Drug advertisements greatly exaggerate post-menopausal risks of osteoporosis. Most likely, you will not end up severely hunched-over with a weak back and brittle bones. Hip fractures are more common, though that can be prevented with some minor behavior changes and natural health care in your earlier years.
Lower your risk of osteoporosis:
- Eat a natural diet full of vegetables and natural fatty acids
- Perform moderate exercise
- Get some sunshine
- Avoid soft drinks, caffeine, nicotine and excess simple sugars
Because society encourages we women to be thin, we are more likely to follow unbalanced, deficient diets. We tend to consume more carbohydrates than men, often refined and processed sugars and flours, which can deplete the body of nutrients such as calcium. The “diet” foods often contain altered fats, such as partially hydrogenated oils or trans fats. These fats are toxic to the body and deplete it of nutrients. Even worse for the body is the consumption of “fat-free” foods that are loaded with sugar and chemicals. (For more information about diet and why you want to avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates, please refer to the book The Perricone Prescription by Nicholas Perricone, M.D., or Eat, Cheat and Melt the Fat Away by Suzanne Somers-yes, the vivacious actress. Her book explains thoroughly and wonderfully the art of food combining for health. This Web site will elaborate on diet at a later date. Until then, I think you will enjoy the books! – Dr. Weine)
Most Americans are magnesium deficient, rather than calcium deficient. Our soils have been over-planted, and vegetables are picked when not yet ripe. Our foods are irradiated and covered with pesticides and synthetic hormones. All these factors contribute to magnesium-deficient foods, leading to magnesium-deficient bodies. Calcium must have magnesium to be absorbed in your body. Instead of taking calcium supplements, it is often more important to take extra magnesium in an absorbable form and to obtain your calcium from calcium-rich foods such as wild salmon, raw spinach and kale. Synthetic estrogen replacement therapy also can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb calcium.
Have you seen the television commercials telling you that certain chewable antacids will provide you with all the calcium you need? That’s misleading information. Calcium must have an acidic environment in the body to be absorbed, but these antacids are designed to neutralize acids.
These chewable antacids do indeed contain calcium, but the tablets use this calcium to neutralize the acid in your stomach. Calcium is very alkaline and is used naturally as a buffer in the body. The calcium in those antacids is not going to your bones, or even past your stomach.
Antacids alkalize your stomach pH, which is the opposite of what you need. Ironically, your stomach not being acidic enough causes most heartburn problems.
