Your Bone Health & Hip Replacement Surgery – Your Health Detective

Many of you ask about bone health and the dreaded hip replacement. The following article is presented by a contributing investigative reporter to The Health Detective Blog. From time to time we accept contributing articles when the information presented is pertinent to our subscribers…click here to continue reading…

Bone health is always important, but after the age of 50, it becomes an issue that can have far-reaching effects on health and quality of life. Age-related bone loss accelerates around this time, which can lead to lost bone strength and density, and in many cases, osteoporosis.

Weak bones are a leading cause of the more than 350,000 hip fractures that occur in the United States every year and make a significant contribution to the more than 450,000 hip replacement
procedures performed annually. Taking good care of your bones can minimize age-related bone loss, lowering your risk of such injuries.

Daily Exercise

Everyone knows that inactivity can weaken muscles, but many don’t realize that it also weakens bones and is a major risk factor for osteoporosis. Like muscles, bones need exercise to maintain strength, and if they are already weak, to regain it. The rate at which the body produces new bone cells changes according to need. Stress placed on the bones during exercise sends the body a signal that bones need strengthening, prompting increased production of bone cells to keep age-related bone loss in check. For strong bones, you need at least thirty minutes of moderate weight-bearing exercise
daily, five days a week, like walking, swimming, bicycling and aerobics, among many others. Resistance training or light weight-lifting, done two or three days a week, can also help.

Fractures are among the most common consequences of poor bone health. When bones are brittle, it takes much less pressure to break them, so a fall that would typically result in just a bruise can cause fracture. In people with severe osteoporosis, just lifting or bumping into something can cause a fracture, and the most common areas in which they occur are the wrists, spine and hips.

Among those common injuries, hip fractures are the most likely to cause disability, and they almost always require surgery, either to repair the bones or replace the hip. Hip surgery restores mobility
in many patients, but recovery is long and difficult and complications are possible, as any of the thousands of patients affected by the recent hip implant recalls could tell you.

Several widely used hip implants have been recalled, including two DePuy ASR hip implant systems, the popular Stryker Rejuvenate implant system and the Zimmer Durom Cup. All had high rates of failure and serious complications. One of the most serious complications is metallosis, which is a
problem related to particles of metallic implant debris shed from implants. In affected patients, this debris contaminates soft tissues around the hip joint, causing severe pain and inflammation, tissue death, bone loss and implant loosening or failure.

The Way I See It…

The information in this article was contributed to The Health Detective Blog for public education by Elizabeth Carrollton, an investigative reporter that writes about defective medical devices and dangerous drugs for Drugwatch.com.

Many of you have asked what I do to protect my bone health. The following is my personal protocol:

1. Daily intake of Iso D₃, this isn’t just any ordinary vitamin D. It delivers 2000 IU of the preferred form of vitamin D, as vitamin D3, in each tablet. The active form of vitamin D in the body is 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D—1,25 (OH)2D3. Dietary vitamin D must be converted into this active form in order to deliver the health benefits associated with vitamin D. Iso D3 is designed to support optimal metabolism of vitamin D to its active form.* I recommended this form to my nurse practitioner for patients whose bone density wasn’t responding to conventional vitamin D₃. It was amazing to see the improvement within 4-5 months; bone density improved as did their overall feeling of well being, not to mention the boost to their immune system.

Living in the Pacific Northwest I change my intake of vitamin D with the clock changes. In the fall I supplement with a higher dose because of less sunshine. In the spring I reduce the amount so that I don’t become photo-sensitive.

2. For my calcium support I take a professional formula that contains an easily absorbable form of calcium, magnesium and minerals for mature individuals (us baby-boomers). Bone density loss is not just associated with calcium deficiency, but also with an insufficient intake of a host of other nutrients including magnesium and vitamin D₃.In order for calcium to help maintain healthy bones, adequate amounts of vitamin D3, zinc, magnesium, manganese, 8 and other nutrients should be available so that calcium and phosphorus can be incorporated into the bone matrix. Additionally, many forms of calcium are not particularly well absorbed. Bone Restore is the formula I use and recommend because that, along with Iso D_3, has shown me through testing that they are easily absorbed and utilized. It is available by calling Toll-free (888) 352-8175.

3. I keep myself well-hydrated and make sure I maintain alkalinity by testing my urine pH first thing in the morning once a week. It is recommended to have values of 7 or higher in order to support bone density as well as fight against bacteria and viruses because they can’t thrive in an alkaline intestinal environment.

Don’t wait until you lose bone density or have a fracture, your bones are the foundational frame that supports your body, take care of it now. And if you already have a hip replacement you can still support overall bone health by proper supplementation, Naturally.

Your Partner in Health,

Dr. Gloria