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A natural approach to osteoporosis and bone health

October 2, 2014/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

For more than 25 years I’ve worked with men and women to strengthen their bones, even when for some, it looked as though osteoporosis would be a life sentence. It may seem easy to simply pop a pill and forget about it, but prescription medication is rarely easy on your body because there are always consequences.

The long-term negative effects of osteoporosis medications are more problematic every day. There is an alternative. The natural approach to osteoporosis and bone health is proving to be highly effective, not just for your bones but for your whole body. Here’s why:

What the Surgeon General recommends

In 2004, the Surgeon General provided unequivocal recommendations for protecting bone health: the first line of action is nutrition, physical activity, and fall prevention. The second tier guidelines involve assessing and treating the underlying causes of compromised bone health. I think it’s so important to note that the last resort is the use of bone drugs.

I understand that some people may need medication for serious bone disorders. Just know that even if you make the decision to take medication, adding the natural approach can provide clear, long-lasting benefits.

5 natural steps to help reduce excessive bone loss

1. Nourish your body with basic nutrients. It sounds so simple but we are living in a time when demineralized soils, overly processed food, low physical activity, and little sun exposure are the norm. We can all increase our lifespans by providing our bodies with the basic nutrients our cells need to function. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid processed foods, white flours, and refined sugars. You might also consider a high-quality multivitamin to fill in any gaps.

2. Provide your body with specific bone-building nutrients. For those who have a higher risk for bone loss, a regular multivitamin is okay but it may not be enough. There are many key bone-building nutrients with which we can supplement for improved bone health, including vitamin D and vitamin K. Research shows vitamin D reduces fractures as much or even more than the drug therapies! My own quality bone-building supplement — part of my Better Bones program — has these additional bone-supporting ingredients and more.

3. Eat an alkalizing diet. Acid-forming diets are one of the most significant problems when it comes to osteoporosis. Our diets are filled with acid-forming foods, such as large amounts of animal protein, processed foods, low-quality or damaged fats and refined sugars.

An acid-forming diet upsets the biochemistry of our bodies and leads to low-grade metabolic acidosis. Your body can’t survive long in that state so it quickly turns to the bones to help re-establish acid-alkaline balance. Bone provides alkalinizing or “base” minerals to offset the crushing acid load. This is good in the short-term because it keeps you alive, but it seriously harms bone in the long run. By including more fruits, vegetables (especially root crops), nuts, and seeds in your diet, you can significantly alkalize your diet and reduce acid in your body. The right supplements can help with this too. You can easily test your pH with an at-home test.

4. Generate stronger bone with some exercise. Our bones respond to the demands we place on them. Any form of exercise can help halt bone loss by building muscle, and extensive strength training can build bone significantly as it builds muscle. That helps you feel — and look — better. Take more walks, enroll in a yoga class, or meet with a personal trainer at your local gym.

5. Minimize your stress. Chronic stress takes a huge toll on health. Cortisol, our major stress hormone, is extremely detrimental to bone and other organs if it remains at high levels — more common than most realize! Be good to yourself — whether it’s a monthly massage or simply reading alone on the couch for an hour. Definitely seek help if you need it. You will be so glad you did.

You have real choices about bone health — make the right one for you

I encourage you to remember that your body is capable of building and strengthening bone on its own when given the needed support and time to do so. If you’re concerned about your risks of excessive bone loss, know that these natural nutritional and lifestyle changes can be powerful protectors of bone.

To help you get started, I’ve developed a comprehensive Better Bones approach for your use at-home with the same guidance I give to my clients at the Center for Better Bones.

How the study of bone health around the world led to a surprising new path to bone health

July 11, 2014/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

When I first started studying bone health years ago, I began to question the accuracy of the most firmly held beliefs about osteoporosis. Could the blame for poor bone health truly be traced back to a lack of calcium in our diets? Is low estrogen really responsible for the widespread osteoporosis that plagues American women? As an anthropologist, I had learned that everyone’s bones naturally thin as we age, but I was puzzled by the fact that older people in other countries have much lower rates for osteoporosis, even though they consume far less calcium than we do. I was also struck by the finding that osteoporosis is rare in certain places, like Japan, where people generally have thinner, lighter bones.

That’s how it became clear to me that dietary calcium deficits, estrogen levels, and low bone density are not the main reasons for declining bone health. These conclusions set me on a course of study which has ignited my own personal passion and prompted the quest to find the true explanation for the epidemic of osteoporosis in this country.

