I never really gave much thought to keeping my bones healthy until quite recently. Unfortunately, I’ve have to watch too many people I love get sidelined because of joint or back pain as they got older. They can no longer get out and do the things they like to do because it’s just too painful. So, I made it my mission to figure out how I could try to prevent that from happening to me as I get older. Here’s what I’ve learned about how to prevent and reverse bone loss naturally.
How Does Preventing Bone Loss Keep You Looking Young?
We all understand how having healthy bones will help us FEEL young as we get older. Of course strong bones are key to our ability to stay active. But you might be wondering what good bone density has to do with LOOKING young. I did too. Here are some ways bone loss makes you look older:
- You get a hunch back.
- Your facial features change – you lose bone mass in your cheeks, jaw, and eyes. Your face looks sunken in.
- As you lose bone, you have less support for your muscles, fat, and skin which leads to more wrinkling and sagging.
- Your teeth can get loose and even fall out!
Early Warning Signs You’re Bones Are In Trouble
- Receding gums – as your jaw loses bone, your gums may begin to recede or even detach from your teeth.
- Height loss – as your spine curves and weakens, you get shorter.
- Brittle finger nails – weak fingernails can indicate that your whole body, including your bones, are collagen and calcium deficient.
- Weak grip – if you are losing hand strength, this can be a sign that your bone mineral density is decreasing.
According to Roxy Dillon, author of Bio Young, “sore, loose teeth and lower back pain indicate that your bones are in trouble.”
It’s important that we don’t ignore these warning signs. Act now! It’s a lot easier to reverse bone loss naturally while you are only slightly mineral deficient versus waiting until you have a huge problem.
How To Prevent and Reverse Bone Loss Naturally
Obviously, like with everything in anti-aging, a healthy lifestyle is important. Make it your goal to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. You should also check with your doctor to make sure you have enough calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K2.
Balance Your Hormones
Menopause can dramatically increase bone loss because of the drop in estrogen. Estrogen protects bones – it maintains and rebuilds bone mass. So, if you are approaching menopause and experiencing hot flashes (a sign of hormonal imbalance), you’re also losing bone mass. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, “a woman can lose up to 20% of her bone density during the five to seven years following menopause.” So keeping your hormones balanced is essential in order to prevent and reverse bone loss naturally. For a lot more information about balancing your hormones naturally, check out this post.
Cut Back On Substances That Reduce Calcium
If your body doesn’t have enough calcium, it will attack and break down your bones (which are made of calcium) in order to get what it needs to function. It is this breaking down of the bones to get calcium that we call osteoporosis. I don’t typically recommend taking a calcium supplement as they are often ineffective. But I do recommend eliminating/cutting back on anything that destroys calcium such as:
- Soft drinks – they are high in phosphorous which can increase calcium loss from the bone.
- Refined Sugar – according to a published scientific study overeating sugar increases bone loss by “a) increasing the urinary excretion of both calcium and magnesium, b) reducing the intestinal absorption of calcium by lowering the levels of active vitamin D, and c) impairing bone formation by reducing osteoblast proliferation and increasing osteoclast activation.”
- Caffeine – decreases bone mineral density and negatively influences calcium retention.
- Alcohol – according to Creaky Joints, Dr. Boden (a professor of Orthopedic surgery at Emory University) says “alcohol can decrease the absorption of calcium via the intestines, or it can have effects on the pancreas and vitamin D metabolism, which can impact bone density.”
- Smoking – according to UCI Health, smoking reduces the blood supply to the bones, decreases the body’s absorption of calcium, disrupts hormone balance needed to maintain strong bones, and the nicotine in cigarettes slows production of bone-producing cells, called osteoblasts.
Diosgenin Containing Herbs
In Bio Young, Roxy Dillon teaches about an amazing compound called diosgenin which is able to build new bone! She says the following herbs contain diosgenin:
- Fenugreek
- Fennel
- Sarsaparilla
- Boron
- Maca
Roxy explains exactly how diosgenin containing herbs are able to build and repair bone. She says the herbs, “increase blood supply to the bone, which is a necessary condition for repair and growth; increase bone matrix protein synthesis; and increase the formation of calcium deposits that lead to increased bone formation.” She points out that diosgenin is able to build bone everywhere in the body – even in your teeth and the bones in your face!
Elemi Essential Oil
Monq gives a fabulous history of the discovery and uses of Elemi and how it can build stronger bones. Monq explains, “Soldiers applied elemi to their wounds to speed up healing, and plasters of elemi were used to repair broken bones.” So if Elemi can heal broken bones, it makes sense that it can be used for stopping or reversing bone loss. You can mix it with your favorite skin cream or carrier oil and apply it anywhere that you have pain. I would also recommend applying it to your face to maintain your youthful bone structure and reverse bone loss naturally.
Bone Building Foods Containing Boron and FOS
- Green/black tea
- Barley
- Cocoa
- Onions
- Apples and apple cider vinegar
- Molasses
- Honey
- Mushrooms
- Chicory
- Prunes
In Bio Young, Roxy Dillon gives great dietary suggestions for building healthy bones. She recommends eating 10 prunes, 1 onion, and one banana per day. The reason the prunes are effective is because they are rich in Boron. If Boron is deficient, your parathyroid will increase its hormone output which causes osteoclasts to break down bone. But if you have enough Boron, you will have good osteoblast activity and osteoblasts make new bone which is what we want.
According to Roxy, the Boron in prunes are even more effective at bone regeneration when combined with Fructooligosaccharides (FOS). She says the best food sources of FOS are bananas, chicory coffee, agave, and onions. If you don’t like any of these food sources of FOS, you could try this supplement that tastes quite good (can be used as a sweetener) and is well absorbed by the body because it comes in a powder form that dissolves easily and can be added to anything you drink.
What I Do To Maintain Healthy Bones
I do not eat 10 prunes a day but I do eat at least three. Also, I cannot handle all the sugar in the prunes plus a banana. So instead of a banana, my daughter and I drink this chicory coffee to get our FOS. It is caffeine free and the dandelion root it contains supports liver health (an added benefit).
I make sure to put onion on a salad every day and to cook with it as often as possible. But I have not yet worked up to eating a whole onion every day. I also drink bone strengthening apple cider vinegar in a collagen drink every morning. Collagen also helps to reverse bone loss naturally. I love to start my day with black tea which is another good bone building food.
I take MACA for hormone balance anyway and it’s great bonus that it strengthens my bones. I use Elemi any time I get an injury to my bones but I am just now starting to add it to my daily skincare routine that I do for my face so that I can maintain a youthful bone structure.
Enjoy Your Strong Bones!
Note: For compliance reasons, I am not able to tell you on this blog which essential oil products I use or link you to them so that you can read about them for yourself. But if you want more information, please comment on this post and I am happy to tell you more about the oils I use and why.
No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. Please consult a qualified health care professional for medical advice.