Cliff's Weekly Papers Archives

Cliff's holistic health paper 25D -- last one

Hi,
Dr. Stoll has suggested I post each week 2 of my holistic health papers. This week (posted below) is the last of the series: Paper 25D, Osteoporosis.

Health Musings (Paper 25D, Osteoporosis)

by Clifford S. Garner, Ph.D.

In this paper we take up the topic of osteoporosis. This is a disabling disease that reduces
the density and strength of bones, causing them to become thinner and more likely to fracture;
osteomalacia (called “rickets” in children) is a softening of bones due to impaired mineralization,
and considered to come from a vitamin D deficiency. Osteoporosis apparently affects about 30
million Americans, with one-third or more of postmenopausal women having this condition. In
the USA 2 million people over age 45 experience bone fractures from osteoporosis, chiefly in the
vertebral spinal column, hips, and wrists; the USA has the highest rate of osteoporotic fractures in
the world. Moreover, about 12-20% of older people with hip fractures die within one year of the
fracture, because of rapid loss of bone, muscle, strength, and appetite. Osteoporosis occurs in 2
forms: Primary (or type I), typically caused by loss of trabecular sponge-type material making up
the inner part of bones, and secondary (or type II) associated with loss of both trabecular and
cortical (or outer shell-like) bone. Type II leaves the person especially vulnerable to hip fractures.
Osteoporosis affects women more than men, partially because women have less bone mass
and start losing it a much earlier age (the other main reason is that they don’t normally have the
large supply of testosterone). Up to age 35, women and men have the same bone stability. For
women, the most rapid rate of bone loss begins around age 45, when body hormone levels tend to
change dramatically (most women lose 5-10% of bone mass during the first 5 years of
menopause, and about 1% per year thereafter). Men, on the other hand, usually don’t experience
much bone loss until after age 70, although osteoporosis for them then is often very serious.
Early warning signs of osteoporosis include spinal bone pain, chronic back and leg pain,
bone fractures from trivial injuries, bone loss in the jaw and in tooth sockets (bone draws away
from teeth, causing them to loosen or even fall out), tooth pain, facial tics from bone marrow loss,
some vision problems, including poor depth perception, and excessive loss of height or noticeable
decline in posture with increasing age. Some health practitioners feel that it is useful to get pH
paper from a health food store and check the pH of the urine over a period of many days (perhaps
best is the morning urine, perhaps 2 hours after breakfast)– habitual readings below 7 they take to
suggest calcium and bone loss, but in my opinion pH readings of 6 to 7 are “normal” and there are
many factors besides calcium loss that affect the urine pH, and healthy vegetarians will tend to
have higher urine pH. More meaningful is to get occasional urinary calcium-excretion tests.
Another approach, for those who know how to do kinesiology (with precautions against blocking
and switching) is to simultaneously push down gently on both arms extended straight out to the
sides (as in middle deltoid tests) and with palms facing backward; weakening of the arms indicates
some degree of osteoporosis or osteoskeletal weakness.
Those most at risk for osteoporosis are: 1) small-boned postmenopausal Caucasian and
Asian women, especially those who have not had children, and who have a family history of
osteoporosis; 2) women over age 75, especially with long-term calcium and vitamin D deficiency;
3) women who have a high intake of animal proteins, white flour, sugar, salt, potatoes, tomatoes
(and perhaps other nightshades), soft drinks, alcohol, or of coffee and other caffeine products,
and/or who smoke; 4) women who have had their ovaries removed prior to menopause, or have
had stomach or small intestine resection, or diseases of the thyroid, liver, kidney, or pancreas;
5) women with a history of irregular or no menstrual periods; 6) women who experience
menopause before age 45; 7) women with long-term use of Synthroid, a medically highly used
synthetic thyroid hormone (see our Paper 9D for information on the thyroid, the dangers of
Synthroid use and natural alternatives), or who have overactive thyroids; 8) women with long-
term use of corticosteroids, tranquilizers and antidepressants, antibiotic drugs, sleeping pills,
antidiuretics, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, antacids; 9) women who get little weight-bearing
exercise and perhaps exercise inappropriately for their blood type (excessive exercise that causes
cessation of menstruation actually increases the tendency toward osteoporosis); for those who
have already had an osteoporotic fracture, the best choice of exercise may be walking in chest-
deep water, working up to 30 minutes three times a week; 10) women with a persistent high
