Watch out, because foods ...]]> Would you eat your favorite breakfast cereal if you knew that it contained Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), a product also used in jet fuel and embalming fluid? Can you imagine grilling your low fat veggie burger if you found out that its main ingredient is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)?

Watch out, because foods that are considered “healthy” and labeled as “natural” contain many harmful chemicals used as food preservatives and flavor enhancers – and these chemicals are often disguised under unrecognizable names.

Today, I’ll expose the hidden dangerous food additives that are lurking in so-called “healthy” foods, how you can easily spot them and the simple and delicious alternatives that won’t sabotage your bone and overall health.

Unhealthy processed foods greatly outnumber unadulterated healthy foods

In the last 100 years the food industry has advanced by leaps and bounds. Today, more than three quarters of supermarket shelves are stocked with packaged and processed foods. These boxed, canned, and frozen concoctions in most cases only require boiling or microwaving to become edible.

In total, there are more than 3,000 food chemicals purposely added to our food supply, yet avoiding them is a lot easier and more economical than you might think.

You probably already know this, but the rule of thumb is that the best foods to conquer osteoporosis and to stay healthy are unprocessed natural foods. That’s because man-made chemicals acidify your body pH which in turn accelerates bone loss.

Back to basics is best for your bone health

We can all agree that scientific progress is a good thing, especially when it comes to innovations that make our life easier and more enjoyable. But advances in the food industry are hindering our efforts to stay healthy because thousands of chemicals have entered the food supply.

At the beginning of the food processing revolution, which began soon after World War II, manufacturers did not bother to hide the newly added synthetically made food additives. After all, the perception was that as women joined the workforce, their available time for cooking would be greatly diminished, and that most everyone would quickly adopt the newly invented convenience foods. So like a tsunami thunderously ravaging the shoreline, the convenience food industry has flooded grocery stores with their processed products.

As a result, foods have become so industrially processed that in some cases they could be easily labeled as “edible food-like substances” – a synthetic man-made product – rather than actual nourishing food.

Adding insult to injury, many staple foods such as potatoes and corn – often used as basic ingredients in a host of products – have their genetic makeup purposely tampered with and may be dangerous to your health.

Convenience foods hurt more than help

Ample research on the evolutionary process of humans and their nutritional requirements point to the clear fact that while our nutrition has radically changed since Paleolithic times, our biology really hasn’t. But along came agriculture and later on the Industrial Revolution and with it, man-made chemicals made their way into our dining rooms.

Fortunately, as is the case with most deceptions, educated consumers are now seeking alternatives to these chemical laden products in turn forcing food producers to get creative… That is why more often than not, food chemicals are renamed with less “synthetic names” than their older original ones.

I want you to be aware of this very important health issue, so we’ll explore together the 12 most dangerous commonly used food additives that can sabotage both your bone health and your general health. One important comment here: remember that ingredients on product packaging are listed according to quantity; the ingredient making up the largest quantity is listed first, and so on.

So now…

Let’s analyze a “healthy” breakfast cereal

Antioxidants protect cells from oxidative damage and some of them are proven potent bone protectors as well. So isn’t it a great idea to have your morning breakfast cereal with healthy antioxidants? Not so fast… Let’s take a look at the ingredients of Kellogg’s® Smart Start® Strong Heart Antioxidants:

Rice, whole grain wheat, sugar, oat clusters, sugar, toasted oats [rolled oats, sugar, canola oil with tbhq and citric acid to preserve freshness, molasses, honey, bht for freshness, soy lecithin], wheat flakes, crisp rice [rice, sugar, malt, salt], corn syrup, polydextrose, honey, cinnamon, BHT [preservative], artificial vanilla flavor, high fructose corn syrup, salt, honey, malt flavoring, alpha tocopherol acetate [vitamin E], niacinamide, zinc oxide, reduced iron, sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), calcium pantothenate, Yellow #5, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin B1), BHT (preservative), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, beta carotene (a source of vitamin A), vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

Worst offenders:

BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene): this common additive used to prevent oxidation in a wide variety of foods and cosmetics is listed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in 2005 as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” on the basis of experimental findings in animals. It is also used in jet fuels, rubber petroleum products, transformer oil and embalming fluid. As if this were not enough, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) warns that BHT should not be allowed to enter the environment, can cause liver damage, and is harmful to aquatic organisms.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): Loaded with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules, studies have shown that the reactive carbonyl molecules can cause tissue damage that may lead to obesity, diabetes, and also heart disease. So much for this “Strong Heart Antioxidants” cereal recipe! HFCS is made from genetically modified corn and processed with genetically modified enzymes. To make matters worse, studies have recently revealed that nearly half of tested samples of HFCS contained mercury.

