Rethinking Osteoporosis

The Better Bones, Better Body® Program

Consultations with Dr. Susan Brown

The Better Bones, Better Body® pH Test Kit

Dr. Brown's Supplements and "Bone Builder" Paks

Take Heart . . .

  . . . If you have been told you have osteoporosis, osteopenia, or that you are at  high risk for fracture, take heart. Things might not be as bad as they seem! Even if you have already experienced a fracture, there is a great deal you can do naturally to prevent further fractures.

I'm Susan Brown, Ph.D., CNS, a New York State Certified Nutritionist, nutrition consultant, and medical anthropologist. My area of expertise is osteoporosis and I founded and direct The Osteoporosis Education Project. For the past 25 years I have helped hundreds prevent, halt and overcome osteoporosis with my clinically proven, natural Better Bones, Better Body®  Program.  

Research News You Can Use 

Vitamin K—Not All Forms Are Alike

Just as there has been an explosion of research around vitamin D, there is in the works an equally important “vitamin K revolution.”  One basic part of this expanding new knowledge we report here today—and that is the scientific news that not all forms of vitamin K are equally effective.

Research from the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM) in the Netherlands found that vitamin K₂ as menaquinone-7 (also known as MK-7) is superior to the common plant-based vitamin K₁.  The MK-7, which is a result of bacterial fermentation, was shown to be superior to the plant-derived K₁ in several ways, including better absorption, much longer bioavailability, and higher efficacy levels in the body.  Click here for a full report from CARIM and here to link to our previous article on the vitamin K–bone health link.

Tubal Ligation Linked to Increase Risk of Spinal Fracture 

For some time it has been suggested that tubal sterilization disrupts endocrine functioning and is likely linked to increased risk of fracture. Recent research by Dr. Grace Wyshak from Harvard School of Public Health confirmed this speculation. As she reported in Osteoporosis International, tubal sterilization disturbs ovarian function and is associated with more menstrual and menopausal symptoms and an increased risk of vertebral fracture. Specifically, she found a 2.7 to 3.3 times increased risk of vertebral fracture among women who had undergone tubal sterilization.

(Wyshak, G. Tubal ligation and the risk of vertebral fracture. Osteoporosis International, 2005;16:651-58.)

To see past Research News items, click here.

Question of the Week

Question of the Week Archive. Click here.