Osteoporosis

Five Element Medicine and Bone Health

A time tested way to prevent osteoporosis is with diet and a helpful model for understanding this comes from traditional Chinese Five Element medicine (TCM). According to this system, you can retard bone fragility, which is a natural process of aging, by taking good care of your kidneys (Water Element). In this paradigm, “kidneys” are a kind of shorthand that refer to the physical flesh and blood kidneys themselves as well as their larger domain that includes one’s overall energy or vitality plus the adrenals, bladder, nervous system, teeth and bones. Even though kidney energy naturally declines with aging, you can support its vitality with diet, exercise and lifestyle. A healthy gut is also a requisite as we’ll see below, but first, for strong bones, this venerable 2000-year-old Chinese system suggests:

Dietary Rx for Strong Bones

Kidney-strengthening foods include all beans, seaweed, root vegetables, meat, seeds, melons and soup stock made from bones. The edible bones in canned sardines or salmon are an easily absorbable calcium source. Dark-colored foods energetically support the kidneys and so, for example, when you choose wild rice, black beans or black currants over white rice, lima beans or red currents you subtly support your kidneys.

Diet-wise, we care for our kidneys and bones with a mineral rich, whole foods diet that includes adequate fat and protein but not an excess of carbohydrates. It’s important to consume moderate amounts of both salt and fluids and to favor room temperature or warm foods and beverages. (Cold, frozen or chilled foods and beverages stress the kidneys.) Minimize inflammatory foods as they create an acidic condition in the body that, overall, interferes with absorption and adds stress to the kidneys. Stimulants such as coffee and alcohol tax the kidneys, as do toxins, including chemicals in the food or environment.

Lifestyle Rx for Strong Bones

Regular weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, strengthens the kidneys and bones. Conversely, standing or sitting for long periods of time weakens the kidneys. Keeping your lower back, especially the area over your kidneys, warm and protected from the cold also helps.

Inflammation and Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a major health issue in the United States affecting approximately 10 million people aged over 50 years in the United States; and another 30 million or more at risk. Supplementing with calcium and minerals is not a solution. Inflammation also exerts significant influence on bone turnover, inducing osteoporosis.1

Today a root cause of chronic inflammation for many people is increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).  Other bone weakening factors include:  alcohol and a number of pharmaceutical drugs—from prolonged antibiotic use to aluminum-containing antacids and PPIs, antidepressants like SSRIs, corticosteriods, diuretics, Lasix, and thyroid meds.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1308846/