Yellow #5: Almost all colorants approved for use in food are derived from coal tar and may contain up tp 10ppm of lead and arsenic. Also, and not surprisingly, most coal tar colors could potentially cause cancer.

Healthy replacements

I love starting my day with an antioxidant-rich breakfast complete with natural granola and fresh fruits sprinkled with slivered almonds, flax, and pumpkin seeds for extra crunch. Try it with your favorite milk substitute, and if you have a sweet tooth, use a little honey. I’m quite sure you’ll love it too. There are also many tasty varieties of boxed cereals that truly contain all-natural ingredients – just read the label and avoid synthetic ingredients including the ones listed above.

Are you ready for lunch?

You know that you can never go wrong with a salad to start your lunch with, so you pick your favorite bone-healthy alkalizing vegetables and all you have to do is pour some delicious dressing. Add a few crispy nuts and seeds and voila! You’ve got yourself a healthy lunch. But your choice of salad dressing can ruin your intentions… Let’s take a look at one of the most popular salad dressings, Kraft’s Creamy Italian dressing:

Water, soybean oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, contains less than 2% of garlic*, xanthan gum, citric acid, propylene glycol alginate, onions*, polysorbate 60, spice, red bell peppers*, garlic, phosphoric acid, parsley*, vitamin E, natural flavor. *dried

Worst offenders:

Soybean oil: More than half of all soybeans crops grown in the US are genetically-modified (GMO) representing a meteoric rise since 1996, when only 7% were GMO soybeans. Genetically modified crops not only pose environmental dangers. There is a growing concern (and mounting scientific evidence) that genetic engineering of food plant seeds may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health.

Propylene glycol alginate (E405): this food thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier is derived from alginic acid esterified and combined with propylene glycol. Bear in mind that even though propylene glycol is used as a food additive, it has many industrial uses including automotive antifreezes and airport runway de-icers.

Polysorbate 60: short for polyoxyethylene-(20)- sorbitan monostearate this emulsifier is widely used in the food industry. Made of made of corn, palm oil and petroleum, this gooey mix can’t spoil, so it often replaces dairy products in baked goods and other liquid products.

Healthy replacements

While some commercially made salad dressings really may have natural ingredients (make sure you read the labels), try to stick to basics and use olive oil with lemon juice as often as possible. Olive oil, is in fact a fruit juice and contains long chain unsaturated fatty acids that alkalize your body’s pH. You can also make your own salad dressing at home using wholesome natural ingredients.

An afternoon snack to energize your day

A couple of hours after lunch, you might crave a little pick-me-up snack. A few pretzels might just hit the spot, right? But not so fast… Take a look at the list of ingredients in a bag of fat free Rold Gold® Pretzels, the number one brand in the US:

Worst offenders:

Enriched flour: these pretzels are made with enriched flour. But don’t let the attractive description mislead you: like most highly processed foods, enriched flour is devoid of nutrients and more often than not it is also bleached. Since the wheat germ and bran are removed from this type of flour, the body treats it as a refined starch.

But it doesn’t end here. The “enrichment” itself is made using toxic ingredients. For example, iron is added back into enriched flour. Unfortunately, food makers use a metallic form of iron that your body can barely absorb and should not be ingested. Watch the shocking video below:

Healthy Replacements

It has fortunately become quite easy to replace enriched flour with healthy alternatives, especially with whole wheat flour. But don’t forget that there are other options that can add variety to your meals such as rye, quinoa, millet, and brown rice flour and sprouted grain products.

I like to snack on alkalizing fruits, whether dried or fresh, and sometimes add a few nuts such as almonds or walnuts and some sesame seeds that are naturally high in calcium. Dried fruits mixed with nuts are easy to carry around so you can have a bone-healthy snack anytime of the day.

It’s time for dinner now

As the day is winding down, you are looking forward to a nutritious and substantial dinner. You might choose what you think is a healthier lower fat alternative to beef, such as the Morningstar Farms® Grillers® Vegan Veggie Burgers. Take a look at the ingredients:

Water, textured soy protein concentrate, corn oil, contains two percent or less of autolyzed yeast extract, vegetable gum, natural flavors from vegetable sources, maltodextrin, soy fiber, salt, carrageenan, potato starch, onion powder, caramel color, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, konjac flour, sunflower oil, sesame seed oil, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), concentrated onion juice, ascorbic acid, vinegar powder, citric acid, aspartic acid, modified corn starch, malic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, wheat flour, soy lecithin.

Worst Offenders:

Textured soy protein concentrate, carrageenan, maltodextrin, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, modified cornstarch: All of these are basically different names to hide ingredients that either contain Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) or form MSG during processing.

It is very important for your bone health and your overall health that you avoid these acidifying chemicals that can cause a variety of undesirable side effects, besides accelerate your bone loss. MSG and its related products have been linked skin rashes, nausea, migraine headaches, heart irregularities, and even seizures.

