How to Reverse Osteoporosis
While we often focus on ways to secure your retirement and retirement planning, we broke away from the norm on this week’s podcast and had a very important conversation about osteoporosis.
As anyone listening to this should know, we’re all getting older. Osteoporosis is a major concern for everyone as they age. We believe that a healthy retirement goes well beyond finances and ought to really consider your physical health, too.
Dr. Doug Lucas sat down with us to discuss how to reverse osteoporosis and outlined steps you can take if you want to slow and even reverse this condition.
Who is Dr. Doug Lucas?
Dr. Lucas is a highly trained and respected doctor who finished his training as an orthopedic surgeon at Stanford University. After going into practice, he started to see a lot of patients that would fall and fracture or even break a bone.
The impact of a fractured hip or arm is a major concern for patients, and if you break a hip in retirement, the question is, will you enjoy retirement?
Probably not.
Dr. Lucas started what he calls “health optimization,” which helps you live a longer, healthier life. And part of this life is trying to slow and even stop osteoporosis.
What is Osteoporosis Anyway?
If you’re in your early 50s, there’s a good chance that you have heard of osteoporosis in passing or may not even know what it really is in the first place. Dr. Lucas explains that this condition is the diagnosis of:
- Poor bone quality
- Poor bone quantity
Your bones often get stronger as you get older, and then when you hit your late 20s, the bones may begin to weaken. Doctors often don’t discuss your bone health, but it is something to be concerned about because it makes it so much easier to break a bone or suffer from a fracture.
When you’re older, a broken hip or bone can drastically impact your life.
Traditional Healthcare Model Surrounding Osteoporosis
It’s estimated that 50 million adults in the United States have osteoporosis. Unfortunately, most doctors and traditional checkups will not even test to see whether your bones are weaker. However, if your doctor does perform tests and you are diagnosed with the condition, the treatment is going to revolve around pharmaceutical treatments.
For example, your doctor is likely to recommend:
- Supplements
- Medications
Unfortunately, none of these things reverse the condition. If you do fall and have a nasty fracture, you’re often left with a doctor who doesn’t specialize in bone health. You need a very comprehensive picture to better understand how osteoporosis works and to heal from it properly.
Optimizing Your Health for Osteoporosis
Dr. Lucas explains that health optimization looks at the entire person and the root cause of your bone loss. So, before you can begin reversing your bone loss and weakening, you should understand the condition’s cause.
While you should begin early with health optimization, if you’re 55+, you can “turn this ship around.”
You can slow down bone loss and even reverse bone loss.
You won’t reverse back to your 20s when your bones were exceptionally strong, but you can take steps to strengthen your bones and prevent many bone fractures and breaks.
Typically, there are two main reasons for bone loss:
- Gut health is improper and does not allow you to maximize nutrient absorption
- Adrenal glands are causing chronic inflammation, often from stress
Once you figure out why you’re losing bone, it’s time to “plug in” holes and then work to strengthen the bones. The way to optimize bone health and begin restoring it is:
- Taking certain supplements
- Eating a proper diet
- Consuming calcium
- Eating the right proteins
Dr. Lucas also monitors micronutrients to ensure that the body has the nutrients necessary to restore bone health. Even genetics will be considered because there may be certain issues that you cannot change due to genetics.
How to Begin the Process to Check for Osteoporosis
If you’re starting from scratch and have no idea whether you have osteoporosis, the first step in the process is to schedule an appointment with a doctor who will run a screen test to learn more about your bone health.
You need a starting point to know your bone health.
However, if you had a fracture from minimal trauma, such as tripping over your dog and falling relatively lightly, there’s a good chance you have a “fragility fracture.” In this case, you have osteoporosis because your bones should not break that easily.
At this point, you want to reach out to someone who specializes in bone health, but there aren’t many people in this field.
Dr. Lucas is certainly a great contact to have because he created a mirror website for his company, found at Optimum Bone Health. The website provides a wealth of information to help you learn about bone health and can provide recommendations to optimize your bone health.
He can even help you get started through telehealth.
The process begins with:
- 10 – 15-minute free consultation
- Determine if you’re a good fit
- Enter a six-month program to reverse osteoporosis
During the first month, many tests are taken to understand where your bone health is. Then, you’ll sit down with Dr. Lucas for an hour to discuss your tests. Based on your unique results, a program will be made for you to really start strengthening your bone health.
While it can take one to two years to start strengthening your bones, it is a process that is worth every second because it reduces your risk of fractures and bone breaks.
Do you want to secure your retirement? Sign up for our 4 Steps to Secure Your Retirement Video Course.