The natural state of bones

Most people think that osteoporosis is the breakdown, or resorption, of bone but that is only one half of the story. Though we may not be aware of it, our bones are constantly being renewed with fresh tissue which is generated to replace what has been lost through wear and damage. It’s a natural formula for give and take that is intended to maintain healthy bones indefinitely. However, when the natural balance between regeneration and breakdown is upset or disrupted, bone health deteriorates and weaknesses begin to appear in the bone structure. Unfortunately, this imbalance has become the norm among American women, and its effects extend beyond bone health to threaten our total physical condition.

Happily, the other side of the coin is that when you take steps to improve bone health, you will also create better wellness for your entire body. The philosophy behind the development of my life-supporting approach to bone health blends critical findings from years of medical, nutritional, and anthropological research. This new direction honors the infinite wisdom contained within our bodies and folds in new revelations about how our environment and the food we eat affect our bones and overall health.

Magical bodies, magical bones

When we think about our physical selves, we often consider them as a jumble of single parts: eyes, mouth, arms, legs and so on. But the truth is, we are composed of trillionsof parts, all of which must perform together seamlessly to keep us in working order. This “interconnectedness” is the key to understanding how poor health in one part of your body can quickly undermine the integrity and wellness of other areas. And so it is with the bones.

Bones may seem to be “dead” and inert, but in fact, they are living tissue, charged with many important jobs that the rest of the body relies on, including mineral storage for use in chemical processes throughout the organ systems. Our bones are transforming all the time, breaking down and then building back up. Our bodies are in tune with this type of natural process, which occurs even on a cellular level. Without this constant coordination between our internal systems, we simply couldn’t function and our physical condition would almost immediately become dire.

From the time we are born, our bones are growing and acquiring strength and density, until about the age of 30, when we generally achieve “peak bone mass.” You might assume that it’s all downhill from there, and that systematic loss of bone mass is inevitable. While it is true that the bones tend to thin and become less substantial as we get older, it is possible — and natural — to retain enough bone mass and strength to withstand the stresses and strains of daily life. This information alone confirms that, with just a little help, our bones have the capability of lasting us a lifetime.

Our most popular resources on the bones basics

The calcium myth
Nutrition for healthy bones requires much more than just calcium. BetterBones.com explains the importance of 20 key nutrients for bone health.
Do you really need a drug for your bones?
Learn the latest on bisphosphonate drugs for osteoporosis from Women’s Health Network and Susan Brown, PhD.
20 key nutrients
Minerals in bone health, vitamins in bone health, Recommended Dietary Allowances, Dietary Reference Intakes, bone building nutrients
The nature of healthy bones comes from having good information about bone health. Find information on assessing your bone health.

Better bone health begins when you lighten your load

July 11, 2014/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

In our day-to-day routines, many of us habitually act in ways that have profound, long-term effects on our bone health — without even realizing it! Some people regularly spend an hour at the gym or go for a run in the early morning — unknowingly giving wonderful benefits to their bones. Other people routinely spend hour after hour late at night in front of a computer screen instead of sleeping, knowing that the double espresso they buy every morning will clear out the cobwebs — but completely unaware of the stresses this habit places on their skeleton. Still others exercise and get adequate rest, but work under highly stressful conditions and unwittingly deplete their bone mineral reserves by eating a quick fast-food lunch at their desk every day.

All habits, good or bad, can affect our bones

But where the bad habits are concerned, we often don’t realize that the effects are cumulative — they add up over time — or that multiple lifestyle factors can eventually form a very heavy burden on our bones. The image below, showing the burdens that lifestyle, diet, and other factors place on our bones, might be something of a wake-up call to some people!

To a certain extent, an otherwise healthy person can offset some of his or her unhealthy habits by eating good food and making sure to get the full spectrum of essential nutrients for bone health. But if you’ve had a fracture, a diagnosis of osteoporosis or osteopenia, or even simply reached the understanding that you need to improve your bone health, developing healthy lifestyle habits is a crucial step in the right direction.

By now, nearly everyone understands that smoking cigarettes, eating a lot of fatty, sugary foods, and drinking to excess are unhealthy habits. It’s also no secret that a sedentary lifestyle contributes to disease on all levels. Some people even recognize that stress and negative emotions — anger, resentment, fear, grief, and depression — can generate serious health problems, and indeed we find that the people most likely to have thin bones are those who are habitually worried and stressed.

