Can i reverse osteoporosis naturally

Your best chance to build and maintain your peak bone mass is if you start vigorous and regular exercise before or when you achieve your peak bone mass. If you are in your pre-pubertal years, you are the perfect candidate to build bone before your peak bone mass stage. You should exercise hard, play hard, and be sure that you have the nutrition to support the bones.

Eventually you will have a wonderful peak bone mass that you would maintain through your adult life. Exercise is an essential ingredient to bone health. If you have osteoporosis, therapeutic exercise needs to be part of your osteoporosis treatment program. But what exercises should you do and which ones should you avoid? What exercises build bone and which ones reduce your chance of a fracture? Is Yoga good for your bones? Who should you trust when it comes to exercises for osteoporosis?

A great resource on exercise and osteoporosis is my free, seven day email course called Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis. After you provide your email address, you will receive seven consecutive online educational videos on bone health — one lesson each day. You can look at the videos at anytime and as often as you like.

I cover important topics related to osteoporosis exercise including:. Enter your email address and I will start you on this free course. I do not SPAM or share your email address or any information with third parties. You can unsubscribe from my mail list at any time. To gain a better understanding whether weight bearing exercise increases bone density, I recently reviewed two studies 6 , 7 that looked at exercise and its effect on bone over an extended period of time.

I chose these studies because one built on the other and they involved very little equipment that could be accessible to all. In the first study, the researchers incorporated exercises using the weighted vest. The exercises were:. Later during the study, the researchers incorporated jumps. The exercise group started with jumping on the spot and then gradually built up until they were jumping down from 4, 6, and 8-inch heights.

The first study lasted nine months. The researchers found there was not a lot of change shown in the bones of the women that were in the exercise group versus the control group. Keep this in mind when you go for your DEXA after starting an exercise program. You may not see the results you were anticipating simply because you were not exercising long or hard enough.

The women in both the exercise and control groups were de-conditioned when they entered the study. The conditioning level of the women in the exercise group improved over the nine months of the first study.

The research team started the exercise group with weighted vests that were low in weight and progressed them gradually by one, two or three pounds at each interval. In addition, the number of repetitions and the number of sets was gradually increased over the nine months. Weighted vests were not used with the jumps. Sessions were conducted three times per week. The jumping progression was as follows:. We know the bone turnover is really slow.

Because there was not enough stimulus to the bones throughout the nine month study period, the exercise group did not experience a material change in bone density. This might sound discouraging but it opened the door to a new opportunity and a significant finding for the research team. The research team realized that the first study gave them access to a group of women who, because of the exercises they did, could easily tolerate an increase in weight bearing activities.

They offered all of the members of the exercise group the opportunity to do a second study. During this study phase, the research team increased the weight bearing load on their bones. The second study lasted four and a half years. In the second study, the research team created a control group for comparative purposes.

The control group matched with the exercise group on the following characteristics:. The average age of participants in the exercise group was 64 years old. The exercise group met to exercise three times a week and continued to do all the weighted vests exercises that they did during the first study.

They did not add any new exercises to their routine. During the first three months, all of the exercises used the weighted vest. The average weight that the weighted vest participants used was eleven pounds — a reasonable weight for most people to carry. However, the researchers made one change during the second study: The exercise group increased the number of jumps they did per workout session.

Over time, they gradually worked their way up to doing fifty jumps per session, spread out throughout the session. At the conclusion of the five-year study time period, the researchers reported the following results:.

This is significant because this improvement happened to a group of women in their late sixties — a time usually associated with bone loss. The two studies demonstrate that if you are consistent in your exercise and you increase and challenge your conditioning, that you can build bone and potentially, reverse osteoporosis.

For overall health and well-being walking should never be discouraged. However, as mentioned in another blog post walking alone is not enough to reverse osteoporosis or even maintain bone density. Introducing more loading to their walking, with a weighted belt or a weighted vest , and adding intervals of brisk walking or running are all effective means to increase the weight bearing forces.

