WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.879 Good afternoon, I'm Dr. Todd Binkley, board -certified 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:05.120 doctor of non -force chiropractic and practitioner 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:07.940 of functional medicine. Last week, I talked about 00:00:07.940 --> 00:00:10.900 osteoporosis and got several questions about, 00:00:10.939 --> 00:00:14.539 mostly about what form, what is the best form 00:00:14.539 --> 00:00:18.739 of calcium to take to prevent osteoporosis, and 00:00:18.739 --> 00:00:22.789 a few questions about how do you know? When should 00:00:22.789 --> 00:00:26.170 you do a bone mineral density test? So I'm definitely 00:00:26.170 --> 00:00:28.329 going to talk about the best forms of calcium 00:00:28.329 --> 00:00:31.129 to take to prevent and reverse osteoporosis, 00:00:31.170 --> 00:00:34.710 as well as how do you know when you should take 00:00:34.710 --> 00:00:37.009 a bone mineral density test? The whole point 00:00:37.009 --> 00:00:39.549 is to be able to reduce your risk of osteoporosis 00:00:39.549 --> 00:00:43.429 and even reverse it back to osteopenia, also 00:00:43.429 --> 00:00:47.350 known as low bone density, and even reverse low 00:00:47.350 --> 00:00:50.770 bone density back to normal bone density without 00:00:50.770 --> 00:00:53.450 toxic drugs. that really don't even work that 00:00:53.450 --> 00:00:55.850 well. But before I forget, I ran out of time 00:00:55.850 --> 00:00:57.810 last week to talk about some specific patients, 00:00:57.869 --> 00:01:00.810 so I pulled out some files. Here's a 65 -year 00:01:00.810 --> 00:01:03.250 -old woman who was told that she had osteopenia, 00:01:03.409 --> 00:01:07.469 also known as low bone density, precursor for 00:01:07.469 --> 00:01:10.489 osteoporosis, and it was actually pretty mild. 00:01:10.750 --> 00:01:13.489 But still, her doctor told her that she should 00:01:13.489 --> 00:01:17.269 start taking Fosamax immediately. So, just so 00:01:17.269 --> 00:01:19.709 you know, if you're otherwise healthy, compared 00:01:19.709 --> 00:01:23.379 to heavy people, Thin white women tend to have 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:27.060 the highest risk of osteoporosis and the debilitating 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:30.140 fractures from low density that can happen if 00:01:30.140 --> 00:01:33.939 you have a sudden fall. So if you exercise regularly 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:36.260 and especially if you do resistance training 00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:40.359 to maintain muscle mass in addition to burning 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:42.640 more calories all the time and making it easier 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:46.299 to keep your weight into the range that you want 00:01:46.299 --> 00:01:49.430 to keep it into. Maintaining adequate muscle 00:01:49.430 --> 00:01:52.189 mass, sufficient muscle mass, significant muscle 00:01:52.189 --> 00:01:55.829 mass, dramatically reduces your risk of osteoporosis. 00:01:55.909 --> 00:02:00.409 But even if you're carrying extra weight from 00:02:00.409 --> 00:02:04.709 fat, if you're a little overweight and carrying 00:02:04.709 --> 00:02:07.670 extra weight from adipose tissue, that still 00:02:07.670 --> 00:02:11.900 stresses your bones in a good way. Carrying excess 00:02:11.900 --> 00:02:14.840 fat around your abdomen causes a whole host of 00:02:14.840 --> 00:02:17.240 other problems. Cardiovascular problems can affect 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:20.460 your hormones and even indirectly affect your 00:02:20.460 --> 00:02:22.840 bone density. But just the weight itself, any 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:26.400 kind of weight, puts stress on your bones in 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:30.060 a good way. That constant load stresses your 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:33.659 bones, sends feedback to the mechanisms that 00:02:33.659 --> 00:02:37.199 they are used to responding to, to increase and 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:40.960 maintain. more bone mineral density to support 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:44.860 and respond to shifting around that weight. So 00:02:44.860 --> 00:02:47.060 I'm going to say that again. If you're heavier, 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:50.979 you have a lower risk of osteoporosis. Women 00:02:50.979 --> 00:02:53.580 have so many other things to worry about, and 00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:55.800 they're often constantly worrying about their 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:58.099 weight, and it has a lot of effects on your health. 