The association between these unhealthy habits and emotional states has been well documented scientifically, and we’ve seen in clinical practice how they can impact bone health (see our article on the causes of osteoporosis). But even if you know you have these factors, what can you do about them? How do we change ingrained habits and emotions, particularly if they’ve been with us a long time?

A bone-building program you can live with

The first step to changing our lifestyles toward a healthier alternative is to recognize the places that need changing. The second step is to understand that it will take time and may not be easy, but if you’re committed to it, you can succeed. True lifestyle change may require months or even years of vigilance. Behavior change does not happen in one step. Rather, we tend to progress through different stages on our way to successful change. Also, each of us progresses through the stages at our own rate.If you are looking for ways to improve your bone health, our “total load model” of bone depleting factors can be helpful. Click on the image of the overloaded camel for a printer-friendly version and print it out.

Take a few minutes to look at all of the bone-depleting lifestyle factors this camel carries, and circle the ones that apply to you. These are the factors that might be affecting your bone health. Identify one factor you would like to work on first — one straw you would like to take off your “camel’s back.” Next, jot down three to five reasons why altering this lifestyle factor would be good for your bones and your entire body.

Finally, develop a simple action plan — for example, decide that, beginning today, you will walk 15 minutes twice a day, or include 1 cup of vegetables with every lunch, or lower your coffee intake to one cup a day and use green tea as an alternative beverage if you really need caffeine. Develop a simple approach that makes one change at a time and notice how empowering this feels. You will find that each small life-supporting change builds on the others to help you build bone strength the way nature intended.

Bone health tips for underweight women

June 27, 2014/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

I’ve talked about how women who can’t gain weight are at heightened risk of osteoporosis and fracture. Just to quickly recap, I identified 3 basic issues that I see fairly often:

There are those who tell me, “I eat just fine, but I just never seem to put on any weight.”
Others say they simply don’t get hungry or don’t feel like eating, so they skip meals. Sometimes, eating makes them feel sick, so they eat less (or less often) as a result.
Some say they eat well some of the time, but that they eat less when they’re under stress — and they’re under stress often.

The question now becomes, what can a woman do to address these issues?

For people who stay thin despite eating well, I look at 3 factors

First, are they really eating enough food on a regular basis, or is that simply their perception? While the average adult needs 2000-2500 calories, that’s an average; some people require more, but may not realize it — and gaining weight might simply be a matter of eating more nutrient-dense foods. I also recommend that underweight women supplement with the 20 key nutrients required for bone health, particularly if they’ve been thin most of their lives, so they can be sure those nutrients are available for bone strength.

Second, I’d consider whether a metabolic or endocrine issue could be at work. Hyperthyroidism, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, and various other chronic disorders can prevent people from gaining weight, even when they eat well. Simple blood tests can generally uncover the presence of such health issues, which need to be addressed by a specialist.

Finally, I’d look at the possibility that they might not be absorbing the food they eat. Malabsorption syndromes and digestive issues like IBS or Crohn’s disease, have obvious symptoms attached — diarrhea, gas, bloating, pain — but others, such as celiac disease, can damage the GI tract and impair nutrient absorption capabilities, sometimes without causing any distinct symptoms related to the digestion. If I saw indications of poor nutrient absorption (dry, brittle hair and nails, for instance), I might suggest that a client ask for celiac or other GI testing, and we’d look very closely at how to boost the nutritional and caloric content of her food so she gets more of what she needs.

Suggestions for those who aren’t hungry

Those who don’t feel hungry or who don’t feel like eating usually have one of two problems. Either they have an imbalance in the “hunger hormones” that stimulate appetite (often associated with zinc inadequacy), or they simply are so rushed or busy that they habitually ignore their body’s signals that it needs food, to the point that they genuinely believe they’re not hungry even when they are! These folks benefit by taking time to acknowledge and understand their physiologic needs. I would do the following:

Review their diets to make sure they are getting a full balance of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins
Help them schedule their mealtimes, including time for pre-meal “appetizer” foods such as broth (warm liquids stimulate the appetite).
Suggest an elimination diet or allergy testing for those who say they feel ill or uncomfortable after eating.