Healthy Replacements:

If you are following the Save Our Bones Program you know that you have a very wide choice of foods to create delicious and bone-smart meals. The Program reveals an easy to follow pH balanced nutrition plan among many other things, and the best part is that you are in complete control of the huge number of combinations possible from the alkalizing and acidifying lists.

While beef is acidifying, you can build your dinner around a beef hamburger instead of the chemical meat replacement example above. I recommend you combine it with bone-healthy alkalizing vegetables and other alkalizing foods to balance your dinner.

If you opt not have meat, the good news is that many grocery stores carry all natural vegetable imitation meat patties – just make sure they don’t contain the aforementioned ingredients.

Your health is in your hands

As you can see, it is easy to make the healthy food choices that will bring back or retain your bone density and your general health. I hope that after you read this article you will pay even more attention to the ingredient labels in the foods you buy. This may sound daunting, but it’s really a lot easier than it sounds.

Simply try to eat foods in the most unadulterated “original” format as often as possible. And here’s a shortcut, any food packaging that has a long list of ingredients with names that sound like they’re from a distant planet is not the kind of food you want to eat. For strong and healthy bones, eat foods with a short and easy to recognize list of ingredients.

Do you have any thoughts on this? Share them with our community by leaving your comment below.

Indeed, history is replete with unfounded health beliefs, and to everyone’s detriment, the milk myth is among ...]]> Did you know that in Medieval England parents would tie rabbits’ feet around their babies’ necks to ward off illness? Doctors would also spit on wounds because saliva was believed to have healing properties.

Indeed, history is replete with unfounded health beliefs, and to everyone’s detriment, the milk myth is among the most tenacious.

Milk is much more than just a drink; it’s a cultural phenomenon that can be traced back thousands of years ago. And still today, the milk myth resonates loud and clear: in 2001, the average American child consumed 104 quarts of cow’s milk.

Milk depletes the calcium from your bones

The milk myth has spread around the world based on the flawed belief that this protein and calcium-rich drink is essential to support good overall health and bone health in particular at any age. It is easy to understand that the confusion about milk’s imaginary benefits stems from the fact that it contains calcium – around 300 mg per cup.

But many scientific studies have shown an assortment of detrimental health effects directly linked to milk consumption. And the most surprising link is that not only do we barely absorb the calcium in cow’s milk (especially if pasteurized), but to make matters worse, it actually increases calcium loss from the bones. What an irony this is!

Here’s how it happens. Like all animal protein, milk acidifies the body pH which in turn triggers a biological correction. You see, calcium is an excellent acid neutralizer and the biggest storage of calcium in the body is – you guessed it… in the bones. So the very same calcium that our bones need to stay strong is utilized to neutralize the acidifying effect of milk. Once calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body via the urine, so that the surprising net result after this is an actual calcium deficit.

Knowing this, you’ll understand why statistics show that countries with the lowest consumption of dairy products also have the lowest fracture incidence in their population (there’s more on this later).

But the sad truth is that most mainstream health practitioners ignore these proven facts. I know it firsthand because when I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, my doctor recommended that I drink lots of milk in addition to taking Fosamax.

Fortunately, I did neither, because I knew that…

Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves

Thanks to our creative ingenuity and perhaps related to our ancient survival needs, we adopted the dubious habit of drinking another species’ milk. Nobody can dispute that cow’s milk is an excellent food source for calves. Weighing around 100 pounds at birth, a calf typically gains approximately eight times its weight by the time it is weaned. But unlike humans, once calves are weaned, they never drink milk again. And the same applies to every mammalian species on this planet.

Also, each mammalian species has its own “designer” milk, and cow’s milk is no exception. For example, cow’s milk contains on average three times the amount of protein than human milk which creates metabolic disturbances in humans that have detrimental bone health consequences.

It’s important to bear in mind that mother’s milk is excellent nourishment for human babies, but its composition is very different from cow’s milk.

Scientific studies show that milk increases fracture risk

Many scientific studies contradict the conventional wisdom that milk and dairy consumption help reduce osteoporotic fractures. Surprisingly, studies demonstrating that milk and dairy products actually fail to protect bones from fractures outnumber studies that prove otherwise. Even drinking milk from a young age does not protect against future fracture risk but actually increases it. Shattering the “savings account” calcium theory, Cumming and Klineberg report their study findings as follows:

“Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in old age. (“Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly”. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994).

And the 12 year long Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that those who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk. This is a broad study based on 77,761 women aged 34 through 59 years of age.

In the authors’ own words:

“These data do not support the hypothesis that higher consumption of milk or other food sources of calcium by adult women protects against hip or forearm fractures.” (Source: Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. American Journal of Public Health. 1997).