00:02:58.180 --> 00:03:00.479 But here's something to celebrate. If you're 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:02.939 carrying extra weight, you're probably less likely 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:06.789 to get osteoporosis. So this patient is a thin, 00:03:06.849 --> 00:03:09.629 white, 65 -year -old woman who was told that 00:03:09.629 --> 00:03:12.610 she had osteopenia, and her doctor says she needs 00:03:12.610 --> 00:03:16.530 to immediately start taking Fosamax. But she 00:03:16.530 --> 00:03:18.789 was smart. She did her research. She read about 00:03:18.789 --> 00:03:21.590 it and heard about the fact that these drugs 00:03:21.590 --> 00:03:24.710 are often not good, and that was the main reason 00:03:24.710 --> 00:03:26.310 she came in to see me. So she wanted to know 00:03:26.310 --> 00:03:27.909 if there was something else that could work as 00:03:27.909 --> 00:03:31.979 well as the drugs without side effects. And she 00:03:31.979 --> 00:03:34.120 told me she was very excited to tell me that 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:37.020 she was already taking a multivitamin which had 00:03:37.020 --> 00:03:41.099 calcium and vitamin D in it. Well, what kind 00:03:41.099 --> 00:03:44.319 of calcium do you think she was taking? Calcium 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:48.099 carbonate. It was a one -a -day multivitamin 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:50.039 with calcium carbonate. And how much vitamin 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:51.919 D was she taking in her one -a -day multivitamin? 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:55.120 400 units of vitamin D, the standard recommended 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:58.490 daily allowance. people younger than her, the 00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:02.150 daily value or recommended daily allowance for 00:04:02.150 --> 00:04:06.569 women that are older her age is actually 600 00:04:06.569 --> 00:04:10.210 or 800 units, depending on which useless government 00:04:10.210 --> 00:04:13.289 reference you see on the label of your product. 00:04:13.469 --> 00:04:15.870 But so if you just tuned in, the standard adult 00:04:15.870 --> 00:04:19.069 dose for vitamin D for people who want to be 00:04:19.069 --> 00:04:22.730 healthy and especially have healthy bones and 00:04:22.730 --> 00:04:25.509 a healthy heart. reduce the risk of dementia, 00:04:25.769 --> 00:04:28.149 have a healthy brain, reduce the risk of virtually 00:04:28.149 --> 00:04:32.089 every type of cancer and a whole host of other 00:04:32.089 --> 00:04:34.569 conditions. If you're one of these people, you 00:04:34.569 --> 00:04:38.269 should take 5 ,000 units of vitamin D per day 00:04:38.269 --> 00:04:41.310 and get the blood test to make sure that you're 00:04:41.310 --> 00:04:44.329 achieving a serum level. of vitamin D, between 00:04:44.329 --> 00:04:48.310 50 and 90. The standard medical range on the 00:04:48.310 --> 00:04:50.089 blood test that you'll get if you get your doctor 00:04:50.089 --> 00:04:54.290 to order it for you is 30 to 100, 30 to 100. 00:04:54.550 --> 00:04:57.129 But the healthy range, the most important range 00:04:57.129 --> 00:04:59.110 that you're looking for, you want to supplement. 00:04:59.579 --> 00:05:02.139 No one gets enough vitamin D from the sun or 00:05:02.139 --> 00:05:06.000 from fish or from any food source to keep a strong 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:08.920 immune system, reduce your risk of cancer and 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.220 all the other things I just mentioned. You want 00:05:11.220 --> 00:05:14.839 your blood level of vitamin D to be between 50 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:18.480 and 90. And the only way anyone ever achieves 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:22.339 that is to supplement about 5 ,000 units of vitamin 00:05:22.339 --> 00:05:25.480 D. Sometimes a little less if you're way less 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:28.899 than 120 pounds. 4 ,000 might be enough if you 00:05:28.899 --> 00:05:31.300 have comorbidities like an autoimmune condition, 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:37.060 previous history of cancer, just anything that's 00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:39.240 stressing your health and causing your immune 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:42.399 system to have to work harder. Lots of patients 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:46.439 take 10 ,000 units of vitamin D for two or three 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:50.600 years or longer and never... end up with an elevated 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:54.839 serum level. So there's all this hysteria in 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:58.019 the mainstream press and the medical press that, 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:00.259 oh my God, if you take too much vitamin D, it's 00:06:00.259 --> 00:06:04.000 going to cause kidney stones or some other unstated 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:07.279 melody. The standard range is 30 to 100. And 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:09.839 I have patients who come in and say, oh, my doctor 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:12.620 saw that my blood level of vitamin D was 40. 