May 2016

May 2016
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com
19
Busting the Myths about Osteoporosis
Healthy
Living
by
by
Dr. Derek Albrecht,
Tina
B.S.,
M.
D.C.
Gottlieb, D.C.
I would like to thank those of you
who have followed and supported my
articles over the past year and a half.
I have done my best to educate, engage,
make you laugh, and hopefully
encourage you to question many of
the “facts” shared over the years. If
this article appears a little hyped up, or
even angry, I ask for your forgiveness.
I say this because I am 100% sure I will
challenge something that you “know” to
be true. May is National Osteoporosis
Awareness Month-- what better time to
confront ongoing myths which continue
to jeopardize the health and longevity of
our population. Osteoporosis and low
bone density are real, affecting over 40
million people in the U.S. alone. Osteoporotic
fractures in women over 55 resulting
in hospitalization are 40% more
prevalent than heart disease, stroke and
breast cancer combined. Even scarier,
24% of those who suffer from an osteoporotic
hip fracture will not make it to
their next birthday. Let’s discuss four
of the most common misconceptions
related to bone health and osteoporosis.
Myth # 1: Osteoporosis is a natural
state of aging and cannot be reversed.
If that were true, then everyone
over a certain age would suffer from it.
The fact is, osteoporosis is a state of
deconditioning. Yes, there are factors
which may increase the prevalence or
the severity of the condition, but know
this, most states of deconditioning can
be prevented and/or reversed.
Myth # 2: Taking calcium supplements
and/or eating healthy will
prevent or reverse osteoporosis.
Healthy bone is primarily made up
of collagen infiltrated with calcium
(among other minerals) to harden the
structure. Please get this--extra calcium
from supplements or food is not going to
be stored in the bone matrix unless there
is a trigger (force) event to initiate bone
growth. Many well meaning people will
tell you differently, but facts are facts.
Myth # 3: I walk, run, swim, bike,
do yoga, and work out at the gym,
etc., so I don’t have to worry about
osteoporosis. Wrong! At best, heavy
weight training in the gym (and I mean
heavy) may slow the loss of bone density,
but it will not stimulate new healthy
bone growth. Long distance cyclists
and swimmers actually demonstrate
lower bone mineral density than the
general public. Why? Give me a call or
stop by for the answer. The research
proves time and again that it takes a
minimum of 4 multiples of your body
weight in compressive forces to the
bone to trigger the adaptive responses
necessary to build new healthy bone.
This is the number one reason why
osteogenic loading is, without a doubt,
the most effective means available for
preventing or reversing osteoporosis.
Myth # 4: Taking medications for
low bone density is all I need to keep
my bones healthy. Fact; the majority
of these medications do a good job at
only slowing or stopping the loss of
bone, not actually building new bone.
Long term problems exist when the
“old” bone is not replaced with “new”
healthy bone, so you end up with a
dense but brittle bone matrix. We want
strong bones, not just thicker bones.
Preventing or reversing osteoporosis,
if done correctly, is not complicated,
expensive or painful. It’s actually fun,
easy and highly affordable. If you chose
to continue believing the myths and
dogma which, unfortunately, continue
to be taught by those unaware, tread
carefully at your own risk. If you are
interested in obtaining more information
and/or research on the subject of
osteoporosis, please contact our office
and I will be happy to meet with you
personally.
Dr. Derek K. Albrecht D.C., is a peer
educator for American Bone Health and
is with OsteoStrong in Murrieta. For
more information, call (951) 461-9584.