To think osteoporosis is shockingly sidelined by healthcare professionals in the UK

Why don't the GPs say that!? They only mentioned vitamin D and I was left to my own devices to work out that it has to be D3. I think my supplement is calcium, magnesium, D3 and K2 but I'll go and check.

Thanks!

No, not on HRT. I can’t take it.
Also, re K2, there are many different variants. You need mark 4 or 7 for best vitamin D absorption.

I am sorry @Imdunfer . You mention vitamin D, make sure to include vitamin K2 as well.

The impact this class of medication has on teeth go well beyond necrosis, so be mindful. I believe my mother was an extreme case, but the pain she was in for months shocked me into action. For her and for me.

Today I got told for the second drug this year that I'm an extreme case. I feel like yelling, well yes, extreme cases have been recorded so somebody has to be one! Saw the doc this morning about stopping taking alendronate because it made my teeth hurt so much I couldn't eat. I've only taken it for 12 weeks so hopefully I've got away with anything worse!

He offered me an infusion .... after telling me that it had affected his mother's liver (and that she also had tooth problem with alendronate). Err, no thanks I'll stick with my supplements and D3.

On alendronate on the NHS you should be rescanned at 5 years and the dose stopped or reduced in frequency. My understands is it almost never fails to work, hence the second scan is only to see whether to stop it.

What a stupid thing to say, you walked in. If you fall and it fractures you may never walk again!

I started looking at osteoporosis and its prevention after my mother had a freak issue at the dentist a few years back. A decade previously, she had been on fosamax (alendronic acid) for less than a year (8 months) .
Twelve years later, she needed a tooth extraction, the dentist was struggling, he even put a foot on the chair to pull harder, the tooth came out attached to the bone. The dentist had shattered my mother’s jaw.
The alendronic acid acts like cement on the bone surface including the bone surrounding teeth. If you have taken alendronic acid, even years and years ago, you must tell your dentist and he should know.

The impact this class of medication has on teeth go well beyond necrosis, so be mindful. I believe my mother was an extreme case, but the pain she was in for months shocked me into action. For her and for me.

Once you start really looking into it, as in getting a deep understanding of its mechanisms and stages is so complex. Way more than vitamin D.
We now know that the gut microbiome is a critical factor in the development of osteoporosis, in particular the Firmicute to bacteroidetes ratio. So yes to prunes as someone as said above, but it is way more than that.

In an ideal world, we would all be given a baseline DEXA, then targeted advice by an endocrinologist, and followups. Well, we can dream, but there isn’t the money, nor the resources, enough machines or enough staff. So the onus is on us. We can have access to good sources and no, MN or FB is not a good source. The protein shake you take to meet your internet protein target will have sweeteners and a ton of emulsifiers/additives which are more likely to damage your bone metabolism than help it. Open a can of unsweetened beans if you want proteins that help your bones. It is not just weight lifting but targeted osteoporosis preventing exercises studied in trials. Your biceps curl will do nothing to your spine or hip. I have posted the LIFTMOR (Lifting Intervention For Training Muscle and Osteoporosis Rehabilitation ) protocol earlier in the thread.

Bluefin Fitness, any one that vibrates up and down. I’ve got the ultra slim plus £145. It’s really nice.

@Sofasu Thanks for the comments, I am sorry that you have the rheumatoid arthritis. The conclusion was that I had damaged my spine and back several times falling off motorbikes when I was younger.
I had an X-ray of my spine the year before Covid. They identified the Osteoporosis both sides of a cracked vertebrae and a hip. The other hip and somewhere else showed signs of a predisposition to osteoporosis that would probably develop later. I think it has now, at times it is very uncomfortable luckily not painful like some folks get. I eat all meats and exceed the recommended units for booze. At 80. . . . . .

It seemed strange having an X-ray of my spine whilst lying on my back.

@Newjokename That sounds likely because of your age. Did you get the details of the original dexa scan? They usually mark spine and neck of femur
Mine was T score in spine -3.9 and femoral neck -2.9 when I was scanned in 2021
After 3 years on alendronic acid they repeated it and it was -3.6 spine and -1.6 femor.
So the alendronic acid had made a difference. I'm now on infusion of zolendronic acid once a year. The bisphosphonates make you require more calcium than normal so I go out of my way to increase dietary calcium as well as taking supplements.