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:14.759 And so he said I should stop taking any vitamin 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:18.910 D. The range right on the lab test is 30 to 100. 00:06:19.949 --> 00:06:23.689 LabCorp, Quest, any standard laboratory, the 00:06:23.689 --> 00:06:28.230 normal medical range is 30 to 100. And 30 is 00:06:28.230 --> 00:06:30.970 not enough. 40 is not enough. You want it to 00:06:30.970 --> 00:06:34.129 be between 50 and 90. And the standard of care 00:06:34.129 --> 00:06:36.750 is to wait two years. Whatever intervention you're 00:06:36.750 --> 00:06:39.089 going to do for a patient with osteoporosis is 00:06:39.089 --> 00:06:41.910 to wait two years because it usually takes a 00:06:41.910 --> 00:06:44.389 couple of years to see a significant difference. 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:48.160 And that's okay. As you get older, bone changes 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:50.680 are very slow. So waiting two years if you're 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:53.379 in your 70s or 80s isn't unreasonable, especially 00:06:53.379 --> 00:06:56.480 if you have significant osteoporosis. But this 00:06:56.480 --> 00:07:00.579 woman was 65 and looked like she could have been 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:03.759 49. She was taking great care of herself, exercising 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:07.439 regularly, maintaining muscle mass, and exposing 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:11.500 her bones to some impact every day by walking, 00:07:11.699 --> 00:07:15.839 jumping, doing gentle things that... pounded, 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:18.360 you know, gave a little direct anti -gravity 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:21.420 impact to her bones. And her insurance wouldn't 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:23.699 pay for her doctor to order another DEXA scan 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:27.279 for two years. So I ordered one for her after 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:30.279 one year. And back then, I think it was about 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:33.180 $150 if you're willing to pay out of pocket. 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:35.560 It's even less now. I think the last time I checked, 00:07:35.660 --> 00:07:37.899 it was, I'm pretty sure it was less than $100, 00:07:37.899 --> 00:07:42.379 maybe even as low as $85, something like that, 00:07:42.420 --> 00:07:46.250 at the radiology centers. in Ventura County. 00:07:46.769 --> 00:07:51.509 And the upshot is she had already reversed. She 00:07:51.509 --> 00:07:54.730 continued to exercise. I put her on 10 ,000 units 00:07:54.730 --> 00:07:58.089 of vitamin D. for three months to get her serum 00:07:58.089 --> 00:08:00.089 level back up into the healthy range as quickly 00:08:00.089 --> 00:08:03.189 as possible. She continued to do her exercise. 00:08:03.569 --> 00:08:06.790 And I combined, I do it with anybody with osteoporosis. 00:08:06.810 --> 00:08:08.990 I recommend a combination product because nobody 00:08:08.990 --> 00:08:11.029 wants to take any more pills than they have to. 00:08:11.149 --> 00:08:14.110 And lots of top shelf manufacturers make combo 00:08:14.110 --> 00:08:19.170 products with vitamin D and vitamin K2 in the 00:08:19.170 --> 00:08:22.730 same. In one capsule. So one of the most common 00:08:22.730 --> 00:08:25.529 products I use is by Orthomolecular Products 00:08:25.529 --> 00:08:29.670 called K -Force. And it's called K -Force because 00:08:29.670 --> 00:08:33.169 it has the standard 5 ,000 units of vitamin D 00:08:33.169 --> 00:08:36.110 that you need per day to maintain healthy levels 00:08:36.110 --> 00:08:41.149 in your body and your blood. plus 180 micrograms 00:08:41.149 --> 00:08:44.049 of vitamin K, which is four times what a lot 00:08:44.049 --> 00:08:47.710 of products have. Sort of the standard low dose 00:08:47.710 --> 00:08:51.789 of vitamin K2 is 45 micrograms. Some products 00:08:51.789 --> 00:08:55.529 have 90 micrograms. Anyone with osteoporosis, 00:08:55.590 --> 00:08:59.029 I recommend doubling that to 180 micrograms. 