Shocking statistics ignored by mainstream medicine

In the Save Our Bones Program one of the topics I discuss is the complete disregard of scientific evidence that discredits milk and dairy products as the best source of calcium.

One exception is Amy Lanou Ph.D., nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C., who states that:

“The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent.”

Surprised? You shouldn’t be, because as I mentioned earlier in this article…

Milk is an acidifying animal protein

Like any other animal derived protein-rich food, milk has a positive potential renal acid load (PRAL) which triggers a protective biological reaction to neutralize all the damaging acidic protein before it reaches the kidneys.

The body is designed for survival, so it sacrifices bone density to protect the kidneys and urinary tract because the latter are essential to survival. And the most readily available source of acid neutralizer is in the bones. So even though milk contains calcium, it ends up sapping your bones of that crucial mineral. But that’s not all because…

Today’s milk is a processed food

Until the end of the 19th century in Europe and the beginning of the 20th century in the US, milk was consumed unpasteurized or raw. Later on, homogenization became the industry’s standard. These processes further alter milk’s chemistry and actually increase its detrimental acidifying effects.

Raw milk advocates claim that if cow’s milk is left “as is” it is a healthy and wholesome drink. It is true that raw milk is less acidifying than processed milk and that pasteurization and homogenization may cause a long list of digestive and other health problems, but I still don’t recommend drinking any kind of cow’s milk.

Nowadays, milking cows are given antibiotics and most are also injected with a genetically engineered form of bovine growth hormone (rBGH). A man-made or synthetic hormone used to artificially increase milk production, rBGH also increases blood levels of the insulin-growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in those who drink it. And higher levels of IGF-1 are linked to several cancers.

This should not be ignored, especially in view of recent information by Samuel Epstein, MD, Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. In an article titled “Monsanto’s Hormonal Milk Poses Serious Risks of Breast Cancer, Besides Other Cancers” (http://www.preventcancer.com/press/releases/july8_98.htm, June 21, 1998) Dr. Epstein concludes that:

“Drinking rBGH milk would thus be expected to significantly increase IGF-1 blood levels and consequently to increase risks of developing breast cancer and promoting its invasiveness.”

Even though organic milk is from cows that are not given antibiotics or rBHG, if you truly care about your bone health and your overall health, you should…

Avoid drinking cow’s milk

As I explain in the Save Our Bones Program and contrary to mainstream recommendations, drinking milk and eating lots of dairy products are not the answer to reversing osteoporosis. And while in the Save Our Bones Program no food is completely off limits, I strongly recommend that you explore the different milk substitute options that I will list for you here.

But first, I’d like to clarify that unsweetened fermented or cultured dairy products such as yogurt, kefir, and sour cream are acid neutral. Yogurt in particular is chock-full of beneficial qualities. As is the case with milk, organic yogurt does not have rBGH, but even several of the most well-known yogurt brands have stopped using the bovine growth hormone (rBGH). You should call your favorite yogurt company to confirm. One more clarification: when I say unsweetened I mean without sugar or any artificial sweetener. However, you can add honey or stevia, a zero calorie plant-derived sweetener that is delicious and alkalizing as well. I like to carry around stevia packets in my purse so that I’m always able to sweeten food or drinks when I’m on the go.

The best milk substitutes

My favorite milk substitute is unsweetened almond milk, not only because it is alkalizing (as almonds are), but also because it’s delicious and tastes very similar to milk. I even cook with it!

If almond milk is hard to get, you can also try rice or soy milk. I strongly suggest consuming only organic soy milk to insure it’s not made with genetically modified soy. There is also some controversy about unfermented soy products, so try to use it in moderation.

And remember, if you ever hear someone ask “Got milk?” smile and think to yourself “No, because I know better!”

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share them with me and the rest of our community by leaving a comment below.

That’s exactly what happened to me after I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. My doctor also advised me to “drink plenty of ...]]> If you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia, it is more than likely that your doctor prescribed an osteoporosis drug such as Fosamax followed by the proverbial calcium recommendation.

That’s exactly what happened to me after I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. My doctor also advised me to “drink plenty of milk”. Luckily, I did not follow his flawed advice and instead, I embarked on my own quest to conquer osteoporosis which culminated in the Save Our Bones Program.

Today, I want to share with you yet another piece of valuable information about a little-known bone health gem. It is vitamin K, best known for its blood clotting functions. In fact, vitamin K gets its name from the first letter of the German word “koagulation.”

If you are taking anticoagulant drugs, your doctor will most probably let you know that vitamin K counteracts the intended effects of your prescription and that you need to discuss with him or her your vitamin K intake. Otherwise, vitamin K is widely ignored by mainstream medicine, even though it is essential to your bone-building capacity.

Vitamin K helps your bones

Vitamin K is related to osteocalcin, also called bone Gla protein, which is a calcium-binding protein synthesized by osteoblasts or bone-building cells. It also works synergistically with vitamin D to regulate the production of osteoclasts, cells that remove old bone so that new bone can be deposited in its place.

In Chapter 3 of The Bone Health Revolution I write that bones are made up of 65% mineralized collagen and 35% collagen matrix made of minerals and other nutrients. The most prevalent mineral in bones is calcium. The calcium-binding capacity of osteocalcin is activated when it is chemically altered through a vitamin K-dependent process known as carboxylation.

Bone health benefits of Vitamin K stun researchers

Many scientific studies confirm Vitamin K’s positive effects on bone-building processes. One good example is an article published in the European Journal of Pharmacology by Akiyama and team. The researchers actually identified a process where a form of vitamin K2, a menaquinone known as MK-4, inhibits the formation of osteoclasts (Effect of vitamin K2 [menatetrenone] on osteoclast-like cell formation in mouse bone marrow cultures. 1994).

Interestingly, bisphosphonate drugs attempt to perform a similar function, but fail miserably at matching the well-coordinated performance of vitamin K. Because bisphosphonate drugs damage and distort osteoclasts, while vitamin K helps coordinate the right amount of osteoclast production with other bone cells so as to achieve the appropriate balance.

You see, bisphosphonates are synthetic drugs deprived of a biological role in bone metabolism unlike vitamins and other natural elements. How sad that this crucial distinction is ignored by mainstream medicine!

Another study on vitamin K and fracture prevention had such unexpected positive results that even its lead author, Dr. Angela Cheung, touted it “surprising”. (Vitamin K Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia [ECKO Trial]: A Randomized Controlled Trial. 2008). Published in the journal PLoS Medicine, the study involved 440 postmenopausal women diagnosed with osteopenia.

Half of the participants were given a vitamin K1 supplement and the other half took a placebo for two years, with 261 continuing for two more years. While bone density scans showed equal bone loss in both groups, over the four year study period more than double the women who took the placebo suffered fractures compared to the group that took the vitamin K. But unfortunately…

Mainstream medicine is curiously skeptical of vitamin K’s bone health benefits

Typical of the complete disregard for natural health solutions in mainstream medicine and despite her excellent study results, Dr. Cheung is skeptical. She writes that it is “premature” to recommend vitamin K to osteoporosis patients. And Dr. Roberto Pacifici, director of the division of endocrinology at Emory University in Atlanta, commented on the same study in a WebMD interview that he was unimpressed with the results and that “people should not go out and buy vitamin K because of this study.” But why not? Especially since…

A myriad of other scientific studies also support the use of vitamin K for bone health

It seems that most doctors have conveniently forgotten about the Nurses’ Health Study that followed 72,327 registered nurses for ten years. This is one of the largest research projects showing that nurses with the lowest vitamin K intake had a 30% higher risk of hip fracture than those with the highest vitamin K intake (Feskanich D. et al. “Vitamin K intake and hip fractures in women: a prospective study”. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999). The median vitamin K consumption for this study was 169 micrograms per day, all derived from foods sources rather than from supplements. Diane Feskanich writes that this “…suggests the need for a higher vitamin K requirement than the current recommended dietary allowance…”

Just because doctors turn their back on such an excellent bone health vitamin, it doesn’t mean that you should too. So am giving you the…

Best sources of Vitamin K

All varieties of vitamin K are fat-soluble and belong to a chemical category called naphthoquinones, but there are two basic types of vitamin K. Phylloquinones, or vitamin K1 which is made by plants and menaquinones or vitamin K2 synthesized by intestinal bacteria.

Unlike vitamin K1, vitamin K2 does not concentrate in the liver. The body stores only limited amounts of vitamin K in the liver, so it is important to have enough bio-available K2 in the body.

The richest dietary sources of K1 are green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, Brussels sprouts, green beans, asparagus, and broccoli. Green peas, romaine lettuce, and bell peppers are some of the less concentrated but still very good sources of this vitamin. Even spices such as fresh parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, black and cayenne pepper are rich in vitamin K1.

Even though it is fat-soluble, there is no documented toxicity with high doses of vitamin K, with the exception of synthetic K3 or menadione, which I do not recommend.

The Adequate Intake (AI) for vitamin K for adult women is 90 micrograms and 120 micrograms for men. To give you an idea of what a low level this is, one cup of boiled spinach has 889 micrograms of vitamin K1.

If you are following the Save Our Bones Program it is really easy for you to get enough vitamin K1. However, for maximum bone-building benefits I recommend you add a K2 supplement to your dietary intake.

The best natural source of vitamin K2 is derived from fermenting a unique form of soy known in Japan as natto. One capsule a day of this vitamin K2 has 50 micrograms, and it is best absorbed when taken with food. If you are on anticoagulant medication, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to supplement vitamin K, but you should consult with your doctor.

Vivian Recommends:
VITAMIN K-2 (MENAQ7)-50 mcg-30-Softgels

Are you already taking a vitamin K supplement? Will you start now? Share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment below.

Marketing ads for this drug offers ...]]> In the Save Our Bones Program I dedicate an entire chapter to the discussion of all the osteoporosis drugs, including Fosamax and its generic formula alendronate sodium. This is a popular bisphosphonate drug widely prescribed by doctors and advertised on TV and other media outlets.

Marketing ads for this drug offers no information whatsoever on what bisphosphonates are really made of, and for a good reason. You’ll know why once you read an excerpt from the Introduction to an article by the late Dr. Herbert Fleisch titled “Bisphosphonates: Mechanisms of Action”. It was published in the prestigious Endocrine Reviews in the year 1998, and I also quote it in Chapter 5 of The Bone Health Revolution.

Dr. Fleisch was a Swiss pioneer researcher on metabolic bone diseases whose work led to the discovery of bisphoshponates as osteoporosis drugs. He writes that:

“Bisphosphonates were used in industry, mainly as corrosion inhibitors or as complexing agents in the textile, fertilizer, and oil industries. Their ability to inhibit calcium carbonate precipitation, similar to polyphosphates, was put to good use in the prevention of scaling. Only in the past three decades have bisphosphonates been developed as drugs for use in various diseases of bone, tooth, and calcium metabolism.”

Isn’t it amazing that mainstream scientists openly admit the industrial origins of these drugs? And wouldn’t you expect that they would think twice before they even considered such toxic chemicals as potential bone health solutions? Obviously, that is not the case because thanks to several not-so-coincidental sequence of events, bisphosphonate drugs became instant best-sellers, raking billions of dollars to their manufacturers.

The story of an osteoporosis drug as told by Mr. Allen Dronate Himself

The first mass-marketed bisphosphonate was alendronate sodium, branded as Fosamax and promising to cure osteoporosis, a brand new bone disease as defined by the World Health Organization in 1994. Approved in the US on September 29th 1995, Fosamax has made billions of dollars to pharmaceutical giant Merck. Its patent expired in February 2008, and since then, generic alendronate sodium is widely available and still used by millions of women and men all over the world.

So who better than the obnoxious Mr. Allen Dronate himself to narrate his meteoric success story (as you can see, I’m in a lighthearted mood today). This is how it all began…

Forget my humble origins; they don’t mean a thing!

Hi there! I’m Allen Dronate, one of the luckiest and richest guys you’ll ever meet. I used to live in dirty workshops, grimy warehouses with heavy machinery, fertilizer manufacturing plants, and other disgusting industrial places. I was handled by careless mechanics and factory workers, and I hated every minute of my life, including them! But hey, why should they care about a worthless chemical that costs pennies?

But one day, my life took a sudden 180 degree turn for the better. I don’t want to waste my time getting into details, but thanks to a bunch of brainy “Einsteins” led by my hero, Dr. Fleisch, I became what I was meant to be: a high class money-making machine, getting respect and the royal treatment I always deserved.

You see, scientific studies show that I can somehow increase bone density, at least for the first couple of years, and once this was rubber-stamped by a well-known government agency… money has been pouring out of peoples’ pockets like hot lava from a volcano!

I really don’t know exactly what to do, except that I’m supposed to destroy osteoclasts – if I find them. I don’t even know what those lowlifes look like, so I attach myself to bone and hope for the best. As far as I know, all I have to do is mess up normal bone metabolism, and voila! Mission accomplished. I can also wreak havoc in people’s digestion, cause joint and muscle aches plus a whole slew of other nasty side effects…

But, who cares? I certainly don’t. Nobody can see me there anyways. Some party-poopers claim to have seen giant osteoclasts around me, but if you ask me, they’re totally insane. No wonder just about everyone in the medical field ignores them.

Hey docs, continue to keep your eyes and ears shut and those prescriptions coming… I’m working out a deal to get my first Rolls Royce next month.

It’s ALL about image, NOT substance

It’s a good thing I already have an extremely low opinion of all you people, otherwise I’d be upset at the bad rap I’m getting lately, especially from that lady Vivian from Save Our Bones. She keeps saying that there are better drug-free ways to increase bone density and she’s probably right, but hey, she could ruin my lifestyle. So get lost, lady, I need to Save My Profits!

I’ll tell you the secret of my success, and listen well, before I regret that I told you this. It’s all about image. You see, from the moment medical scientists considered me a valuable prescription drug, I had a complete makeover. I became a neat little tablet inside fancy-shmancy packaging. With this new image, my popularity just kept growing. Before I forget, here’s a shout out to those marketing guys for the great job they’re doing. Hey guys, Allen Dronate loves ya!

