Battling osteoporosis

About four years ago I was climbing Mount Mayon. On the way back I noticed my hips were hurting. I lagged behind everyone else. I am normally quite energetic. When I got back to Manila I had myself checked  and was dismayed to find out that I had osteoporosis.

The vision for my life is to live strong and healthy. When I go, I go; but I do not relish the prospect of being sickly or weak. Thus started a determined process to reverse the process. All the books I had read said the process could be reversed through the right supplements and exercise.

I ended up thanking the day I discovered I had weak bones because I started on a health regimen whereas in the past I took my health for granted.

I got myself a trainer, read a lot about the condition, talked to friends, tried many, many kinds of supplements from intense calcium to stronium to what have you.

They worked  kind of. But not significantly. So I am happy to announce that this morning, when I had myself tested, it looks like  yes!  I’ve done it! I’ve been able to reverse the process. I am not very sure, exactly, what did it, since I am doing varied things, and it is a combination of factors. I would like to share with you what I am currently doing which seems to be working.

The one thing that has given me the increase in bone density is these enzyme packets I got from Tessa Valdes. I was taking many things, so I was staying on even keel, but when I started the enzymes, my bone and muscle mass shot up. It is a little bit pricey but I have always been willing to spend on health. So if you want to try it, the name of the company is Pillars5. The contact name is Danny or Rosalie (tel. 0917-5798533).

I am also taking Reliv, although not as conscientiously as I should because in the evening I just get so tired, I end up sleeping before taking the nightly dosage. I do feel, however, that it has helped. It has certainly helped the Bantay Bata kids gain weight, and has helped my staff with her skin ulcers, so I will add this to the list. Contact Alex Chao (tel. 0922-8537244).

I read this article titled “The Calcium Lie Every Woman Should Know About” by Dr. Mercola. The main points I got from that article are:

don’t take steroids; stay away from drugs. They will impair the regenerative capacity of your bones. While they may increase bone density, they will not give you bone strength and may, in fact, even make your bones more brittle. As per her advice I take vitamin C, D3, and Krill Oil.

I also exercise on the Power Plate, which is a machine that vibrates, therefore maximizing the effect of exercise on the physical body. I have a trainer who comes weekly. Cathy is a great trainer. Very patient, and she really knows how to exercise every bit of your body. 

I am very pleased to hear from Cathy that after six months of training, my InBody test shows that there is an overall improvement in my body composition, specifically an increase in my muscle mass, decrease in my body fat and improved fitness.

Dr. Mercola also advised 20 minutes daily of early morning sun. I was able to do it for a short while then my schedule got the better of me. I have a small garden on the second floor of my house. I would exercise in my bathing suit for maximum sun exposure.

If one doesn’t want to spend so much money, I have a feeling taking coconut oil might help. I tried that, but I got pimples (maybe because I wasn’t taking enough water). But I have read that it helps with osteoporosis as well. Then maybe just run or do resistance exercises. The other day I bought a band from Rox because the box said these bands can strengthen bones.

I am quite pleased. My bone density is up. I no longer have osteoporosis. My muscle mass is up. I’ve just gained a little weight. Darn.

It’s really important to take care of one’s health. Health gives joy, makes life productive. Today a very dear friend of my father-in-law died in his sleep. I was thinking he probably woke up and saw his physical body on the bed and thought: “Oooh, what am I doing there? I would not like to go like that. Not in this arduous, sickly, painful way. You can’t go wrong by spending time and energy on your health.”

Happy, healthy living to everyone..

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I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.