Natural bone building success stories?

I'm 60 and I've been able to improve my osteoporosis and increase my vitamin D levels by taking D3/K2, eating calcium rich foods, doing weight bearing exercise and getting plenty of sunlight. I think it's the sunshine that made the difference. I try to get at least 15 to 20 minutes exposure 4 to 5 times a week. I cover my face, neck and hands (to prevent wrinkles) but leave my torso and legs without any sunscreen at all. I think it's a much better option than taking a bisphosphonate.

Good luck. Hope it works for you as well.

Trish

Thank you for your replies! Trishyla, I have heard that vitamin D from sunlight is the best form. I have been taking vitamin D for years, but am always low when I am tested. I think I might have problems metabolizing it. Unfortunately, I have been advised to be scrupulous about sunscreen because I have a higher than average risk of melanoma (bc of the BRCA2 mutation). So that's a "darned if I do, darned if I don't" kind of situation for me.

DATNY, I am definitely going to add some weight bearing exercise. My main exercise has been biking, but I will be branching out!

Here is a slightly edited copy a post I made on another thread at the beginning of the year:

Here are some thoughts to discuss with your doctors.

1. Weight-bearing exercise

Someone told me about 8 Iyengar yoga poses for bone health, based on a study. The study author has written a book:

Yoga for Osteoporosis: The Complete Guide by Loren Fishman MD and Ellen Saltonstall MD

https://www.yogauonline.com/yogau-wellness-blog/yo...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/24/yoga-for-...

2. Nutrition for bone health, or supplements, based on a Canadian study

The Combination of Micronutrients for Bone (COMB) study is interesting. They used five supplements instead of the usual drugs (bisphosphonates) and got good results. Vitamin K2, magnesium, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), vitamin D3, and strontium. It is easy to incorporate foods with the first four into one's regular diet. For example: K2--Eggs, grass-fed gouda cheese, and many other options; Magnesium -- Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, nuts and seeds, beans; DHA -- salmon, sardines. D3 -- supplement. Your doctor can order a blood test for 25 OH-D. 2000 iu D3 per day is what I take.

It appears that vitamin K2 may be important to keep the calcium out of arteries and into bones. I eschew calcium supplements per my onc's recommendation (she said they are not proven to help bones and may harm heart health), and consume a moderate amount of kefir, yogurt, and cheese (organic and grass-fed). Apparently the fat composition of grass-fed dairy is better for us.

My onc explained that some of us just can’t make enough vitamin D3 on our own regardless of sun exposure.

Combination of Micronutrients for Bone (COMB) Study

"Along with other investigations, patients presenting to an environmental health clinic with various chronic conditions were assessed for bone health status. Individuals with compromised bone strength were educated about skeletal health issues and provided with therapeutic options for potential amelioration of their bone health. Patients who declined pharmacotherapy or who previously experienced failure of drug treatment were offered other options including supplemental micronutrients identified in the medical literature as sometimes having a positive impact on bone mineral density (BMD). After 12 months of consecutive supplemental micronutrient therapy with a combination that included vitamin D3, vitamin K2, strontium, magnesium and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), repeat bone densitometry was performed. The results were analyzed in a group of compliant patients and demonstrate improved BMD in patients classified with normal, osteopenic and osteoporotic bone density. According to the results, this combined micronutrient supplementation regimen appears to be at least as effective as bisphosphonates or strontium ranelate in raising BMD levels in hip, spine, and femoral neck sites. No fractures occurred in the group taking the micronutrient protocol. This micronutrient regimen also appears to show efficacy in individuals where bisphosphonate therapy was previously unsuccessful in maintaining or raising BMD. Prospective clinical trials are required to confirm efficacy."

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/354151/

Thank you everyone, lots of food for thought here! I will look into lactoferrin, DHA, and strontium for sure. I already take magnesium for heart health. I am pretty sure I'm one of those who doesn't make Vit D very well. For the first half of last year I was in the sun a couple hours a day for most days and I was still low in D (though tan, lol). It was a neurologist who first tested my vitamin D levels years ago. It's amazing the symptoms that a low level can cause. I'm sure that the fact I was low for so long was instrumental in the fact that I already have osteoporosis.

Trish, I will confess I don't know a lot about melanoma other than my risk being higher, so you may be right about that. Something else to research. My husband had some basal cell removed a couple of years ago, so we've both been a little more careful since then. I think that small amount of exposure you're talking about is probably worth the risk, considering all the problems that fractures can cause.

Hi edj3, kudos to you on taking such good care if yourself! I know that makes your situation that much more frustrating! When I think about what good shape I was in last year at this time it makes me want to cry. I'm one who has to work very hard to maintain good health and this year's stress and treatments have really taken their toll. I'm still recovering from surgery so most exercise is out at the moment, but I'm really hoping that the AI I've started isn't going to thwart me from getting back into shape. One of my favorite activities was mountain biking, but the potential for falls is high (fractured some ribs last year) and now I've got the increased risk of fractures to worry about, so probably no longer a wise choice.

Anyway, I say all that just to say I share in your frustration. I think the endocrinologist is a very good idea, and I'm going to request the same. Please let me know if you find out anything interesting!

The advice here is all good. The exercise, sunlight, weight bearing, etc.

I recently hurt my knee while doing some exercise. I think I went too much too fast. With the atrophy we suffer, I do not think the muscles around my knee joints were strong enough yet, so be careful out there. I'm now nursing what seems to be a torn ligament.

I was given a prescription for Vitamin D even though I had been taking it for years. I was given a much higher dose and only have to take it once a week. I have also been taking Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc supplements as well as a multi-B-Complex.

My niece suggested I take collagen, but my oncologist said the didn't think it was worth it, and that there is no hard evidence that it is the Fountain of Youth that many people claim it to be. I had done some online research and was concerned that it might be associated with increasing cancer, or making it more aggressive. There have been studies with the natural collagen we make within our own bodies. So I am staying away from it.

I too am worried about the side effects of my aromatase inihibitor, anastrozole. As well as my heart as I am still on Herceptin for many more months.

I am taking extra Vitamin C now for the ligament tear.

I wanted to add one more thing: bone broth. Bone broth is supposed to be very good for your health and strength. It is also a good source of protein, which we all need during chemo and thereafter. Homemade bone broth might help here.