I reversed osteoporosis without drugs

@0278 I am not clear on why you are taking meds with DEXA scores that high. I am not a doc but wouldn't it make sense to wait? We can only be on bisphosphonates for a limited amount of time and it would seem you are using up those years when not needed as much.

Did you go from -2.9 to -1.6 using Fosamax or were you on another med? Do you have a fracture? Are you on a cancer med that lowers bone density?

I've taken only one drug. I have not had a fracture. I took once weekly generic Fosomax from June, 2019, thru January 25, 2023, which is the end date only because I’m quitting the med despite doctor's advice to continue. My doctor in 2019 firmly recommended I start the meds due to the lumbar -2.9 T score—osteoporosis range begins at -2.5, so my spine was well into the osteoporosis range. I switched doctors and now have another doctor who flat-out believes that taking Fosomax for 5 years repairs bones, though he did remark rather offhandedly (though alarmingly) that when people stop taking Fosomax, their bones take a rapid and ongoing turn for the worse. I've got the numbers in front of me now, so can say with certainty that between 2019 and 2023 my lumbar spine scores went from -2.9 (osteoporosis) to -1.6 (osteopenia). Meanwhile, left and right femoral neck readings went from -1.6 (2019) to -1.2 and from -1.5 to -1.0 (a decline from a midpoint exam in 2021 at which it had climbed to -0.6). My current general health doctor concluded that this was great news and directed me to continue the Fosamax. BUT conclusions drawn by the 3 unknown doctors who made the reports suggest otherwise, and the comparative changes and proportions between sequential lumbar and femoral readings do, too, as explained in my previous post. The most recent report diagnosed the lumbar spine as “possibly degenerative” (a condition potentially worsened by both aging and Fosamax use). Plus, though a major purpose of taking Fosamax is to decrease risk of bone fracture, over the nearly 4 years I took it, according to the DXA reports, my risk of major osteoporatic fracture went from 9.5% to 9.4% and risk of hip fracture from 1.8% to 1.9%. Since this is virtually no improvement, it does not seem to me worth the increasing degenerative risk of Fosamax (the longer you take it and the older you get, the more you risk compromising skeletal strength and resilience). Anyway, I’ve quit the med despite doctor's advice. If I crumble into a pile of dust, I’ll try to let you know so you can steer a better course.

I've taken only one drug. I have not had a fracture. I took once weekly generic Fosomax from June, 2019, thru January 25, 2023, which is the end date only because I’m quitting the med despite doctor's advice to continue. My doctor in 2019 firmly recommended I start the meds due to the lumbar -2.9 T score—osteoporosis range begins at -2.5, so my spine was well into the osteoporosis range. I switched doctors and now have another doctor who flat-out believes that taking Fosomax for 5 years repairs bones, though he did remark rather offhandedly (though alarmingly) that when people stop taking Fosomax, their bones take a rapid and ongoing turn for the worse. I've got the numbers in front of me now, so can say with certainty that between 2019 and 2023 my lumbar spine scores went from -2.9 (osteoporosis) to -1.6 (osteopenia). Meanwhile, left and right femoral neck readings went from -1.6 (2019) to -1.2 and from -1.5 to -1.0 (a decline from a midpoint exam in 2021 at which it had climbed to -0.6). My current general health doctor concluded that this was great news and directed me to continue the Fosamax. BUT conclusions drawn by the 3 unknown doctors who made the reports suggest otherwise, and the comparative changes and proportions between sequential lumbar and femoral readings do, too, as explained in my previous post. The most recent report diagnosed the lumbar spine as “possibly degenerative” (a condition potentially worsened by both aging and Fosamax use). Plus, though a major purpose of taking Fosamax is to decrease risk of bone fracture, over the nearly 4 years I took it, according to the DXA reports, my risk of major osteoporatic fracture went from 9.5% to 9.4% and risk of hip fracture from 1.8% to 1.9%. Since this is virtually no improvement, it does not seem to me worth the increasing degenerative risk of Fosamax (the longer you take it and the older you get, the more you risk compromising skeletal strength and resilience). Anyway, I’ve quit the med despite doctor's advice. If I crumble into a pile of dust, I’ll try to let you know so you can steer a better course.

