I Causes of bone fragility
II Remedies for Bone Fragility
III Recovery Strategies for Fractures
I. Causes of Bone Fragility
We hear much of osteopenia and osteoporosis but a more common indicator of Bone health is Bone Fragility. In all cases of bone loss or weakening what is actually occurring is the disruption of Osteogenesis: the process that makes bone. There are several ways to negatively impact bone growth and repair.
Inadequate nutrition is the most common. Bone growth is dependent upon Vitamin D and the presence of the appropriate minerals to fashion into bone salts (the actual molecular form of bone). Calcium phosphate arranged in a form known as hydroxyapatite constitutes most of the bone mass. IF there is insufficient calcium available in the blood or the calcium available is in a less usable form (Calcium carbonate, say) then there is a slower growth of new bone. This is of particular interest to mature adults as they are prone to fractures when they fall and they fall more frequently.
Boonen, et.al1 noted that additional vitamin D not only promoted faster bone growth in patients with fractures, but the addition of vitamin D seemed to be associated with better balance, fewer falls and increased strength in the pelvis, generally.
Physiologically, vitamin D is thought to assist in the absorption of calcium from the intestines. It also meets most of the requirements for designation as a hormone. Vitamin D is produced in the skin in as sunlight interacts with cholesterol to form Vitamin D3. Vitamin D as it is ingested in plants, fish or meats has several variations but is converted to vitamin D3. Your liver can convert them to the form needed most of the time. Ingesting Vitamin D has become more important as our exposure to sunlight is reduced. The impact of clothes, indoor jobs and the intense ultraviolet radiation characteristic of present sunlight have all combined to reduce the efficacy of our Vitamin D synthesis and our willingness to expose ourselves to enough sunlight to generate it.
There are many forms of Vitamin D available in the form of supplements. Virtually all of them are some variant of Cholecalciferol either synthesized in the lab or extracted from a natural source. The ease with which cholecalciferol is absorbed is a function of your bodies ability to recognize and assimilate it. Of course the assimilation system is geared for recognizing nutrients from food, so the naturally extracted vitamins are more easily assimilated. (We will refer to some choices in supplements at the end of this presentation.)
Acquiring sufficient minerals is essential as well. The most common form calcium available today is calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is usually obtained from ground oyster shell or limestone. It is not the form of calcium your body is seeking. In point of fact, can you think of any animal that eats oyster shells? Not even sea worms or snails consume oyster shell, they wait for it to be ground down by wave action into sand. It is the sea plants that can convert that sand into organic calcium.
Some supplement companies have approached this problem by chelating Calcium to another molecule like an amino acid. They form an organic matrix that the body can recognize. However, once in the blood, calcium chelate still needs to be adapted into a more functional molecule or else it will be eliminated by the kidney. To surpass this problem, one of the best calcium supplements is made from ground Veal bone. This presents The Body’s Digestion with bone salts instead of the raw atom, Calcium. These bone salts are the forms of minerals that were used to make bone in cattle as well as the enzymes associated with them. As we are mammals too, these bone salts will also work for us.
Another problem that is solved by using bone salts for a calcium source, is the necessary other minerals, magnesium, manganese, boron, etc. that must be with calcium to produce a complete bone nutritional source. When you use bone salts you have all the other minerals in their appropriate ratios in one supplement.
Another consideration in addressing Bone Fragility and repair is hormonal intervention. Hormones that favor increased bone mass and accelerate repair are: Insulin, Growth hormone, IGF-1 estrogen, testosterone, vitamin D3 & calcitonin. Hormones that favor increased bone resorption and decreased bone mass are: cortisol, parathyroid hormone and both thyroid hormones (T3 & T4). In our present society, we are all under duress to one degree or another. This STRESS can occur through many channels (overwork, emotional, mental, extreme recreation) but they all affect us hormonally. Cortisol is elevated in stress syndromes and, over time, it dramatically impacts bone density by stimulating bone resorption. It is the most common cause of bone fragility followed by decreasing the sex hormones. Both estrogen and testosterone are reduced not only through aging but also via prolonged stress. To permanently correct bone fragility the hormonal environment needs to be addressed.
II Remedies for Bone Fragility
Initially, taking the proper nutrition becomes essential. Vitamin D can be found in milk, eggs, vegetables and supplements. While there are many supplements available on the market today, I recommend taking vitamins that are as close to the natural form as possible. Companies that make products from natural sources are Nutri-West, Standard Process and a few others. Nutri-West and Standard Process both sell only to licensed health care practitioners so that the patient can be monitored. You can learn a great deal about both companies by going to their websites (just put”.com” after each company name).
If you are pursuing a nutritional facilitation of your healing, a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral is useful. You can also support your hormonal insufficiencies nutritionally, but you will need professional assistance in determining the supplements that will work best for you.
Exercise is necessary for proper bone maintenance. Walking is considered the best of all exercises for stimulating bone growth and is the least risky. Using exercise balls is also of great efficacy because it stimulates the anti-gravity muscles while engaging the proprioception mechanism. This fully involves the brain in your bone stimulation which has been shown to accelerate the rate of healing and produce a more complete result.
Repairing fractures is very much like remedying bone fragility nutritionally. Although with fractures there is a product from Standard Process that dramatically helps in repair. It is called Ostrophin PMG and consists of prepared veal bone both cooked and raw (lyophilized) conserving the enzymes in the bone resulting in unprecedented healthy bone growth.
Exercise is important in fracture repair, as well. However, since you have a weakened bone, exercises must be very safe and risk-free. Again walking is the best general exercise. You can facilitate the walking exercise with “Hiking Poles” found at most outdoor stores. These are lightweight aluminum poles with handles and are designed to assist hikers on rough terrain. However, they work perfectly well on flat terrain. The advantages are two-fold: holding these poles as you walk gives you a more secure walk as they can catch you if you should lose your balance; also by walking with these poles in either hand, you stimulate your Gait Mechanism once more engaging the brain and the proprioception system as you move.
Exercise balls can be useful with fracture repair, but one must have healed sufficiently that you are not at risk of re-injury should you slip off. Resistance bands can be very useful if the fracture is in a limb. The light resistance stimulates the piezo-electric effect in the bone and seems to accelerate the knitting at the fracture site.
In summary, bone health is best maintained by adequate nutrition, which usually means supplementation of Vitamin D, bone-related minerals and a multi-vitamin. Exercise is essential and walking is one of the best you can do.
1. Boonen, et.al, Addressing the musculoskeletal components of fracture risks with calcium and Vitamin D, Calcif. Tissue Int.2006 May;78(5) 257-70.Epub. 2006. Apr. review
This report was prepared by Guy T. Gunter, M.S.,D.C. specifically for the Healing Experience archives.
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