When you decide to take charge of your bone health, you could feel as though you’re stepping out onto the “road less traveled.” And even with the best of intentions and dedication, it’s possible you could be making some mistakes.
That’s why I am writing this today – it’s healthy to stop and assess your progress, goals, and methods. To help you in that process, I want to make you aware of five common bone health mistakes that even well-intentioned people can make.
Let’s begin with a “spooky” tactic that the Medical Establishment employs, and not just on Halloween…
Falling for the Medical Establishment’s Scare Tactics
This is very easy to do, especially if you’ve just been given an osteoporosis diagnosis. You may feel afraid and uncertain, and find yourself vulnerable to pressure from your doctor, who may tell you all sorts of horror stories about what could happen to you if you refuse to take the medication.
Once you realize that osteoporosis is not a disease, though, you can easily shrug off the medical intimidation.
You see, osteoporosis is simply the body’s way of signaling an imbalance in your system. It’s not an inevitable part of aging.
An overindulgence of acidic foods, such as those that are prevalent in the American diet, can cause a build-up of acid in your body – especially if you’ve eaten that way for many years. This acidic environment requires neutralization, and the body’s mechanism for “buffering” kicks in. Part of that mechanism is to take alkalizing minerals from bone to neutralize the acidic environment, thereby causing decreased bone density.
The mainstream health media defines osteoporosis very differently. They see it as a disease that can be “treated” with drugs. But as I write in Chapter 1 of the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, osteoporosis is not a disease; it’s the body’s attempt to correct a state of imbalance.
Mainstream Medicine does not even have an answer for what causes osteoporosis, making the issue seem mysterious and scary. They capitalize on this “spook factor” by promising solutions in the form of drugs. In other words, they count on your fear of the unknown to convince you to take a pill to “fix” the problem.
Taking Osteoporosis Drugs
I often hear from members of the Save Our Bones community asking what I think about a particular osteoporosis drug. And my answer is, consistently, that taking any osteoporosis drug is a huge mistake! Here’s why.
Osteoporosis drugs present a host of potential side effects, and they actually harm your bones in the long run. Although there are many different osteoporosis drugs on the market, they all have essentially the same intent: to stop bone remodeling so your bones no longer shed bone cells.
As Savers know, the problem here is that shedding old bone cells is essential to bone strength and flexibility. Osteoporosis drugs effectively stop healthy bone remodeling, so the bones become thick, hard, and brittle…and ironically, more prone to fracture.
There are all kinds of reasons not to take osteoporosis drugs, but the bottom line is, they don’t work and can cause life-altering side effects. They are unnecessary at best and extremely harmful at worst.
Eating a pH-Imbalanced Diet
You won’t hear the Medical Establishment mentioning diet in connection to your bone health, unless they “prescribe” milk and dairy products as a calcium source. What they don’t realize is, the food you eat has an enormous impact on your bone health.
Backed by numerous studies, the Osteoporosis Reversal Program advocates a pH-balanced diet, which involves 80% alkalizing foods and 20% acid-forming foods. The typical American diet tends toward the opposite ratio, with mostly acid-forming foods like animal products (meat and dairy), sugar, and white bread, and very little alkalizing foods, mainly most vegetables, fruits, and some alkalizing grains and legumes.
In the Program, you’ll find charts that clearly show which foods are acidifying and which ones are alkalizing, and detailed scientific explanations of why pH matters and how it works in the body. Even with winter coming on, there are plenty of options for delicious, bone-healthy foods, as you’ll find in the chapter on Foundation Foods.
To make it even easier to enjoy tasty foods that nourish your bones, a Recipe Sampler and Action Sheets have been included with the Program. There is also a Weekly Progress Tracking Tool so you can stay on top of your progress.
A pH-balanced diet is the foundation on which you can build up strong, healthy bones, and the Osteoporosis Reversal Program makes it simple.
Ignoring Food Labels and Consuming Toxic Ingredients and Genetically-Modified Foods
If you eat prepared foods, chances are you haven’t looked carefully at the ingredients on the label. Even if you have taken a look, you may not be aware of the toxic ingredients lurking in your packaged food, because they often have names that sound either totally foreign or deceptively simple. For example, “enriched flour” sounds fine, but it’s actually devoid of nutrients, bleached with chemicals, and full of poisonous substances (like metallic iron) that provide the “enrichment.”
