Dear Tango,
My doctor just told me I should be taking 1,500 mg of calcium per day, along with 1,000 IU of vitamin D. My question is can I still take OsteoPhase?
Thank you,
Mary
Dear Mary,
It is not clear that taking that much calcium daily will be of benefit to you. The Women’s Health Initiative Calcium with Vitamin D trial of 36,282 postmenopausal women ages 50-79 found only that women older than 60 had a significant 21% reduction in hip fracture when taking 1000 mg. of calcium carbonate and 400 IU of vitamin D per day. For other women in the study there was no significant benefit. I have certainly also not seen studies indicating any benefit from higher doses of calcium than used in this study.
However excess calcium intake can contribute to kidney stones and potentially calcification of the arteries and heart valves, contributing to heart disease.
On the other hand an analysis of Vitamin D by the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that vitamin D supplementation of between 700-800 UI per day reduces the risk of hip and other fractures in the elderly. The analysis concluded that 400 IU per day is not enough for fracture prevention.
There is also a much stronger correlation between physical activity improving bone strength and reducing fracture risk than with calcium intake.
In healthy homeostasis, calcium should be stored and released from bone storage depots for balancing all of the calcium mechanisms in all tissues of the body. It also should be a component of bone tissue structure as measured in bone density testing.
If you have osteoporosis, your body is not regulating calcium use properly.
OsteoPhase appears to help correct three mechanisms involved in building bone density - systemic calcium regulation/homeostasis, circulation deficits to and within bone tissue, and bone metabolism required for bone tissue building. The product contributes about 40 mg. of calcium per capsule. A typical regimen of four capsules per day would give you about 160 mg. of supplemental calcium.
We think that the calcium-regulating function of OsteoPhase will assist you in properly using up to 600 mg. of supplemental calcium per day, but do not feel that higher levels of supplementation are required or healthy. So, yes you can take OsteoPhase with plenty of Vitamin D3, but watch out for taking too much extra calcium.
John Steinke, L.Ac.
VP of Product Development
Dear Tango,
I’m currently
taking OsteoPhase and want to know about taking
your Herbal Boost and Vital Cell.
Are these only short term-usage supplements? The information
on Herbal Boost says to use the formula for about 4
months. I also want to know if I can take these herbs
together with my OsteoPhase, or should I take
them separately?
Also, my husband
recently had a heart attack and is on heart medications,
and we are both taking meds for our blood presssure
and cholesterol. Please advise.
Arlene
Dear
Arlene,
Thank
you for your note and question. I can see where
some confusion might arise. Herbal Boost is used
after stroke, heart attack, injury or debilitating
illness to promote swift recovery. I usually have
clients take Herbal Boost for 3 to 4 months and
then switch them over to Vital Cell for long-term,
ongoing, daily improvement of the immune and circulatory
systems.
We
recommend that you not take Herbal Boost, Vital
Cell or OsteoPhase if you are on blood-thinning
medications, such as Warfarin or Coumadin, which
are often prescribed after heart attack. The concern
is that since the supplements improve the quality
of blood circulation they may affect the actions
of the medications, so they should not be used
together.
Otherwise,
the three formulas will not cause problems with
other medications you are taking for blood pressure
and cholesterol. In fact, they will be helpful
for those issues. However, as a safety precaution,
you should take any supplements and medications
at least two hours apart.
For
osteoporosis, you can take Herbal Boost long-term
along with OsteoPhase as it provides important
herbs for building bone and enhancing circulation
within bone tissues. The ratio should be one capsule
of Herbal Boost for each two capsules of OsteoPhase.
You do not need to take Herbal Boost and Vital
Cell together, but can continue to take Herbal
Boost to support bone growth.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
VP of Product Development
Dear Tango,
I am thinking about
going on OsteoPhase as the result of a bone
density test and being put on Boniva. I took the once-a-month
version of Boniva once and had such bad muscle and
bone pain that I will never take another!
