Our Bones are OK (McDougall)

I am so glad to have this splendid article from Dr McDougal as it happens to be one of the issues I feel so passionately about and have addressed frequently as I believe allopathic medicine has this all wrong.  Read it and see for yourself.  I will have a comment at the end.  Jan)

Two-thirds of Women Have Bad Bones. Or Do They?

Bone-density testing interval and transition to osteoporosis in older women by Margaret L. Gourlay, published in the January 19, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded, “Our data indicate that osteoporosis would develop in less than 10% of older, postmenopausal women during rescreening intervals of approximately 15 years for women with normal bone density or mild osteopenia, 5 years for women with moderate osteopenia, and 1 year for women with advanced osteopenia.” Investigators studied women from three general populations throughout the US who were 67 years of age or older. Advancement to osteoporosis was defined by a bone mineral density (BMD) reading, not by real life fractures, as the word “osteoporosis” might suggest.

Comment: The good news from this study is that for the minority (23%) of women who pass their initial BMD test, further bone deterioration over the remainder of their natural life (the next 15 years) is unlikely, and these women can forgo further BMD testing. However, the bad news is that the vast majority of women are diagnosed as being ill by their medical doctors.

Researchers included 5,470 women in this study from three communities forming a representative spectrum of women living in the US. Of these women, 1,255 were considered to have normal bones, whereas 4,215 suffered from osteoporosis or osteopenia (the precursor to osteoporosis) based on the BMD test. This means that of all women over the age of 67 living in the US, 77% are in need of more testing and treatment for their “diseased bones.” There is something very wrong when most women are declared sick based on one single test and not on any real medical problems, such as a fracture.

The use of the BMD measurement is a classic example of “disease mongering:” turning healthy people into patients. This business-building approach begins by defining a disease with a test that will identify  a large market of people as potential customers. In this case BMD captures about two-thirds of women over the age of 40.

The second step in disease mongering is to find customers. This has been effectively accomplished by pharmaceutical-company, disease-awareness campaigns, by providing inexpensive BMD testing at community fairs, workplaces, and local pharmacies, and by supplying affordable testing machines to doctors’ offices nationwide. The results have been huge profits for drug companies and manufacturers of BMD equipment, and nationwide hysteria among women and their doctors.

Natural Bone Thinning

Osteopenia is a natural thinning of the bones that occurs as women age and does not result in unprovoked fractures. To repeat, this is a “natural thinning of the bones.” The mineral content of bones decreases due to physiological changes intended to maintain the highest efficiency of a woman’s body. Here is why it works this way: The biologic purpose of a woman is to reproduce offspring. To accomplish this, during her reproductive years she must store large amounts of minerals, including calcium, in her bones for the future growth of her fetus and for producing her breast milk for two years postpartum. Assessing her bones with a BMD test during these times will detect a plentiful supply of minerals.

After menopause a woman no longer needs these extra depots of minerals; they become unnecessary baggage. In the interest of efficiency, her body sheds the excess, and as expected, her BMD is found to be much diminished. Thus, she fails the test when she is compared with an inappropriate and unrealistic norm. “Normal” is defined by the bone status of a healthy 30-year-old adult female in her prime reproductive years. You can learn how these standards were created, and how the disease osteopenia was invented (with the help of three pharmaceutical companies), by listening to this very interesting National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast.

Connective Tissue Determines Bone Strength, not Minerals

Fortunately, the mineral content of a woman’s bones has little to do with their strength. Bone strength comes from its dense, pliable connective tissues, which are made up of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, cells, fibers, and fluids. Examples of connective tissue are found in tendons, muscles, fibers, capsules and ligaments around joints, cartilages, bones, adipose (fatty) tissues, and blood and lymphatic tissues. The extra minerals for reproductive uses are simply being stored within the matrix of bone connective tissue. Measuring the integrity of these connective tissues is difficult but attempts have been made using other technologies, such as ultrasound. All of these doctor-prescribed tests are so unreliable that knowing a women’s age, family history, past history of falls and fractures, activity level, HRT-use, and general health will more reliably predict the risk of a future osteoporotic-related fracture, than a medical test. Even though testing provides a hint about bone health, the only way to directly measure bone strength is to see how much force it takes to break them—of course this is an impractical test.

