Osteoporosis is a terrible disease. An osteoporotic bone fracture can alter a patient’s life, bringing misery and pain. In my book, Drugs that Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do!, I go into detail about the problems with bisphosphonates and provide a holistic plan to have healthy bones and avoid unnecessary fractures.

The first step to achieving better bone health is to eat a diet free of refined sugar, salt, oils, and grains. Optimal mineral intake is also another must-have for any bone-health program.

Bones also need proper hydration, just like all the other tissues in the body. Bones can become brittle from dehydration.

Conventional medicine would have you believe that the only thing you need for healthy bones is calcium. But that’s simply not true. In fact, magnesium is just as important as calcium for bone strength and health. And other minerals such as boron, zinc, copper, selenium, manganese, chromium, and molybdenum are also needed to ensure proper bone health.

Vitamins D and K are crucial as well. Vitamin D is required to absorb calcium from the food you eat, and vitamin K is needed to activate osteocalcin — the protein that mineralizes (hardens) bones.

Unfortunately, most Americans are deficient in both vitamins D and K. In fact, the typical American diet is woefully inadequate when it comes to vitamin K, and most vitamin K supplements do not supply enough vitamin K to optimize bone health.

As I have written many times over the years, I can’t stress enough the importance of daily exercise for maintaining bone strength. The simple act of walking can stimulate both osteoblasts and osteoclasts to help get rid of old, injured bone and replace it with healthy bone.

Osteoporosis does not have to occur with aging. In fact, it shouldn’t. It is a consequence of a poor diet devoid of basic vitamins and minerals. I have seen numerous patients improve their bone health by adopting a holistic lifestyle.

If you are suffering from osteoporosis, the best advice I can give you is to find a holistic healthcare practitioner who is knowledgeable about how to test for and evaluate hormone and nutrient levels. Simply correcting nutrient deficits and cleaning up your diet can aid bone health a great deal.