If anxiety or worry is prohibiting weight gain

For those who stop eating or eat less due to anxiety or stress, part of the problem is their response to anxiety and worry. For clients whose thinness is related to an anxious mind, I’d help them to learn stress-reduction techniques, and also have them focus on their intentions around eating — that is, to find ways to celebrate their meals as an affirmation of their worth. It doesn’t need to be complicated — simply saying grace before each meal, for example, can send a strong signal from the mind and spirit to the body that the food in front of you is a blessing meant to nourish you. The power of the mind should not be underestimated, and focusing it on nourishment (instead of on anxieties and worries) may be an important component of promoting healthy weight gain.

If you’re underweight, taking steps to build strong muscles, eat a nutritious diet, and reduce stress and anxiety can help you gain weight, meanwhile reducing your fracture risk. Even if the tips outlined above don’t help you to add a single pound of weight, the bone-strengthening benefits of my Better Bones approach may make the difference in staying healthy and avoiding fractures — and isn’t that what matters in the long run?

Building Bone Strength at Any Age — Including 78!

June 16, 2014/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

One of the most important things about bone health is that it’s never too late to build your bone strength. That’s why I’m so happy to introduce you to Suzanne, a real-life example of how you can take charge of your bone health at any stage in your life. In Suzanne’s case, she started at age 78.

Meet Suzanne Hoffman (now age 81!)

Four years ago, Suzanne came to talk with me because she was highly concerned after recently breaking her pelvis. She had already fractured five ribs — with all these breaks during the 10 years she had been taking Fosamax. Clearly, her bone drugs were not preventing fractures. What’s more, Suzanne felt her medication might even be increasing her fracture risk, so her doctor recommended that she stop taking it. That’s when Suzanne came to me looking for a better alternative to bone drugs — and found it with my natural approach. She began to implement a personalized Better Bones Program with 20 key bone nutrients, the Alkaline for Life Diet, pH testing, and diet and lifestyle adjustments.

Here’s what happened…

With my natural approach, Suzanne actually gained some bone density in both the spine and in the hip. Her gradual increase in bone density is continuing, with her latest bone density test showing further gains. Even more important, Suzanne has not suffered any new fractures, feels strong, and is sturdier on her feet than she was four years ago.

Suzanne was wise enough to know that the average age of a debilitating neck of the hip fracture is 80 — and that she was likely headed in that direction if she didn’t make some serious changes. Indeed, she “took the proverbial bull by the horns” and made the life-supporting changes of the Better Bones Program.

Kudos to Suzanne! I encourage everyone to use her story as an inspiration to take heart and take action. As you can see, it’s never too late to improve the strength of your bones, build new bone and reduce your fracture risk.

Bone health advice from patient advocate Trisha Torrey

December 30, 2013/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend and colleague Trisha Torrey. Trisha was thrown into a dramatic transformation due to her misdiagnosis of a rare form of cancer.

After struggling to get the healthcare she needed and deserved, one of the outcomes was her book, “You Bet Your Life! The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes.” Plus, she now works as a professional patient advocate to help others from suffering from misdiagnosis, medical errors and treatment that isn’t right for them.

When I read Trisha’s book, I was struck by how many times I see women who are devastated by a diagnosis of osteoporosis or osteopenia and told their only option is to take bone drugs. Many of them are rightfully frightened and worried. And they know in their heart there’s got to be a better way! For these women — and for all of us — Trisha’s book highlights the problems we face as patients within our healthcare system and shows us what we can do to get better care for ourselves or our loved ones.

Below is a video where Trisha and I talk more about her personal experience, as well as what she feels is most important for women who want to take control of their bone health.

If you’re interested in learning more about Trisha Torrey, her book and her work as a patient advocate, visit her site here.

What I do to help my bones

June 24, 2013/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

As a bone health expert, I’m not surprised when women ask me what I do to help my own bones. But more than a few might be surprised when they hear my answer.

Not that my routine is bizarre or impossible to follow — quite the contrary. To keep my bones strong, I include yoga, alkaline food choices and even a consistent connection to nature. These are all realistic actions that nearly any one can take (and, more important, stick with) to live a healthier, happier life.

I think it’s my lack of following an extreme approach —a highly-restricted diet or hours of grueling exercise— that astonishes people. But if I’ve learned anything in more than 20 years of working with women to increase their bone health it’s that forcing yourself into unrealistic routines usually doesn’t last for very long.