For those of you with mild knee arthritis, a study 8 looking at high impact training on the strength of the femoral neck showed two exciting findings:. Jumping, however, might not be an appropriate exercise for an individual with more serious joint health problems or a weak pelvic floor. In either case, you should attend to medical issues that prohibit you from jumping. The double squat jump from the Athletic Level in the Exercise for Better Bones program is an excellent example of the kind of exercise that builds bone.

Two key cells play a major role in building bone. First are the osteoblasts. They are responsible for producing osteocytes — cells found in the bone. Then we have osteoclasts. Those are the cleaners and cutters of bone. Researchers have studied 1 if exercise and nutrition can stimulate osteoblasts to increase their production of osteocytes.

Further, they have examined if there are there things that we can do with diet and exercise to optimize the production of osteocytes. In a recent article 1 entitled Diet and Exercise: a Match Made in Bone , the authors discuss the important role that both exercise and nutrition play in the health and strength of your bones.

We know from long term studies that high intensity, high frequency exercise will play a significant role in bone preservation and formation.

Intense weight bearing over time can reverse osteoporosis. The following nutrients appear to have a positive affect on the production of osteocytes.

Some nutrients have been studied more than others but the paper encourages further research in the area. Finally, your genetics plays a key role in bone health. Your genetics influence the stimulation of osteocytes and how they respond ultimately to exercise and nutrition. However, you cannot control your genetics but you can control your choice of exercise and nutrition.

Here is a case study of a real patient — someone who I believe is representative of many of the people who get osteoporosis. For the several years I have been seeing a patient who is concerned about her bone health. Her T-score in her hips was 2. She is one of a number clients who have asked me: can osteoporosis be reversed?

Until they modify their current exercise program to incorporate exercises and movements that benefit their bones they will not reverse osteoporosis. She originally contacted me in about her bone health and asked me to advise her what she could do at that time to avoid osteoporosis.

I gave her my recommendations. Unfortunately, she did not follow them. She has a busy life and liked her routines. She enjoyed her exercise classes but did not take the time or make the effort to integrate the changes we discussed into her routine. I believe if she had followed the recommended modifications, she could certainly have held her BMD scores in the After her recent diagnosis of osteoporosis in , we sat down to reevaluate what she had been doing over the past three years.

She liked her group exercise classes that she attended three times a week for about ten months of the year.

Her exercise classes included a step class and a flow class. She also walked when she was in Europe two months of the year but admitted that, although her walks were occasionally as long as ten kilometres, she only walked two to three times per week. She was not doing any upper body strength training. The weights she used in her exercise classes helped her maintain some tone in her arms but did not challenge her bones enough to make a difference.

I told her that she could easily do twenty or more repetitions with the five pound dumbbells. What does her BMD scores tell us about her exercise choice? Walking and exercise classes had a positive impact on her hip BMD but were not intense or frequent enough for her spine. She was not losing bone density in her hips as fast as her spine — but she was still losing bone. Her spine BMD showed that she definitely needs to up her game in this area.

If she is consistent, I believe she will be able to reverse her osteoporosis and stop the gradual decline of her bone mass. I encourage you to look at your past score and assess your exercise choices based on what your scores are telling you.

It can make all the difference in the world. Can osteoporosis be reversed? Yes, it can. This article identifies what you can achieve given the health of your bones.

The nutrition and exercise choices you make dictate whether osteoporosis can be reversed. For more information, check out my Osteoporosis Guidelines. Margaret Martin is a Physical Therapist with 36 years of clinical experience. Her expertise is in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis through exercise, safe movement and fall prevention. For the last 15 years, she has concentrated on bone health and has treated thousands of patients for their osteoporosis, osteopenia and low bone density.

Margaret is the author of three books on osteoporosis and exercise. All books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. She has produced a number of home exercise workout videos on safe exercise for people with osteoporosis.