Like toxic food additives, genetically-modified foods (GMOs) are toxic for your bones. The biggest culprit here is soy – over half of the soybean crops in the US are genetically engineered, rendering them harmful to your bone health. While you’re looking at that packaged food label, you’ll very likely see some form of soy in the ingredient list, whether it’s soy lecithin, soybean oil, or some other form of this ubiquitous crop.
Corn and canola oil are also likely to be genetically engineered.
So make sure you read labels. Even better, prepare your own healthful, bone-building foods from fresh, whole ingredients, and help your body get rid of the toxins that have accumulated in your tissues.
Getting rid of poisons is a vital aspect of bone health. While the Osteoporosis Fresh Start Cleanse was developed with the idea of flushing toxic osteoporosis drugs from the body in 7 days, the Osteoporosis Fresh Start Cleanse has the added bonus of cleansing your system of all toxins, including those found in prepared foods and personal care products.
Not Exercising to Build Your Bones
Even if you’re doing everything you can with regard to diet, it’s still not enough if you really want to have strong bones that will not break easily. The fact is, many people neglect exercise even though it’s crucial for optimal bone health. But don’t let that discourage you!
Exercise does not have to be difficult to be effective at building bone. The key is to target your exercises so that they directly stimulate bone growth and resilience in key areas; it doesn’t mean you have to dedicate hours and hours to working out each day. In fact, exercises that effectively build bone can be done in just minutes a day, right where you are…even if you’re sitting at a desk, waiting in line, or cooking dinner.
The Densercise™ eBook System is also simple and easy to incorporate into your daily routine. It only takes 15 minutes a day, 3 days a week, and it provides specific exercises that target fracture-prone areas such as wrists, ankles, and hips. In addition, Densercise addresses the importance of good posture for overall bone strength and can prevent the Dowager’s Hump since it contains moves that focus on the upper back and shoulders.
Till next time,
Comments on this article are closed.
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I have paid and ordered the Denseexercise program but have not download it for references.I would prefer a printed form. Can you send that to me via regular mail?
Winnie Chase -
enjoy your excellent comment.I enjoy hearing from others
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The osteoporosis in my spine is -3.6 and rhumatologist wants me to take prolia shots. I’m resisting. Have been taking prednisone for about
ten days for polymyalgia. Terrible pain if I don’t take the prednisone. I know it increases osteoporosis. Any suggestion as to what I can do to get off the prednisone and not take the shots? I’ve started to be very aware of the acid/alkaline balance in my diet. -
I just got your book a couple of months ago, and now I see that in your ad for your SaveourBones book lately, you mentioned about signing up with a nutritionist that you can e-mail for answers you may have on this program. I was wondering if that is possible for me to sign up for this information since I’ve just started on the Saveourbones program and that it was not offered when I bought your book a couple of months ago? I am testing my ph twice daily and seemed to being o.k. but sometimes I need some answers??? in regard to the program?
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I’ve been following your program since last year. The doctor is very angry because I refused the Aclasta injection. I took Protolos for 2 months but stopped that because I am intolerant to aspertame. I am sooooooooo confused. I don’t want to take medication that might be more harmful than good.
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I’m 59 and I’ve been on your program for the last 2 years. I just got my dexa scan results and although my Z-score has improved in my neck it was -1.2 and is now -.6 and my T-score was -2.4 and is now -1.8 is but my spine Z-score was -3.0 and now is -2.9 and T-score in spine is -4.2 and that’s still the same. My doctor said that means there is absolutely no improvement at all and wants my to take a prolia injection twice a year. So far I’ve managed to escape without taking the drugs but I had to put up with the doctor dismissing me from the clinic as I refused the injection. Are my measurements really that bad. Not sure what to do.
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I’m confused as I have been using distilled water for drinking for a couple years after learning tap water is bad for the bones. But just recently am reading from different health articles that drinking distilled water is harmful and can cause me alot of problems. Please clarify this for me Evelyn.
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Hi! Vivian,
I Want To Do The 5 Things, The Right Way, So I Can Help Save My Bones.
But How Can I Get My Significant Other To Do The Same When He Won’t Even Read About The SAVE OUR BONES Program.
And He Won’t Change What Foods He Eats Even Though They Might Be Toxic To Him, And/Nor Will He Get Foods Without GMOs In It; Unless By Mistake!
So What Can I Do That May Change His Stubborn Mind And Attitude!Anything You Can Suggest, Will Be Deeply Appreciated!
Take Care, And Stay Well.