I read a report on
your web site describing how you don’t need all
that calcium, but you say that you recommend calcium
plus several other supplements. How much calcium per
day? They say that most of the calcium you take goes
to soft tissue and not to the bone and that 125 mgs
do the trick along with the OsteoPhase. Do
you find that to be true?
I know a natural
doctor and a doctor with Mayo Clinic who both admit
that all the biophosphonates (Boniva, Fosomax, etc.)
build brittle bone which will break – just like
brittle bone.
What kind of bone
does OsteoPhase build? How long has OsteoPhase been
on the market and does it have a track record of use
by people and their results say, after a year?
I am going to have
a hard enough time getting my doctor to see the merits
of OsteoPhase when he is so gung-ho on the biophosphonates.
I need to know for my own well-being too!
G.W.
Dear
G.W.,
Just
to review, skeletal bones are in a constant state
of remodeling. Specialized cells called osteoclasts
break down old bone, leaving behind pitted areas.
Other specialized cells called osteoblasts, then
fill in the pitted areas with new bone that includes
calcium as a component. When the breakdown of old
bone is faster than the rebuilding of new bone,
you are on a progression to osteoporosis – porous,
weak bones. In other words, the osteoblast bone-building
function cannot keep up with the osteoclast bone
absorption process.
Bisphosphonates
try to resolve this problem by killing off the
function of the osteoclasts, halting the destruction
of old bone. Osteoblasts continue to build new
bone, but the rate of addition of new bone formation
is not enhanced by the drugs. In other words, when
the bisphosphonates work you are really getting
an increase in old bone tissue that would otherwise
be replaced witn new strong bone during healthy
remodeling. Hence you have more old, brittle bone.
While
it appears to be a rare occurrence, or perhaps
under-reported, there has been an increase in unexpected
severe fracture of the body of the femur in patients
taking bisphosphonates. This is likely an extreme
manifestation of the accumulation of brittle bone
tissue. Remember, this brittle buildup is occurring
in the entire skeletal structure and not just in
the hip and lower spine, where fracture risk from
osteoporosis is of great concern.
The
ingredients in OsteoPhase appear to enhance
osteoblast function so that you build new, healthy
bone structure at a faster rate than the destruction
of old bone by osteoclasts. We think that this
improvement in bone metabolism is just one of the
many functions of OsteoPhase that helps
build bone. The formula also supports restoration
of basic calcium regulation for the entire body. OsteoPhase also
includes herbs that support circulation to bone
tissue to enhance delivery of nutritients and removal
of waste products from bone tissues. We try to
explain this as thoroughly as possible and in as
much detail as possible on our website.
We
have been selling OsteoPhase for over
four years now. Before we introduced OsteoPhase we
conducted an extensive, multi-participant evaluation
program that included before and after DEXA scans
that showed improvements in bone density in 3 and
6 month time frames. We also receive reports of
improvements in bone density from our customers,
although these are usually after one-year, a more
typical time frame for retesting. Our sales grow
from month to month and year to year since many
customers elect to continue with the formla based
on their test results.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
VP of Product Development
Dear Tango,
Should
an additional calcium supplement be taken with OsteoPhase?
I have osteoporosis and will be taking
6 capsules of OsteoPhase a day as recommended on
this website. I don't want to have too high a calcium
level in my blood either.
Thanks for your response.
A. V.
Dear
A.V.,
If
you take 6 capsules a day of OsteoPhase you will
receive about 250 mg. of supplemental
calcium. The
main function of OsteoPhase, however, is not to
provide calcium, but to help your body properly
regulate
how it uses calcium. In the case of osteoporosis,
the body is no longer properly regulating calcium,
and an increasing amount of research is now being
directed towards determining where supplemental
calcium actually goes after ingestion.
At
the dose you are taking, OsteoPhase should be able
to assist the body
in directing up to 600 mg.
of additional calcium to the right places for maintaining
normal functional activities – i.e., rebuilding
bone tissues, regulating muscle contraction and
relaxation, and any of thousands of vital internal
physiological
actions regulated by calcium. You should not have
elevated blood calcium levels if you are taking
the OsteoPhase.