I am 74. Menopause at 50. Scores attached. I did upper body strength training. Lower body walking. Added ankle weights after 2nd scan and see how the hip improved in 2 months. NOTE I had. TBS score which tests bone quality. Doctors are starting to see that that is more important than bone density. For example, our bone density increases after we’re born and we are at 90% by the time we are 15 years old. Young children have low bone density. But they don’t break a bone when they fall as a rule. Because their bones are soft the quality is good. What we need to watch out for our brittle bones. So if you have poor bone density, but good quality, then talk to a Doctor Who understands that because you may not have a high fracture right. Bone density alone is not the best measure of your chances of a fracture. You also need a CTX blood test. That will show if you are losing density quickly and if you’re not, you’re in good shape also, depending on your other tests. It is not easy to find someone who does the TBS Score. It is just a software that is added to the DEXA scan but it’s just not in a lot of offices. Mostly just in hospitals and even then not a lot of them. This is a link to help you find one. I don’t believe it’s complete, but I don’t know how else to find someone who has the software.
http://www.medimapsgroup.com/

My bone density results improved from 10 years ago according to a recent DEXA scan to my surprise. I didn't do a lot except take a supplement that I put a friend on to help heal his broken neck and which his neurosurgeon and orthopedic physician approved. I started taking the stuff because it was just sitting on the kitchen counter. It includes what I think of as the bone-support trinity of algae-based house, vitamin D3 and K2 plus trace minerals including boron.

Otherwise my bad eating habits and everything were still in effect, including drinking a lot of coffee which I now know is bad for the bones so has been curtailed. [I have a sneaking suspicion that I might have lost a lot of bone density earlier in life because of some lifestyle factors like erratic diet, etc.]

I'm done a lot of research and reading the studies about bones and bone health over the past year. I'm taking this stuff seriously because I hope to never ever take any of the currently available osteoporosis drugs. One thing that I found encouraging was that exercise, especially resistance training, results in the bones and muscles engaging in a feedback loop. That is subjecting bones to appropriate and safe stress, over time, can trigger or speed up bone cell reproduction. And some of the information that the bone needs is communicated by the muscles being used.

It's almost as if the body is asking if this is the new normal, this level of activity, and if so decides to prepare for it. For some reason I thought that was profoundly encouraging and just further reconfirms my appreciation for the mysteries of the human body. But it's also a really good argument for thoughtful resistance training beyond the obvious benefits.

My bone density results improved from 10 years ago according to a recent DEXA scan to my surprise. I didn't do a lot except take a supplement that I put a friend on to help heal his broken neck and which his neurosurgeon and orthopedic physician approved. I started taking the stuff because it was just sitting on the kitchen counter. It includes what I think of as the bone-support trinity of algae-based house, vitamin D3 and K2 plus trace minerals including boron.

Otherwise my bad eating habits and everything were still in effect, including drinking a lot of coffee which I now know is bad for the bones so has been curtailed. [I have a sneaking suspicion that I might have lost a lot of bone density earlier in life because of some lifestyle factors like erratic diet, etc.]

I'm done a lot of research and reading the studies about bones and bone health over the past year. I'm taking this stuff seriously because I hope to never ever take any of the currently available osteoporosis drugs. One thing that I found encouraging was that exercise, especially resistance training, results in the bones and muscles engaging in a feedback loop. That is subjecting bones to appropriate and safe stress, over time, can trigger or speed up bone cell reproduction. And some of the information that the bone needs is communicated by the muscles being used.

It's almost as if the body is asking if this is the new normal, this level of activity, and if so decides to prepare for it. For some reason I thought that was profoundly encouraging and just further reconfirms my appreciation for the mysteries of the human body. But it's also a really good argument for thoughtful resistance training beyond the obvious benefits.

Thanks so much for your experience. I hope to go the supplement route. Include vitamin K and stay away from the drugs!