Almost all Americans have at least heard of osteoporosis and it seems more
prominent today than ever before. It is no wonder it is so prominent when
you consider the main causes of it. The more Americans realize the value of
a healthy lifestyle, however, the incidence will go down. Our grandmothers
and even our mothers have a large problem with it. One of the main reasons
is because they thought they could sit around after retirement, or because
they have a sedentary job and/or lifestyle without any exercise program.
Though it seems more prominent in women, our grandfathers and fathers also have the problem.
Osteoporosis is a generalized, progressive diminution of bone density
causing skeletal weakness even though the ratio of mineral to organic
elements remains unchanged in the body. In women, osteoclasts (the cells in the body that break down old, worn-out bone cells activity is increased over osteoblasts (the cells that create more bone) activity especially when
estrogen is decreased postmenopausly. Virtually all women lose 5-10% of bone mass during the first five years after menopause with another one percent loss per year after that. Osteoblast activity decreases in both men and women after age 60. So osteoporosis may occur in either women or men. If men develop osteoporosis, it can be severe. Late menarche, early menopause, nulliparity (having had no children), caffeine ingestion, alcohol use, cigarette smoking; all may increase the risk of osteoporosis.
African Americans and Hispanics have higher bone masses than Caucasians and Asians and thus tend to have osteoporosis at a later age than Caucasians and Asians. Other factors associated with the development of osteoporosis include immobilization, insufficient exercise, lower muscle mass, dietary factors, such as insufficient intake and absorption of calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D, and a bodily acid-base balance that is more acidic than alkaline. Excessive acid compared to alkaline base is due to consumption of sugar, salt, excessive protein, (especially animal protein) carbonated soft drinks, caffeine, and processed foods. Other risk factors include use of broad spectrum antibiotics and glucocorticoid medications, such as Prednisone, fluoride, and excess thyroxin.
Some people may by asymptomatic or may complain of muscle-bone pain,
particularly in their back. Vertebral crush fractures may develop with
minimal or no trauma. These crush fractures usually occur in the
weight-bearing vertebrae, thoracic vertebra 8 and lower. When symptomatic,the pain is of acute onset, usually does not radiate, is aggravated by weight-bearing, may be associated with local tenderness, and typically begins to subside in one week. Residual pain may last three months or more. Multiple compression fractures may result in dorsal kyphosis with
exaggerated cervical lordosis (commonly known as hunchback in appearance). Abnormal stress on the spinal muscles may cause dull, aching pain which is particularly prominent in the lower thoracic and lumbar regions. Fractures at other sites, very commonly the hip and distal radius, usually are the result of falls.
Osteoporosis cannot be diagnosed via X-ray until more than 30% of bone mass has been lost. Single and dual photon absorptiometry, dual x-ray
absorptiometry, and quantitative CT scan can measure bone density in the
lumbar spine, hip, and distal radius and are also useful in diagnosing and
assessing treatment response. About 20% of postmenopausal osteoporotic women have significant hypercalciura (excessive calcium in the urine) which may lead to elevated serum parathyroid hormone. In addition, indicators of bone turnover, such as urinary excretion of hydroxyproline-containing peptides, urinary pyridium peptide, or serum osteocalcin, may be increased.
The allopathic (Western) medical treatment of osteoporosis consists of
pharmaceutical agents to minimize further bone loss, dietary calcium
supplementation, and hormone replacement therapy in the past. Now days,
allopathic medicine has realized that hormone replacement therapy has its
own hazards, so they no longer recommend it.
Osteoporosis drugs have become very popularly prescribed in allopathic
medicine these days. Recent studies have linked these drugs to osteonecrosis (literally, bone-rotting) of the jaw. Some 2,400 people have developed this devastating condition from these drugs. Biphosphonate drugs can do bone damage. The osteoclasts are the cells which cause the older, worn-out bone cells to be cleaned up from the system, while the osteoblasts get busy building new bone. Osteoclasts function in bone resorption (destruction of matrix), which is important in the development, growth, maintenance, and repair of bone. The biphosphonate drugs disable the osteoclasts so that they stop breaking down old bone. The biphospohonate drugs can not build new bone, they do not help the osteoblasts at all. What could the drug companie have been thinking of when they created these? They surely have not studied enough physiology. It is entirely against nature to stop the breakdown of the old bone tissue. It needs to break down. The least they could have done is try to figure out how to stimulate the osteoblasts, then. The density that you see as a result of taking these drugs are the old, weak, brittle bone tissue. We don’t know exactly why the jaw was particularly affected in these people, but likely that the osteoclast/osteoblast cycle occurs quicker in the jaw than in other areas of the body. It would likely occur elsewhere in the bone tissue, but at a later time. There are other side effects of these drugs and clinically it seems that headaches can be one among many. That a human body or any other mammalian body needs pharmaceuticals for such a condition as osteoporosis seems insensible.
