Osteoporosis

This serious and way-too-common condition is one thing that shouldn’t even exist in humans. After all, we are the only species that suffers from this bone-wasting condition (other than the rare dog on a horrible commercial diet). This has everything to do with our diet- the damage it does and our bad choices of calcium sources. The following Email explains.

Dogtor J

Osteoporosis- An Email to a Friend of Dogtor J

Hi Susan,

It was great to hear from you. By now, you have received an introductory Email from me that is automated. But I wanted to write to you personally because your problem is one that is near and dear to my heart. Although I cannot give medical advice, I can certainly share my research findings on osteoporosis with you and try to help explain some of the pathophysiology of this very preventable condition.

You have probably read how the “big 4”- gluten (from wheat, barley, rye), dairy, soy and corn- can block the absorption of calcium by the small intestine. They do this two ways: 1) By physically interfering with calcium absorption through the coating of the intestinal villi, and 2) By inducing serious damage to those villi, which are responsible for absorbing not only calcium but also iron, iodine, B complex, C, trace minerals, fats, proteins and sugars. This malabsorption syndrome can be quite severe in those who are intolerant of one or more of these foods (e.g. celiacs/gluten intolerants). Milk is the best example of a food that can simply physically interfere with nutrient absorption and this is illustrated by the fact that many drugs have on their label that they should not be taken with milk. Why? Because the casein in the milk will coat the stomach and villi and prevent the drug’s absorption. Of course, casein will block the absorption of other things as well.

Approximately 90% of your calcium is (passively) absorbed by the initial part of our duodenum, the first segment of the small intestine. Thankfully, if that fails, we can actively absorb calcium in our ileum, the last segment of small intestine just before the colon…IF that ileum is healthy. Sadly, there is a rapidly rising failure of the ileum taking place (e.g. Crohn’s Disease) in this country, something that used to be restricted to the elderly. But we now have kids with Crohn’s and this phenomenon has been tied directly to the damage done by the MMR vaccine. I have to believe that those with osteoporosis, especially those who are still younger than 70, have damage to this area of their small intestine, which is the back-up for the duodenum. Thankfully, just about everything that is absorbed by the duodenum can be absorbed by the ileum- again, if it’s healthy.

The treatment approach for both duodenal and ileal damage is the same: Avoid the “big 4” foods that can do sooo much harm to these areas. There have now been books written on the dietary approach to Crohn’s Disease (e.g. The Maker’s Diet ) and it is basically the same as my diet, which consists of avoidance of dairy, gluten, soy and corn while consuming large amounts of vegetables, fruits, and high quality protein (eggs, lean meats, fish, preferably organic). The results have been astounding.

I had a woman recently who went on The G.A.R.D. for her MS. About a year later, after making a remarkable recovery,  she had her bone density tested. The doctors were “baffled” by her results. Her bone density had improved dramatically from her last test. Believe it or not, they were actually confounded by this, even when she told them about the diet. That is how out-of-touch we are with how our body actually works, even learned medical professionals. The G.A.R.D. has halted countless seizures now, in the dog and the person, and yet the neurologists of the day roll their eyes and say that diet has nothing to do with epilepsy. When you understand food intolerance, you can see that diet has nearly everything to do with epilepsy, just as it does every other condition known to man.

So, I believe your bone density can improve. I believe it was caused by the typical diet, 75% of which usually consists of wheat, dairy, corn and now soy, the last making its way into everything these days. Dairy is the single biggest contributor to osteoporosis and everything points to that. The USA leads the world in the incidence of osteoporosis, rivaled only by Scandinavia, the residents of which love their cheese. If dairy was the cure for osteoporosis as many believe, Americans would not have this condition, as about 40% of our calories come from dairy. And yet we lead the world in this condition. However, those in Asia- on traditional Asian diets that contain NO cow milk products- have the lowest incidence of osteoporosis.

Yes, humans are the only species that drink milk after weaning. That is a commonly used argument against milk. But we are also the only species to drink the milk of another animal. Cow milk is meant for calves, who ferment the milk their complex forestomachs. We cannot do this, a process that breaks down the gluey casein…that substance that Borden used to make its first Elmer’s Glue. We would be better off drinking the milk of a simple-stomached animal, like horses, dogs or tigers. (I know…”Yuck!” LOL). The next best thing is goat’s milk, which has much less casein and a different form of this gluey substance. After all, goat milk was and still is the universal foster milk and the one they drank in Biblical days.

Humans are also the only species to drink milk as a source of calcium. Animals get theirs purely from vegetables (herbivores) and from meats (carnivores). There is more than enough calcium in these sources. Humans are the only species to get naturally occurring osteoporosis! Why is that? Because we are the only ones consuming things that are damaging/coating our villi and blocking the calcium that is readily available in our natural diet. We don’t need nearly the amount of calcium that is stated as the MDR by the FDA. We are simply malabsorbing the calcium that is available and therefore have to boost the amount taken in. But there is always a danger of getting too much calcium, which can also weaken the bones and lead to osteoporosis. Wow!

I know that you have probably read a lot of this if not most of it elsewhere but I wanted to give you my slant on this way-too-common and, I believe, completely preventable condition. Unfortunately, I cannot advise you on what amount or brand of calcium supplements to take. There are human-oriented Websites that do that. But I would spend some time on sites like www.nomilk.com and www.notmilk.com or others like it. The word is out about the horrific effects of gluten and dairy on sensitized individuals. We just have to see that corn and soy can do the same thing (villous atrophy of the small, intestine). Osteoporosis is one such effect and is very explainable when we understand a little bit about the GI tract and the damage these foods can do.

I hope this helps,

John