The Bone Coach Osteoporosis & Bone Health Podcast

#11: Take Charge Of Your Bone Health & Osteoporosis. Hormones. DEXAs, Drugs, Natural Bone Health Tips, Gut Health & More. Interview w/ Bone Health Expert Dr. Keith McCormick.

• Kevin Ellis

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In this interview with Dr. Keith McCormick we cover all things bone health and osteoporosis: Getting started after diagnosis, important lab testing, Dr. McCormick’s thoughts on osteoporosis medications, natural ways for decreasing bone breakdown and increasing bone formation, hormones, gut health, DEXA scans and more…

=>>FREE Stronger Bones Masterclass (Gain Access Now!)
=>>FREE 7-Day Osteoporosis Kickstart

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Topics Covered
2:50 - Who is Dr. Keith McCormick
4:34 - Osteoporosis has a major impact on our psyche
7:30 - Stress damages bone
8:24 - When someone is newly diagnosed where should they start? What are the foundational pieces they should start with? Functional medicine.
10:06 - Ruling out osteoporosis causes. Health history. Medications. Gut Health. Hyperparathyroidism. Celiac Disease.
12:15 - Bone density does not equate to bone strength.
13:15 - The basic lab testing Dr. McCormick runs on all of his patients. CTX. P1NP. CBC. CMP. PTH.
17:05 - A rampant immune system wreaks havoc on our bone health. Your immune system is connected to your gut health.
18:38 - Calcium levels and hyperparathyroidism
20:06 - Testing for celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
21:04 - Are you peeing out too much calcium?
22:02 - Osteoporosis medications. What does Dr. McCormick think of them? The advice he would offer to someone in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.
26:04 - The dangers of starting a bisphosphonate without first testing CTX
26:53 - Low bone turnover vs high bone turnover osteoporosis.
31:10 - Natural ways of increasing bone formation and reducing bone breakdown. Easier to reduce osteoclastic activity than it is to increase osteoblastic activity.
34:06 - RANK-L. Directly stimulates osteoclasts to break down bone. If you bring down RANK-L you can reduce bone breakdown. Alpha Lipoic Acid can help do this.
35:11 - N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) helps estrogen work better. Even in a male, estrogen is important for bone health.
35:27 - Estrogen and menopause
37:15 - Estrogen therapy and testing estrogen (ultra-sensitive estradiol)
38:17 - Male hormone testing (testosterone)
40:00 - Increasing osteoblast activity. Get enough protein. DHEA. Vitamin K.
44:10 - Urine pH and our bones
45:05 - Goat mineral whey is high in potassium, calcium, and other minerals.
45:36 - Most commonly asked questions from Dr. McCormick’s patients. Calcium.
47:21 - Bone density exams. 50% of DEXA scans are wrong.
50:02 - Long term use of osteoporosis medications
51:14 - Where you can find Dr. McCormick

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Resources Mentioned
Find all resources mentioned and show notes @
=>>https://bonecoach.com/bone-health-expert-keith-mccormick/

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Credits
Music from https://filmmusic.io "Werq" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

