Bone density improvement

[HeronNS]

I got my DXA scan results this morning. Happily there has been a noticeable improvement and they are no longer recommending OP drugs, nor will I need another scan for three to five years! So nutrition and exercise do work, even when on low dose long term steroid treatment!

[Lynndeb]

Congratulations and well done! You are an inspiration to us all, but I wish more people could learn of your success. My next DXA will be in the spring, and I wish with all my heart that I am able to write a similar update. All the best! Lynn

[HeronNS in reply to Lynndeb]

Yes, I am rooting for you! Take your vitamin K2, etc, and do your weight bearing exercise!

[Lynndeb in reply to HeronNS]

Thank you! And yes, taking all the vitamins, keeping alkaline and eating well, my only problem is that I have ME/CFS, and I have recently been to ill to exercise. But, I am beginning to feel a bit better, so it will come, plus the weighted vest which you recommended is great for just pottering about the house. Again, I am so pleased for you!

[HeronNS in reply to Lynndeb]

Sorry you've been unwell lately, hope the improvement continues!

[Jess21 in reply to Lynndeb]

I have cfs too lynndeb. I take strontium ranelate (protelos) for OP and am having DEXA next week. I know what a struggle it is to keep exercising with me/ cfs!

[Kaarina in reply to Jess21]

Hi Jess, I hope your DXA scan went well.

I expect you know that if you are taking strontium ranelate the person reading your dexa scan should make the appropriate adjustment when reading your dexa scan. Unfortunately many do not know how to do this. See link: osteopenia3.com/Strontium-d...

[Jess21 in reply to Kaarina]

Thank you Kaarina. I did know about the strontium effect on DEXA and wondered if it was worth having the scan as I am worried my doctor may stop my Protelos. Last time I had a scan they didn't take the strontium effect into account even though I took in papers to show them. Do you think it's worth having the scan?

[Kaarina in reply to Jess21]

I would go for it, (actually I thought you had already had the dexa, obviously I did not read your post correctly) as it is being offered. I am relieved to hear that you are aware the result may not be totally "correct".

I take SR and in future the doctor I now see annually in endocrinology says my spine is not in good shape at all (which I was well aware of) and he will be referring me in future to have an x-ray rather than a DEXA.

[Jess21 in reply to Kaarina]

Thank you Kaarina ... I have printed out the link you sent and will take it with me to dexa on tuesday and also take it to GP when I go for results in case she tries to stop my Protelos! So sorry to hear that you're not doing well, have you seen on SR for long?

[Kaarina in reply to Jess21]

I am ok thank you, Jess, I have some compression at L2 but no other fracture history. I had the DEXA done in 2012 as I had lost a lot of height. I do have scoliosis and this is also another reason why the doctor thinks x-rays rather than a DEXA will be more helpful to him and me.

I started SR in April 2013. Had a DEXA in 2015 and because the report said calculation figures of my 10 year probability of fracture risk based on FRAX were below the recommended treatment threshold the SR was stopped

I was not happy with this, fought my corner and so my doctor referred me to Endocrinology. The doctor I see is the one who looked at my DEXA and stopped the SR.

After discussing issues with him at my appointment and after I used a 24 hour BP monitor which he organised, and he was happy with the readings, he put me back on SR which was my wish all along. I restarted SR in January 2016.

[Lynndeb in reply to Jess21]

Hi Jess, so nice to hear from you, although I'm sorry that you too have cfs. It really is such a battle to exercise, when it often worsens the cfs, but we'll get there!

I too take strontium (citrate) along with vits D, K2 and some calcium, along with dietary changes. I'm also read, a lot!, which together with this forum has greatly helped increase my knowledge, and I'm determined to follow in Heron's footsteps in increasing my bone density as naturally as possible.

Have you had a look at Dr Myhill's website? Very useful in many ways.

I wish you the best of luck with your DEXA this week - please keep us posted.

Lynn

[Aristotle13]

That is really good news, I am so pleased for you. I hope that it gives you the same lift that my news gave me. It makes all the work worthwhile. I notice that there is now a K2-7 area on FB with some quite interesting posts. I'm still on much the same regime but not quite so intense.

Well Done!

[HeronNS in reply to Aristotle13]

Yes, it feels really good! Thank you!

[Gigi71]

That's so reassuring, Heron, so pleased for you. I just hope they can get to the bottom of my low density, having been on steroids for 31 years, still feel it's the main culprit for me and age of course.

[cdenoncourt]

Excellent news! So happy for you. I've been waiting almost as anxiously as you to know your results and I hope I also get rewarded for my efforts similar to yours. Dexa set for next week.

[kulina]

Great news I am so happy for you HeronNS! Congratulations and thank you so much for inspiring me to do the same.