You
may want to review your T-scores for your total
hip and lumbar spine. These scores and other
risk
factors can aid your health care provider in
determining how much OsteoPhase you can take.
With
regards.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
VP of Product Development
Dear
Tango,
I
am reading your information on OsteoPhase, but my
one big concern is after hearing all the problems
with imports from China, I find it scary to purchase
this product. Is this manufactured in China and imported
to the US?
D.S.
Dear
D.,
We
appreciate your concern about possible contamination
of herbal products imported from China. Your question
is not unusual, of course, as we are asked the
same thing 2-3 times per day by new customers evaluating
OsteoPhase and our other products. All of our formulas
are produced as concentrated powders at certified
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) factories in
China, and after clearing customs and being released
by the FDA are encapsulated, bottled and labeled
at GMP facilities in California.
The
issue of formula purity as related to recent news
regarding products from China is also not new.
When I began my acupuncture practice over 20 years
ago quality control of herbal products was already
an important issue in the acupuncture community,
especially since licensed acupuncturists are allowed
to prescribe herbal formulations to patients, and
all of us practicing the medicine wish to ensure
that we are working with clean products.
The
majority of Chinese herbs and herbal formulations
imported into the United States come in through
California ports, and are regulated, in part, by
the California Department of Health Services as
dietary supplement products. For the last 16 years
the California Department of Health Services, under
the direction of Dr. Richard Ko, has worked closely
with the FDA to establish standards for evaluating
herbal imports and detecting contaminated products
(see sidebar).
Dr.
Richard Ko
Dr. Ko received his
undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the
University of California, Berkeley, and his
Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Philosophy
from the University of Southern California,
Los Angeles. His doctoral dissertation was
on pharmacokinetic drug interactions.
As a Research Scientist
(Food and Drug Scientist) at the California
Department of Health Services, Food and Drug
Branch, Dr. Ko was actively involved in regulating
dietary supplements and investigating herbal
products related to injury and death.
Dr. Ko has published numerous
peer review articles, including “Adulterants
in Asian Patent Medicines” (New
England Journal of Medicine, Sept. 17,
1998, Vol. 339:847, Num. 12), and most recently
co-authored “Safety of Green Tea
Extracts: A Systematic Review by the US Pharmacopeia,” in Drug
Safety, a premier international journal
covering the disciplines of pharmaco-vigilance,
pharmaco-epidemiology, benefit-risk assessment
and risk management.
Under the direction of Dr.
Richard Ko, the California Department of Health
Services evaluated and identified products
with contaminants as well as the factories
where they were produced. He has also located
factories producing safe products. The work
of his office has enabled Tango to identify
sources for products with standards of purity
that exceed USP (United States Pharmacopeia) standards.
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Product
purity was foremost in our minds when we launched
Tango five years ago to import advanced herbal
formulas from leading Chinese doctors, hospitals
and research institutes. Prior to beginning our
lengthy clinical evaluation programs all potential
formulas were submitted to Dr. Ko’s lab at
the California Department of Health Services for
initial testing for some 300 potential contaminants
(drugs, heavy metals, pesticides, etc.). Additionally
we submitted samples of each formula to independent
testing labs for further verification before allowing
the powders to be released for production. This
process has guaranteed that all of our products
exceeded the exacting standards for safety and
purity as set by Dr. Ko and the USP, including
OsteoPhase.
Dr.
Ko is now a consultant to Tango Advanced Nutrition,
assisting in our quality control programs and overseeing
product evaluation and testing processes, most
recently for ArthriPhase. Our quality control program
is especially important, since China is at least
20 years ahead of the rest of the world in developing
breakthrough herbal medicine formulations for every
conceivable disorder. These breakthroughs are based
on the following:
1.
Due to its large size and variety of climates from
deserts to tropical areas and mountains to seashores,
the base of natural medicinal ingredients is the
largest of any country.
2.
Thousands of years of traditional empirical development
have improved current herbal medicine formulations.
Formulas are preferred for both efficacy and safety
over individual herbs.
3.
