Conservative Treatment For Osteoporosis: Magnificent Magnesium

Vivian Goldschmidt, MA Nutrition

Evidence-Based
3 min Read
conservative osteoporosis treatment

Taking a conservative approach to osteoporosis treatment means more than just avoiding invasive procedures. It means being proactive in seeking out non-invasive ways to prevent or treat or osteoporosis, and if you’re reading this, you’re on the right track! A natural way of treating and preventing osteoporosis, which is detailed in my Osteoporosis Reversal Program, is essentially a conservative treatment approach itself. And of course, taking supplements is part of a conservative treatment program. But you need to make sure you’re taking the right ones.

Calcium is the star osteoporosis supplement. But numerous studies have not supported the use of calcium supplements to prevent or treat osteoporosis. In fact…

Calcium without magnesium may do more harm than good

You see, on its own, calcium – specifically inorganic calcium – has been shown to increase the risk of kidney stones and failing to decrease the chance of fracture.1 A different mineral is the real star of conservative osteoporosis treatment: magnesium.

If you have taken a magnesium supplement, chances are you’ve taken one that’s combined with calcium. The key is that these minerals need to be present in a 2 to 1 ratio, with roughly 2 parts calcium to every 1 part magnesium.

Want to increase the amount of calcium in your blood? Make sure you take enough magnesium!

Calcium levels in the blood increase when you take in more magnesium, which is probably because magnesium is vital for calcium to be used by the body. More magnesium means more calcium is absorbed into your bloodstream and, ultimately, into your bones. Beware, though, that too much calcium actually inhibits the absorption of magnesium and can cause magnesium deficiency. Too much calcium can also result in the calcification of soft tissues as the excess calcium gets absorbed where it doesn’t belong. So these two minerals do work together, but they need to be in balance.

This really isn’t new news. Research into magnesium’s importance in preventing and treating osteoporosis has been going on since the 1980s. A 1990 study showed magnesium supplementation increased bone density within 1 year,2 and other research keeps pointing to magnesium as the true bone strengthener over calcium. Yet it’s still calcium that most people (and, sadly, their doctors) think of when they consider their conservative treatment options for osteoporosis.

Exploring conservative treatments for osteoporosis means learning the truth about which conservative treatments are best.

Of course, the entire Osteoporosis Reversal Program is a conservative, all-natural approach that includes detailed information on treating and preventing osteoporosis.

As part of a conservative treatment plan for osteoporosis, magnesium along with other supplemental, nutritional, and lifestyle changes will get you the results you're looking for.

References

1 Jackson, Rebecca D., MD, et al. “Calcium plus Vitamin D Supplementation and the Risk of Fractures.” The New England Journal of Medicine. February 16, 2006. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa055218

2 Abraham, GE and Grewal, H. “A total dietary program emphasizing magnesium instead of calcium. Effect on the mineral density of calcaneous bone in postmenopausal women on hormonal therapy.” The Journal of Reproductive Medicine. May 1990. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2352244