Bone density

Osteoporosis occurs in about 20% of women.  50% of women will have a bone fracture.   After a hip fracture, 50% of people will never regain their prior fracture function.

Osteoporosis is not painful.  The only manifestation is when someone sustains a bone fracture.

Many people want or need to increase their bone density or decrease the risk of bone fractures.  Bone fractures are deadly.  There are a few natural ways to increase the bone density, such as daily walking or jogging for about 60 minutes every day, eating a plant based, green leafy vegetable based diet, and taking vitamin D supplements.  Data is difficult to compare with different medications and remedies for bone density because the studies are not done in the same manner and they don’t measure the same parameters.

The only preparations that are physiologically the same as the body’s components, or bio-identical, are bio-identical hormones, all of which increase bone density, testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone.  Forteo ® is a protein analogue of parathyroid hormone which is bio-identical; this is the hormone that controls calcium and bone density in the body.  Unfortunatey, Forteo can be used for only two years.    Testosterone increases bone density 8.3% per year.  Estradiol increases bone density about 3.4% per year.  Progesterone is a very small increase.  Forteo overall increases bone density 9% over the 2 years of use.   Stay with me; overall, these bio-identical formulations are what I prefer for myself, patients, friends, and family, because they are not chemical substances, and they all REBUILD THE BONE IN THE PROPER MANNER IN STRUCTURE. 

The chemical bone density medications in my opinion do not have as good of an effect on rebuilding bone.  They decrease bone reabsorption, they don’t rebuild bone density. Fosamax increases bone density around 6% over 3 years.   Boniva increases bone density 3.5 % over a year.  These bisphosphonate drugs are poorly absorbable orally; only about 1% of the medication gets to the bone to work!  This is not useful, and they cause a lot of stomach and GI distress.  This is not worthwhile to the human body.  Prolia increases bone density 6.8% over 3 years.  This is injectable, so more medication can get to the bones to work.  However this does not compare to testosterone as far as efficacy, and it is a chemical drug, whereas testosterone is a bio-identical hormone that builds bone density properly. 

Therefore, the clear choice is bio-identical testosterone and some bio-identical estradiol, which are not chemical substances, and they rebuild the bone in the proper manner, and they can be used for many years.  I have several women on hormone pellets solely for their bone density, and after a few years we are seeing the bone density increase significantly, and they are very pleased.  The body is deficient in our advanced years on hormones; we are not deficient on the chemical drugs that decrease bone breakdown.

Call me for a consult on treating bone density with bio-identical hormones, 850-916-7766, we can make a difference! 

Author

Karen E Kennedy MD Gynecologist for over 21 years in Gulf Breeze, FL, caring for patients in the Florida panhandle area.