with these This makes your bones become thinner,
therapies. Thats because its used by your bodys weaker, and more prone to fracture. Not only do
tissues such as your bones and teeth instead you lose bone, you can gradually lose inches in
of your liver. It draws calcium in where its need- height.
ed and keeps it from building up where it doesnt Hops extract helps reverse this destructive
belong. cycle. It actually halts the abnormal breakdown
Ultimate Bone Support gives you vitamin K2 of bone by slowing down bone-destroying osteo-
in its natural form, called menaquinone-7 or MK- clasts. So it reduces bone loss by saving healthy
7 for short. MK-7 comes from natto, a fermented bone from being needlessly destroyed.
food derived from soy. Because its natural, this Chances are youre not getting these potent
form is much more easily absorbed by your compounds found in hops in your daily diet.
bodyas much as 10 times better absorbed. Thats why I included it in Ultimate Bone Support
Now let me tell you about another powerful to give you an added boost to stave off bone
nutrient that can help keep your bones strong no loss.
matter how long you live, even into your 100s But theres another nutrient youre probably
not getting either. And you need it to form the
The New Hops Breakthrough connective tissue that keeps your bones and
that Slows Bone Loss to a Crawl joints strong.
Last year, in Washington, DC, Betsy
Stanford celebrated her 107th birthday. Betsy still

30
The Collagen Secret to a Hard as Nails If youre wondering if youre getting
Skeleton enough vitamin D, one sign could be those every-
day aches and pains you may think are due to
You probably dont think of your bones as simply getting older. Muscle and bone pain is an
connective tissue. But they are. So are the carti- often overlooked, yet well-documented sign of
lage that makes up your joints and the fibers that vitamin D deficiency. Even more important, if
make up your tendons and ligaments. Even youre not getting enough vitamin D, youre at
blood is considered connective tissue! much greater risk of fracture.
Collagen, the main building block of con- In a study published in the Journal of the
nective tissue, is also a crucial ingredient in bone American Medical Association (JAMA), 50% of
tissue. Both collagen and minerals are important women hospitalized for hip fractures were found
for strong bones although most people only to have a vitamin D deficiency. And in a large
think about getting enough minerals and ignore controlled study of elderly French women pub-
the importance of healthy collagen. lished in the New England Journal of Medicine,
Why is collagen so important? Think about there was a 43% reduction in the number of hip
building a wall out of plaster. You need wire fractures in those treated with 800 IU of vitamin
mesh to hold the wall together. Then you put D.
plaster over the mesh to solidify it. When it Based on this research, I made sure you get
comes to your bones, collagen acts as the mesh at least a full 800 IU of vitamin D3 in each daily
and minerals act as the plaster. amount of Ultimate Bone Support. Vitamin D3 is
An amino acid called L-lysine helps lay the natural form of vitamin D your body makes
down the mesh that holds your bones together on its own when its exposed to sunlight. Its also
by linking together collagen fibers. This builds the easiest form for your bones to absorb.
the foundation for strong, flexible bones, as well Plus this comprehensive formula gives you
as cartilage. In fact, lysine is a necessary building five more bone-building superstars you may be
block for all protein, and promotes tissue repair missing out on, including:
as well as recovery from muscle injuries. BoronBoron is an important nutrient for
Lysine also helps your body better absorb healthy bones and joints. Not only does it help
the calcium you get from your diet or other sup- get calcium and other minerals into your bones
plements you may be taking. But while lysine is to keep them strong, it promotes proper bone
found in cheese, eggs, red meat, and other foods, metabolism to help slow bone loss. Multiple ani-
its best to take it in a supplement to ensure that mal studies show boron increases bone strength
you get enough each day. Thats why Ive includ- and preserves bone mass. There is also scientific
ed it in Ultimate Bone Support to help you main- evidence that suggests a link between low levels
tain a strong skeleton. Plus you also get of boron and increased joint stiffness and discom-
fort.
A Ray of Sunshine to Protect Your Bones SiliconSilicon is required for forming col-
from Fracture lagen and connective tissue. It is also needed for
your bones to absorb calcium in the early stages
Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vita- of bone formation. In a recent study of the off-
min, meaning your body can make it on its own spring of participants in the well-known
when youre exposed to sunlight. But unless you Framingham Heart Studyincluding more than
get at least 15 minutes of sun exposure three days 1,200 men and nearly 1,600 womenresearchers
a week and avoid slathering on sunscreen linked silicon intake to higher bone density.
whenever youre outdoors your body cant
ManganeseManganese is a trace mineral
make enough of it.
thats used by the body to promote bone growth
Whats more, older adults get an average of and the development of cartilage and joint fluid.
just 100 IU of vitamin D each day from food and Animal studies show manganese slows the loss
supplementsa fraction of whats been shown in of bone mass and is required for normal bone
studies to cut your risk of fracture. In fact, the formation. Another study on humans found a
National Academy of Sciences Institute of lower rate of bone loss in women who took man-
Medicine just raised its recommended daily ganese, zinc, and copper along with calcium,
amount of vitamin D to 600 IU daily, and I compared to those who took calcium only.
believe many of us need from 4,000 to 5,000
Copper Copper is needed for making col-
IU/day for protection against numerous health
lagen, which makes up your bones, joints, and
conditions.
other connective tissue. In studies of both healthy

