Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps. Osteoporosis means “porous bone.” Viewed under a microscope, healthy bone looks like a honeycomb. Osteoporosis is frequently called “The Silent Killer” because it itself has no symptoms and most folks are quite unaware of their bone loss until they experience a fracture. 

So, what causes Osteoporosis?  Here is my take

At a higher macro level important predictors of bone and body health include gender, age, race, activity level, diet, estrogen/testosterone status, and lifestyle choices such as stress adaptation by using   steroid medications, smoking, toxin exposures and even the quality of an individual’s emotional relationships. At the molecular level, osteoporosis can develop as a result of the following:

• Chronic Metabolic Acidosis 
• Oxidative Stress (unmet antioxidant needs)
• Neurohormone Imbalance

Chronic Metabolic Acidosis

Bone is so sensitive to even small changes in pH that if the pH dips by even 1/10^th, some of the vital functions of bone can get affected, such as:

• Stimulating excessive osteoclastic activity (also called bone renewal and the recycling of worn-out bone)
• Inhibiting osteoblastic action (new bone-forming cells)
• Inducing a multifold bone mineral loss

So, the best way to keep this in check is by knowing what one’s pH is. First morning urine pH assessment provides a good indication of overall cellular/ tissue pH and of overnight Net Acid Excess (NAE). Using paper pH strips appears to be useful in the absence of longer (more invasive) urine collections such as the 24º urine collection method using oil and thymol (gold standard in measuring NAE and pH). While inexpensive, it is also a convenient self-test measuring mineral reserve status, particularly magnesium and potassium that contribute to one’s acid alkaline balance.

The foods we eat perhaps play the biggest role in influencing the acid/alkaline balance and I recommend using the Acid/Alkaline chart in the Alkaline Way as a helpful guide. 

Oxidative Stress 

Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance between production and accumulation of free radicals or oxygen reactive species (ROS) in cells and the ability of the body to detoxify these reactive products. This can cause undue cellular and tissue damage. Oxidative stress alters the bone remodeling process causing an imbalance between osteoclast and osteoblast activity. This can lead to osteoporosis characterized by low bone mineral density and decreased bone mass. Bone becomes weak and more prone to fractures. Antioxidants, either directly or by counteracting the action of oxidants contribute to activate the differentiation of osteoblasts, mineralization process and the reduction of osteoclast activity. To increase antioxidant reserves and to provide a self-assessment of oxidative stress, I recommend a C Cleanse self-assessment. I often refer to ascorbate as the “mother antioxidant”, so if nothing else, performing a C cleanse can help assess the antioxidant need.

Stress hormone (cortisol / DHEA) and neurochemical (epinephrine/ serotonin) balance.

Overstimulated and under-functioning or exhausted adrenals, thyroid, pancreas, and ovaries or testes are all too common in high tech societies. Neurohormonal balance known as “eustress” enables bone renewal. In contrast distress, i.e., neurohormonal imbalance, downregulates bone renewal. Elevated cortisol levels interfere with osteoblast formation and dramatically decrease bone building. So those with chronically elevated cortisol levels may be at an increased risk for osteoporosis. Similarly, estrogen regulates bone remodeling and with bone being a “target organ” for the thyroid hormone, irregularities in thyroid hormone balance are reflected in bone integrity.  Neurochemicals are not far behind – brain serotonin acts via the hypothalamus and influences bone growth. In states of depression and chronic stress, higher bone norepinephrine levels have been associated with bone loss

How to take action against Osteoporosis

• Maintain a healthy first morning urine pH – between 6.5 and 7.5.
• Take help of the foods in the Acid Alkaline chart
• Use Magnesium with choline citrate. When magnesium reserves are depleted, cells have less energy and “cell energy fatigue” develops.
• Measure and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress
• Immune hypersensitivity pulls minerals from bones and impairs immune repair responses when tolerance is lost. Substances that trigger immune reactions, to which tolerance has been lost, can be identified by key lymphocyte response assays and substitution for immune reactive items in the diet can decrease cumulative repair deficits and achieve better results
• Consider High Sensitivity C Reactive Protein (hsCRP) testing- hsCRP is a predictive biomarker for inflammation, also known as repair deficit. The musculoskeletal system is especially vulnerable to inflammation, which is connected to increased oxidative stress and higher levels of hsCRP are associated with increased fracture risk. Flavonoids like quercetin dihydrate and oligomeric proanthocyanidins can help fill the antioxidant requirement naturally. 

Get adequate exercise, sleep and relaxation:

• Even one hour per day of walking helps. Pulling on bone through movement, builds bone. Restorative sleep rebuilds bone.
• Reverse learned patterns of distress (sympathetic hyperactivity) by practicing eustress relaxation responses and mindfulness practices, tai chi, yoga, walking or other preferred activities, including weight-bearing exercises. 
• Consider adding tryptophan with vitamin B6 and riboflavin for adequate serotonin and melatonin production.
• Evaluate stress hormones like Cortisol and DHEA through saliva to ensure daily hormonal rhythms are in balance

Water and Hydration: 

• Daily intake of four quarts of water is essential for bone health. Sufficient fluids flush water-soluble toxins from all sources out through urine, sweat and stool. Without hydration the trapped toxins further build up in already fatigued cells and do not allow the uptake of magnesium because of the energy required in the uptake process.

Include the bone critical nutrients listed below: