Bone Density Tests for Skeletal Health?

[Guest guest]

01/23/2001

Should women rely on a bone mineral density test as a measure of skeletal

health?

Bone-mineral density screening tests are widely performed to help identify which

women will develop osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) that results in

fractured wrists, backbones and hips. Due to hormonal changes, women have more

difficulty retaining bone mass with advancing age. So most women succumb to the

false idea that bone density tests are a true measure of bone strength and

flexibility, which they are not. Bone brittleness cannot be predicted by done

density testing. [Journal Bone Mineral Research 1994 Oct; 9(10):1657-67]

http://www.billsardi.com/sdm.asp?pg=news & specific=36

The cure-all for bone loss, promoted by doctors, the National Institutes of

health, the news media, and other health information sources, is calcium. While

calcium is the dominant mineral in bone, by itself it produces brittle bones.

Without magnesium, calcium will form into perfect crystals and the bone will be

brittle. It may look good on a bone density test, but it won’t sustain the

impact of a fall. [Magnesium Research 1988 Jul; 1(1-2):85-7] In a study

conducted in Israel, magnesium deficiency and brittle bones were found in 16 of

19 women with osteoporosis. [israel Journal Medical Science 1981

Dec;17(12):1123-5]

Bone density is one thing, bone flexibility is another, and bone strength is yet

another quality of bone. Bone surgeons have found they often needed to replace

saw blades used during orthopedic surgery where boron levels in drinking water

are high. Boron, an overlooked mineral, is important for bone strength.

[Fundamentals Applied Toxicology 1997 Feb;35(2):205-15; British Poultry Science

1998 Mar;39(1):11-5]

Women are continually told to take more and more calcium, 1200-1500 milligrams

of supplemental calcium per day. It’s a giant mistake. Women who eat a good diet

already get about 600-800 milligrams of calcium, particularly if they eat dairy

products. Thus they only need about 600-800 milligrams of supplemental calcium

with an equal amount of magnesium. About 10 percent of American women already

consume excessive amounts of calcium and suffer with side effects

(calcifications, muscle cramps, constipation, eyelid twitches, migraines, heart

flutters). While it is true that women are losing calcium from their bones on a

daily basis after age 40, that calcium is being deposited in their blood vessels

(atherosclerosis), joints (arthritis), kidneys (stones), eyes (cataracts), heart

valves (mitral valve), aorta (hypertension) and muscles (fibromyalgia,

constipation and cramping). Women are trading one disease for at least six

others!! The answer to this dilemma is to consume equal amounts of calcium and

magnesium. Modern medicine’s answer to calcium overdose is to prescribe over $2

billion of calcium-blocking drugs! Can you imagine, doctors have placed some

women on calcium and calcium-blocker drugs at the same time??!!

Women are also mistakenly told they must take calcium and magnesium at different

times of the day to ensure proper absorption. This is nonsense. Magnesium does

interfere with calcium absorption because that is exactly what it is designed to

do. In an animal study, supplemental magnesium reduced calcium absorption but

prevented bone loss and increased bone strength. [Journal Nutrition 2000 Feb;

130: 216-20] In a study conducted in South Africa, women who were given 250

milligrams of supplemental magnesium daily absorbed less calcium, but their bone

strength increased. [Metabolism 2000, Aug; 49: 1092-96] Calcium by itself

doesn’t help rebuild age-related bone mass, it only slows down the rate of bone

loss. Women of America.. stop buying into the idea that bone density tests and

calcium are your cure-alls. To learn more about bone health, read the book

RENEWING BONES, RENEWING LIFE at www.hereandnowbooks.com. Copyright 2001 Bill

Sardi Knowledge of Health, Inc.

 

 

 

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