Over the past 50 years scientific advancement at
hospitals and research institutes in every major
Chinese city have focused on developing treatments
for specific disorders. This research effort is
currently the equivalent of three or more US Apollo
programs to put a man on the moon. It is doubtful
that the rest of the world combined will match
this ongoing research any time this century.
Our
task at Tango is to identify, evaluate and introduce
such important products as OsteoPhase. OsteoPhase,
in particular, is a product of modern scientific
research and biotech production. Manufacture of
the powder involves a skilled extraction of protein
peptides from the inner lining of the oyster shell
that act as directing agents for biological processes.
In this case, these protein peptides regulate how
calcium is used and stored in the body, including
regulation and enhancement in the bone building
process.
French
scientists also identified these protein peptides
and concluded that they would be able to reduce
osteoporosis, but they were unable to come up with
a commercial extraction process that would enable
use as a dietary supplement.
I
realize this is a long answer to your question,
but I wanted to provide a summation of our efforts
in making OsteoPhase available.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
VP of Product Development
Dear
Tango,
Enclosed is a copy
of my latest bone density test (see below). I have
taken your OsteoPhase formula for the last year and
a half and have had good results with it. I take three
capsules daily and my bones feel much stronger now.
I also have more energy and better mental concentration
in general.
My bone density report
compares my current test with the one from last year,
and again from 1998.
Thank you for your
excellent product.
Sincerely,
Waltraud H.
Click
on images or links below to see full
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Editors
Note:
At
the age of 67, Waltraud H. was bedridden with spinal
fractures caused by an extreme case of osteoporosis.
The year was 1998 and a DEXA bone scan of her left
hip revealed that she only had 25% – just
one-fourth – of the normal bone density of
a typical woman of her age. To make matters worse,
her T-score of -6.2 indicated that her bone density
was lower than 99% of all women in her age group.
In
June 2005, at the age of 74, Waltraud began taking
OsteoPhase in the hopes of forestalling further
loss in hip bone density. Three months later, after
taking 2 capsules twice per day her next DEXA showed,
despite aging trends and expectations, that she
actually experienced a 12.3% improvement in her
hip bone density (see images above). Waltraud reported
to us at that time that she was feeling stronger,
was able to walk with greater ease and generally
go about her daily chores with much less pain than
before.
Waltraud
continued to take OsteoPhase at a rate of three
capsules per day. One year later, at age 75, her
DEXA test scan again indicated a significant gain,
revealing a further improvement in hipbone density
of 22.4%. During this period in which Waltraud
took OsteoPhase daily, her T-score improved 0.8
points.
Today
Waltraud now has 50% of the bone density of a woman
her age, compared to seven years previously when
it was down to 25%. While her bones are still brittle,
her recent scores reflect a significant 30 to 40
percent reduction in her risk of suffering a severe
fracture when compared to data from a National
Osteoporosis Risk Assessment study of 200,000 postmenopausal
women.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
Dear
Tango,
My
wife has mild osteopenia and wants to know much OsteoPhase she should take. On your website it says to take
1 to 2 capsules daily, and elsewhere it says to take
2 capsules, twice daily. Can you clear this up?
Thanks,
D.B.
Dear
D.B.,
If
your wife has only mild osteopenia she is at extremely
low risk for fracture. Doctors and drug companies
are trying to get women and men to take osteoporosis
drugs even when they only have mild bone loss,
or osteopenia. Her main focus should just be on
developing or maintaining leg strength and balance
to prevent falls, her actual greatest risk for
fracture at this point.
Bone
density diminishes slowly, so there is no need
for fear when she just has osteopenia. Unless a
subsequent bone density test indicates a speed
up of bone density loss progressing rapidly towards
osteoporosis, she does not really need to change
much at this time. If she does wish to retain her
current, relatively healthy bone density, she would
only need to take two capsules, once per day of
OsteoPhase.