With that in mind, here’s what I do to maximize my bone health

1. I am committed to taking my Better Bones supplement to get the all-important 20 key bone nutrients in therapeutic doses, plus additional anti-oxidants. While I make it a point to eat well, taking my own supplement is my easy guarantee I’ll get all the nutrients I recommend.

2. I enjoy regular group sports like biking, golf, tennis and cross-country skiing. Several times a week I incorporate yoga or Qi Gong, as these really help quiet my mind and strengthen my nervous system —and both also increase flexibility.

3. It’s a joke around the office that I always insist that everyone eat two cups of vegetables for lunch and dinner. I strive to do this daily, and this high veggie diet helps my body stay alkaline.

4. I limit my exposure to foods to which I am hypersensitive or allergic because avoiding these foods helps reduce inflammation. I limit my wheat and dairy exposure and avoid high fructose corn syrup and cornstarch altogether.

5. Every day I meditate at least once for 15 to 20 minutes. On the best days I meditate twice, first as the workday begins, and again after it ends.

6. I am learning to pay more attention to my emotions, and particularly keeping an eye on when I get frustrated. Everyone in the office can hear me performing my de-stressing “tree shake” that Qi Gong Master Lu taught me.

7. Finally, I like to plant tiny seeds in my garden and watch them grow, spontaneously and without effort, into strong healthy plants. This reminds me that my skeleton — along with my entire body — is an offshoot of the amazing intelligence and organizing power of nature.

With my Better Bones Package, you can find your own realistic ways to incorporate bone-healthy activities into your daily life for Better Bones and a Better Body. You now have three options available — right here on the Better Bones website — to fit your bone health needs.

How to decrease harmful inflammation

May 6, 2013/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

We’ve unwittingly created a world where — every day — nutritional, lifestyle, emotional and environmental factors are fueling chronic inflammation that is taking a heavy toll on our bones.

I know it can seem a bit overwhelming. But instead of feeling helpless, I encourage you to remember that you have the power to make changes that will make a real difference. Step by step, you can give your bones exactly the support they need in order to last your entire lifetime — as they are meant to do.

Here are four Better Bones keys to turning off inflammation:

1. Limit pro-inflammatory foods, such as:

• Saturated fats, beef products, and dairy (especially if intolerant to dairy).
• Sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners.
• White flour and all refined grains, and other refined carbs.
• Trans fats, and rancid and over-heated oils.
• Excess alcohol, preservatives and artificial additives.
• Any food to which you are allergic or intolerant.

2. Increase anti-inflammatory foods:

• A wide variety of fresh, whole plant foods high in anti-oxidant flavonoids.
• Daily consumption of green leafy vegetables, onions and garlic.
• Eat 2 cups of vegetables for lunch and 2 cups for dinner.
• Eat 2-3 servings of fruits a day, especially berries.
• Eat 2-3 servings of nuts and seeds daily.
• Liberal use of herbs and spices such as turmeric (containing curcumin), cumin, coriander and ginger.
• Use fish, beans, eggs and lean meats as protein sources.
• Eat high fiber foods totaling at least 25 grams of fiber a day.
• Drink green tea, ginger tea and nettle tea as anti-oxidant beverages.

3. Develop an anti-inflammatory, life-supporting lifestyle:

• Reduce toxic exposure (chlorinated drinking water, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, heavy metal and toxic chemical exposure)
• Get adequate sleep (7-8 hours each night). Lack of sleep is pro-inflammatory.
• Control weight (excess fat becomes an endocrine organ that emits inflammatory factors which enhance osteoclastic bone breakdown)
• Control blood sugar and insulin (both of which are inflammatory when high).
• Exercise at least 30 minutes per day, outdoors when possible.
• Consider practicing mindful exercise, such as t’ai chi which reduces DNA-damaging oxidative stress. Set aside 15-20 minutes a day for meditation or silent contemplation.

4. Supplement with key anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients as needed.

These are the nutrients that send signals to the immune inflammation turn-off switches and control free radical damage:

• Omega-3 fats.
• Antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, C, E, D, K2).
• Carotenoids (as lycopene, lutein) and flavonoids (as quercetin, kaempferol, epigallocatechin and rutin) Co Q 10.
• Lipoic acid.

You can have access to a powerful antioxidant formula, with a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. The Super Antioxidant is designed to help protect against damaging oxidative stress and support connective tissues, including healthy bone. Learn more about the Better Bones Program.