00:08:59.049 --> 00:09:01.250 Why do I do that? Because I've been treating 00:09:01.250 --> 00:09:05.710 patients with osteoporosis for... 30 years and 00:09:05.710 --> 00:09:08.669 one of the most common missing links so patients 00:09:08.669 --> 00:09:10.750 come to me that have been to other functional 00:09:10.750 --> 00:09:13.330 medicine practitioners or just you know other 00:09:13.330 --> 00:09:15.809 doctors or have done their own research and know 00:09:15.809 --> 00:09:18.330 that they should be taking adequate amounts of 00:09:18.330 --> 00:09:21.649 vitamin d and a good amount of vitamin k and 00:09:21.649 --> 00:09:23.370 they're still not getting the result they need 00:09:23.370 --> 00:09:26.549 and i've had so many cases like this with bone 00:09:27.569 --> 00:09:31.029 bone density issues and also people with fractures 00:09:31.029 --> 00:09:33.190 that haven't healed. I've had a couple of people 00:09:33.190 --> 00:09:36.490 who injured their shoulder skiing or broke a 00:09:36.490 --> 00:09:40.090 bone in their shoulder or a few that broke a 00:09:40.090 --> 00:09:43.029 bone in their foot and you're constantly moving 00:09:43.029 --> 00:09:45.029 your arm, you're constantly moving your feet. 00:09:45.350 --> 00:09:48.450 Six months go by, the x -rays show the fracture 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:51.789 hasn't healed at all and just getting them on 00:09:51.789 --> 00:09:54.570 a good dose of vitamin D and a high dose of vitamin 00:09:54.570 --> 00:09:58.360 K2 and it will heal. So we had good reason to 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:01.059 believe that this woman's bones would test out 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:03.820 heading in the right direction if we did another 00:10:03.820 --> 00:10:06.379 DEXA scan. And so she chose to pay for that herself 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:09.840 out of pocket. And it showed that she had indeed 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:14.519 gone from osteopenia back to normal bone density. 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:18.120 I'm Dr. Todd Bankley. You're listening to Safe, 00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:21.080 Effective Natural Solutions to Almost Any Health 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:23.620 Challenge. We're talking about osteoporosis, 00:10:23.639 --> 00:10:27.220 continuation of a discussion from last week. 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:30.639 Had a bunch of questions last week about what 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:33.059 is the best form of calcium to take to prevent 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:37.360 osteoporosis? And how do you know when you should 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:41.200 do a bone mineral density test, also known as 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:43.659 a DEXA scan? So most doctors don't recommend. 00:10:44.490 --> 00:10:46.710 Therefore, most people don't get their insurance 00:10:46.710 --> 00:10:50.429 to pay for a bone mineral density test or a DEXA 00:10:50.429 --> 00:10:53.269 scan until they're in their late 60s, early 70s. 00:10:53.529 --> 00:10:56.529 Unless you've had some kind of other reason to 00:10:56.529 --> 00:10:59.129 suggest that you're at an increased risk. Risk 00:10:59.129 --> 00:11:02.909 factors for osteoporosis include older age, being 00:11:02.909 --> 00:11:07.049 a female, having prior fractures or falls, low 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:11.009 body weight, a history of hip fracture in a parent. 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:16.080 taking steroids, glucocorticoids, cigarette smoking, 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:20.399 excess alcohol consumption, and certain other 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:23.580 diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid 00:11:23.580 --> 00:11:25.740 arthritis, chronic liver and kidney disease, 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:29.120 and a few other much less common conditions. 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:32.279 So here's another file. Here's a 72 -year -old. 00:11:32.809 --> 00:11:35.529 patient diagnosed with osteoporosis five years 00:11:35.529 --> 00:11:38.509 ago when she came in to me. And she had done 00:11:38.509 --> 00:11:42.110 two DEXA scan bone mineral density tests. She 00:11:42.110 --> 00:11:46.289 had been taking Boniba for those five years. 00:11:46.590 --> 00:11:49.210 And her latest bone density scan was slightly 00:11:49.210 --> 00:11:53.169 worse than the last one. Worse than the last 00:11:53.169 --> 00:11:55.110 one after treatment for five years. It's just 00:11:55.110 --> 00:11:57.269 not unusual because the goal of these drugs is 00:11:57.269 --> 00:12:00.690 just to slow the progression of osteoporosis. 