[Kaz1607]

Congratulations on your results. I think you are an inspiration to us all on this site.

[HeronNS in reply to Kaz1607]

Kulina and Kaz1607 I just wanted to share my experience to show it CAN be done; so many of us are told that we really can't do anything about bone thinning. I and others are proof that we can!

[Kentie in reply to HeronNS]

Congratulations it's so inspiring. What was your T levels when first diagnosed as I had dexa scan last year after complaining of back pain. I already had osteopenia and been taking calcium prescribed by GP, for A number of years. My T levels were 3.7 spin and 2.7 hips, GP prescribed the usual AA And Naproxen as well as some leaflets on back exercises. Shortly after this I fell over jogging in the park and fractured my shoulder, bone seemed to heal ok but soft tissue injuries took much longer. I was discharged from fracture clinic after weeks of physio therapy only to fall again following week and fractured my wrist in 2 places, on the mend now and back exercising,Pilates and Swing jive Dancing, walking not jogging as lost my confidence since falls. I have been researching alternatives and am looking at taking K2, Magnesium Boron and Collagen in addition the to the increased Calcium + D3 been taking since diagnosis last year. I am also looking at diet and have been on the NOS for info. Did you follow similar plan and how long before you had follow up scan in order to achieve your good news. I am 58, my mum and sister both have osteosprosis and I am concerned about my daughter and granddaughters bone health, so any advise would be much appreciated. Kentie

[HeronNS in reply to Kentie]

I had not bad DXA scan result actually - I improved from -2 to -1.6 in one year, but for over half the intervening year my dose of prednisone (for polymyalgia) was above 5 mg which is considered the dosage which can still have an effect on bones. I'm still on long term steroids but dose now down to 2 mg. I credit Vitamin K2, generally good diet, and lots of appropriate exercise for the turnaround, which I know has got to be a lifetime commitment!

[Kentie in reply to HeronNS]

Thanks, my mum also had polymyalgia and was on prednisone for at least a year, and it was during that time she was diagnosed with Osteoporosis. Unfortunately for her she was given fosimax and with no other input from GP has been on this for at least 10 years and after much reading we now know this should have been a much shorter period of time and at 84 the damage is done , but me and my sister are using her experiences as a learning curve and trying to do all we can to slow down the inevitable outcome, thank you for your response and agree for all of us with oesteporosis the management and prevention is a life long commitment. I wish you well in your endeavours to keep on improving

[HeronNS in reply to Kentie]

We all, including the doctors (hopefully) know a lot more now so it should be easier for us to avoid that most basic error of keeping a patient on a medication after it's no longer useful. I had some idea as a young and middle aged woman that I needed to pay attention to my bones, and fortunately my work at time of menopause did encourage a fair amount of physical activity, and I took calcium and D for years before diagnosed with PMR. Perhaps if I hadn't things would have been harder for me. But I was proactive about this. There certainly doesn't seem to be much effort made by our medical caregivers to educate us at an earlier age how to care for our skeletons!

[Annie99]

Wow HeronNS, that's encouraging.

[Mileydog]

Hello HeronNS

I am new to this site and have been reading some of the older posts and have come across yours in which you tell of your increase in bone density. I was diagnosed in January after a bad fall the previous September resulted in a spinal fracture. My spinal T score is - 4.8, which as you will know is very bad, my hips osteopenia. I have had all the blood and urine tests and am told they are normal . I have always been an active person and so I have no idea why my spine density is so low.

I have not been told to take any supplements but have been taking Vit D3, Boron, magnesium , K2 and Vit C . I have always exercised walking 8-9 miles a day for years, I now walk 5 miles a day, do free weights every other day, spine strengthening exercises every other day and balance exercises.

Would you mind sharing what you have done to improve your bone density, I know I need to do everything I can to try to reverse this and do not want to miss anything.

I have been prescribed AA, which I have been taking since April, I did not think I had any choice in the circumstances but of course would like to stop taking them, fortunately have no problems with them. I am 66 years old and otherwise in excellent health, I am very fit and flexible ( though I am a bit wary of stretching now) and have never taken any long term medications.

It is very encouraging to hear that some people have managed to improve their bone density naturally,so congratulations .

[HeronNS in reply to Mileydog]

Sounds like you are doing many of the things I did. One thing a friend told me was to take wheat grass. I haven't actually done that, but I think it's for the silica. I expect I get lots of that from my vegetarian diet. The only other thing re diet may be eating quite a lot of fermented foods. Yoghurt is supposed to help bone density, so I wonder if this is true of other fermented foods, like kefir, kombucha, and fermented veg of which sauerkraut is the best known. If you aren't used to them start with very small servings to allow your gut to adapt.

I took up Nordic walking, Tai chi, and I sometimes wear a weighted walking vest (hypervest brand).

