Your Bones

Preface

PART 1: YOU ARE AT RISK FOR OSTEOPOROSIS

1: If You Are a Woman, You’re at High Risk for Osteoporosis

What Is Osteoporosis?

Why Are Women at Higher Risk Than Men of Losing Too Much Bone?

Am I Really at Risk? How Common Is Osteoporosis?

Men Are Not Immune to Osteoporosis

What Are My Chances of Recovering from a Hip Fracture Due to Osteoporosis?

PART 2: WHY CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE IS NOT THE ANSWER FOR STRONG BONES

2: The Patent Medicines Prescribed to Prevent Osteoporosis Should Be Your Last Choice for Healthy Bones

Patent Medicines

The Patent Medicines Prescribed for Osteoporosis, the Bisphosphonates (e.g., Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, Reclast), Have Very Nasty Side Effects

Bisphosphonates Don’t Build Healthy, New Bone—They Cause Retention of Old, Brittle Bone

Bisphosphonates Cause Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)

How Bisphosphonates Cause ONJ

Many Dentists Will Not Treat Women Taking Bisphosphonates

No Cure Exists for ONJ

Bisphosphonates Promote Chronic Oral Infections

Bisphosphonates Increase Risk for Atrial Fibrillation

Bisphosphonates: A Long List of Other Adverse Side Effects

Bisphosphonates Increase Fracture Risk

Bisphosphonates and Breast Cancer

Say Bye-Bye to Bisphosphonates!

PART 3: WHAT INCREASES YOUR RISK FOR OSTEOPOROSIS?

3: What You Don’t Know Can Give You Osteoporosis

Are You Sure You’re Getting Enough Calcium?

I Need More than Calcium to Prevent Osteoporosis?

I Need Stomach Acid to Absorb Calcium?

Is Your Diet Leaching Calcium from Your Bones?

How Much Protein Do YOU Need?

Refined Sugars Make Your Belly Fat but Your Bones Skinny

Soft Drinks Are Hard on Bones

Greens Give the Go-Ahead for Great Bones; Their Absence Slams the Brakes on Bone-Building

“Bs” for Better Bones

Do You Have Enough of These Bs on Board?

“C” Your Way to Stronger Bones

4: What Else Increases My Risk for Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis, a Family Affair?

Gastric Bypass: Free Pass? Not for Your Bones

The Liver–Kidney Connection to Bone

What’s Hyperparathyroidism and Why Should My Bones Care?

Is Your Thyroid on Overdrive?

Do Your Favorite Activities All Involve Sitting?

Getting Any . . . Sunshine?

Gloria Vanderbilt Once Said, “A Woman Can’t Be Too Rich or Too Thin.” She Was Half-Wrong

Bone-Busting Patent Medicines

Are Your Bones Going Up in Smoke?

Why Is Smoking So Harmful to Your Bones? Two Key Reasons: Cadmium and Nicotine

More than Two Drinks of Liquor Makes Bone Loss Much Quicker

5: What Men Don’t Know Can Increase Their Risk for Osteoporosis

What Are the Key Risk Factors for Osteoporosis in Men?

6: Chances Are, You Are Already Losing Bone

How Can I Tell If I’m Losing Bone?

What Tests Are Used to Check for Bone Loss? What Qualifies as Osteoporosis?

What to Expect If You Don’t Take Steps to Actively Prevent Bone Loss: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Osteoporosis?

PART 4: HOW TO HAVE STRONG BONES FOR LIFE

7: Strong Bones for Life, Naturally

What Your Bones Really Need to Stay Strong

Bone-Building Vitamins

Bone-Building Minerals

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Builds Bone

Why Bother With a 24-Hour Urine Test When Saliva Tests Are Commonly Available by

Mail Order and a Blood Draw Takes Only a Couple of Minutes?

Why Bioidentical Hormones Rather than Conventional, Patent Medicine Version of HRT?

The Bone-Building Diet (I Can Eat My Way to Strong, Healthy Bones?)

So, What Do the Three Catch-Phrases—Eat Real Food, Mostly Plants, Preferably Organic—Actually Mean?

Bone-Building Exercises

Why Is Exercise Essential for Healthy Bones as We Age?

What Kinds of Exercise and How Much Is Needed to Turn On Bones’ Mineral- Absorbing, Width-Building Actions?

8: If I Follow These Recommendations, What Can I Expect? How Soon Will I See Results?

Resources

Where Can I Find an “Integrative” Doctor Who Will Help Me Build and Keep My Bones Strong, Naturally?

Additional Helpful Resources

Glossary

Notes

Index

TABLES

Foods Rich in Calcium

Daily Protein Requirements by Weight

Foods Rich in Protein

Best Food Sources of Vitamin B6

Best Food Sources of Vitamin B12

Best Food Sources of Riboflavin

Best Food Sources of Folate

Foods Rich in Vitamin C

Food Sources of Vitamin K1

Foods Rich in Magnesium