resting pulse rate; 11) women who are tall and/or thin because they don’t eat enough or because
they diet to stay thin, or who lose 10% or more of their body weight after age 50 (once a
woman’s ovaries stop producing estrogen, her body keeps on making small amounts from
subcutaneous fat, especially abdominal fat, so a little extra weight is helpful for menopausal
women); 12) women unable to get out of a chair without holding onto the arms; 13) people who
live in cities and “first world” countries.
Research has shown that osteoporosis is much more complex than was realized even 5
years ago. Bone and cartilage are ever-changing living tissue, with wide nutritional needs that are
not supplied by the typical American diet, with its junk and processed “foods,” fried foods, high
meat, high (or too low) fat, high-sugar, high-salt, low-fiber, foods “chemicalized” with synthetic
preservatives, antibiotics, and other additives. Heavy metal (especially aluminum, lead, tin, and
cadmium) toxicity, allergies, and anxiety and emotional stress all contribute. Louise Hay ascribes
osteoporosis and other bone problems to factors such as feeling there is no support left in life, loss
of mental mobility, and rebelling against authority. Acid-alkaline balance is important. Acid-
forming foods include meat, fowl, fish, eggs, grains, sugar, wheat flour, white rice, beans, etc.
Alkaline-forming foods include most vegetables, fruits, sea vegetables, etc. Eating too-high a
proportion of acid-forming foods draws minerals out of bones, and eating too-high a proportion
of alkaline-forming foods tends to create a craving for sweets with its many attendant problems.
Blood type also influences the need for specific balancing of acid- to alkaline-forming foods, as
well as avoiding foods which are specific to each blood type (O, A, B, AB).
Bone density appears to be best measured by the full-table DEXA (dual-energy x-ray
absorptiometry) or peripheral DEXA machines, which have a 95-98% accuracy and can detect a
bone mass change of 3-5%. The DPA (dual photon absorptiometry) machine appears to have an
8% error rate. Regular x-rays will detect osteoporosis only after a 25% bone mass loss. Some
kinds of computerized tomography (CT) scans are also helpful. There may be ways of getting at
bone densities by weighing the body in and out of water, etc., but I am not familiar with that
approach.
The orthodox medical approach to osteoporosis is for the most part encouraging their
patients to pop lots of calcium pills (even Tums, an antacid known to reduce stomach acid needed
for calcium assimilation and linked to bone pain and easy fracture) and/or drink lots of cow’s milk
(a common allergen, and a poor source of assimilable calcium),-- although calcium alone often
does nothing for osteoporosis, as we shall discuss below,-- get on estrogen replacement
(Premarin, an estrogen derived from pregnant mare’s urine, and Provera, medroxyprogesterone,
a synthetic progesterone), and maybe medication such as Fosamax (alendronate sodium),
Raloxifene, or Miacalcin (calcitonin). Please note that Premarin not only has no estriol (only
estrone and estradiol), but also ca. 10 estrogens that have nothing to do with the human body,
being specifically designed for horses. This is important because the average ratio of serum
estrogen in the human female is 90% estriol-7% estradiol-3% estrone (the latter two favor
cancers, whereas estriol, not found in Premarin, is anticarcinogenic). The Premarin-Provera-type
approach has its price, since this tends to produce cancers of the breast, uterus, and endometria,
as well as deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolisms, and migraines. Premarin has its price
for the mares, who are kept in tiny pens to reduce movement, are kept constantly pregnant and
constantly catheterized, which is so stressful their life expectancy is half that of a normal horse;
moreover, the foals are not needed, so they are sacrificed. A somewhat better approach if you
believe you must have medical estrogen is to use prescription-compounded “triple”estrogens,
such as 90% estriol-7% estradiol-3% estrone, under the guidance of a holistic MD. The Women’s
International Pharmacy, 1-800-279-5708, and the Wellness Health & Pharmaceuticals, 1-800-
227-2627, can supply names of alternative health professionals in your area and can compound
various formulas on prescription. However, the best approach is the use of a natural progesterone
cream (see below), not more estrogen. Or alternatively, some women can get by with Standard
Process Symplex F (for women) or Symplex M (for men), maybe 3-6 daily, which are natural and
often work well in my experience with clients.
Turning to Fosamax, it binds to bone and slows the growth of new bone, so that bone
turnover is less than before menopause, and does substantially reduce hip fractures from
osteoporosis. However, 4% of patients have to stop its use because of adverse reactions,
including abdominal pain, nausea, dyspepsia, and musculoskeletal pain. Women with kidney
problems are warned not to take Fosamax because the body may not process it well and too high
amounts may stay in the body. More seriously, Fosamax can erode the esophagus (the fact sheet
that comes with Fosamax warns not to lie down for 20 minutes after ingesting the pill), but an 87
year old woman who took Fosamax each morning after arising and dressing, and hence would
have been unlikely to lie down, had almost total destruction of her esophagus in several months
and had to endure risky surgical repair. Fosamax can also irritate the stomach lining and cause
constipation. Some MDs have reported similar occurrences and believe Fosamax to be a
dangerous drug. Its long-term effects are unknown. As for Raloxifene, it supposedly increases
bone-mineral density without increasing the risk of endometrial cancer, but it creates poor-quality
fragile bones while increasing risk of fractures, gastrointestinal upset, ulcers, hot flashes, and may
cause bone cancer. Miacalcin (calcitonin) is a thyroid hormone that reduces the pain of small
fractures and stabilizes bone-mineral density in the spine, but can cause nosebleeds, dryness of the
nasal lining, and itching. Once drug treatment with any of these is stopped before bone loss abates
at around age 70 bone loss appears to resume at the pretreatment rate. This is very unfortunate in
that such long-term use (usually 20-plus years) increases the cancer and other risks, and even the
risk of such things as water retention, uterine fibroids, gallbladder and liver disease, heart disease,
stroke, etc.
Turning now to alternatives to orthodox allopathic medicine, we first consider nutrition,
including calcium and related supplementation. Most of the supplementation is best divided into 3
portions a day, and usually best taken with meals. A good Contact Reflex Analysis (CRA)
practitioner is invaluable in checking the functioning of the parathyroids, thyroid,hormone status,
etc., and the need for, the brand, and dosage of the supplements and avoiding those to which the
client may be allergic.
Unhulled sesame seeds, kelp, brewer’s yeast, leafy green vegetables, beans, and fish are
good food sources of assimilable calcium. Milk is not a good source, but quality yogurt (not
available in any of my local supermarkets) is. However, supplementation with soluble calcium
such as calcium citrate, calcium malate, calcium lactate, or calcium aspartate is desirable, perhaps
800 to 1500 mg of calcium a day. Natural microcrystalline hydroxyapatite (MCHC), a compound
of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and fluoride, is very good also. This nutrition alone is rarely
enough. Incidentally, neither oyster shell nor ordinary bone-meal supplements are good sources
of assimilable calcium (most bone-meal has been boiled for days to remove the marrow from the
bone, which bone is then ground, having lost all its enzymes and the amino acids rendered useless,
and lead is a common contaminant); two good products that include good raw veal bone-meal are
Standard Process Biost (maybe 6 a day for 6 months, then 3 a day maintenance) and, if there are
related dental problems, Bio-Dent (3-4 a day). Another reportedly good source of assimilable
calcium is a form found in an algae from the coast of Tarapaca, Chile, which apparently has
substantial amounts of minerals we discuss below, such as magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc–it
is available in a supplement called “Osteoporex.” Sufficient vitamin D, preferably as D3
(cholecalciferol), maybe 300-600 IU daily, is needed for calcium absorption, as is sufficient
stomach acid (good sources are supplements of betaine hydrochloride; Standard Process Zypan is
an excellent source, having in addition to betaine hydrochloride, ammonium chloride, pepsin,
pancreatric extract, and bovine and ovine spleen, all greatly helpful in promoting adequate
digestion, not only of foods but of supplements, maybe 1-2 per meal). Incidentally, an East Indian
botanical, coleus forskohlii, available in health food stores as Forskolin, stimulates the parietal
hydrochloric acid-secreting cells of the stomach to produce more acid, and also helpful in asthma,
congestive heart failure, glaucoma, high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. Calcium
absorption is hindered if the parathyroid glands are not functioning properly; an excellent product
here is Standard Process Cal-Ma Plus, which in addition to having calcium citrate, calcium lactate,
and magnesium citrate, has bovine parathyroid, maybe 3 a day for 6 months, then 1 daily, whether
the parathyroids are underactive or overactive; if underactive, add maybe 3-6 Standard Process
Cataplex F perles, or if overactive, add instead maybe 2-6 Standard Process Cataplex D daily.
Conversion of vitamin D to its active form requires boron, say as boron picolinate or sodium
tetrahydroborate, perhaps 3-5 mg boron daily (good food sources are apples, legumes, nuts,
pears, leafy green vegetables), but avoid excess boron, because that can lead to actual bone loss.
Magnesium is required to balance the calcium and appears to be even more important than