References:

Barbour, K. E., R. Boudreau, M. E. Danielson, A. O. Youk, J. Wactawski-Wende, N. C. Greep, A. Z. LaCroix, R. D. Jackson, R. B. Wallace, D. C. Bauer, M. A. Allison, and J. A. Cauley. 2012. Inflammatory markers and the risk of hip fracture: the women’s health initiative. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 27(5):1167–1176.

Lucas, R., E. Ramos, A. Oliveira, T. Monjardino, and H. Barros. 2012. Low-grade systemic inflammation and suboptimal bone mineral density throughout adolescence: a prospective study in girls. Clinical Endocrinology 77(5):665–671.

2013 — The Year of the Better Bones Revolution

December 26, 2012/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

No one cares as much about your health as you do. No one has as much power to build and rebuild your body as you do. And, most importantly, no one will suffer the consequences of self-neglect as much as you will.

That’s why I hope you will join me in making dramatic change in 2013 — or as I am calling it — The Year of The Better Bones Revolution.

The Better Bones Revolution calls us to become informed and to take charge of our bone health, to educate ourselves and to work with nature rather than tinker with it or look to “better living through chemistry.”

Revolution Resolutions

Where to start? To show you that even a bone-health specialist can make improvements, here are a few of my favorite “Revolution Resolutions” to take charge in 2013:

• I will have my vitamin D level measured this winter, and make sure I maintain a 50 ng/ml level all year round. This is something we can all aim for!

• I will make time to exercise 40 to 60 minutes a day. Personally I like to walk with my weight vest, ski, golf, use my whole body vibration platform, practice Qi Gong or take yoga classes — so I have lots of exercise options. If you’re just getting started, you may consider finding an exercise you enjoy and work at least 30 minutes of it into your daily routine (outdoors, if possible).

• I will set aside all the research articles I love to read and sleep more—8-9 hours each night in the winter. I tend to push myself to do ever more at night, but nature rests in the winter and so will I! Are you getting enough sleep?

• I will consume 2 cups of vegetables (or near that) at both lunch and dinner (mostly cooked during the winter). Variety supports life, so I will try eating veggies from all the colors of the rainbow. One dietary change I can make is to rotate in some alkalizing root crops I usually don’t eat (like rutabaga, turnips, kohlrabi and parsnips).

What will be your Revolution Resolution?

Use the comment section below to let me know — and inspire others to join The Better Bones Revolution. Remember, by making your own Revolution Resolution, you’ll be taking important action to keep your bones and your entire body strong, vital and full of life at any age. For a natural approach that includes changes in the key areas that affect bone health, learn more how my Better Bones Program includes the methods recommended by the Surgeon General of the United States for reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and revolutionary 2013!

Too much information

August 27, 2012/0 Comments/in The Natural Approach /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

If you’ve been taking charge with the Better Bones Revolution by staying informed about your bone health — congratulations!

That said, I know it’s easy to feel overloaded and even a little bit panicked by the sheer amount of health news coming out. Many of my patients tell me how difficult it is to stay calm whenever a new study warns about osteoporosis risk or other bone health issues. And, there is a lot of opportunity for worry — I just did an online search of “bone news” and came up with 305,000,000 results!

To help you stay up-to-date without being overwhelmed by the latest bone health news, here’s how to find the news that is most important and relevant to you:

Tips to stay informed–but not overloaded–with health news

• Remember that sometimes no news is good news: While I’m not advocating that you ignore the news completely, I do recommend you limit your news sources by choosing a few reputable news outlets. You’ll be confident the information is credible, while reducing your exposure to “news” based on fear or speculation.

• Use the two-day guide: If you do see some news that alarms you, I suggest waiting for two days. If the story has survived the news cycles and is still in the headlines, it may be worth investigating more. More likely, you may find that after two days, the information has been replaced by something else or just doesn’t seem as important to you.

• Ask — “does this apply to me?” Most of us can eliminate a lot of the noise caused by too much information by continuing our bone-building activities. After all, if you know your vitamin D levels are healthy, news about risks of vitamin D deficiency really isn’t relevant for you!

Finally, if you’re still overloaded and overwhelmed, why not consider taking a few bone-building deep breaths and simply not look at the health news for a couple of days? You may also want to focus on some of the proven, effective methods for strengthening bone in my article “A natural approach to osteoporosis and bone health.”