00:12:01.629 --> 00:12:05.450 Most medical doctors are happy if you take these 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:09.149 drugs for two years, come back, and do another 00:12:09.149 --> 00:12:12.370 bone mineral density test. And your bone mineral 00:12:12.370 --> 00:12:16.090 density is exactly the same, or maybe even a 00:12:16.090 --> 00:12:19.340 little bit worse. Some of you might be... Surprised 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:21.659 by that? Some of you may not. If you are surprised, 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:24.399 I promise you I am not making this up. Where 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:27.120 else do you get a test that shows you have a 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:30.759 disease, then get a recommended standard treatment 00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:34.100 for that, well -researched in the medical press, 00:12:34.220 --> 00:12:36.820 funded by the pharmaceutical industry, that tells 00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:39.960 you this is the best thing for you, and you take 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:44.039 that medication every day for two years? And 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:45.799 then you come back and get the test to see if 00:12:45.799 --> 00:12:48.259 it's working or not. And the test is unchanged 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:52.519 or slightly worse. And the doctor says, yeah, 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:57.120 that's great. That is the standard practice of 00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:02.000 medicine for osteoporosis. That's not good. That's 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:05.779 pathetic. So I explained all this to this lovely 00:13:05.779 --> 00:13:08.460 lady. And I did some blood tests and found out 00:13:08.460 --> 00:13:12.159 that her vitamin D level was 32. Which, unsurprisingly, 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:15.240 her regular doctor told her was totally fine. 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:18.320 Incidentally, in addition to Boniva, she was 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:22.399 taking a calcium supplement. Kirkland Signature 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:27.139 Calcium with 600 mg of calcium carbonate. Please 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:30.159 review my previous episode to hear everything 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:32.860 you should know about why you shouldn't take 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:36.700 calcium carbonate. And I'll just repeat a little 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:40.379 bit now. No one should take... Kirkland Signature 00:13:40.379 --> 00:13:44.379 Calcium. No one should take any Kirkland supplement. 00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:46.879 But anyway, the product she was taking was 600 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:49.940 milligrams of calcium carbonate, ground up rocks 00:13:49.940 --> 00:13:53.179 and seashells, and 400 units of vitamin D. The 00:13:53.179 --> 00:13:56.039 standard RDA recommended daily value of vitamin 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:59.759 D, 400 units a day. It's barely enough to maybe 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:05.330 prevent rickets in a child. And quite reasonably, 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:07.809 because it says right on the label that this 00:14:07.809 --> 00:14:10.750 is 100 % of the recommended daily values, she 00:14:10.750 --> 00:14:13.090 assumed that she was getting all the nutrients 00:14:13.090 --> 00:14:17.990 she needed to maintain healthy bones. Well, I'll 00:14:17.990 --> 00:14:20.570 say it again. No one should buy Kirkland Signature 00:14:20.570 --> 00:14:22.490 Calcium. No one should buy any Kirkland vitamins. 00:14:22.710 --> 00:14:25.070 And people buy them because they're cheap. And 00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:28.950 you don't get what you don't pay for, like healthy 00:14:28.950 --> 00:14:31.690 bones and other potential outcomes you're hoping 00:14:31.690 --> 00:14:34.909 to get from buying cheap. crappy vitamins that 00:14:34.909 --> 00:14:36.549 never do what you think they're going to do. 00:14:36.610 --> 00:14:39.610 The labels look pretty and the government does 00:14:39.610 --> 00:14:42.750 regulate the labeling of all supplements. So 00:14:42.750 --> 00:14:46.490 whatever is on the label is, you can be assured 00:14:46.490 --> 00:14:49.730 that that is in the tablet or capsule. What it 00:14:49.730 --> 00:14:53.629 never says to give you any idea is whether or 00:14:53.629 --> 00:14:56.669 not that the ingredients in that bottle will 00:14:56.669 --> 00:14:59.830 end up in your bloodstream, let alone in the 00:14:59.830 --> 00:15:02.590 tissues where you want those nutrients to end 00:15:02.590 --> 00:15:05.220 up. to do the job that you're hoping that they 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:08.840 will do. So I'm sorry, so many patients, I always 