The Answer to Menopausal Bone Loss

Whole Body Vibration Therapy

Every day 12,000 baby boomers are turning 50 in this country. That’s the largest group of women to hit menopause ever! And with that comes accelerated bone loss as the levels of hormones naturally decline. In fact, one out of every two women over the age of 50 now has low bone density.

Most people diagnosed with low bone density will automatically think they need to exercise longer and take more calcium. Some are frightened into thinking they need to take dangerous drugs or hormones for the rest of their lives to slow down the bone loss. Even then, the results haven't been too impressive while the risk for developing other problems can increase.

I would like to share my story and a new approach to rebuilding bones instead of merely trying to slow their deterioration. I had my first bone density scan at the age of 48. Results were on the low side of normal with some bone loss starting to show in the spine. At that time, I was told to continue with my exercise program and maintain my calcium supplementation.

Two years later, after starting menopause, another DEXA scan showed a significant drop in my spine from a T-score of -1.2 to -2.2, with some segments in the osteoporosis range. My doctor had never seen anyone drop so rapidly! I was stunned; I had really never worried about losing bone because I’ve exercised all my life. I’ve been a runner, a tennis player, an aerobics instructor, a spinning instructor, a personal trainer, and now a pilates instructor. I was prescribed the highest dose of Fosamax to prevent further bone loss and recommended to increase my calcium to 1500 mg.

I wasn't keen on this idea since I knew Fosamax, like any bisphosphonate drug, did not build bone but rather killed osteoclasts – the cells responsible for the breakdown of bone. Osteoclast activity signals osteoblasts, the bone building cells, to lay down new bone, so basically, suppressing the osteoclasts means bone remodeling can’t happen. Additionally, the drugs would be hard on my liver.

I did increase my calcium intake but noticed my neck and back getting stiffer. I had read that unabsorbed calcium can settle into the joints causing arthritis. After I dropped back down to 1,000 mg of calcium and increased my magnesium, the back problem cleared up.

As for increasing my exercise, running was out of the question since it would be hard on my knees. Then I remembered reading a couple of years earlier about whole body vibration therapy and how it can build bone density even better than resistance training. I decided it had to be better than taking drugs for the rest of my life or playing around with hormones, and in December of 2004, I began trying vibration therapy. I used the Power Plate three times a week for twenty minutes at a time. After eight months I requested another DEXA scan, which this time indicated an improvement of 3.5% in my spine. Not only am I preventing bone loss at an age when women lose it at a much faster rate, but I’m actually building bone!

I’m so excited about my results that I now offer Power Plate training to all of my clients with low bone density. Vibration therapy means positive results with no worries about the long term effects of medication. As an added bonus, not only are they building stronger bones, but their muscles get stronger as well.