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Many readers ask me if I can share an osteoporosis success story without drugs. Sarah’s story fits the bill. She has been a client of mine for the past eight years. I first met her when her bone density scores declined and her physician recommended Prolia to stop the decline.
Sarah (not here real name) became concerned and worried about her health, her future, and the possible side effects of Prolia. She decided to manage her osteoporosis naturally through exercise, hormone therapy, nutrition, and any other sensible non-pharmaceutical modality.
I was impressed by Sarah’s commitment to her osteoporosis success, as well as her results. Her osteoporosis success story is important and I feel many people will learn some important lessons from Sarah. I encourage you to read it from beginning to end.
Here is Sarah’s osteoporosis success story in her words. Her journey begins in 2012.
From Active and Proactive to Inactive
When I was in my early fifties, friends and family described me as very active, high energy, and always on the move. I loved my professional full-time work and was excited for the future, both for me and my family.
I have always been proactive with my health and felt that the time was right for me to have a bone mineral density (BMD) test, also known as a DEXA test, to see how healthy my bones were.
The DEXA test showed a density of 0.91g/cm2 (T-Score: -2.2) in my spine and a 0.85g/cm2 (T-Score: -0.8) in my hips. I was diagnosed as having osteopenia. While these scores were little on the low side, my doctor was not concerned because I have always been a petite woman.
A year later, in 2013, my health and life changed for me dramatically. I experienced a bad injury that made walking, sitting, and standing difficult. Unfortunately, I had to stop working for a year to rebuild my energy and to heal. I was tired and spent a lot of time lying down. During this time I felt quite anxious because I was afraid that I would become a burden to my family.
When I look back at that time in my life, I realize that I experienced a trifecta of effects that caused my bone health to decline: menopause, burn-out, and little to no activity.
I did not realize that being so immobile could have such an affect on my bones. There were no warning signs.
The Onset of Osteoporosis
In 2016, four years after my first DEXA, I had another bone density test. The results were not good. I was very upset to find out that my score had dropped from:
- 0.91g/cm2 to 0.71g/cm2 (T-score of -2.2 to -3.9) in my spine
- and from 0.85g/cm2 to 0.78g/cm2 (T-score of -0.8 to -1.6) in my hips.
My scores indicated that I had osteoporosis.
My physician told me that perhaps I could increase my bone density by 3% with medication. She scheduled an appointment the next morning for an injectable medication, called Prolia.
I did not to show up for the appointment. Instead, I researched alternative approaches to treat my osteoporosis. During my search, I found Margaret Martin.
Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis
Exercise is an essential ingredient to bone health. If you have osteoporosis, a therapeutic exercise needs to be part of your osteoporosis treatment program.
But what exercises should you do and which ones should you avoid? What exercises build bone and which ones reduce your chance of a fracture? Is Yoga good for your bones? Who should you trust when it comes to exercises for osteoporosis?
A great resource on exercise and osteoporosis is my free, seven day email course called Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis. After you provide your email address, you will receive seven consecutive online educational videos on bone health — one lesson each day. You can look at the videos at anytime and as often as you like.
I cover important topics related to osteoporosis exercise including:
- Can exercise reverse osteoporosis?
- Stop the stoop — how to avoid kyphosis and rounded shoulders.
- Key components of an osteoporosis exercise program.
- Key principles of bone building.
- Exercises you should avoid if you have osteoporosis.
- Yoga and osteoporosis — should you practice yoga if you have osteoporosis?
- Core strength and osteoporosis — why is core strength important if you have osteoporosis?
Enter your email address and I will start you on this free course. I do not SPAM or share your email address (or any information) with third parties. You can unsubscribe from my mail list at any time.
Osteoporosis Self Care Plan
I needed an osteoporosis self care plan.
Finding Margaret was a blessing. She helped me with remedial exercises that evolved into a program to build both bone density and strength. I started at the Beginner level of Margaret’s Exercise for Better Bones program and eventually advanced to the Athletic level. More importantly, Margaret helped me build hope and confidence that I could improve my bone health.
I also consulted with a nutritionist, a physician for bio-identical hormonal therapy, and a QiGong teacher. Over the next five years, with a lot of hard work and discipline, this wonderful team helped me increase my bone density from
- 0.71g/cm2 (-3.9) to 0.77g/cm2 (-3.4) in my spine
- and from 0.75g/cm2 to 0.80g/cm2 (-1.7) in my hip.
Six years after my second DEXA that indicated I had osteoporosis, I was making progress but not as fast as I had hoped. The results indicated that I still had osteoporosis. I was determined to find a way to improve faster and change the direction of my osteoporosis.
I asked Margaret if there was anything else I could do. She recommended I try the Marodyne low intensity vibration plate.
Low Intensity Vibration Therapy and Bone Health
I ordered my Marodyne LiV platform right away. As per Margaret’s recommendations, I used it three times a day, each session lasting 10 minutes.
Eighteen months later, I was thrilled when my DEXA results improved
- at my spine from 0.77g/cm2 to 0.83g/cm2 (T-score went from -3.4 to -2.9)
- and my hip from 0.80g/cm2 to 0.83g/cm2 (T-score went from -1.7 to -1.5).
While most women experience a decrease in bone density during their 50’s and 60’s, I was able to increase mine. My hip score puts me in the osteopenia range and my spine score is almost out of the osteoporosis range.
The Marodyne LiV, allowed me to gain bone density faster (roughly 3 times faster), in a natural way. My anxiety related to the risk of a fracture went down and I felt a sense of relief. For me this was priceless.
I was excited that I could (finally) relax knowing I was making incredible gains, while enjoying the light vibrations of the LiV plate. I have maintained my strength, balance, and weight bearing exercise programs, QiGong, the nutritional plan, and my hormone therapy.
Osteoporosis Case Study: Sarah's DEXA
Here are my DEXA results over time. Below is the raw data DEXA scores for each year.
The chart below is a visual representation of the DEXA data in the table above. Note the decline in my DEXA score between 2012 and 2016 when I was sidelined by my injury. My spine showed the most dramatic drop. I turned things around in 2016 when I assembled my team and took control of my osteoporosis success story.
Osteoporosis Success Story: Confident, Active and Happy
Today I can say that I have gained bone strength and bone density but more importantly, I have gained back what I had lost: feeling confident, being an active, happy woman, who is once again looking forward to what the future holds.
The combination of building a great team, who helped me build back my body, optimize my nutrition and hormones along with using the Marodyne LiV were all key elements in my bone health and osteoporosis success story.
I hope my osteoporosis success story provides you inspiration to build your bone health. The journey may be long, but it is worthwhile.
Sarah
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