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:11.000 tell everyone to bring in the products that they're 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:12.919 taking in. So some of them, well, not all of 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:14.620 them, some of them are upset. Some of them are 00:15:14.620 --> 00:15:17.259 actually not surprised at all. But if you're 00:15:17.259 --> 00:15:19.659 taking cheap vitamins that you bought at Costco 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:21.860 or a lot of other stores that are not health 00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:26.059 food stores, the likelihood is that it's a waste 00:15:26.059 --> 00:15:30.259 of money. The most expensive Any misinvestment 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:32.620 that you'll ever make in any product to improve 00:15:32.620 --> 00:15:34.980 your health is something that has no effect at 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:37.039 all and just passes through your body and ends 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:40.379 up in the sewer system. If you're just tuning 00:15:40.379 --> 00:15:42.440 in, I'm talking about a 72 -year -old patient 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.820 diagnosed with osteoporosis five years ago who 00:15:45.820 --> 00:15:49.519 has done two DEXA scan bone mineral density tests 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:53.620 and has been taking the very common osteoporosis 00:15:53.620 --> 00:15:57.620 drug Boniva. for five years. Her latest bone 00:15:57.620 --> 00:16:00.860 density scan is slightly worse than the last 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:03.120 one. She's not excited about that. And that's 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:05.080 why she came to me. And I recommend that she 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.840 take 10 ,000 units of vitamin D for three months 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:11.700 because it was so low. Well, if you tell your 00:16:11.700 --> 00:16:14.740 MD that you're going to take 10 ,000 units of 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:17.399 vitamin D one day, they'll freak out because 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:20.259 they just don't understand how that works. Lots 00:16:20.259 --> 00:16:23.279 of people take 10 ,000 units of vitamin D for 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:25.559 a year, especially if they're in their 70s or 00:16:25.559 --> 00:16:28.860 80s. And in so many patients that have told me 00:16:28.860 --> 00:16:30.840 they were doing this, even when I told them to 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:33.440 cut it down from 10 ,000 back to 5 ,000 after 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.840 usually two, three, four months, they say, oh, 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:39.679 I forgot I've been taking 10 ,000 every day for 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:42.259 a year. Their serum vitamin D levels are still 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:45.779 fine after taking 10 ,000 units a day for up 00:16:45.779 --> 00:16:48.950 to a year. So for most people, 5 ,000 units a 00:16:48.950 --> 00:16:52.169 day is enough. But with any osteoporosis patient, 00:16:52.289 --> 00:16:55.389 it's also important. So, so important to take 00:16:55.389 --> 00:16:59.909 adequate amounts of vitamin K2. So I gave her 00:16:59.909 --> 00:17:02.830 a combo product with 5 ,000 units of vitamin 00:17:02.830 --> 00:17:06.910 D and a high dose of vitamin K2. And this is 00:17:06.910 --> 00:17:09.029 so important because it's hardly ever mentioned 00:17:09.029 --> 00:17:11.529 in the literature. And vitamin K2 is critically 00:17:11.529 --> 00:17:15.289 important for maintaining bone density and reversing 00:17:15.289 --> 00:17:19.829 low. Bone density comes in several forms. MK7 00:17:19.829 --> 00:17:23.250 and MK4 are the most common in supplements. But 00:17:23.250 --> 00:17:26.450 the most important thing is to know that vitamin 00:17:26.450 --> 00:17:31.130 K2 is not the same as vitamin K1. Vitamin K1 00:17:31.130 --> 00:17:33.410 is the one that you hear about that's in food. 00:17:33.569 --> 00:17:36.250 And it's also important for bone health and for 00:17:36.250 --> 00:17:39.849 a whole host of other reasons. Vitamin K1 is 00:17:39.849 --> 00:17:43.339 ubiquitous. And dark green leafy vegetables. 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:46.000 If you eat salads regularly, which include anything 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:49.359 dark green, like broccoli, kale, spinach, mixed 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:52.660 greens. If you do any kind of super greens shake 00:17:52.660 --> 00:17:54.920 as part of your diet, then you're usually getting 00:17:54.920 --> 00:18:00.140 plenty of vitamin K1. And vitamin K1 is very 00:18:00.140 --> 00:18:02.859 important. But the missing link with most people 00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:05.400 who have osteoporosis, one of the most important... 