31
adult men and elderly, bed-ridden patients, 2 mg Copper Helps produce collagen and
increased copper intake slowed bone loss by slow bone loss
reducing the breakdown of bone. 15 mg Zinc Enhances bone formation and
ZincZinc provides many healthy benefits. mineral uptake
But when it comes to your bones, its vital for
proper bone formation and mineral uptake. Zinc Ultimate Bone Support gives you the ten
has been shown to promote normal bone growth most important bone-building nutrients youre
in adolescent girls and in babies before they are probably not getting enough of from your diet
born. Plus, a study on men shows it can increase and supplements. I havent found another bone
bone formation. health formula that comes close to giving you the
maximum support to help keep your bones
The Easy, Worry-Free Solution strong for life.
to Keep Your Bones Strong for Life All of the potencies in Ultimate Bone Support
are based on the latest scientific research, and
You can see how all ten nutrients you get in only the highest-quality ingredients are used. I
Ultimate Bone Support act as a team to promote wouldnt settle for anything less! Take a look at
bone health. From building new bone to slowing everything this cutting-edge formula gives you
bone loss to creating strong connective tissue, all each day.
your bases are covered when you take this You can see how this advanced formula gives
advanced bone-building formula each day. you the total bone support your body needs so you
Plus, Ultimate Bone Support is so much easi- can stay active and independent as you age.
er than mixing and matching different nutrients
to try to get the ideal combination. All the work Frequently Asked Questions About
has already been done for you! Ive seen other Ultimate Bone Support
bone formulas, but none with strontium and
these other bone building nutrients. What makes Ultimate Bone Support better
Youre assured of getting the right amounts, than other bone health supplements?
so you dont take too little of one nutrient or too
much of another. In fact, you can safely take this Because its not just another calcium supple-
formula along with your regular vitamin, since ment. It contains strontium and it gives you
its designed to fill any bone-building gaps and the right amount based on scientific research.
complement the levels of nutrients youre already Only a handful of other supplements include
getting. strontium, and most give you a mere fraction of
the amount you need to maintain strong, healthy
A daily dose of Ultimate Bone Support bones, like hops extract and L-lysine. These sup-
plements also skimp on potencies, or dont use
contains all these: the natural, more easily absorbed forms of vita-
500 mg Strontium Stimulates bone- mins D and K like you get in Ultimate Bone
building and slows bone loss Support.
300 mg Hops Extract Saves Why doesnt Ultimate Bone Support
healthy bone from being broken down
have calcium in it?
400 mg L-lysine Links collagen fibers for
a sturdy foundation Calcium competes with strontium for
absorption. Since research shows strontium dra-
800 IU Vitamin D3 Decreases bone pain
matically cuts your risk of fractures, I left calcium
and fracture risk
out. Too much calcium also interferes with your
40 mcg Vitamin K2 Increases bone density bodys absorption of other minerals, making your
and calcium absorption bones weaker and more prone to fracture.
2 mg Boron Supports proper metabolism While calcium has a role in building strong
to slow bone loss bones, you probably get too much of it from your
4 mg Silicon Promotes bone growth and diet and supplements already. Whats more,
builds cartilage excess calcium can lead to a build-up of calcium
deposits in your joints, heart, and kidneys even
10 mg Manganese Promotes bone growth your brain causing memory problems, artery-
and builds cartilage clogging plaque, joint discomfort, and other
health problems.

32
Should I have any concerns about plutonium in nuclear reactors or during a nuclear
strontium? Is it dangerous? explosion.