Diet, Sunshine, and Exercise Make Strong Bones

A woman’s bones are designed to last a lifetime when cared for properly. Sunshine (producing vitamin D), moderate exercise, and an alkaline diet are the keys to strong bones. Osteoporosis is caused by several controllable factors; however, the most important one is the foods we choose to consume, especially the amount of animal foods. Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and hard cheeses (such as parmesan cheese) are very acidic in composition. After eating them, our body must neutralize these loads of acids, and the bones are the primary source of buffering materials. Carbonates, citrates, and other alkaline materials are released from the bones to neutralize these acids. Pouring dilute acid over your bones three times and more a day permanently damages and dissolves their connective tissues. The calcium and bone materials that are lost are excreted through the kidneys and can be found in the urine.

Fruits and vegetables are alkaline in composition, and as a result, a diet high in these plant foods will neutralize acid from other sources and help preserve the bones. Grains and legumes are slightly acidic, but the body can easily handle their small acid loads without causing bone loss. Animal foods are eight times more acidic than are grains and legumes. The levels of acidity produced from a diet of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and cheeses exceed normal physiologic capabilities, and as a result bone is destroyed in an effort to maintain the body’s acid-base balance. In the overall picture, the McDougall Diet is alkaline because it is made up of a plentiful supply of alkaline fruits and vegetables, which compensate for the slightly acidic grains and legumes. Not all vegan diets are so bone-friendly. Isolated soy proteins, found in abundance in the fake meats and cheeses that make up the diets of so many health-conscious people these days, also cause significant losses of calcium.

Women with a diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis based on a BMD are obviously worried about a future with fractures, especially the very serious kinds of the hip. These women should take one further step in their diet by minimizing acidic grains and legumes, and emphasizing alkaline starchy vegetables (i.e., potatoes, sweet potatoes and winter squashes). Green, yellow, and orange vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of base (alkaline materials) that should also be liberally added.

The Last Step: Medications

After the full benefits from sunshine, exercise, and diet have been taken advantage of, the last efforts will be on the judicious use of medications. Acidity in the body can be neutralized by taking over-the-counter antacids, such as TUMS (calcium carbonate). The alkaline carbonate, not the calcium, causes the benefits. Any antacid (sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, etc.) will work; however, I do not recommend antacids that are made from citrate (like calcium citrate) because these forms cause the intestine to absorb more aluminum from the diet. Chronic aluminum poisoning causes Alzheimer’s disease. Two tablets of TUMS daily is my recommended dose only for those women at high risk of a fracture. Calcium supplements do have side effects, including iron deficiency, constipation, and an increased risk of death from heart disease.

As a final medical step, when I am very concerned that a woman is going to suffer in the near future a serious fracture due to weak bones, I will use estrogens applied to her skin daily. (I typically prescribe a combination of estradiol .05 mg with 20 mg of progesterone in one gram of cream base to be applied topically.) Estrogens always build bone, but have important side effects. I never use the most commonly prescribed class of medications, bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Actone, Bonevia, Zometa, Aclasta, Didronel, Bonefos, Loron, Skelid, etc.). These medications have very serious side effects and are of little benefit, especially for women with relatively healthy bones (those diagnosed with osteopenia).

Gourlay ML, Fine JP, Preisser JS, May RC, Li C, Lui LY, Ransohoff DF, Cauley JA, Ensrud KE; Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. Bone-density testing interval and transition to osteoporosis in older women. N Engl J Med. 2012 Jan 19;366(3):225-33.

(My Comment:

Most of you are aware that I have been on the planet for more than 8 decades.  At 82, I am in pretty good shape.  There are some things I’m still working on, but by and large, I have been blessed with very good health.  I do take supplements; lots of Fish oil;  MSM,  Vitamin-C Crystals >1/4 tsp = 1K mg.. .take 1/2 to 1 tsp ea day;  no multi,  and no calcium at all. 

