“Baby-Boomers” Should Check Their Bones

A patient had no idea why her doc sent her to me for a Complete Bone Health Evaluation.  As a “baby-boomer”, she lives by the motto: “You are only as old as you choose to be.”  And she chooses to remain young.  If only it were possible…..

“I can’t have Osteoporosis.  I used to drink milk.  I am active and I plan to stay active!!!  So I just can’t have Osteoporosis!”  Unfortunately, she does have Osteoporosis by BMD on her DXA, by the multiple Vertebral Fractures on VFA, and by FRAX.  Still, there are simple steps to rescue her Bone Health before she Fractures.

For starters, she could start drinking milk again, or eat other Foods with Calcium, or take  Calcium Citrate Supplements, or eat Adora Chocolates.  Her current calcium intake is less than 400 mg daily.  It should be 1200-1500 mg daily.  Fixing that will probably increase her BMD and prevent further vertebral crumbles.

Next, her 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level is below 20 – a level at which most of the population cannot absorb all the calcium that they consume.  She needs to fix that with BIG doses of 50,000 units Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol), the form of Vitamin D that we make naturally mid-day in the summer.  Once we have her Vitamin D level above 40ng/ml, we can probably keep it there with 5000 units D3 taken 3 times weekly.

This patient has started avoiding meat for fear of cholesterol and triglycerides.  Lean meats or beans could meet her Protein needs.

Multiple Vitamins & Minerals will add trace elements, including Magnesium, since she does not like the social consequences of beans.

She should add focussed postural exercises and stress back extension.

Now that she knows what to do, she should be able to avoid fractures.

Do You know what you need to do to avoid fractures?

Jay Ginther, MD

Categorised in: Bone Health, Evaluation and Screening, Osteoporosis