00:18:06.080 --> 00:18:08.680 additions that i've found if someone has tried 00:18:08.680 --> 00:18:11.680 everything been doing a pretty good job of you 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:16.180 know getting some nutrients when i add extra 00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:18.859 vitamin k2 that makes all the difference i've 00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:22.259 had so many patients that did a trial didn't 00:18:22.259 --> 00:18:24.519 get the results they were looking for and if 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:27.900 they were already doing the vitamin d and a good 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:30.839 bioavailable calcium. That's actually pretty 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:33.339 rare. But the few times that I have had that, 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:36.180 somebody's already taking good bioavailable calcium 00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:39.799 and 5 ,000 units of vitamin D or at least maintaining 00:18:39.799 --> 00:18:41.920 the serum level that they want. They're still 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:46.200 not getting the reversal or the stoppage of the 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:50.920 decay in osteoporosis. We add a higher dose of 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:53.920 vitamin K2. So the normal dose in most supplements 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:57.240 of vitamin K2 comes in a couple of forms, MK7, 00:18:57.849 --> 00:19:01.630 and MK4 are the most common. The ones with the 00:19:01.630 --> 00:19:05.970 MK7 form usually dose it at 45 micrograms, some 00:19:05.970 --> 00:19:09.549 90 micrograms. And the product I recommend, K 00:19:09.549 --> 00:19:13.250 -Force, by Orthomolecular Products for patients 00:19:13.250 --> 00:19:20.549 like this, is 180 micrograms of MK7 form of K2. 00:19:20.809 --> 00:19:24.190 So the upshot is this 72 -year -old patient diagnosed 00:19:24.190 --> 00:19:27.650 with osteoporosis for five years. who had done 00:19:27.650 --> 00:19:30.450 two dexascandibum mineral density tests and had 00:19:30.450 --> 00:19:34.730 been taking Boniva for five years, wanted, and 00:19:34.730 --> 00:19:37.509 the last one had been slightly worse than the 00:19:37.509 --> 00:19:40.869 previous one. At her age, it basically made sense 00:19:40.869 --> 00:19:43.089 to wait a couple of years to see a significant 00:19:43.089 --> 00:19:45.490 shift. And two years later, her bone density 00:19:45.490 --> 00:19:48.750 score actually got better after getting slightly 00:19:48.750 --> 00:19:51.430 worse when she'd been taking the standard medical 00:19:51.430 --> 00:19:54.519 advice. her five years before that. She didn't 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:58.279 go from osteoporosis fully down to osteopenia, 00:19:58.380 --> 00:20:03.119 possibly because she didn't exercise enough and 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:06.180 mostly because she started so late. But it was 00:20:06.180 --> 00:20:09.200 still a significant improvement that she was 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:13.779 very happy about. She also fell a couple of times 00:20:13.779 --> 00:20:17.039 during this period, and she didn't break anything. 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:20.559 In my mind, that's an even better test. The whole 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:23.779 goal is to prevent ending up in a hospital with 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:26.359 a hip fracture and then getting some horrible 00:20:26.359 --> 00:20:29.660 infection that you can only get in a hospital 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:32.380 while you're waiting for your fracture to heal. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:38.039 And people die from that. It's really sad. Last 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:41.039 week, I referenced an article published in the 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:43.920 Journal of the American College of Cardiology 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:49.180 in 2021. And some of the mostly stupid advice 00:20:49.180 --> 00:20:52.240 included in that, that unfortunately is the advice 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:54.460 that most doctors are getting and recommending 00:20:54.460 --> 00:20:57.799 to their patients. But buried near the end of 00:20:57.799 --> 00:21:01.299 that paper is the following, which is a little 00:21:01.299 --> 00:21:04.740 encouraging. Quote, other research should evaluate 