If we could reset research…Part 1

Here it is, Sunday night and I sit at my computer diligently parsing 268 new research abstracts looking for breakthroughs and gems of knowledge to share with you.

As I consider studies from Sweden, Lebanon, Canada and Spain, it seems that, more than ever, new studies — wherever they come from — focus less on natural approaches and prevention than they do on the latest bone drugs.

Now, this isn’t exactly news given that much of the research activity is supported by pharmaceutical companies. And much of what we know about vitamin D, calcium and other bone-building nutrients has come from this support.

But I can’t help but think of all the research questions out there that aren’t getting much attention. If I had the chance to “reset” research priorities with a focus on the issues I think deserve more attention, these are the topics I would choose:

• The role played by emotions in our bone health – from the way that calming meditation and inner peace promote overall wellbeing, to the effects of fear, worry, and bouts of anxiety

• The importance of exercise — mindful tai chi, yoga and qi gong

• The development of affordable functional test for assessing mineral adequacy. If we can send a man to the moon, can’t we figure out if a person has enough manganese or zinc to maintain bone health?

• Practical ways to measure real bone strength, not just density as measured today

• Focus on natural healing for auto-immune diseases, allergies and other inflammatory conditions which are treated with steroid medications (some 20% of osteoporosis is cause by steroid use)

What about you? If you could talk to the top bone health scientists around the world, what areas would you ask them to study? Share your ideas with me in the comments section below.