In Traditional Oriental Medicine (TOM), of Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM), the causes of osteoporosis are: natural endowment insufficiency,
aging, unregulated eating and drinking, unregulated stillness, too little
weight-bearing exercise, and malnutrition. The disease mechanism includes
mainly the kidneys. The kidneys rule the bones and are in charge of the
development of both the bones and the marrow. When the kidneys are in good health, the bones are strong. The lumbus is the mansion of the kidneys and the upper back is reached by the pathways of the kidneys. Therefore,
osteoporosis is mainly due to deficiency and decline of the kidneys, both
yin and yang. Kidney yang deficiency typically evolves from a weak spleen
and liver blood-kidney yin deficiency is due to the aging process,
generalized body weakness and generalized long-term internal heat. Alcohol
damages the spleen and creates a damp heat inside the body, while cigarette smoking damages the lungs and consumes yin fluids. This lack of yin fluid damages the kidneys and all the body tissues suffer, especially the bones.
Most people with osteoporosis do not have discrete spleen-kidney or
liver-kidney patterns. They tend to have spleen, liver, and kidney
deficiencies to different degrees in varying combinations with the kidney
deficiency being a yin and yang one. There are other patterns that may
occur, such as Qi stagnation and blood stasis.
How can you prevent and cure osteoporosis? Avoid sugars and sweets as well as minimize or eliminate, if possible, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol.
Increase weight-bearing exercise and stretching exercise. The best form of
supplemental dietary calcium in order to increase bone density is that made
out of bone matrix, as opposed to that made from fossilized sea shells,
i.e., dolomite. Excessive intake of calcium carbonate may damage the spleen
and most people with senile osteoporosis do have at least some spleen
deficiency. No, you don’t need to drink milk for calcium. Milk and other
dairy products produce excess dampness and phlegm inside the body and damage the spleen. Milk isn’t even a food that is the most high in calcium content.
There are many forms of sea vegetables higher in calcium per serving than
milk and other dairy products. One sea vegetable in the traditional Japanese
diet is called hijiki. Here is the calcium content, compared to milk:
Per milligram of weight, hizikiz fusiforme (hijiki) has 1,400 units of calcium compared with milk at 100 units. Other forms of sea vegetables are in the 1,000 units per mg also. Sesame seeds, dried sardines, and soybeans all have more units of calcium per weight than milk. Many other vegetables contain good quantities of calcium, such as broccoli, spinach, and cabbage. Fish bones are also a good source of calcium. The Japanese eat tiny little dried sardines whole as a side dish with rice and even as snacks. They are very tasty. Eat the salmon bones when you cook your salmon. The bones can be used in soup, drink the soup and eat the bones. Get sunshine every day, it doesn’t have to be much. Sunshine is what gets your body to produce Vitamin D.
One of the best ways to produce more bone, however, is through
weight-bearing high-intensity exercise or even walking. Jumping in place
works too. Why is this? It has been discovered quite a few years ago that
the body produces its own electricity inside the body via the sodium and
potassium balance which creates electrical charges. Those electrical charges are actually what stimulate the osteoblasts to produce more bone.
Weight-bearing exercise stimulates these electrical charges.
People who exercise regularly and enough have much stronger bones than those who are sedentary. This has been proven in experimental trials in people aged 60-80 years old. The study was done with three groups. The control group were those people who didn’t do any exercise program and were mostly sedentary. Another group only exercised regularly and did not do any nutritional supplementation outside of their normal diet. Another group took dietary calcium supplements only without exercise, and another group took daily dietary calcium supplements and did the same exercise as the exercise-only group. The bone mass tests were done before and after the periods of trial. After a period of 1 year, the group which did not exercise
nor took calcium supplements and the group that took calcium supplementation without exercise not only did not improve but actually had continued decreased bone mass by 2 % when tested. The group that only exercised had a 7% increase in bone mass in one year. The group that exercised and took calcium supplements had an increase of bone mass of 5%. This trial was actually done to test the effectiveness of dietary supplements of calcium in helping to prevent bone loss.
Pulsating electromagnetic fields are used after surgery to help fractures
heal. Osteoblasts adjacent to the fracture site become more active
metabolically in response to the electrical stimulation. The increased
activity enhances calcification, vascularization, and endochondral
ossification, accelerating fracture repair. Now that you know that
electrical impulses help to create bone mass, you don’t need to go out and
buy a machine with electromagnetic therapy, but you only have to start
jumping up and down in your own living room. It is free! It also helps you
get rid of stagnation of the mind, not only the body!
As far as reversing osteoporosis can Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture help? Absolutely! With an evaluation from a qualified TCM
practitioner, the correct herbal formula can be made for you which will
address your individual deficiency or excess pattern. These herbs will
balance your bodily functions correctly and encourage your own body to make bone. Acupuncture also encourages your body’s functions to do the same thing. Even better, acupuncture improves the function of all your internal organs so that you will absorb the nutrients that you do take in, better. You can take all the calcium in the health food store, but it will merely be excreted in your urine if your body can not absorb it. This indeed is the
case in many people. Both therapies, Chinese herbal formulas customized for your body and acupuncture point prescriptions customized for your body,
along with correct diet and exercise, will let you have enough good quality
bone for the rest of your life.
Chinese and Japanese research has shown that Chinese medicinals are
effective in preventing and actually reversing osteoporosis. Why these
studies are not published over here in the United States is a mystery.....or
is it?
