How do you halt the progress of osteoporosis?

Teri, thanks. I will check out the resources you mentioned as well as others. Watching friends' mothers and grandmother's increasingly debilitated by bone loss got my attention and I know too might about pharmaceutical industry (actually wrote myndissertation on it in grad school) to take meds without critical evaluation. Not to mention regretting that so many of them are made outside of the USA or having an estimated 80% of the ingredients outsourced from abroad. And a lot from countries with a poor record of FDA recalls. I kind of hate to air my skepticism as I don't want to cause anyone else to be concerned but we've all after-approval drugs yanked off the market by now and are also cautious.

I had a kind of eureka moment that I hope might give others' some small peace of mind. I have osteopenia and both endocrinologist and PCP thought I should start on bone anti-resorptive meds to prevent osteoporosis. This made no sense to me as DEXA scan from 6 years ago had me with low risk mild osteopenia. [My bone protection strategy of eating way too much ice cream 'for the calcium from the dairy' wasn't recommended by physicians but was fun while it lasted.] I keep a hard copy of every medical test done for anyone, or pet, in the family. So dug out the DEXA done in March, 2016 and compared the actual numbers for bone mass density per centimeter squared. The density numbers had hardly changed in nearly six years! And the lumbar spine density had actually improved, possibly helped by hours on the treadmill to work off the ice cream 😉 ?

I took the tests to my PCP and he was surprised and agreed that the bone loss was extremely small over the past six years and, if it remains a very slow rate, I might avoid the drugs for a long time.

Here's my point. I thought the 'rate of change' coiuld be very important in prescribing a path to prevent something. I had a lot of habits when younger, including dietary and smoking, that are done to trigger faster bone loss. So I posited that I'd done damage earlier at a rate that no longer applies. Which the doctor thinks it likely. And I'm now being more bone-protective. Even looking into the tai chi he suggests. I also hope that people looking at osteoporosis 'predictions' realize that the data pool for those stats included people with all kinds of health factors and co-morbitities that they don't share. So use the information for what it can clearly measure but the conclusions or inferences don't always mean as much as one might think at first hearing scary data, etc.

@callalloo
You nailed it! Diet and bone protective activities are the way to go. Those fracture predictions are very general and don't apply to everyone equally.
I also keep hard copies of all thing medical . You are being proactive about your health. I am so passionate about what we fuel our bodies with. If only more people realized that what you eat affects every single organ, bone,joint, nerve, cells in your body.

Good going!
FL Mary

I love that thought. I want a Jeep for physical therapy now. If only my health insurer would agree to cover it... On a semi-related note, the orthopedic surgeon who did my DEXA scan six years ago also tested my balance. It was very good and he asked if I did balance exercises, which are great idea but I didn't. I ran into him at a sailing event a month later and he said that the fact that I sailed a lot explained the good balance. I'd never have thought of it but think he's right.

Mary, good for you too. I actually have plastic folios each family member's medical stuff and tests. When I switched PCPs to one at a large institution, I took the hard copies to the first appointment and had it uploaded that day rather than wait for former doctors' over-worked office staff could FAX that stuff. But I'd bet that your diet is more intelligent than mine. My healthy diet is very much a work still I'm progress, alas! 😉

After many years of osteoporosis, and finally fracturing, I am so grateful for Tymlos, in spite of any side effects. I hope and pray that those who are not taking meds now for established osteoporosis, don't have my experience. I hope people will post about their progress!

Does anyone know if there's a genetic test for osteoporosis? My PCP thinks that genetics plays a large role and asked if nuclear family members had a history of broken bones beyond the common sports injuries if any. I couldn't think of any but I personally did all the wrong thinks for bones including heavy smoking and coffee consumption when younger. Who knew that smoking hurts bones? Not me.

I haven't yet tried tai chi but will now. My PCP recommends is highly for maintaining balance. And thinks it's great for dealing with stress as well.

Two of the more integrative providers I have communicated with, Lani Simpson and Keith McCormick, have used or are planning to use medications. Menopausal decreases in estrogen are a main cause of osteoporosis. It is reasonable and healthy to avoid medications for osteopenia, and even early osteoporosis. But for more severe DEXA scores or for those who have fractures, medications may prevent pain, disability and even loss of independence. I am posting here for balance, thinking of others who may be reading this thread. There are powerful physical forces behind bone loss and it may require powerful meds to counteract- not forever though. Once density is improved, then it may be possible to use "whole body" approaches. This forum includes people with diverse DEXA results: some who are posting may indeed be wise to try natural first. Others really may find they need meds.

I also have pretty bad negative numbers in the spine. My hope was to avoid meds, also. However, recently had a consult with a Mayo specialist who stated the data shows taking the osteoporosis meds reduce fractures by 50%. I thought that was a pretty good outcome, but still am not sure if I want to take the medication. I wonder if anyone out there has experienced improvement in their T or Z scores by diet and exercise modifications?