Or,
she could take 2 capsules, once per day of Herbal
Boost, a comprehensive formula that supports bone
density, improved circulatory health and restored
hormone balance for post-menopausal women. OsteoPhase primarily focuses on improving calcium regulation
and bone density, while Herbal Boost gives a broader
systemic benefit that aids in supporting many of
the disorders that occur with aging.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
Dear
Tango,
A
male patient of mine in Susanville, CA, has been
taking your OsteoPhase bone formula for some time
now. Last Friday after his appointment with a dental
hygienist in my building, she commented that she
was amazed at the bone growth in his teeth and the
improvement in his gums since his last visit 6 months
ago. We plan to have a new bone scan in a few
weeks when he has finished his treatment with an
additional 3 bottles of OsteoPhase and will send
you a copy.
Thanks,
Jim C.
In January we reported
on how osteoporosis affects over 2 million men, often
without their knowledge. Recently we received a set
of DEXA scans from a client, a man in his sixties,
who reported an 8 percent increase in bone density
of his lower spine from using OsteoPhase. What really
caught our attention were copies of two letters he
included from his dental hygienist who was impressed
by signs of improved bone health in his jaw.
Previously, the client
had suffered severe bone loss, infection and tooth
mobility throughout his mouth, leading to a loss of
teeth and requiring upper dentures. His most recent
exam after using OsteoPhase revealed that his remaining
teeth are no longer loose and showed significant improvement
in the soft tissues and bone of his lower jaw.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
Director of Product Development
Our second report
involves a woman who wrote in to share her experience
after using OsteoPhase for a fractured ankle. Her doctors
had become concerned because her ankle fracture was
not healing properly, causing her continual pain while
walking. This type of non-union fracture is actually
quite common, and occurs in about 10 percent of all
fractures. After a four-month course with OsteoPhase her ankle pain disappeared completely and her doctors
canceled plans for further surgery to stabilize her
ankle. Today she has been able to return to walking — and
dancing — in her favorite high heels.
But the story doesn’t
end there. As with the previous case, this client had
also lost several teeth and had planned on undergoing
oral surgery for dental implants. An appointment with
her orthodontist prior to taking OsteoPhase for her
ankle was a disappointment, as x-rays had revealed
that she had lost too much bone in her jaw to allow
for the implant surgery.
Just four months
later, after taking OsteoPhase for her fractured ankle,
a follow-up set of x-rays revealed that she now has
enough bone tissue for the dental implants. Physicians
and researchers consider bone growth to be very significant
when it is so extensive that it appears on x-rays,
and these reports further underscore that the disruption
of the healthy regulation of calcium balance in the
body is a primary underlying factor in poor bone growth.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
Director of Product Development
Dear
Tango,
Does
your company make anything that would treat Gout?
Logain
Dear
Logain,
Yes.
Our formula, OsteoPhase, works to restore healthy
calcium balance by removing excess calcium from
the blood and soft tissues and redirecting it to
its proper place in skeletal bones. While this
process is beneficial in treating osteoporosis
and arterial plaque, it also helps to re-establish
proper pH balance by making the body more alkaline.
The
developer of OsteoPhase has found that all of his
gout patients suffer from abnormally high acid
pH levels. Subsequently he reports that he has
successfully treated gout with OsteoPhase, and
that symptoms generally resolve within a few days.
He
recommends taking 6-8 capsules of OsteoPhase daily
until the pain goes away, usually within 3-4 days.
He also suggests opening one capsule per day and
dissolving it in hot water. After letting the water
cool, soak the toe in the solution to get quicker
results. Any recurrent attacks of gout would be
treated the same way, or you could use a low daily
dose of 1-2 capsules of OsteoPhase to
keep your
ph in balance.
Sincerely,
John Steinke, L.Ac.
Director of Product Development
Dr. Mitch Fleisher
has informed us of his success with a patient, a 67-year
old woman suffering from severe osteoporosis caused
by chemotherapy treatments for her breast cancer.
After only four months
of taking a combination of two capsules of OsteoPhase and 2000 I.U. of Vitamin D-3 per day she achieved a
remarkable 12% increase in bone density as measured
by a bone scan. Her gynecologist was surprised since
such increases are not observed in patients using estrogen
or Fosamax.
John
Steinke, L.Ac.
Director of Product Development
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