There are two health flashes this month, both related to what I call an alternative approach to osteoporosis.

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First Flash: Suza Francina and bone density tests

The review of Strong Women, Strong Bones talks about the importance of a bone scan and how this is an indicator of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Click on the review to read more about osteoporosis.

However, in Suza Francina’s wonderful book, Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause, which I reviewed last month, she notes something quite interesting. (If you click on the same link as above, you can scroll down to last month’s review.) In Chapter Five, the author writes about the fact that there are several bone-depleting factors beyond the natural estrogen decline and lower calcium (with Vitamin D) intakes, emphasizing the fact that while bone density tests do test how dense our bones are, they don’t measure bone strength or quality, which is also important.

Thus, according to research that has been done in this field, “Roughly half of those with bone density low enough to quality as having osteoporosis never experienced an osteoporotic fracture,” while….”Conversely, a significant number of people with even medium and even high bone density experience unexpected fractures.” (p. 101 in Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause).

The book goes on to explain that osteoporosis can also be traced to anything that inhibits our bodies ability to absorb calcium, with absorb being the key word. And Suza Francina notes that “Sugar is by far the main dietary culprit.” (p. 103) So, instead of worrying only about how much calcium, Vitamin D, and other nutrients are in your diet, you may want to consider what you may also need to take out of your diet to prevent (more) bone loss. Thank you, Suza!!

Second Flash: Betty Kamen’s Helpful Hint

Betty Kamen, Ph.D., whose website www.bettykamen.com gives us great daily hints, has an important piece of information I want to pass onto you. It is actually a quote from her book, Betty Kamen’s 1,001 Health Secrets, available through the website above or via snail mail at: Nutrition Encounter, PO Box 5847, Novata, CA 94948. Cost: $23.95 plus $4.00 postage. This is an excellent resource and the quote is taken from Health Secret # 778 entitled: “Osteoporosis is Not a Disease.”

Osteoporosis describes the bone mineral density when
it falls below an arbitrarilydefined
threshold. It is not a disease in its own right. Like
hypertension, it is a risk factor—one of
several which may lead to a potential bone fracture.
Fracture prevention involves many factors….which
means that bone-density screening should not be so
widely promoted…..Treating a single risk factor is never
in your best health interest. Treatment is almost always
with drugs, and doctors can not always be sure their
advice is appropriate (as demonstrated with the use of
hormone replacement therapy.) (p. 399)

Betty’s source is the British Medical Journal 2000

“Bone-white” flowers from Longwood Gardens

If tofu is low on your list of foods to eat, you may want to try this brand, Pete’s Tofu, which is flavored so well that I can eat in without even heating it up. There are three or four flavors, such as Italian, Thai, and Lemon Pepper, as well as Sesame Ginger, which is my favorite. What’s good about this tofu is that it is made with Calcium Sulfate as the coagulant (Soy beans are vooked, pureed, and “milk” from the cooking is coagulated in to “bean cake.”), which means it is a good source of calcium, in addition to its protein content.

However, the separate packets of sauce do have sugar in them, which I avoid, so while I like the tofu, I discard the sauce. It is available in my local Acme, so when I need a non-meat protein source and can’t get tempeh, which is a higher fiber soy source, I pick up some Pete’s Tofu and enjoy the flavors embedded right in the soybean triangles, providing a tasty snack, side dish, or ingredient in a stir-fry dish for dinner.

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Red and yellow tulip field at Longwood Gardens