An Orthopedic Surgeon Explains Regenerative Medicine and How to Avoid Surgery | Dr. Joshua Schacter
Listen above or download and subscribe to your favorite podcast network by clicking one of the icons below.
Dr. Joshua Schacter on Regenerative Medicine, Metabolic Health, and Protecting Your Mobility
If you’ve been told that a hip or knee replacement is your next step, it can feel like you have no other options.
But what if surgery isn’t always the only answer?
In this episode of Stronger Bones Lifestyle, I sat down again with Dr. Joshua Schacter, an orthopedic surgeon who performed more than 15,000 joint replacements before leaving surgery to focus on metabolic and regenerative medicine.
His mission today is simple: help people stay active, healthy, and independent for as long as possible—and, when appropriate, help them avoid surgery altogether.
Surgery Has Its Place—but It Isn’t Always the First Step
Dr. Schacter shared a surprising statistic: research suggests that a significant number of joint replacements may be performed before a joint has truly reached end-stage disease.
That doesn’t mean surgery is never needed. It absolutely can be life-changing.
But it does mean we should ask an important question: Have we explored every option to improve the health of the joint before replacing it?
That’s where regenerative medicine enters the conversation.
Healthy Bodies Heal Better
One of the biggest themes throughout our discussion was that no treatment works in isolation.
Whether someone is receiving regenerative therapies, preparing for surgery, or simply trying to age well, the health of the entire body matters.
Dr. Schacter’s approach combines:
- Functional medicine
- Nutrition
- Hormone optimization
- Gut health
- Metabolic health
- Regenerative therapies
Because healthier cells create a healthier environment for healing.
Strong Bones Need More Than Strong Bones
One insight I especially appreciated was the reminder that preventing fractures isn’t only about bone density. It’s also about stability, balance, core strength, muscle, and pelvic floor health.
As a yoga therapist, this really resonated with me. The stronger and more stable we become, the less likely we are to fall—and falls are what often lead to devastating fractures later in life.
The Goal Isn’t Just Living Longer
One of the most inspiring moments of our conversation came when Dr. Schacter shared the story of a patient recovering from multiple strokes. His focus wasn’t simply on extending life. It was on restoring quality of life.
That’s exactly how I think about bone health. We’re not trying to add years for the sake of years. We’re trying to help women stay independent, active, confident, and able to enjoy the lives they’ve worked so hard to build.
My Takeaway
Your future isn’t determined by one diagnosis.
Whether you’re facing arthritis, osteopenia, osteoporosis, or simply want to stay active as you age, there’s tremendous value in taking a whole-body approach.
The healthier your body becomes, the better it can move, heal, and support you for years to come.
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.