osteoporis

[garden granny]

I had a bone density scan done recently and my doctor says I am borderline osteoporis. He wants me to come in to discuss treatments, etc. I drink green smoothies all the time, and I thought that should be enough. What can I do so I don't have to take whatever medications/supplements the doctor is wanting me on?? BTW, I'm 55.

[sport]

I have the same problem.
I have been raw for almost 4 years and was diagnosed a couple of months ago. After I got over the disappointment and shock I started on supplements. Do not let them put you on Fosamax or things like that.
I take supplements in the morning and strontium at bedtime.

[RawLibrarian]

I had a bone density scan done recently and my doctor says I am borderline osteoporis. He wants me to come in to discuss treatments, etc. I drink green smoothies all the time, and I thought that should be enough. What can I do so I don't have to take whatever medications/supplements the doctor is wanting me on?? BTW, I'm 55.

Weight bearing exercise. That is essential in preventing osteoporosis or stopping osteopenia from turning into osteoporosis. Walking, yoga, lifting weights ... all these things will help you build bone mass.

Green smoothies are good sources of calcium; you might try adding citrus (oranges, lemons, limes) to the smoothie if you aren't already--the acid in citrus helps you absorb the calcium and iron in greens.

Storm and Jinjee Talifero have some really good green smoothie recipes that use orange juice as a base. You put 16 oz. fresh squeezed OJ in a blender, add LOTS of greens and the fruit of your choice. Because the OJ base is sweet, you can add more greens than you might if you use water as a base.

Sesame seeds are also high in calcium--so raw tahini would be great, as would making mylk from the sesame seeds or sprinkling them in salads, etc.

[Revvell]

As RL says, weight bearing exercises. Food is not enough. Movement is essential!

Revvell

[pippin07]

[QUOTE=RawLibrarian;503109]Weight bearing exercise. That is essential in preventing osteoporosis or stopping osteopenia from turning into osteoporosis. Walking, yoga, lifting weights ... all these things will help you build bone mass.

I wonder if doing these things can actually reverse it; or if once you already have osteoporosis its too late?

I am 56 and too have Osteoporosis. I was told that my Tscore was at the level that I am at high risk for spine fracture. Iv know for almost 5 years that I have it and up until this point have refused to take the fosomax; that is until just recently. I actually got the prescription filled a couple weeks ago but have not been able to convince myself to start taking it.

Anyone know of any cases were someone actually reversed the osteoporosis?

[rawmiss]

Another factor could be fluoride, it is known to weaken bones. - even teeth - too much fluoride causes fluorosis. I'm not sure how to detox fluoride - magnetic clay perhaps? Anyone know?

This article talks about the effect of fluoride on bones and how it can be misdiagnosed as osteoporosis.
http://www.fluoridation.com/skeletal.htm#Table%201
"Human Skeletal Fluorosis

Table 1 shows the phases of skeletal fluorosis mentioned in the article below. None of them are likely to be recognised by North American doctors because they are not trained to diagnose fluorosis. The preliminary stages can easily be misdiagnosed for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or other similar diseases."

[NeGaGal]

Go to www.pubmed.gov and search using the words 'dried plum' You'll find a viewpoint article that points to eating dried plums (prunes) and the reversal of osteoporosis. There are many others... weight bearing exercise is also proven to reverse bone loss... but the foods search is fascinating.

[Veganforlife]

I agree - MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT!

I'm not going to get a bone density test done. I need my money for oh, gas and food! Back in the day these tests weren't performed. It's a racket!!!

[Irish_Vegan_Girl]

Osteoperosis, can be caused by a number of factors, including medications/post-menopause/diet. The damage could have been done earlier in your life and you are seeing the effects on your body now.

How long have you been raw? I would expect you to see lots of improvements if you have been eating raw a long time. What you need is calcium and vitiman D, green smoothies are great and should be doing the trick but other sources or calcium include oranges, blackberries, kiwis, avocados, lima beans, apples ,bananas, chesnuts, peach, walnuts, etc. Exercise is really good for it too and can increase your balance which will in turn prevent or lessen falls.

As I said, it could be related to your diet in earlier life, did you eat lots of dairy? Contrary to what we are thought, dairy actually leaches calcium from the bones. In a society where dairy is plenty, and many go way over their RDA, how come so many women are developing osteoperosis in later life..

Anyway, I'm no specialist, but that is all I know about it so far.

[TaupeRawMan]

Dried figs are another good source of calcium...and very yummy!

[Veganforlife]

Sesame seeds - loaded with calcium...

[TaupeRawMan]

Sesame seeds - loaded with calcium...

Yes! The unhulled (brown) ones!

[cara4art]

Green smoothies, dark greens and other raw vegan mineral-rich foods are awesome, because there's more to the bone issue than calcium alone. One thing you need to be doing is weight-bearing exercise and strength-training. What a lot of people still don't know is that bone responds as well as muscles do with these kinds of stresses placed up on them, i.e. as your muscles get stronger, so do your bones. With a raw vegan diet, and cross-training in this fashion, as well as balance work, things should improve over time, and you will end up with stronger, more flexible bones that are less brittle. There are many instances of women who think they're doing great things by popping all these calcium pills and such, and they still have brittle bones. Sure, the bones might be harder, but they are still brittle, leaving one at a very real risk for fractures. A strong flexible bone can stand a lot more, although one sure doesn't want to push one's luck in this department. Retaining balance skills is essential as we age, because if we don't, there's the very real incident of walking down the street minding one's own business, and all of a sudden one goes splat. Weight-training helps with this too. Actually, some good trainers are incorporating balance and core moves into traditional weight-training exercises.
Avoiding the bone-robbers, like sugar, excess salt, excess animal protein(not a problem for folks here), caffeing is essential too, because all create acidity in the body, which then the bones have to buffer, giving up some of their valuable minerals to do so. So alkalizing the body through the high intake of dark greens and raw foods in general is hugely helpful in this regard.
Osteoporosis doesn't develop overnight, nor does it turn around overnight, but with getting some good habits in place it seems that things should improve and you should hopefully be able to stay away from questionable-sounding drugs. Hope this helps!

[sport]

The problem is that a lot of older people (like me) have to decide between weight bearing exercise to build up the bone and avoiding weight bearing exercise as it puts stress on the joints and the arthritis.
What to do. Save the spine or save the knees.

[didi_dancer]

I just wanted to say. That when I was 17 (I am 20 now) I had a stress fracture in my foot. Though I the time I was dancing ALOT. At the advice of the school doctor I had a bone density test were they said my levels were pre osteoporosis.(even though with some one very young the test can be inaccurate) I am very tiny and allways have been my parents were very thin when they were young and both late bloomers. Even though I am twenty people still mistake me for being 13 years old. I just switch to an all raw diet. Hoping that it will help my bones. All the dark leafy greens. I think you can heal your body with out "modern" medicine. I already feel so much better energy wise being raw.