spk_1:   0:05
Welcome to the bone code show dedicated to helping you understand all things related to diet, lifestyle, bone health and how you can live and thrive with low bone density and osteoporosis. I'm your host. Kevin Ellis, certified health coach, health and wellness speaker and, above all else, your bone coach. After being diagnosed with osteoporosis in my early thirties, I transformed my health through diet and lifestyle and now help my clients and community members do the same through my online coaching practice. Bone coach dot com Look, there are no quick and easy cures for low bone density, but the choices we make every single day can have a powerful impact on our bones, our health and our general well being. I'll share the research, interview the experts and help you figure out how to get the conditions right in your body so you can better your bones through diet and lifestyle. Short disclaimer. I'm not a medical doctor, and this show should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with your health care team before making medical decisions and changes to your diet and lifestyle. But that being said, let's get on to the show. Everyone, thanks for tuning into this episode of The Bone Coach podcast. I'm your bone coach Kevin Alice. I think you're really going to endure this one. In my interview with Dr Keith McCormick, we're going to cover a range of topics all centered around bone health. We talk about getting started after diagnosis. Important lab testing, Dr McCormick's thoughts on osteoporosis medications, natural ways for decreasing bone breakdown and increasing bone formation. Hormones got health decks of scans and Maur. This episode is loaded with great information that you're not going to want to miss. But before we get to the interview, I want to make sure that those who are just starting out after diagnosis have what they need to start bettering their bone health because we've all been there and it can be stressful and upsetting and overwhelming. So if you're newly diagnosed with osteoporosis, you're completely surprised you're overwhelmed. You don't know where to start. I know what that's like. I've been there. I know what it's like to walk out of the office full of fear, stress and worry, and having no idea what to do next. So if this is where you're at, head over the bone coach dot com and sign up for the free seven day osteoporosis kickstart. In that kickstart, you learn the exact information you need to know right now to start taking charge of your bone health each day I share new tips, information and resource is to help you along the way. So if you haven't done so already, pause this episode right now. Head over to bone coach dot com and sign up for the free seven day osteoporosis. Kickstart will be here when you get back. Now. Dr Keith McCormick is a board certified chiropractor. He's been in clinical practice since 1982. In addition to general practice, Dr McCormick is a member of the University of Massachusetts Sports Medicine Department. His professional memberships include the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, the International Bone and Mineral Society and the American Chiropractic Association. Dr. McCormick has been published in the Alternative Medicine Review and in his own book, The Whole Body approached Osteoporosis. He's passionate about helping individuals with bone loss regain their skeletal health through a functional medicine approach. In 2011 he founded Osteo Natural Is, which is a company dedicated to bribing information in quality nutrition products to individuals with bone loss. And he's an athlete. In the seventies, he became an Olympian who are metals and won championships in various events. To this day, Dr McCormick continues to compete triathlons of all distances, and he's competed multiple times in the Iron Man world championships, these air arduous events that require a great deal of physical and mental endurance. And you know what makes his accomplishing these events Maur incredible. He did all of this after recovering from multiple osteoporosis related fractures over a period of five years. And the reason why I love Dr McCormick story is because he's living proof that the areas of your life for which you have the greatest passions, even if they include physical activity, don't need to fade away just because you're diagnosed with osteoporosis. So, like I said, I think you're really going to enjoy this interview. Ah, lot of great information here. Here's Dr Keith McCormick sharing all things bone health. Dr. McCormick. Welcome to the show.

spk_0:   4:31
Thanks, Kevin. Thanks for inviting me.

spk_1:   4:33
I'm glad you could join. One of the first things I wanted to talk about was your book. The whole body approached osteoporosis and how it was one of the first books on the subject I actually read. And even just after reading the first few pages of your book, you really grab hold of my attention specifically because of a single word you use. And that was antithesis. And you used antithesis when you were talking about how frailty, the characterization Pardon me associated with osteoporosis ran directly, countered who you were. And that resonated with me because, you know, for the majority of my 18 years on, I thought I was fit in shape. I enjoyed to work out. I spent time in the Marine Corps Infantry where I was running combat patrols in southern Afghanistan with heavy loads of gear and high stress situations, and that really led me to develop this mindset of someone who was tough and someone who could endure. And when I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, I felt like in a single fell swoop that identity was put into question. And I think for a lot of us, especially when we're told unexpectedly that we have osteoporosis, those same kinds of feelings can come out. And so for those of our listeners who have not read your book. Would you mind sharing a little bit more about your personal journey with osteoporosis and how that has led you to your work? Now

spk_0:   5:55
I think what most people don't realize is that osteoporosis has a huge impact on your psyche. Just like you said. You know, Huer you and you get you in a military guy. You know you did everything and then all of a sudden you hear that you're fragile. It's interesting. I went to a seminar, but two weeks ago in Florida, on osteoporosis and the speaker said that we're getting away from calling this fragility fractures and when people have a fracture from osteoporosis and the reason why is because people don't want to be labeled as fragile. And I know when I was first diagnosed and that's what I thought, I was unbelievably embarrassed. I was ashamed of myself that I didn't quote, take care of myself. I like you. I was an athlete. I was on the Olympic team. I thought of myself as being invincible. And now you're telling me that I'm fragile and gonna break, and that fragility fractures. It was a lot for me to take in. And so it wasn't just that you're dealing with the disease process, but you're dealing with a huge psychological component, and I think that's what most doctors don't realize. And you people go into their doctor. They find out that the imposter process and all the doctor says is here, take this drug and you're done and they don't touch upon the psychological aspect.