You dont have to worry, since the natural Whats the best way to get started on
form of strontium is what you get in Ultimate Ultimate Bone Support? How much should
Bone Support. This safe, non-toxic mineral has I take each day?
been shown in at least 100 human clinical studies
to promote strong, healthy bones. Whats more, I recommend you begin by take two tablets
none of these studies found ANY dangerous side morning and night for two to six months. Then
effects and some were done for as long as take a maintenance dose of one tablet morning
eight years. and night. That way youll get the ideal amounts
Other studies on bone biopsies show the of nutrients shown in studies to support your
quality of bone is preserved supporting its safety. bones. You can order Ultimate Bone Support by
The only type of strontium thats dangerous is calling 800-791-3395 or by going to the website
strontium-90. Strontium-90 is a radioactive form www.advancedbionutritionals.com/
thats created as a waste product of uranium and Products/Ultimate-Bone-Support-offer.htm.

33
Chapter 10:

The Only Drug You Should Ever


Take For Osteoporosis
Ive found that most women can avoid The X-ray showed no lung problem but found
osteoporosis with regular bone-stressing exercis- two mild compression fractures in her spine.
es, dietary changes, and bone-conserving supple- JoAnn was shocked. She had no back pain
ments like Ultimate Bone Support. But there are or other indication of any bone loss. So what was
still a few women who need more support no going on? After talking with her, I realized she
matter what they do. had several unavoidable risk factors she had
They may have waited too long before mak- overlooked. Her mother had suffered from osteo-
ing healthy changes in their lifestyle. Or their porosis, and both JoAnn and her mother were
bone loss may be due to genetics. Whatever the slight, white, fair-skinned women. Genetics
reason, whenever a woman needs an osteoporo- appeared to be at the core of her problem.
sis medication, her doctor tends to suggest Actually, JoAnn was fortunate. Most com-
Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, or other bisphospho- pression fractures are discovered only after they
nates. cause pain. Hers were so mild that there was no
But, as Ive told you, bisphosphonates can pain or discomfort. If she hadnt had an X-ray or
destroy bone tissues in your jaw, knees, hips, and a bone density test, she wouldnt have known
shoulders. If you need to do more than make that genetics had caught up with her. It was time
lifestyle changes and take extra supplements to to look for more support.
build bones better or if you cant make enough JoAnns doctor agreed. Id suggest you
of these changes to protect your bones there is take Fosamax, she said. But JoAnn had read
just one medication Ive found thats both safe some of the horror stories about bisphospho-
and effective. nates, including disintegrating jawbones and
Unfortunately, many doctors either dont refused this dangerous drug.
know about this medication or are misinformed No, she told her doctor, I wont take
about its benefits. Thats what JoAnn found. Fosamax. But Im willing to take calcitonin. Ive
heard that its safe and effective.
JoAnns Story
JoAnn is a long-time subscriber to my
What is Calcitonin?
newsletter. She wrote to me after hearing some Calcitonin is a hormone made by the thy-
disturbing news. Her doctor had just informed roid gland. It slows down bone loss and helps
her that she had the beginning of osteoporosis. rebuild bone. Most vertebrates, including
JoAnn had been doing everything right. She did humans, naturally make calcitonin. Calcitonin
bone-stressing exercises five days a week, ate a made from salmon is 40 to 50 times stronger than
healthy diet, and had been taking Ultimate Bone human calcitonin and lasts longer, which is why
Support with added vitamin D and strontium for it has been used as a drug. But until recently,
over a year. She also was getting sufficient calci- studies didnt back up its efficacy. Now we know
um and magnesium (500 mg of each, plus more its an excellent option for osteoporosis preven-
from her diet). Her bones should have been fine. tion and reversal. Heres why:
JoAnns doctor found the osteoporosis by Remember, bone is living tissue thats con-
accident. Her doctor wanted to check her for a stantly building up and breaking down.
possible lung problem shed discovered and had Osteoclasts remove old bone, and osteoblasts lay
ordered a chest X-ray. Ordinarily, JoAnn wouldnt down new bone. Calcitonin slows down the
have had an X-ray. In fact, she was so sure that removal of bone, and at the same time it pro-
her bones were strong that she hadnt ever had a motes bone formation. In plain language, it
bone density scan though she was in her mid-60s. increases bone density and bone strength.

