Thank you for your interest in the Natural Medicine approach to treating disease and healthy living! Caring Medical is currently a full time Prolotherapy doctor's office, headed by Ross Hauser, MD and we are blessed to fill the needs of patients seeking an alternative to surgery. We are accepting new patients and athletes suffering from chronic pain, sports injuries, and arthritis for treatment with Prolotherapy. Due to this large demand in Prolotherapy, we are not currently accepting new patients for natural medicine conditions, this includes autoimmune conditions, weight loss, menopause, hormones, or cancer. Through the years, we have seen so many lives turn around for the better with some of the methods discussed on this page, and encourage you to seek a Natural Medicine practitioner at www.acam.org.
The Response of Modern Medicine
Modern medical treatment of osteopenia, the progressive decrease in the density of the bones that is categorized as the stage before osteoporosis, usually involves slowing down or stopping bone loss using any number of drugs, each with varied side effects and benefits. Drugs currently prescribed to slow or stop bone loss include biphosphonates, raloxifene and calcitonin. Until the early 1990s, hormone replacement therapy (HRP) was a popular treatment for post-menopausal women. However, due to a number of health risks associated with this treatment approach, many physicians have revised their recommendation of HRT.
The problem with these treatment approaches is that they involve not only a significant expense in many cases, but that many of the drugs often have side effects. More importantly, although these drugs may slow down or stop the progression of osteopenia, they do not address the root of the problem, the underlying causes of osteopenia which, if not addressed, could ultimately lead to osteoporosis, as well as crippling and painful osteoporosis-induced vertebral compression fractures.
The Natural Medicine Approach to Osteopenia
One of the main factors in the development of osteopenia is a poor diet that does not provide adequate amounts of calcium, magnesium or vitamin D. The consumption of soda pop is also a big culprit. The phosphorus in soda pop actually leaches calcium out of the bone, leading to osteopenia and, eventually, full-blown osteoporosis. And finally, in a sedentary culture such as ours, our bones are asked to do very little weight-bearing work. But in fact, weight-bearing exercises from as simple as walking to as strenuous as weight lifting have been found to delay and even reverse the onset of osteopenia. The importance of the preventative aspects of diet, nutrition and exercise with regard to osteopenia cannot be emphasized enough.
The incidence of osteoporosis, the inevitable result if osteopenia is not treated properly, is directly correlated to testosterone production in men and estrogen and progesterone production in women. Women are especially at risk after menopause because of the drastic cessation of hormone production, whereas men experience a more gradual decline in hormone production as they age.
Thus, as a preventative measure, we recommend that all women take natural hormone replacements at the start of menopause and follow a natural health maintenance program. Exercise, calcium, magnesium, a healthy diet and natural hormones are excellent ways for women to keep their bones strong and maintain a zest for life. For example, IP6 (Inositol Hexaphosphate) is beneficial for overall bone health and immune support and Osteo Care supplements for prevention of bone loss and increased bone density.
Addressing dietary, nutritional and hormonal issues involved with the onset and progression of osteopenia gets at the root cause of this condition in the hopes of keeping potentially crippling osteoporosis and osteoporosis-induced vertebral compression fractures at bay.
If you are interested in more information about our natural medicine program, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hauser, please contact Caring Medical at 708-848-7789 or online using our contact form.
Click here to receive our FREE electronic newsletter.