She is the creator of the continuing education course, Working with Osteoporosis and Osteopenia. Thousands of Physical Therapists in the United States, Canada and around the world have completed her training course. She is licensed to practice Physical Therapy in Ontario and California. Margaret's work in osteoporosis and Physical Therapy has been cited in a number of Physical Therapy textbooks.

Rebecca Risk's podcast, Falling Through the Cracks. She has done research with McGill School of Physical Therapy into the use of a web-based exercise program for patients with osteoporosis. Margaret has presented at the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and the Ontario Physiotherapy Association on treating aging adults and osteoporosis.

She is the proud recipient of the Award of Distinction from the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario for her significant contributions and achievements as a Physiotherapist. Margaret operates her Physical Therapy clinic, MelioGuide Physical Therapy, in Ottawa, Ontario where she focuses on patients with osteoporosis, osteopenia and low bone density.

Thanks for great article and information. Having recently suffered a tibial plateau fracture and grade 4 stress fracture in 2nd metatarsal, and another stress fracture in same foot, all from a little fun jumping in a bouncy house, I am wondering if jumping or other high impact activities as suggested could cause additional fractures.

I normally walk 4 miles daily, and in the Spring experienced my first stress fracture, 3rd metatarsal. I am so discouraged, as I enjoy riding my horse, walking my Shelties, and staying active.

Tums is one of the worst sources for calcium. In addition to being composed of calcium carbonate, which is a poorly absorbed form of calcium, it decreases the stomach acid even further. Calcium citrate and calcium hydroxyapatite are the best forms of calcium to take. They need to be taken on an empty stomach for best absorption, and only mg at a time that's all our bodies can absorb at one time.

A total dose of to mg per day is adequate for most menopausal women. Vitamin D deficiency is also epidemic in our society. Vitamin D helps to absorb calcium, and put it in the bones. It is also important for immune system modulation, depression, and autoimmune disorders. It is made in your skin when you get out in the sun.

The farther you are from the equator, the less vitamin D you make in your skin. Most supplements contain to IU which is inadequate for most people in northern latitudes. Since a skin cancer is such a concern, most people use sunscreen when they go out in the sun.

But instead of putting yourself at risk for skin cancer, the best solution is to take supplements. Vitamin D levels can be measured by your physician, and the supplements can be titrated accordingly. Hormonal decline is one of the most common reasons for bone loss after menopause in women.

Andropause, the male equivalent of menopause, also causes bone loss in men. Adequate levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are important for bone maintenance. Excess levels of cortisol, insulin and parathyroid hormone can also cause bone loss. Most physicians never check for these levels. An elevated calcium level in the serum is a clue that parathyroid hormone might be in excess. Excess refined sugars and starches in the diet cause elevated insulin levels. Excess stress causes elevated cortisol levels.

Excess refined sugars and starches, elevate your insulin levels and cause an increase in osteoporosis. The ideal diet is one called a "low glycemic index" diet. Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly food turns into sugar in the bloodstream. Low glycemic index foods do not raise blood sugar or insulin levels quickly, and include lean proteins, beans, vegetables, and good fats nuts, olives, olive oil, fish, fish oils, avocados.

Increasing fiber intake is an easy way to lower sugar and insulin levels. Fiber taken just before meals helps to slow down the absorption of sugars and fats, and can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as much as medication.

Stress raises cortisol levels. If cortisol levels are high for long periods of time it can cause bone loss. Many people associate smoking with lung cancer and breathing issues, but smoking can also cause bone disease, such as osteoporosis, and increase the risk of bone fractures. To support healthy bone density, a person should not smoke, especially during their teen and young adult years.

However, chronic, heavy drinking can lead to poor calcium absorption, a decrease in bone density, and the development of osteoporosis later in life. To support healthy bone density, it is important to consume plenty of calcium, vitamin D, protein, and vegetables. It is also important to avoid smoking and excessive drinking.

Taking these steps can help support bone density throughout adulthood. Read this article in Spanish. Osteoporosis occurs when bone density decreases. This affects the structure and strength of bones and makes fractures more likely.

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