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:07.440 the effects of different dosing strategies of 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:11.880 calcium supplements and types of calcium supplement 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:16.220 formulations. Wow. What a great thought. Additional 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:18.960 research is also needed to further understand 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:23.200 the effect of combined calcium plus vitamin D 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:27.519 supplementation on cardiovascular outcomes. But 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:29.839 all of this is immediately nullified by the very 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:33.359 next sentence that begins the conclusion section. 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:37.839 Quote, although vitamin D does not appear to 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:41.390 be harmful. for cardiovascular health the lack 00:21:41.390 --> 00:21:44.430 of a demonstrable benefit of supplementation 00:21:44.430 --> 00:21:48.470 in randomized controlled trials should discourage 00:21:48.470 --> 00:21:52.630 its use for this purpose how ridiculous is that 00:21:52.630 --> 00:21:55.549 these are the mainstream recommendations for 00:21:55.549 --> 00:21:58.470 cardiovascular health for vitamin d supplementation 00:21:58.470 --> 00:22:01.430 calcium supplementation that all doctors get 00:22:01.430 --> 00:22:05.710 that most people are taking the advice of it's 00:22:06.089 --> 00:22:09.470 Just it's unconscionable. Mostly because robust 00:22:09.470 --> 00:22:13.509 research exists, which is available on PubMed. 00:22:13.569 --> 00:22:17.490 Just Google PubMed benefits of vitamin D, cardiovascular 00:22:17.490 --> 00:22:22.029 health. You'll see robust, abundant studies showing 00:22:22.029 --> 00:22:25.009 the benefits of adequate vitamin D supplementation 00:22:25.009 --> 00:22:27.769 for reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, 00:22:27.910 --> 00:22:32.390 bone health, cancers, a whole host of other conditions. 00:22:32.450 --> 00:22:35.789 So lastly, this article. that is the standard 00:22:35.789 --> 00:22:39.910 recommendations for all doctors to advise their 00:22:39.910 --> 00:22:42.089 patients on how to take better care of their 00:22:42.089 --> 00:22:45.670 bone health. It says, for many patients with 00:22:45.670 --> 00:22:47.990 nutrient deficiencies that cannot be fulfilled 00:22:47.990 --> 00:22:51.730 with dietary changes, supplementation plays an 00:22:51.730 --> 00:22:54.769 important role in correcting those gaps. However, 00:22:54.990 --> 00:22:58.930 many persons who do not have clear nutrient deficiencies 00:22:59.549 --> 00:23:03.009 also may take supplements in the misguided belief 00:23:03.009 --> 00:23:04.990 that they are optimizing their health through 00:23:04.990 --> 00:23:08.670 quote, natural means. One should capitalize on 00:23:08.670 --> 00:23:12.329 such patient motivation for non -pharmacological 00:23:12.329 --> 00:23:15.710 health promotion by encouraging quotes, their 00:23:15.710 --> 00:23:18.910 quotes, natural lifestyles, being physically 00:23:18.910 --> 00:23:21.829 active, eating a heart -healthy diet, abstaining 00:23:21.829 --> 00:23:24.410 from tobacco products and excessive alcohol, 00:23:24.609 --> 00:23:28.950 and maintaining optimal weight. Okay, raise your 00:23:28.950 --> 00:23:31.589 hands if any of that is news to you. Raise your 00:23:31.589 --> 00:23:33.170 hand if you didn't know that being physically 00:23:33.170 --> 00:23:35.430 active, eating a heart healthy diet, abstaining 00:23:35.430 --> 00:23:37.809 from tobacco and excess alcohol, and maintaining 00:23:37.809 --> 00:23:40.670 an optimal weight are good for your health. Far 00:23:40.670 --> 00:23:42.589 more importantly, what if you've already tried 00:23:42.589 --> 00:23:44.589 that? What if you're already doing the best you 00:23:44.589 --> 00:23:46.509 can, knowing what you know, and you're looking 00:23:46.509 --> 00:23:49.809 for a little extra support? I'd love an opportunity 00:23:49.809 --> 00:23:52.490 to help you or someone you love identify the 00:23:52.490 --> 00:23:55.440 things that are missing. your diet and healthy 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:57.940 supplement regimen. Things that could change 00:23:57.940 --> 00:24:00.619 your life with proper testing to identify where 00:24:00.619 --> 00:24:02.819 you just need a little bit of extra support. 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:05.720 And in the meantime, go for a walk. Reach out 00:24:05.720 --> 00:24:08.099 to someone that you haven't spoken to in years. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:11.440 Find something you can do to make next week healthier 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:14.400 than you were last week. Have a great weekend.