Has anyone improved bone density without meds?

@windyshores, I'm still struggling to find a local Dr that will do more than hand me a sheet of paper with meds, telling me to read up & come back in a year. I did change my lifestyle, yet I don't think I'll ever be able to do enough. I have CLL and I'd like to know if that complicates the issue. This site has given me so much help in understanding this disease! I've recently (3yrs now) moved from NJ to FL so my tried & true lifelong Drs are gone.

I have an appt with an orthopedic tmrw to pick his brain. My rheumatologist appt is in Jan24. I'm pretty much on a journey to find the right Dr. that will do the testing as Dr McCormick recommends. You all have made me stronger, I won't settle for putting something in my body that is recommended by an insurance comp rather than backed by studies/trials. So... sooner or later I'll need to make a decision🥰. Until then I'm learning all I can😉. Ty for asking.

I improved my bone density street being on Algaecal plus for 2 years. Went from -3.2 to -2.7 in the spine.
Because it's so expensive, I've switched to Bone Restore W/K2 from Life Extension. Will be getting another scan in 1/24. Will update then

Welcome to Connect @naomid. I enjoyed your introduction. This forum is all about sharing and you have a great start. Knowledge is power. Connect will help you become a powerful patient who can advocate for themselves based upon knowledge gained from other members and from their own experience.

I understand your dislike of drugs, injections, and other types of medications that don't sit well with your medical history. I too dislike taking medications of any kind. I prefer being active and busy.

This is your first post so I will make my response brief. To fight off the effects of osteoporosis, at some point we have to face reality. My mother actually never recovered from a fractured hip, created when she opened the door to her apartment to welcome my visit. She never walked again.

I didn't pay attention to reality until I was 75+ years old and realized that I was approaching the time to wise up about bone health. My journey has been difficult with a couple of near disasters. Here is what I learned. Some of us cannot handle injections whether they are once a month or twice a year. They place too much medication in our bodies and we cannot handle it. So..to cut to the chase I had reactions to monthly and semi-annually injections. What I chose to do was begin with a product called Tymlos which is injected daily and builds healthy bone. After two years, my span scores had improved and I was ready to protect the new bone as well as the existing bone.

Then I did succumb to the every six-month injections for bone protection. That was quite the disaster. A sensitive endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic listened, applied his medical knowledge, and changed my medication to a weekly Monday morning tablet which does not overload my body and has no side effects.

So....stay true to yourself and be part of what I call a "shared decision" process in which you work together with your medical professional to meet your special needs. This support group will be very helpful. I am hoping that @windyshores can respond to your greeting. She has encountered fractures, found the appropriate medication, and will be moving on to the protection arena very soon.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

Insurance companies are an obstacle for physicians. They need to advocate as well. In my experience, most PCP's don't even know that it is better to start with a bone builder. The protocol is dictated by insurance and PCP's don't seem to realize it. SO much info on this optimal sequencing in studies.

Agree but I also think that most doctors, including specialists, who claim to treat osteoporosis don’t really do anything except read the radiologist’s summary on a patient’s DEXA, meaning the doctors don’t even bother to look at the full DEXA report, and based on T-scores alone push meds. They aren’t treating anything and they don’t bother to understand the disease or the patient’s particular needs.

I wish the government and my insurance would let me order my own labs and meds. Note, I prefer not to take meds so meds would only be ordered, by me, when absolutely necessary.

Welcome to Connect @naomid. I enjoyed your introduction. This forum is all about sharing and you have a great start. Knowledge is power. Connect will help you become a powerful patient who can advocate for themselves based upon knowledge gained from other members and from their own experience.

I understand your dislike of drugs, injections, and other types of medications that don't sit well with your medical history. I too dislike taking medications of any kind. I prefer being active and busy.

This is your first post so I will make my response brief. To fight off the effects of osteoporosis, at some point we have to face reality. My mother actually never recovered from a fractured hip, created when she opened the door to her apartment to welcome my visit. She never walked again.

I didn't pay attention to reality until I was 75+ years old and realized that I was approaching the time to wise up about bone health. My journey has been difficult with a couple of near disasters. Here is what I learned. Some of us cannot handle injections whether they are once a month or twice a year. They place too much medication in our bodies and we cannot handle it. So..to cut to the chase I had reactions to monthly and semi-annually injections. What I chose to do was begin with a product called Tymlos which is injected daily and builds healthy bone. After two years, my span scores had improved and I was ready to protect the new bone as well as the existing bone.

Then I did succumb to the every six-month injections for bone protection. That was quite the disaster. A sensitive endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic listened, applied his medical knowledge, and changed my medication to a weekly Monday morning tablet which does not overload my body and has no side effects.

So....stay true to yourself and be part of what I call a "shared decision" process in which you work together with your medical professional to meet your special needs. This support group will be very helpful. I am hoping that @windyshores can respond to your greeting. She has encountered fractures, found the appropriate medication, and will be moving on to the protection arena very soon.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

Hi Chris Trout, Thanks so much for your openness about alternatives and the realities of pharmaceuticals. You refer to "a sensitive endocrinologis at Mayo Clinic" who gave you a "medication ... weeklyMonday morning tablet" that did not "overload...and has no side effects." Can I ask, what is that medication and, I wonder, if it is possible for me to consult with this doctor f? I am troubled by the recommendation of my endocrinologist to Evenity, have postponed it twice now. I have a number of issues that may conflict with this medicine.

I have also noted the Black Box Warning that goes with it, as well as a refusal on the part of the British organization NICE to endorse Evenity.

Right now I am trying to increase my calcium intake to 1200 units a day, and to use Vitamin K as well.

Thank you so much, @teb, for all these specifics. I wish I could take HRT. To me that would be the perfect solution, but had breast cancer almost 25 years ago, and from what I understand it is still contraindicated for me. I'm going to dive into the research a little more to see if anything's changed. Your work-out routine is really wonderful. I know I need to up the amount of weights i'm using. I guess it has to be a full-out effort, leaving no stone unturned.