Recall that I had two falls in two days in early October.  (Battered Jan 10-06-11)  Rough time.  . . especially the second fall was down an embankment onto tarmac. . . not a slow tumble – -  a big plop!  Nothing broke.  I’ve healed well.  . .just sayin’ – we don’t need calcium – most of it is little more than chalk.

There is also David Wolfe speaking of the mineralization which the body needs and how this comes from the plant kingdom.  He is quick to teach quite clearly that most of us suffer over-calcification and this comes about through improper diet (not enough plant food, ergo – minerals) and the taking of calcium tablets etc., which the body can’t utilize and becomes a burden.  

  In the last step above – that of Medications,  I disagree with the taking of daily Tums to create the desired acid-base balance in order for the body to maintain it’s harmony.  It is no great harm, but it is not what the body needs.  Needing more alkalinity (base) we  should not be thinking of a chemical to “treat” the symptom, but make an effort to correct the cause.      Since we are what we EAT  we should be trying to up the plant based food we ingest.  That will correct the problem.   Many people take the Tums because they have continual digestive problems with all the pain etc.  If that is the case,  we still don’t want to take Tums – it won’t correct!  May need to take the kind of digestive help the body needs in the form of hydrochloric acid.   Listen to those tapes of Dr Jonathan Wright’s interview – he covers that in one of them. 

Not everyone is going to want to eat 10 – 12 cups of fruits and veggies every day,  so what to do?  Juicing is the perfect answer for me and for millions of others.  It is delicious, pretty easy to do and gets the job done.  Freshly made organic plant food – juiced.    I know that Charlotte Gerson speaks highly of the Norwalk Juicer, but its very big and expensive and many of us just can’t afford that.  If I was fighting Cancer, I may have to find a way and just do it.  I would suggest buying the best one you can manage for the budget you’re on and be sure you can think of the clean up. 30 years ago I was using the Champion.  Worked great.  pulp came out really dry so I was getting the maximum juice from the foods.  But it was tedious to clean and expensive. I use a much cheaper machine now, but it is easier to use, clean and I love it.  The pulp is wetter – that’s true, which means I’m wasting some minerals, right?

When I first started juicing many years ago, I was told it had to be fresh.  I’m sure that is true.  But I can’t do it.  I make in the morning for the day and keep the balance in the frig, taking a glassful as I want it. I have 12 Steps to RAW Foods by Victoria Boutenko and her book had many blessing in it.  One was giving me the freedom to do it my way as she had learned to do for herself and her family.  I love all the toys in my kitchen, but I don’t want to be in there all day as I have many other things I enjoy doing as well.

Lastly,  it isn’t just animal proteins which present an acid load to the body.  It is also the legumes, all dairy, but most especially, the grains.    It’s true – not all of us are going to manifest distress with eating grains.  But the majority of people are adversely affected by them.    Legumes and grains have anti-nutrients in them.  That is more than a few glyphs on a page, my friends.  These things hurt us.  So we learn to pick and choose.  Test things out in our own laboratories (our bodies) – - see what works for you.  

It is a given that grass fed animal protein is very healthy for us – fat and all.  They are not toxic in any way.  No hormones, anti-biotics and toxic fat on them.  This is our heritage – it’s where we came from.  How we evolved.  I very much appreciate anyone’s preference for the kinder, gentler lifestyle of the vegan.  But it must be realized that we need calories to survive.  If we choose not to eat dairy, grains and legumes  because they hurt us, well, 2 + 2 still comes out around 4.    You might try going over to the BulletProof Executive (in the blogroll) and finding the excellent tape-interview of Nell Stephenson who used to be on Loren Cordain’s Paleo Diet newsletter.  Very, very interesting.  A most knowledgeable lady.  They have a downloadable BulletProof Diet book

Think I’m all talked out. . . . stay happy and be well.   Jan)