Herbs to Aid in the Treatment of Osteoporosis?

[bluelacedredhead]

Our DIL emailed me because her Mother has just been diagnosed with Osteoporosis..
She would like to know what herbal preparations are helpful in the treatment of Osteo?
I did a bit of research and found that Ginseng Tea, Peppermint Tea and Licorice can all be of use in replenishing the lost Calcium and Vitamin D.

I also recommended Swiss Chard because of it's very high concentrations of Vitamin D.. and Spinach...

Any other suggestions would be graciously accepted..

[Lavandula Girl]

BLRH - I've looked and looked, but I only find mentions of the few things you've found. Oh, and willow, but that's for the pain associated with it, and boneset supposedly to help knit broken bones, not for alleviation of the actual osteoporosis. (There's some question as to the actual efficacy of boneset.) Are there other symptoms? I'd be happy to help find remedies for those, but for the actual loss of bone density, there doesn't seem to be a lot of help. Sorry!

[bluelacedredhead]

Thanks LG, I will ask tonight. Her mother has an appointment today with a specialist? I will let you know what comes of that.

[windsng225]

I have this also, and I used to take medication till it caused me a lot of pain. So I stopped taking it. Now I just eat a lot of yogurt and drink milk 2% of course. But I still have it, I took the meds for 2 1/2 years and there was no change in my condition. There should have been, but there wasn't. Now I am really carefull and try not to do anything that will make me fall. What else can I do?
joyce

[TastyofHasty]

Years ago, I read about how our bodies absorb calcium ... that when you buy calcium pills, they should also contain magnesium, because they should BOTH be present to be absorbed properly in the body ... so when looking for calcium pills, search for "calcium magnesium". Also calcium is absorbed in the presence of FAT (not hard with modern diet); and that you CAN get TOO MUCH Vitamin D ... it can kill you, so be careful ... read up on it! Oh yeah ... there's a school of thought that vitamins, minerals, etc. should be taken with "chaperones," that is, substances that occur naturally in foods that the vitamins, minerals, etc. naturally are in. From:

http://www.beta-glucan-info.com/food_matrix.htm

In 1999, Dr. Gunter Blobel[10] was awarded a Nobel Prize for his research when he discovered the mechanisms of how nutrients are transported into the cells of our bodies.

It took him over 20 years to discover this based on just one question;

"How do proteins know where to go in the body?"

He discovered that nutrients inside food are bound by many other elements, such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids (fats). They are called carrier co-factors.

The most important of these cofactors are the proteins. He discovery that proteins contain "address tags" or "zip codes" which direct them to the proper location within the cell. This is known as protein targeting.

The principles discovered and described by Günter Blobel turned out to be universal, operating similarly in yeast, plant, and animal cells. A number of human hereditary diseases are caused by errors in these signals and transport mechanisms.

These proteins are called protein chaperones because they take nutrients to the cells with them. There are many different protein chaperones, depending on which vitamin or mineral needs to be transported to which of the various cells.

If you want calcium to get into your bones, then the calcium you take must have the appropriate protein chaperone attached, otherwise it won't know where to go! The appropriate carrier cofactors must be present for the body to absorb, utilize, and retain all the nutrients bound inside the food.

Just my usual rant on calcium folks. Not about plants, though!:p

[windsng225]

TOH, thanks so much for all the information. Good stuff here.
joyce

[houseodessey]

I've always heard that we are not able to use calcium from animal products as well as that from leafy greens. I try to get at least 4 cups of leaves/day, either juiced or well chewed and I also eat some dairy, hoping that one way or another I'll get enough calcium that is absorbable. When I have pain, I have found MSM to be very useful, even when used topically in a lotion. Good luck to your friend.

[HerbalBetty]

Also, your MIL should do some weight-bearing exercises. I'm sure her doctor will mention this. It can be something as simple as taking a can of green beans in each hand and doing bicep curls, or raising her hands out straight while she holds them. She can also velcro a couple pound weights to her ankles while she goes for a walk. The strap-on weights are found in any fitness section of a store. Also, have her limit intake of caffeine and sugar, which may inhibit calcium uptake.

[TastyofHasty]

And considering the "chaperone" idea, try taking those calcium-magnesium supplements with a little WHOLE MILK.

[Lillian Osborne]

Hi Tasty and All

There is new research info available on Vitamin D that flatly and emphatically states that studies indicate that MORE, not less, vitamin D is needed in our diets. It is beneficial in many ways for prevention as well as treatment of a wide ranging and rather surprising variety of conditions.

If you use a supplemental vitamin D, look for D3...it is the bio active form.

As soon as I can locate the article I considered best of the ones I read, I will post the source.

Also, in addition to vitamin D and Magnesium, Phosphorus and Boron are essential to the absorption of calcium. One last note, calcium supplements are best when taken near bedtime or other extended periods of rest, as the body absorbs calcium best for storage when in repose.

Lillian

[Lillian Osborne]

Here is the Google page for Vitamin D. There is also excellent info on Calcium in some of the Articles. If you spend a little time browsing these pages, and, perhaps, Google Calcium as well, you may find exactly the information you need to ask the kind of questions that will insure the doc doesn't simply fob off Fosamax or another problem causing substance on this family member.

Best wishes.

Lillian

http://wwoogle.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=vitamin+D

[Rockhound]

One thing to remember is to substitute your herb tea for caffeine-containing drinks.
Take the calcium, get your exercise, and drink lots of water and little alcohol/caffeine.

[Lillian Osborne]

A link to one of the reports on Vitamin D indicating the
range of problems that may be addressed by supplementation.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/

Lillian