And what I life I have! I’m given the “white glove treatment”… literally. Lab workers sometimes even wear masks when they handle me. No more dirty warehouses for me. Now I live in a clean laboratory and my name’s all over well-known medical publications.

If there’s one thing I learned from hanging out with scientists is that most of them are quite gullible… they believe in their own one-sided “studies”. Good for me, bad for the people… but who cares?

Oh, and I met an over the counter wonder, Tyla Knowl – my new girlfriend. She’s all mine, that is if I can keep that slimy Rick Last away from her. You know, the one for “women on the go”. Hey Rick, they’re on the go all right …straight to the hospital they go, you loser. But I digress. I want to continue talking about what’s really important: moi…

So what’s wrong with chemicals anyway?

Listen, I may not be the nicest guy, but I’m filthy rich; and that’s what really matters. Sometimes I feel a bit of remorse about what I’m doing. But then, I remember that the same agency that approved me approved many other drugs and more than 3,000 chemicals used as food additives. So what can one more do, in the greater picture of things?

I don’t know what the future will bring, but for now, I’m living the life… And as long as humans continue to gamble with their health, I’ll keep raking in the big bucks. So long, losers.

So there you have it from Mr. Allen Dronate himself. Pretty shocking stuff huh… good thing you know better.

But I’m not resting on my laurels; indeed, my research never ...]]> My path to discover the truth about osteoporosis has been fascinating and arduous at the same time. As you probably know by now, the hundreds of hours I have dedicated to research osteoporosis culminated with the Save Our Bones Program.

But I’m not resting on my laurels; indeed, my research never stops… I am always looking for new knowledge and new frontiers in the osteoporosis arena, so I can filter through to you the most important information along with practical and result-oriented solutions.

Marine biologists are not held captive by Big Pharma

One of the key protocols of the Save Our Bones Program is the importance of maintaining an alkaline body pH in order to build strong and healthy bones, and I reveal some easy “tricks” you can follow to achieve exactly that with little work.

And not surprisingly, many in the medical community under the influence of Big Pharma, completely shrug off and suppress this crucial bone health remedy. This is also the case with many other scientifically sound revolutionary health solutions that can’t be patented and are therefore not as profitable as selling a patentable drug.

But here’s fascinating proof that the truth can’t be suppressed and will be acknowledged by those not held captive by the medical establishment. You see, unlike most doctors, marine biologists openly acknowledge that an acidic pH weakens the skeleton.

In fact, they fear that because the oceans’ pH is getting lower or more acidic, the skeleton of marine animals will weaken even to the point of dissolving, profoundly altering the underwater ecology.

Here’s some interesting information that you can use to “shake-up” the skeptics, and it involves an unexpected parallel between your bone health and the ocean.

Ocean Acidification: A Global Case of Osteoporosis

This surprising headline is the title of Kathleen McAuliffe’s article published in Discover Magazine (July 2008). She writes that “industrial carbon dioxide is turning the oceans acidic, threatening the foundation of sea life.”

She explains that as the oceans absorb increasingly large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from atmospheric pollution, the water keeps turning more acidic. And the lower water pH endangers all marine creatures, especially mollusks and crustaceans such as crabs, clams, and oysters that produce calcium carbonate shells.

The author goes on to say that this is not just a theory; it’s a reality confirmed by experiments with compressed CO2 poured directly into laboratory test tanks. To the scientists’ amazement, the acidifying effect of CO2 caused the spines of sea urchins and the shells of mollusks to literally dissolve.

McAuliffe makes the connection with osteoporosis and writes that:

“Like human bones whittled by osteoporosis, their exoskeletons will grow thin and brittle or—mirroring what happened to the test animals at CO2 injection sites—dissolve.”

Simply put, CO2 acidifies the oceans causing….

Osteoporosis under the Sea

Analysis of CO2 preserved in ice cores shows that since the 19th century, the pH of the ocean has dropped by 0.1 measurement unit, representing a 30 percent increase in acidity.

While significant, this number is dwarfed by the acidifying effects of the typical North American or Western diet.

These diets are rich in acidifying animal proteins, grains and chemical additives, while strikingly low in alkalizing vegetables and fruits. This leads to chronic metabolic acidosis, so no wonder we are facing an osteoporosis epidemic. But fortunately…

You can stay afloat

Consider the Save Our Bones Program along with this website as your life raft.

Thankfully, you don’t have to rely on the one-sided “research” of the medical establishment that only focuses on “medicine” rather than “health.” The same establishment that marginalizes all natural and common sense solutions in favor of dangerous and hugely profitable drugs. But as you just read, the truth is out there and little by little, it will reach the millions that are suffering at the hands of this establishment.

When you follow the program, you won’t drown in the turbulent seas of misinformation, toxic drugs and helplessness.

