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It’s time to question the diagnosis, challenge the medications, and take back control of your bone health.
It’s not just about your T-score. It’s not even just about your bones. This is about how we’ve been misled—and what you can do now to reclaim your power, your health, and your future.
In this solo episode of the Stronger Bones Lifestyle Podcast, I take you on a journey—one rooted in truth, empowerment, and everything you weren’t told in the doctor’s office. If you’ve been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, if you’ve been told to take a bone drug without much explanation, this blog is for you.
The 1997 Shift That Changed Everything
Let’s rewind to 1997, when DEXA scans became covered by insurance. This was a turning point. Suddenly, physicians were incentivized to buy DEXA machines, scan as many women as possible, and prescribe a brand-new bone drug—Fosamax, launched by Merck.
But here’s the kicker: the DEXA scan compares your bone density to that of a healthy 30-year-old woman. No wonder half of all menopausal women are told they have bone loss! This isn’t just misleading—it’s fear-based medicine. And that fear often leads straight to medication.
The Medication Trap: A Cycle You Didn’t Choose
What most women aren’t told is that bone medications like bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Actonel, Reclast) don’t actually build healthy bone. They stop bone breakdown—but that means old, brittle bone stays in your body, creating a fragile foundation for new bone to grow on. Think: building a house on rotten wood.
And newer anabolic medications (so-called “bone builders”)? They artificially stimulate bone growth and often require follow-up drugs to keep density from crashing once you stop them. Many women get trapped in a medication cycle with no end in sight—especially if they start in their 50s and expect to live into their 90s.
Even more alarming? Women still fracture while on these drugs. That alone should make us question everything.
What About Hormones?
After the Women’s Health Initiative study in the early 2000s, hormone therapy was vilified. But that study used synthetic hormones and gave estrogen orally—a method we now know is inappropriate.
The fallout? Millions of women were pulled off HRT, and fractures skyrocketed.
Today, research supports bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) as beneficial for bones, brain, and heart—even for women postmenopause or over 65. Ask your doctor if BHRT is right for you.
Bone Loss Is Not a Drug Deficiency
Osteoporosis is not just a random diagnosis—it’s a metabolic, inflammatory condition. Inflammation dissolves bone tissue, and over 100 factors influence whether your body is building or breaking down bone.
Here’s the good news: this means you are not powerless.
Your Lifestyle Is Your Medicine
Here’s where you take your power back. These are your tools:
Nutrition
Eat anti-inflammatory, bone-building foods. Focus on:
- Protein (it’s your bone’s building block!)
- Calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, K2, boron, phosphorus
- Avoid gluten, dairy, sugar, excessive caffeine, and alcohol
Aim for 700–800mg of calcium daily—from food, not supplements. Over-supplementing calcium can increase your risk of heart disease.
Movement
Yoga is my favorite because it gives you everything:
- Strength
- Flexibility
- Posture awareness
- Balance (crucial for fall prevention)
- Stress reduction
- Heavy weightlifting is trendy—but only helpful if done safely. Otherwise, it can lead to injury and derail your progress.
Sleep & Stress
Bone remodeling happens during deep sleep. Chronic stress increases cortisol, which breaks down bone. Prioritize rest, breathwork, and meditation.
The New Bone Health Paradigm
The old model: scan → diagnose → medicate.
The new model: understand the why → reduce inflammation → rebuild naturally.
This is the future of bone health. And it’s already happening in bone clinics across the country, where orthopedic surgeons are prescribing fewer drugs and focusing on lifestyle medicine.
Join the Movement
If this resonates with you, I invite you to join the Stronger Bones Lifestyle Community.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Monthly cooking classes (I’m also a professionally trained chef!)
- Live “Ask Me Anything” sessions
- Guest experts from functional medicine, fitness, and nutrition
- A community of like-minded women choosing empowerment over fear
Podcast Subscribe Links - Reversing Osteoporosis
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Oxalates, also known as oxalic acid, are naturally occurring compounds found in many plants, vegetables, and fruits. They are part of a plant’s defense mechanism against predators and can be found in high concentrations in foods like spinach, rhubarb, beets, nuts, chocolate, tea, and certain beans.
Regarding bone health, oxalates can bind to minerals such as calcium in the gut, forming calcium oxalate. This compound is not easily absorbed by the body, meaning the calcium that could have been utilized for bone strengthening is instead excreted. This process can potentially lead to lower calcium availability for bone health, which can be particularly concerning for individuals at risk of osteoporosis or other bone-related issues.
However, for most women, dietary oxalates do not pose a significant threat to bone health, especially if their diet is balanced with enough calcium and they do not have a history of kidney stones.
Your gut is crucial for stronger bones for several reasons:
- Nutrient Absorption: The gut is where most nutrient absorption occurs. For bones to be healthy and strong, they need a variety of nutrients, particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin D. A healthy gut efficiently absorbs these essential nutrients from your diet and facilitates their transportation to the bones.
- Gut Microbiome and Bone Health: Research has shown that the gut microbiome (the community of bacteria living in your intestines) can influence bone density. Certain gut bacteria help in producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which have been shown to promote bone health. SCFAs can enhance the absorption of minerals necessary for bone strength and play a role in reducing inflammation, which can negatively affect bone health.
- Hormone Regulation: The gut helps regulate hormones that are involved in bone metabolism, including insulin, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones like estrogen. For example, estrogen is vital for bone density, and gut health can influence estrogen levels through the enterohepatic circulation, where estrogens are processed in the liver and intestines.
- Reducing Inflammation: Chronic inflammation, which can stem from poor gut health, is linked to many conditions that compromise bone strength, such as osteoporosis. A healthy gut helps to reduce systemic inflammation, protecting bones from inflammatory damage.
- Immune System Modulation: The majority of the immune system is located in the gut. An imbalance in the immune system can lead to autoimmune conditions, some of which affect the bones. Maintaining gut health helps to ensure the immune system works correctly, protecting against autoimmune reactions that could impact bone health.
In essence, maintaining a healthy gut contributes significantly to stronger bones by ensuring the effective absorption of vital nutrients, regulating hormones, reducing inflammation, and supporting a healthy immune system. Therefore, a diet rich in bone-healthy nutrients, prebiotics, and probiotics, along with lifestyle factors that promote gut health, is key to maintaining strong bones.