[Mileydog in reply to HeronNS]

Thank you for your reply, I forgot to say that I have read more than once about trials of the affect of eating prunes on bone density. Apparently eating ten prunes a day have been shown to improve bone density, so I have for some months been eating ten prunes a day with yoghurt. I have also read many times about the benefits of eating kefir so may try this. I do not think I would be able to use Nordic Poles as I have had an operation for rotator cuff injuries. I have thought about a weighted vest but not sure with my spinal density being so low , however, I have thought about trying a light back pack .

[HeronNS in reply to Mileydog]

The weighted vest in have is much more comfortable than a backpack and you can start with just a few ounces, adding small weights gradually as you gain strength.

[ITYFIALMCTT in reply to HeronNS]

I must admit that I'm nearer and nearer to purchasing a Hypervest after reading your praise and experience of it.

[HeronNS in reply to ITYFIALMCTT]

It was expensive, but worth it. ☺

[Jessie1234 in reply to Mileydog]

Just reading all these posts now. I take a full small glass of kefir 6 days a week ( must be done consistently) and if my nails are anything to go by they are strong for the first time in my life. The kefir made with full fat milk, goats milk in my case, provides probiotics plus lots of bone building nutrients including some K2. To keep the probiotics happy in your gut you feed them prebiotics such as full fat live yogurt, onions and garlic, asparagus plus others. An Irish study proved that eating this yogurt daily regularly improved bone density. Regarding the prunes some people are concerned that 10 prunes daily is a lot of sugar and calories! Follow up studies show that 4-5 prunes May give the same effect. Dr Susan Brown of “Better Bones” writes about this in her blog.

[Insight329]

HeronNS, that's wonderful news! Congratulations and thank you for sharing your story and being our inspiration.

[joints]

Joints Hi HeronNS I am delighted that you improved your Bone density, my lumbar spine is where I have severe oesteoporosis, hips normal. Dr said to not bend over, in case of a fracture. What exercise do you recommend or is there a site I could get exercise that are safe. I have increased my walking. Do you know of anything to help Hiatus hernia, to try to get PPI. I'm taking Calcium Citrate with d3, k2 magmisum. I have IBS & suffer constipation. I'm wondering what else I can take. You are very kind & knowledgeable. Many thanks again

[HeronNS in reply to joints]

Hi Joints. Your questions would be better answered by people with more experience of these matters than I have. However there are a couple of good sites where you should find some exercises to help you strengthen the muscles which support your spine and help keep you upright. These sites do tend to want to sell you supplements and prorams and so forth, but there is plenty of very useful and authentic information.

saveourbones.com/

betterbones.com/

Ignore the selling aspect (at least unless you want to go further) and you should find some good ideas about how to manage your bone issues. Best would be to have a couple of sessions with a physiotherapist who understand osteoporosis, but that isn't always possible. Basically you should avoid forward bends, and twisting your body when standing. You can crouch to pick something (light) off the floor keeping your back straight by pretending to sit down, this alters your centre of gravity, so you can bend your knees and go down without stressing the knees. I use this technique to feed my cat, for example. It's something I learned when I went to an osteoporosis info session at my local hospital.

Most countries have a national osteoporosis site which gives good advice. Like this, as an example:

nof.org/patients/treatment/...

I do recommend that people take Vitamin K2 (not K1). If you are on a blood thinner you need to get medical advice, but K2 is what sends calcium to the bones, whereas K1 is the vitamin involved in blood clotting.

As for the digestive issues I'm afraid I can offer no advice. There is probably a community on HealthUnlocked for that, though! Good Luck!

[joints]

Delighted HeronNS to hear you had good results with your Dexa scan. Wonderful news, & it must be a big relief of your Shoulders. You are a great help to the rest of us who are struggling to improve our bones. I'm having a Dexa scan in November, my lumbar spine was down 3%, having improved the previous year. I know I wasn't as active last year with walking. I was doing Pilates, but Dr said that these exercises would damage my lower spine with bending etc. I'm on Prolia , & will reconsider according to results. Well done to you again. God bless.

[HeronNS in reply to joints]

Well I hope things are still okay. I hurt my knee quite badly last year and haven;t been able either to walk as much (getting better) or carry much weight. But able to carry on with the vitamins of course, and doing a lot of physio type exercises. One does what one can!

[joints]

Hi Heron5 Thank you so much on your reply re exercise & the links you gave me on exercise. We don't have a lot of help here for Oesteoporosis & very few Dr's are interested. Only for yourself & other people on this site are extremely good on sharing their own experiences. I will look up these sites for exercise. I got a lot of help from other ladies who had Hiatus hernia, which I'm finding very good. Will let you know after my Dexa scan. Take care.

[HeronNS in reply to joints]

Thanks - yes do let us know how you get on.