You see, I know firsthand that it’s not easy to turn away from your doctor’s mainstream treatment ...]]> If you feel alienated and ‘on your own’ because you are considering or are already following an alternative treatment for osteoporosis or osteopenia, I have great news for you: you are definitely not alone.

You see, I know firsthand that it’s not easy to turn away from your doctor’s mainstream treatment recommendations. And sometimes, it can feel as though you are swimming upstream, against the tide… in a cold and dark ocean.

I know it because I felt the same way during my quest for the truth about osteoporosis.

But even though there were times when I thought I might drown, I never sank to the bottom. And each time I found new knowledge, I gained momentum and rose to the surface with even more energy than before.

Each piece of information I gathered, gave me the strength I needed to pursue my goal and to finish my endeavor.

I kept reminding myself that pioneers are often ridiculed and ignored… that new discoveries are usually not readily accepted by the mainstream establishment.

And after putting my research into use, I finally solved my own osteoporosis problem and my bone density results increased by a whopping 20%.

When you realize that you’re part of a community that is growing by leaps and bounds, it becomes easier to decide against taking osteoporosis drugs and to follow alternative solutions.

Alternative therapies are used by a majority of adults over 50

CAM – short for Complementary and Alternative Medicine – is best described as a variety of medical and health care systems, practices, and products not considered to be part of mainstream medicine. Diet-based therapies and natural supplements are a very popular form of CAM. Of course, the Save Our Bones Program is a perfect example of a CAM therapy.

While there is little or no mention of CAM in the media or at your doctor’s office, it is rapidly gaining ground in the US. “Millions of Americans every year are turning to Complementary and Alternative Medicine,” says Richard L. Nahin, Ph.D.

Dr. Nahin was involved in a survey that shows startling results: 38 percent of American adults use CAM in one form or another (Barnes, PM; Bloom, B; Nahin, R. CDC National Health Statistics Report #12. CAM Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. December 2008).

Surprisingly, those aged 50 to 59 are the most prevalent medical “adventurers” in the US. In fact, almost two-thirds of adults 50 and older use some form of CAM. (Barnes P, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin R., CDC Advance Data Report #343. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults: United States, May 2004).

So if until now you thought that you are part of a minority group, you can rest assured that that’s not the case.

Alternative Medicine now taught at Medical Schools

A well-known market principle is that demand for a certain product will sooner or later bring about a supply of that product. Fortunately, this also applies to CAM, and it is quite possibly the reason why a variety of alternative medicine courses are popping up in medical colleges throughout the United States.

Further supporting this important development, the curriculum director of the University of Minnesota’s alternative medicine department, Mary Jo Kreitzer, comments that “Consumers are demanding it (alternative therapies)… You could say that in that respect, we are advocates.”

And when several students attending Medical School at the University of Minnesota were interviewed by an Associated Press writer in 2007, they expressed their delight at having the opportunity to learn about alternative medicine and said they would be more willing to recommend a variety of CAM therapies.

This is a welcome change in the natural therapy arena, especially since researchers document that when patients tell doctors about their CAM use, most of the time physicians brush off the topic (Corbin Winslow L., Shapiro H., “Physicians want education about complementary and alternative medicine to enhance communication with their patients.” Archives of Internal Medicine, 2002 May 27).

This might be explained by a survey of doctors that confirms they feel unqualified to discuss CAM, mainly due to a lack of training in that area of treatment (Milden S.P., Stokols D. “Physicians’ attitudes and practices regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine.” Behavioral Medicine, Summer 2004).

As the CAM trend continues to expand in the future, doctors will have to keep up with the latest alternative methods or be ready see their patient base shrink.

Small steps in the right direction

Even though many medical schools have elective classes on CAM therapies, students are not openly encouraged to enroll in those courses. For example, a spokeswoman for Harvard University said that Harvard does not advocate alternative medicine. This statement gives us a clear indication that the medical establishment, while recognizing that there is a growing need for doctors to learn about alternative therapies, is still unconvinced of its benefits.

The Save Our Bones community

And now, you and I are really part of something special. I’m talking about this natural osteoporosis community that we’re a part of. Did you know that an average of 16,100 osteoporosis ‘truth-seekers’ just like you are joining us every week?

It’s true. An average of 2,300 fellow ‘osteoporosis conquerors’ just like you and me are joining us EVERY day!

And at the time I’m writing this, tens of thousands of you have used the Save Our Bones Program to naturally conquer osteoporosis and osteopenia and increase your bone density naturally.

So when you wish to tackle osteoporosis without taking the commonly prescribed drugs, your knowledge-based convictions play a crucial role. Like millions of others, you can establish an open dialogue with your doctor, discuss what he or she recommends with the understanding that there are natural alternatives to the mainstream treatment.

And remember this: you are not alone.