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Why your DEXA scan is the beginning of the conversation—not the end.
Every day, I hear from women who describe themselves with the same words: “Scared.” “Confused.” “Pressured.”
One woman introduced herself as “one of the newly devastated.” That phrase stopped me in my tracks, because it perfectly describes what so many women experience after receiving an osteoporosis diagnosis.
If you’ve just been told you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, I want you to hear this: a diagnosis is information. It is not your identity.
A Diagnosis Should Begin the Conversation
Too often, women receive a DEXA scan, hear a T-score, and leave with a prescription before they truly understand what any of it means.
A DEXA scan measures bone mineral density, but it doesn’t explain why bone loss occurred. It doesn’t tell the whole story about your bone quality, your lifestyle, or your future fracture risk. That’s why your diagnosis should be the starting point—not the final answer.
Your Bones Reflect Your Whole Body
Bone health isn’t isolated. Your bones respond every day to:
- The food you eat
- How well you digest and absorb nutrients
- Inflammation
- Hormones
- Sleep
- Stress
- Movement
- Muscle strength
Bone is living tissue. It’s constantly breaking down and rebuilding itself, and every healthy habit you practice influences that process.
Don’t Let Fear Make the Decision
One of the saddest things I hear is that women feel rushed into making medication decisions before they’ve had time to understand their options. Medication may absolutely be appropriate for some women—but every woman deserves an informed conversation.
You deserve to understand the benefits, the risks, alternative assessments, and the lifestyle factors that may be contributing to your bone loss. Questions aren’t being difficult—they’re being responsible.
You Have More Influence Than You Think
One of my biggest missions is helping women understand that bone health isn’t determined by one scan. Daily habits matter. Healthy digestion matters. Reducing inflammation matters. Strength training, balance, flexibility, stress management, and sleep all matter.
There isn’t one supplement, one exercise, one machine, or one medication that builds lifelong bone health. It’s the consistent lifestyle choices you make every day.
My Takeaway
If you’ve recently been diagnosed, take a deep breath. Don’t disappear into the diagnosis. Learn. Ask questions. Become an active participant in your own health.
Your bones are living tissue, and every day gives you another opportunity to support them. Hope begins with understanding—and that’s exactly why I created this podcast.
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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.