calcium, perhaps 400-1000 mg daily, in a form such as magnesium citrate, magnesium malate,
magnesium lactate, magnesium aspartate (good food sources are kelp, blackstrap molasses,
sunflower seeds, many nuts, brown rice, chard, spinach). Copper (say as copper picolinate or
Standard Process Copper Liver Chelate) plays a crucial role in bone mineralization and is
especially important for postmenopausal women, and has been reported to single-handedly reduce
bone loss by 90%; perhaps 1-3 mg of copper daily (good food sources are thyme, blackstrap
molasses, many nuts, kelp, salmon, oats). Copper deficiencies, fairly common in the USA, also
increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and immune system dysfunction. Manganese (say as
manganese picolinate or manganese citrate), perhaps 15-30 mg manganese daily (good food
sources are cloves, ginger, buckwheat, oats, many nuts, barley, beans), is another requirement for
bone mineralization--incidentally, manganese is depleted by excess phosphate (high meat or high
soft drink consumption) and even by calcium in excess (excess calcium also limits iron uptake).
Strontium (say as the citrate or aspartate) is another mineral needed for bone mineralization,
maybe 3-6 mg a day (I have not seen a list of foods high in strontium), and actually draws calcium
into bones, minimizes formation of osteoclasts (cells that break down bone) and stimulates
formation of osteoblasts (cells generating new bone growth). Three other minerals good for
osteoporosis are vanadium, say as vanadyl sulfate or BMOV (latter found in Fem-Gest cream, a
topical form of progesterone), maybe 5-15 mg vanadium daily (good food sources are buckwheat,
parsley, soybeans, oats, olive oil), zinc, say as the citrate, picolinate, carbonate, maybe 25-75 mg
zinc daily, or as 2-3 daily of Standard Process Zinc Liver Chelate (good food sources are oysters,
pumpkin seeds, ginger root, pecans, oats, lima beans), and silicon, which helps in cross-linking
collagen strands involved with the connective tissue matrix of bone, say as silicon-rich spring
horsetail (the plant Equisetum arvense), an especially good form of which is VegeSil put out by
Flora, or colloidal silicic acid, perhaps 20-100 mg silicon daily (good food sources are oatmeal,
brown rice, root vegetables); some studies suggest germanium (as sesquioxide, maybe 150 mg
daily) might also be helpful when phyto-estrogens are used.
Vitamins that are very helpful include B6 (perhaps preferably as pyridoxyl-5-phosphate,
maybe 50-100 mg daily), B12 (preferably as sublingual tablets, maybe 1-3 mg daily), C (preferably
Standard Process Cataplex C or A-C-P, which has the natural full C complex, perhaps 6 a day),
D3 (discussed above, maybe 300-600 IU daily; 40% of USA population is deficient in D), E
(preferably Standard Process Cataplex E2, which has the full natural E complex, maybe 3-6 daily),
F (preferably as Standard Process Cataplex F tablets, maybe 3-9 a day), K (which produces
osteocalcin, a bone protein that attracts calcium into bone tissue; K is found especially in broccoli,
brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, garbanzo beans, and unexpectedly in iceberg lettuce, but
supplementation with maybe 150-300 mcg daily is probably needed), and the vitamin B co-factor
folic acid (maybe 20-60 mg daily, which ridiculously requires a prescription). Other helpful
nutrition includes a good organic flax oil (I prefer Barlean’s Lignan Rich Flax Oil, maybe 1-2
tablespoons daily), maybe 2 a day of Standard Process Chlorophyll Complex Perles, and if the
thyroid is underfunctioning maybe 3-6 daily of Standard Process Thytrophin.
We turn next to hormone replacement and its alternatives.
We have already mentioned the risks of conventional hormone replacement therapy, such
as the medically very common prescription of Premarin and Provera. However, recent research
shows that neither Premarin nor Provera prevents osteoporosis, as is commonly assumed. Both
drugs are usually taken orally, and pass through the liver where most of either is altered or
destroyed. Accordingly, some MDs recommend estrogen patches, but holistic MDs and NDs
have found these do not work as well as natural, plant-derived progesterones, and the like. E.g.,
tests on women over age 60 show that plant progesterone (such as found in wild yam), along with
appropriate diet and supplements, can reverse osteoporosis, something no synthetic hormones
have been able to do in any combination. John R. Lee, MD, has made extensive studies of the use
of transdermal natural progesterone creams plus calcium-magnesium supplementation, finding,
e.g., in a study of 100 postmenopausal women over a 6-year period using Pro-Gest natural
progesterone cream that fractures were reduced and of the 63 that had bone-mineral density
determinations there was a 15% increase in density on average, whereas they would have been
expected without therapy to have lost 5% bone density over that time. Dr. Lee’s books, “What
Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause,” and “Natural Progesterone–The Multiple
Roles of a Remarkable Hormone,” have much valuable information in them along these lines, and
list reliable brands of progesterone, etc. (he recommends a brand with at least 500 milligrams per
ounce of 100% pure USP grade progesterone, naturally derived from soybeans, with no
fragrances or preservatives). He believes natural progesterone is more than a treatment for
osteoporosis, it is also the answer to all menopausal problems. If you opt for this approach,
please be aware that natural progesterones may not be strong enough to prevent the uterine-
cancer-promoting effect of commercial synthetic estrogens, so it might be dangerous to switch
from Provera or the like to natural progesterone while continuing commercial estrogens such as
Premarin. The phytoestrogen approach is greatly better than the medical route for blood types A
and AB, whose high susceptibility for breast cancer render the medical estrogen route unwise. .
Dr. David G. Williams reported in 1998 that vitamin D “has the same positive effect on
bone mass as estrogen–without the associated cancer risk.” However, I have seen no research on
this or any follow-up report.
Currently ipriflavone, synthesized from isoflavones found in small amounts in alfalfa, is
being hyped as a wonder substitute for estrogen replacement therapy. It does appear to be the
only nonhormonal supplement that stimulates formation of new bone cells (osteoblasts) and
inhibiting loss of healthy bone when taken with calcium. Long-term use is said to be safe. It may
need to be combined with estrogen, but the estrogen dosage probably can be lowered. Dosages
of ipriflavone run around 600 mg daily. Thorne Research puts out an excellent product called
Oscap Plus containing ipriflavone, calcium and magnesium as citrate-malate, folinic acid, vitamins
D, K, B6, B12, and the minerals boron and vanadium, plus horsetail herb (source of silicon).
Soybeans contain two flavonoid compounds, genistein and daidzein, which have mild
estrogenic activity. The consumption of large amounts of soy products by Japanese women could
account for the rareness of menopausal complaints in Japan. However, there are currently some
arguments against eating soy, except maybe in fermented forms such as tempeh.
Some health practitioners like to use DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and/or hGH
(human growth hormone) to help the female hormone system, but their long-term effects are
unknown, and even short-term use can affect the entire complex hormone balance, so I and some
holistic health professionals consider their use unwise unless monitored very closely. I consider
use of Standard Process Symplex F and/or Ovex or Ovex P (maybe 3-6 each daily) to be safe and
effective if kinesiology so indicates. Alternatively, herbs such as Black Cohosh (Cimifuga
racemosa, ), Dong quai (Angelica sinensis), Chaste Tree Berry (Vitex agnus-castus) Panax
ginseng, and the like often can help considerably.
Traditional Chinese medicine (discussed in our paper 17D) addresses osteoporosis
typically through the kidneys, the aging of which is regarded as the aging of the body. Two
Chinese herbal formulas are widely used, namely, Er xian tang (“Two Immortals Decoction”) and
Shai di huang (“Eight Flavor Rehmannia”). Sometimes eucomia bark, Chinese licorice, or cibot
rhizome are used. Acupuncture (see our paper 17D) is often combined with the Chinese herbs.
Homeopathy (see our paper 21D), if following the classical approach, would use whatever
constitutional remedy arose from the symptoms and life history. Remedies are likely to include
one of the following: Calcarea carbonica, Calcarea phosphorica, Calcarea fluorica, Strontium
carbonica, Carcinofin, Bufo, Silicea, probably of low potency, such as 6X or 12X.
Firm rubbing of reflexology zones on the soles of both feet, just inside the full length of
the (inner) arch, may help for spinal osteoporosis.
Changes in dietary habits and lifestyle, as suggested by the factors given earlier
predisposing to osteoporosis, are all important, and one should not try to address osteoporosis
just with medications or nutritional supplements.

DISCLAIMER:
Information and procedures described in this and other “Health Musings” are reported
solely for educational purposes. The author is not directly or indirectly dispensing medical advice.
Although the author believes this information and these procedures to be valuable, persons using
them do so entirely at their own risk.

Clifford Garner, Ph.D., is a holistic health facilitator and a professional kinesiology practitioner.
He may be reached by telephone or fax at (505) 525-1089 or by e-mail at .

Follow Ups:

• Re: Cliff's holistic health paper 25D -- last one Walt Stoll 10:11:58 7/25/00 (0)

In Reply to: Cliff's holistic health paper 25D -- last one posted by Cliff Garner on July 24, 2000 at 11:39:27:

Thanks, Cliff!

This has been a wonderful service. Glad you gave us the opportunity to archive those we had missed.

Namaste`

Walt