spk_1:   7:22
When And the psychological aspect is probably one of the most important pieces of anybody's bone health journey, it

spk_0:   7:28
is. It's huge. You know, stress is a major, uh, insult to bone because stress you released quarters all, and Corso really increases bone loss that stimulates C Osti class. So the last thing you need to do and easy to say, hard to do. But the last thing you need to do is is get all anxious and upset about it, and then that doesn't help anything. I know that doesn't work to really stick it to say that to yourself, but I think that's what one of the things that upsets me work most about when people go in and they get diagnosed. I don't think the doctor that they're talking to realizes Thean impact. They just think, Oh, this is just gonna break a few bones, Not that big of you. It's not cancer. It's not heart disease. You don't get over it, and it's it's much more serious than that.

spk_1:   8:23
No, I wholeheartedly agree. Eso when someone is newly diagnosed, especially unexpectedly diagnosis. They've got all these feelings and emotions, and they're trying to make sense of all this information out there, much of it contradictory. Where should they just start? What are the foundational pieces they should be starting with on their bone health journey?

spk_0:   8:45
Not going to the Internet because the Internet is filled with all kinds of fear and and, uh, misinformation. Functional medicine doctors are really good, even if they're not necessarily osteoporosis experts. They still know that, you know, to to deal with osteoporosis, you have to deal with the health overall, half of the person and gut health isn't probably the number one thing to deal with. Most people think of calcium and vitamin D, and that's about it with us, your process bit, but a functional medicine doctor will help guide them. And um, yeah, they're an endocrinologist is good, but you know that When you go to endocrinologist, they're going to say one thing, and that is, uh, to take a drug. But the good thing about endocrinologists, besides the fact that they're just gonna say it take a drug, is it. They hopefully will make no rule out other things. There's a lot of reasons why people can lose. Bone is not just plain old running the middle osteoporosis birth, bone loss, but bone loss is can be caused by other disease processes, and that's what in an economic just will help with.

spk_1:   10:07
And what are some of those disease processes that could be behind osteoporosis? And what are some of the lab tests that would be important to? To get done to kind of rule those out

spk_0:   10:19
detect with one of the most important things is just a look. A person's history as faras medication use prednisone quarters quarters own, which is the number one drug prescribed but doctors is has a huge, huge insult on bone health. It really stimulates osteoclasts, the breakdown bone. So that's one thing. Look at the medications that you're on. There's people with good people with the justice. Issues are often times given H blockers to decrease had a version, um, a C L production in their in their stomach, and so that decreases their ability to breakdown foods and absorb nutrients. There's different disorders, such as hyper parathyroid ism, uh, celiac disease. And even if you don't have celiac disease, which is at a sensitivity to gluten, ah, person could just be sensitive and not necessarily have full blown celiac and see like these people don't realize you don't have to have necessarily thatjust of issues. You don't have to have constipation, diarrhea, loading anything like that. You might be feel totally normal with with food and not even think that you haven't got issue. So one of the things that's so important with osteoporosis is to test to get different lab tests and rule things out. If you go to see a doctor and they do a bone density and you're in the bone, density comes back saying of osteoporosis and the Doctor just hand your prescription for this pasta. Me for some drug. That's not the way to go. You have to do certain lab testing rule things out. Try to figure out why you're losing bone. Or maybe you never had the bone density to begin with, and number two also your number three or four realized that bone density does not equate the bone's strength. It's ah, bone strength has to do it bone density and bone quality. The problem is, we can't necessarily measure bone quality directly, but there are different lab tests that will give us hints into what the quality of your bone ISS. You can have a certain one person can't bone density, have a negative 2.5 and break, have a fracture, another person have a bonus of negative 3.5 and not great where vice person. So quality has a lot to do with this and and doing that test. Coppola Sula

spk_1:   12:59
in what are some of those lab tests that it would be done to help identify if cells there are building bone of cells are breaking down bone. If you're actively losing bone,