I was told to increase my protein intake to at least 0.8 g per kilo of body weight.
It's more than I would usually eat (eg a chicken breast is about 30g); keep alcohol under 14 units a week and take the calcium 4 hours after alendronic acid. I was also told to do impact exercise and muscle strengthening. I have a slipped disc and rheumatoid arthritis so this isn't always possible.

Not meaning to derail, I am a man aged 80, I have osteoporosis in spine and one hip.
Prescription: Alendronic acid, weekly tablet. Multi vitamin tabs, 2 per day.
I asked about scan for update. No what is the point you walked into here so not too serious is it?
I would like to know more details because I like knowing details and about results.

Thank you, @BruachAbhann

Margaret Martin does specific exercises,

Are there YouTube routines specifically for this kind of exercise? I can see myself spending ages exercising in a way that doesn't actually help.

Ah right - if you're using the podcast / screencast to show you the exercises that makes sense.

The OP makes good points, both about osteoporosis and the long term effects of medications or the lack of them. In the UK everyone would benefit from vit D3 daily for at least the six darker months.

You can find lots of weight routines on YouTube. I set up my iPad, and just follow what they’re doing on screen.

any medication that reduces inflammation (including over the counter painkillers) and reduces nutrition absobtion (anti reflux medication) should have the long term risk to bones advised.

not everyone can avoid taking these medicines though.

exercise exercise exercise
weight training is something everyone should do in some form.

My blood calcium levels are totally normal, tested for other reasons twice this year, but I still have severe osteoporosis in my spine.

@Branster
I completely agree.

I had no idea about this disease. Why would I? Same way no one ever mentioned menopause until I heard about it in my 40s.

I had two children by forceps and no one ever said the word 'prolapse' to me, it's only when I was diagnosed with three prolapses age 44 did I learn about them. No one ever said, don't get constipated, don't push your wee out too fast. Don't hold your breath when you lift heavy things.

And this thread is enlightening and I've learned so much.

When I asked the asthma GP (my post is up thread) after she finished laughing at me, she said do you take vitamin D and I said I had just started taking it - age 46, and that I lift weights. She said 'oh you'll be fine then'.

I also discovered I'm hypermobile last year. And yesterday, googling showed me that hypermobility has a greater risk of osteoperosis. So now I really do need to find the money for a dexa scan!

Has anyone managed to get one via private healthcare?

I have severe osteoporosis caused by a disease called primary hyperparathyroidism. It's the third most common endocrine disease after diabetes and thyroid dysfunction. A simple blood test to check your blood calcium level can detect it. It is the only disease which can be cured by having the overactive parathyroid gland or glands removed. Then the osteoporosis starts reversing as the calcium is no longer being pulled out of the bones into the blood.

Oh I had a dexa scan and was told I was top 5. I’m on hrt - I wondered if you are too? I really do fear about oesteoporisis as 1 in 2 women over 50 will have a oesteoporisis related fracture at some point. That’s a terrifying statistic…

"None of the advice is a secret. There is plenty of material detailing what is needed. As the NHS is stretched thinner, we have to take ownership of our health more."

Utter nonsense! There is plenty of material about a variety of conditions. The data changes all the time as more scientific proof becomes available.
We are not medically trained, the vast majority of population.
I like to think I'm not an idiot but I don't know there is a potential issue from thin air. It would take me a long time to understand what I need to find out and what is a reliable source of information.
There has to be a point where we actually expect good reliable regularly updated information available through official channels.
Plenty of posts on here showing PPs have been dismissed by GPs, consultants and nurses.
Clearly there is an issue with training some of these professionals and making sure their knowledge is up to date. If they don't know, who do we ask?
We might as well go back to the olden days when the village 'wise woman' treated everyone.
It would benefit the NHS if the population at large were better informed about preventive care. Starting in your 20s. This when you can actively take ownership and start looking after your bones health and you apply that knowledge to raising your children and the cycle continues.
There is a big problem in this country with knowledge about health. Signposting as a minimum. Sharing knowledge. That sort of thing. Anyone can google but what do we need to google and how do we know if the answers are correct? That's no way to become well informed.

I was diagnosed at your age. I take alendronic acid, which is a necessary evil. Apart from dexa scans every three years there is no mention of it from any of the consultants I see..

yeah fair enough maybe hasn't a clue.
Just sounded like OP knew a place osteoP wasn't sidelined in way OP deplores.

Also, eat your prunes!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35798020/