34
Calcitonin is not a bisphosphonate and has pain from osteoporotic fractures, she told
no nasty side effects. It wont destroy jaw bones JoAnn. It doesnt build bone. And its extremely
or any other bones. Other drugs interfere with expensive. None of this was true. JoAnn and I
the formation of bone. Calcitonin doesnt. had read studies that showed calcitonin did,
In the past, doctors had to inject calcitonin. Now indeed, preserve and build bone. And, as far as
its available in an easy-to-use nasal spray. And it cost, she was willing to pay just about anything
works beautifully. One study found that the nasal for an answer that wouldnt cause more harm
spray reduced fractures by two-thirds in older than good. But just to put her mind at ease,
women with moderate osteoporosis. It also JoAnn spoke with her pharmacist.
increased bone density in the spine much better He assured her that calcitonin did, indeed,
than calcium alone. A number of studies have increase bone density as well as reduce pain from
found that the optimal dose is 200 IU per day fractures. He had seen good results with it with
given intranasally, along with 500 mg of calcium. many of his clients. Dozens of good, sound scien-
Both higher and lower doses of calcitonin were tific studies backed up his observations.
less effective. Your prescription is for Miacalcin, he told
JoAnn. I can give you the same product under
Is Calcitonin Dangerous? another name, Fortical. It will be much less
expensive. After her insurance discount for pre-
The FDA thinks it may be, and the future scriptions, JoAnns charge was just $8.00 a month.
availability of calcitonin may be in its hands. Two
FDA committees are about to examine the evi-
dence. The problem appears to be that some
Daily or Intermittent?
studies found a cancer-risk signal present in JoAnns doctor prescribed the appropriate
salmon calcitonin. However, the first study only dose of 200 IU of calcitonin nasal spray daily. Its
found a higher risk of prostate cancer in men too early to tell, but new studies indicate that you
when taken orally not in women. And women may need to take calcitonin daily only every
have taken calcitonin as a nasal spray. other month according to a one-year randomized,
Still, the FDA insists that the potential for controlled study conducted in Greece.
a cancer risk associated with calcitonin use They gave women with osteoporosis daily
appears plausible, and certainly cannot be ruled supplemental calcium (500 mg) and small
out with the data reviewed. amounts of vitamin D3 (400 IU). Then half of
The FDA does admit that there hasnt been them took 200 IU of an intranasal salmon calci-
a dose relationship between calcitonin and can- tonin every other month for one year. The group
cer. So whats going on? Are they just looking out that used calcitonin had significant increases in
for our well-being? Perhaps. But I find it suspi- their spine, neck, and hip bone over those on cal-
cious that TV ads for a testosterone gel warn that cium and vitamin D alone.
it can cause a slight risk of prostate cancer, yet is Whether you take a salmon calcitonin nasal
widely available, while calcitonin may become spray continuously or every other month, have
unavailable to women although there is no your doctor monitor your progress. In my opin-
known risk for them. ion, its the best choice for women who need
more than calcium, magnesium, vitamins D and
Misinformation about Calcitonin K, and strontium.
The FDA staff says there are no long-term You also need to remember, whether you
studies on the safety and efficacy of calcitonin already have osteoporosis or just want to prevent
nasal spray. Yet they cite a 5-year, double-blind, it, be sure to eat a healthy diet (including plenty of
placebo-controlled study that showed a 35% dark, leafy green vegetables like spinach), reduce
decrease in spinal fractures. Based on this infor- your stress, and do bone-stressing exercises.
mation, JoAnn decided to go forward and use And lay a good foundation by taking
calcitonin nasal spray. Ultimate Bone Support. You can order Ultimate
JoAnns doctor admitted that she hadnt Bone Support by calling 800-791-3395 and give
used calcitonin on many of her patients even them the special offer code ABNFHOAX.
though she knew there could be serious prob-
lems with the more popular bisphosphonates like A FINAL WORD
Fosamax. And unfortunately, she was not well Calcium is the most popular, most pre-
informed about its benefits. scribed nutrient in the world. Its also the most
Calcitonin is primarily used to reduce the misused. It is best absorbed from foods, and yet

35
the majority of women take too much of it from you can understand and use.
supplements that cause more problems than it I wrote this book to help you understand
solves. the reasons for the on-going calcium controversy.
Calcium can help save your bones or make It is my hope that this information will help you
them more brittle. It can contribute to heart dis- feel better about making decisions your doctor
ease and arthritis or not. Its all a matter of how may not agree with, and lead you to a stronger,
much and which form you take. This is a com- healthier body.
plex matter and one that deserves an explanation

36

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