LOVE, LESLIE (MS. L. CARMEL)
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I have neer seen any mention of requesting a vitamin D bloodtest from the doctor. For a decade I took supplements and the last few years followed this program but my bone scans never improved. I finally asked the doctor for the urine test to see if I was absorbing anything I took. My vitamin D level was low. He prescribed an 8 week regimen of 50000 units, then retested. My level increased to the normal range. Then he told me to take 1000 daily units over the counter. I get lots of sunshine by the way in the summer. I probably wasted a ton of money on expensive supplements all that time. I hope my next bone scan shows some improvement finally.
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Hi, I have just bought a Berkey water filter system, its a one off outlay and you just fill it up from the tap. Its one of the best know systems and well worth looking at! I have bought the additional flouride filters. It does not take the natural minerals out of the water. The water just tastes like heaven, and you can just want to keep on drinking it!
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I love almond milk and use it on my cereal and for baking, etc. However, I used to get Almond Breeze or Almond Dream until I found that they contained carageenan and were genetically modified. Now I buy Silk unsweetened almond milk, which is non-GMO and does not have the carageenan, a possibly unsafe additive.
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Thanks Gloria
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Thank you, Ita..
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Hi Vivian, I have just discovered a new milk subsitute. ‘OATLY’ is an oat drink enriched with calcium and vitamins. low in fat, no artificial stuff and unsweetened. I thought I would use it on my porridge. It even tasts nice. Thanks as usual for all your information.
Kind regards
Micky -
thankyou, I will try almond milk. I have been taking Anadronic acid for 3 years this December. began taking it after completing chemotherapy for breast cancer. was told by my oncologist that it was a “lifetime thing”. since found out it isn’t. I intend to ask for a Dexa scan in Dec. to see where my T-score is now, but will stop taking it then anyway as I have never been happy to take it.
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Re water & reverse osmosis cleansing
I spoke with a woman at Costco yesterday who was selling water cleansed using a reverse osmosis process.; however, the water is delivered in 5 gallon plastic jugs with PCB’s in the plastic. She told me, “It is only a problem if the water/jug gets hot.”
I passed.Do you have a recommendation for reverse osmosis water cleansing at home? Something more than a carbon filter?
Thanks,
Mary Lou Harris
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We’ve been using Tersano’s Lotus Water Treatment System for a few years and like it very much. Not sure it does “reverse osmosis,” but if you google it, you can read how it purifies water. Just fyi…
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Most of the exercises I’ve seen and have practiced are for the hip-joints. Does any body know a good exercise to increase bone density in the spine other then the Bridge and the arching-back exercises?
Thanks to whoever has a suggestion. -
Hi Vivian, I have been following your email blogs for months. I have been learning from you a lot. I always new that the drugs are not the solution. But never knew that osteoporoses is not a desease. I followed up my bone density problem with calcium, magnasium, Vitamin D and K and a diet I thought is right. Since I read your book, I made lots of changes in my diet, but I can’t make much change in my stress level. I will retire in 1.5 years, than when I hope I can pay 100% attention to my health. I am grateful to your books and to your emails. I like your new website as well. Thanks
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I am so happy to have found your program Vivian! Have you found it to be effective for post-menopausal women like me who have had breast cancer and are now taking estrogen-suppressing medications…for five years or longer?
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Karla, I was in your shoes 10 years ago. It seemed no matter what I did, my bone density was getting worse. I was advised to ignore what the bone density tests were telling me until after I’d finished with the anti-estrogen drug. I continued on Vivian’s program while taking Femara and an organic calcium; my t-scores stabilized, but were still in the osteoporosis range. I’m now off Femara (yay!) and will soon have my first bone density test since then. I’m hoping for improvement; I’ll let you know.
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My favorite is almond/coconut milk – unsweetened or just plan unsweetened almond breeze. Yum! I never use soy milk or dairy. In addition to being bad for my bones, it bothers my digestion.
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What a wonderful thing to see first thing in the morning. An article that gives me great confidence in what I am doing for me. It’s really the only thing I do for myself because I make the time. It’s so easy to give in and “go with the flow” but this is too important. I am not going to be a “test trial subject” for any drugs. I’ll stay with your program which if you think about it is just common sense!! Thanks again Vivian!!
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Try unsweetened almond milk. Awesome and good for you!!
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I have porridge every morning. I stopped using skimmed milk and use half soya milk/half water. which is the lesser of the two evils if they are both harmful?
I have been eating/eat VERY little, I miss eating porridge because I tried: almond milk. soya milk, coconut milk: I just cannot use any of them, I cannot ingest them – I feel stomach sick: what could I use?
many thans rosanna, drachten, nederland