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Calcium and Vitamin D for bone density
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: Jan 29 8:02am | Replies (340)Comment receiving replies
I saw a new endocrinologist last week. We had a nice long talk and I told him the story of why I have osteoporosis. We discussed all my health issues and he was overwhelmed! I told him I was not interested in taking Prolia, Fosamax, or any of the drugs that "build bone." I told him I am coming at it from a nutritional and hormonal way (I'm on low-dose estrogen and progesterone, and also Human Growth Hormone for a lifelong deficiency due to pituitary tumor). STILL he insisted on bringing up the idea of me taking Reclast if my next Dexa Scan comes out bad. What is it with doctors they cannot hear? I did a lot of research - enough to know those drugs are not for me. My body is very sensitive and I had side effects from Fosamax. By the end of 45 minutes, I knew that he didn't have as much general knowledge as me about osteoporosis (I'm not kidding and I'm not bragging - I expected more!).
Oh butch - I'm so sorry to read about all the fractures! I think you DO have osteoporosis. Has anybody checked your parathyroid? I have been to at least half a dozen endocrinologists, and not one of them has known much about osteoporosis. They are pushing those drugs that promise to grow bone. Heck, you might want to try one of those drugs - I just want you to be sure and do a lot of research about those drugs first. The truth that I have found is that those drugs give the appearance of bone growth - but one month after you go off the drug, all that "bone growth" disappears. It also costs a lot of money. I think it is like strontium - it gives the "appearance of bone growth." I joined an osteoporosis support group on Facebook that is very lively - lots of great posts and videos and late-breaking medical news. Very cutting edge. Those women are on a mission! They put me in touch with some women who took those bone growth drugs and got osteonecrosis (bone death) in their jaws. Just speaking to those women scared me into thinking long and hard about taking those drugs. I decided to give supplements, hormones, and good eating a try. I am taking calcium, vitamin D3, vitamin K2 (MK4 + MK7), a good multivitamin and a good vitamin C, boron, flaxseed oil, magnesium, and I'm taking beef collagen when I can. I am also taking a very low dose estrogen patch and taking progesterone - and you might want to talk to your doctor about that if you are fracturing. I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor that robbed my body of Human Growth Hormone and that is why I got osteoporosis. My Dexa scan came back at -5.7 (severe osteoporosis begins at -2.5). What works for my body may not work for your body - and you should always run any changes by your doctor first.
My best advice is to find one good doctor. Then ask that doctor for referrals. If you have a gynecologist, ask that doctor for a referral to a good endocrinologist or other doctor that can help with osteoporosis. If you live near a big town with a teaching hospital, go there. It's a shame you aren't closer to someplace like Mayo. I really think you have it; with all those fractures you're having, something is wrong. You CAN build bone by doing what I'm doing. I'm doing what all the other women on the FaceBook support group are doing. Many of them have posted their before and after Dexa Scan scores, and many of them have made drastic improvement. One woman started at -3.7 and is now at -1.9 after two years of eating right and taking supplements. There are posts like that every day. You do not. need an MD to become informed. Read everything you can find about osteoporosis and keep digging for more information. The latest big news is Vitamin K2 (MK4 + MK7). You can buy that in any drug store or even off Amazon. There are books about Vitamin K2 now. It seems very promising. (Especially for people who are worried about taking calcium and getting a kidney stone or heart attack. Vitamin K2 tells the calcium to go to the bones - not the arteries or kidneys.)
One thing I know is that you have to fight hard to find a good doctor. And you need to be as informed as you can possibly be because there are a lot of bad people out there ready to take your money and not deliver any help. Once I started reading more about the human body, I was able to make better decisions, and my doctors are very amazed with the positive improvements I have made in my life. It's YOUR body - you have to figure out how to make it happy or it will break down on you. Best of luck to all of us!
Replies to "I saw a new endocrinologist last week. We had a nice long talk and I told..."
@parrotqueen
Hi,
I agree with you about the drugs as I have had osteoporosis for years and have been on Fosamax and Boniva in the past with little or no results . Most Doctors focus just on the bone problem without taking the whole person into account....their overall health, lifestyle and eating habits. A blood test is essential to check the D levels. Mine were low recently and I upped the dosage. I am starting a VitD3 +K2 regime in a powder form....mix with water. My eating habits are great but found that foods high in oxalates prevent calcium form reaching the bone and have eliminated most from my diet. Was surprised to see spinach was so high in oxalates. I do go to 3 weekly gym classes for seniors with emphasis on core, balance and weight bearing. I have upped my walking routine. I have no major organic health problems , no fractures so consider myself a good candidate for NOT taking any drugs .
As you said, you need to do research. Doctors and other practitioners go into a panic when they see the dexascan numbers because, generally, that’s all they see.
FL Mary
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Also, I will tell you a few things I do for pain. Diclofenac Sodium Topical Gel 1% - I rub this on anything that hurts. I have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands and I use it like hand cream. Magnesium is a great muscle relaxer. CBD from cannabis, not hemp. I swear that CBD relieves my pain as well as any of the strong pain meds my doctor prescribes. (I jjust cannot afford it.) Herbs I use for arthritis: turmeric, Devil's Claw (check to be sure you won't have a drug interaction), Corydalis (although less now) and organic wild lettuce capsules when I need sleep. I'm one of those strange people for whom magnets work. I wear hematite beads around my ankles and wrists and it helps with the arthritis in my hands and feet. Sometimes I put hematite beads under my back in bed. Someone gave me a magnet mattress. It only works on some people. If you want to find out if you are one of them, buy a cheap hematite bracelet off Amazon or somewhere and wear it for a day or two. That's how I found out it works for me. I also wear arthritis gloves a lot - and they have really helped to tame my Reynaud's. Finally, I have my doctor write a prescription for lidocaine patches. I have one on my back and two on my arm as I write! Tomorrow my arm and my lower back will be numb. I thought I had a compression fracture in my back, but the L5 has just moved out of the spinal column and has relocated somewhere else. It is very painful but I think there is nothing to be done for it. (At least it wasn't a fracture.). Remember to breathe, and also remember to get enough rest. Ice is your friend.