By Hyla
Cass, MD
Recently, one of my long-time patients,
a 78-year-old woman named Jean, called to tell me that
her Beverly Hills endocrinologist was astounded by
improvements in her bone density, as revealed by a
recent DEXA scan. Her previous scan, conducted in August
2005, had shown that Jean suffered significant bone
loss in the femoral neck of her hip (osteoporosis),
and mild bone loss in her lumbar spine (osteopenia).
Her endocrinologist wanted to know how Jean had reversed
her history of progressive bone loss, especially since
she had refused to take the Fosamax he’d prescribed.
(I agreed with her decision at the time, since this
medication causes increased bone brittleness, as well
as other serious side effects.)
Up to that point Jean had been taking
my usual prescription for osteoporosis therapy, which
included calcium, magnesium, boron, vitamin D and strontium.
This was apparently not doing the job, so I advised
her to add OsteoPhase, a
unique herbal formula that I had just discovered, which
aids in restoring calcium regulation in the body.
Calcium
Regulation
The problem with calcium supplementation is not how
calcium is absorbed and digested in the digestive tract,
but how it is regulated by the endocrine system. Once
calcium and other mineral nutrients required for bone
health have been absorbed, the real issue becomes how
the body goes about regulating these nutrients.
Calcium regulation in the body is
a complex process guided by feedback systems under
the control of hormone/ endocrine systems with the
hypothalamus as the master gland in charge.
The bones serve as a primary storage
reservoir for calcium in the body and the hypothalamus
adjusts the storage levels depending on needs for calcium
in other tissues of the body. Since every single cell
regulates many of its functions with calcium-based
mechanisms, this adjustment is crucial to everything
that pertains to our health. For example, every action
of all of our muscles, every contraction and relaxation,
every single movement we make, is controlled by a calcium-dependent
mechanism.
As we age, the hypothalamus begins
to function less efficiently. One result is improper
regulation of calcium, such that the storage depots
of calcium in the bones begin to be depleted, particularly
in the hips, lower spine and wrists. This contributes
to less bone strength, or bone mass density. When the
loss of bone mass density is severe enough it is called
osteoporosis, which dramatically increases the risk
of fracture and subsequent, long-term debility.
When calcium regulation starts to
fail, calcium floods into the soft tissues where it
can accumulate and begin to calcify. Calcification
occurs primarily in the arteries, heart valves, kidneys,
and brain cells.
That is what makes OsteoPhase different
from mere supplementation, because it appears to regulate
calcium activity. It helps to replenish bone stores
of calcium [absorption of calcium into bone tissue]
where the calcium then contributes to bone strength. OsteoPhase also
prevents calcium from flooding into the body and accumulating
in other tissues. This capability comes from a unique
(and costly) proprietary extraction process used to
capture certain proteins in the oyster shell that are
responsible for how the oyster regulates calcium. The
oyster shell functions for the oyster much like our
bones do for us, as an important support skeleton and
reservoir for calcium storage.
DEXA
Scan Reveals Improvement
After taking OsteoPhase for one year Jean’s follow
up DEXA scan revealed a truly remarkable improvement.
She had gained 3.3% bone density in her lumbar spine,
indicating a normal bone density reading normally seen
in a healthy 30-year old woman.
The results for the scan of the femoral
neck of her hip were even more remarkable – showing
an increase of 9.9% in bone mass density, reflecting
a change in her diagnosis from osteoporosis to osteopenia.
The importance of this improvement
in bone mass density in the femoral neck of her hip
cannot be underestimated. It is typical for women at
her age to lose about 1% of their BMD in the femoral
neck per year. Instead, she experienced a 9.9% improvement!
Determining
Fracture Risk
According to the Surgeon General’s annual report
in 2004, there are 1.5 million osteoporosis-related
fractures every year. These fractures generate 2.6
million doctor visits and 800,000 trips to the emergency
room, resulting in 500,000 hospitalizations annually.
Disability from these fractures also results in 180,000
sufferers being placed in nursing homes.
Osteoporosis-related fractures commonly
occur in the hip, spine, and wrist. Hip fractures are
the most serious, as approximately 25 percent of patients
over 50 years of age die within one year of suffering
a fracture. Of those who do recover from a hip fracture,
only 15% regain enough mobility to walk across a room
unaided within one year.
The most serious osteoporotic fracture
occurs in the femoral neck. This type of fracture is
painful, requiring hospitalization and causing considerable
morbidity and mortality.
|
About the Author: Dr.
Hyla Cass is one of the country's foremost authors
and speakers on the subject of integrative medicine.
Dr. Cass has incorporated nutrition and natural
health techniques into her practice for more than
20 years. She has written a number of popular books
including 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health, which
has all the information women want to know about
osteoporosis, hormones, mood swings, thyroid, adrenal,
candida, chronic fatigue, and weight management. |
Because of its structure and composition,
the neck of the femur bone in the hip is particularly
vulnerable to fracture from the type of twisting falls
common in the elderly. The nature of the fracture makes
it particularly difficult to heal.
Femoral neck fractures frequently
disrupt the blood supply to the femoral head. The progressive
disruption of the blood supply can lead to serious
clinical conditions and complications, including osteo-necrosis
and nonunion.
Summary
These DEXA scan numbers reveal a surprising level of
improvement, and are even more remarkable given the
age of this patient. The improvement in BMD score
of the femoral neck reflects a reduction in fracture
risk of 125% over her previous score from just one
year earlier. After reviewing my notes carefully
the only difference I can attribute to her improvement
is the addition of OsteoPhase to her regimen.
Needless to say, I have placed all of my at-risk
women patients on OsteoPhase, including
younger ones, since it appears that osteoporosis
can occur at any age.