spk_0:   13:11
I'll tell you that, like the basic lab tests that I do for almost everybody, I do what's called a bone resorts shin marker, and that is a do si Teela peptide. There's also some doctor shoes n Teela peptide. I use secular peptide, and that's a It's a blood marker, and what it does is it's a measure of how much Austen classic activity osteoclasts for the sounds that breakdown bone when they're hyper aggressive and breaking down too much phone, Then your C T L. A peptide will be high, and bone bone is healthy when these ostrich class are breaking down some boom at As you go through your everyday life, you get little bitty microfractures in bone, and those little macro factors have to be called out to keep your bone healthy. So let's say you get a little bit of micro fracture and these microfractures there's thousands of these happening all throughout the day throughout your skeleton, and then the Aussie class come eat at the micro fracture and then some osteoblasts itself that built bone come in and then they patch that little hole up and then you're fine. Then that area of her bone that was a little weakened from the microfracture is now knew and rejuvenate. That happens in thousands and millions of places all throughout your stock and every day. So the seek your pep time is a bone resort Asian market that essentially measures how much bone collagen is in your blood. Nto a peptide can do how much bone collagen is in your blood or your urine, but the sea gives a protector for John. You see key X measures the essentially be how much how aggressive the ostrich class are. If they're really super aggressive, then we have to shut them down. So that's the number one must look at the C T x c What the level lost A classic activity is, and it's not a perfect test. None of the test. None of these tests are perfect. Bone densities aren't perfect, and we're gonna talk about bone density salute later. Another test that get is P one n. P. And that is a bone formation marker that essentially tells us how much osteoblasts stick activity is going on in your body so they osteoblasts with the cells that build bone. So we want to make sure that they're kind of matching how much, Uh, the Austen classic tearing down. And there's no strict numbers by saying all this. If the C T X is at 300 p, one MP should be 80 or something like that. You know, there's no direct correlation there. But after a while, I get used to kind of knowing what's normal, what's not wrong. But but those two markers are are good, but, uh, formation marker pew on empty. Another is just vitamin D. How much fight him. Indeed. You have in your body by Mindy helps you absorb calcium from your gut. It activates active calcium absorption from the Dubois DNA, but the upper a small intestine of your gut. Um, you should have this, A CBC, a complete blood count. But a lot of times it often does. People are anemic. And when you don't have enough iron, we have too much iron that could be detrimental to your to your blood. And there's other indices in the CBC that can tell us a little bit about home. Man, you're you're quite blood cells. Er a little too aggressive, and we can see that from the CDC. What I think people don't realize is that the master class it sells the breakdown dome. They are a form of a white blood cell. So they are part of your immune system in the Oslo process is essentially a disease of your immune system. When the immune system gets out of control, and that's often the case. When you have digestive issues, 70% of your immune system is in your digestive system. You have an overgrowth of bacteria. You have activation hyper activation of that immune system. We then have a release of all these signalling molecules. So it's called interleukin ts and different other different molecules that are active during the immunological activation. And because in Austria, class is a form of a wet blood. So it hears this noise that here's the speaking that the talk of these molecules that air speaking within the immune system and then they get all excited and then they start their responses to eat at the bone so a CBC can help with that a C M P, which is called a comprehensive medical profile. Is that so? That's our fourth test that tells us things like your glucose level high glucose is decreases the quality of your bone serum. Calcium levels seem casting levels will tell us if you're parathyroid glands, which is four glands in your throat, called it right around your thyroid gland that essentially they monitors how much calcium is in your blood. You need calcium in your blood for muscles to contract. So if you so these parathyroid glands are constantly monitoring how much calcium is in your blood. If there's not enough para Thor mon the hormone path woman from the parathyroid glands is released that stimulates the Astra class to break down bone. When they break down bone, Cousteau is released into the blood. We have, ah, higher level blood, calcium and everything is fine. If the parathyroid glands yet hyperactive, they often I see this probably who almost once a week in my practice now, um a person with a benign tumor in one of parathyroid glands in that tumor that benign its own adenoma releases excess Parador mon. Now, Peric, luck para hormone levels get deductive 55 60 70 80 and that's too much. And then what happens is that stimulates the Aussie class hyper it stimulates him. Now they're breaking down pounds of bone. Your blood calcium goes up and your bone calcium goes down. So just ruling parathyroid issues out this important. So you're getting a P th that would be the fifth test. Um, I always almost always test people for gluten sensitivity as we touched on before. There's four tests that are for gluten sensitivity. Some doctors only do what's called anti tissue transcript Communists or end Oh my Celia and Bodies. But I have to go a little bit more, and I like to do what's called anti Glee Adan and Device I G and anti gland Enterprise I g A. And you also have their tweets from the total energy just to make sure you're in i g A producer. Aggie is just in the immunoglobulin, and any of these four tests tell us whether your sense of Declude if you're sensitive to gluten two things Captain number one, you might not be able to absorb nutrients a swell and number two if there is an antibody production. What is that saying? That's an activation of your immune system. So because it said before, that's gonna excite the oust request and have them break down more bone. Um, another test is, uh, 24 hour you're in calcium, and if there's some people who spill out calcium from their from their kidneys into the urine, and so they might be taking it in, but they're spilling it out too much, the kidney should be reclaiming. Cast him. If there's a net loss in accounts in the in the urine, you're gonna have net, huh? Net Counselor in the body. So those were kind of basic lab test again, and there's there's more. But essentially, those should always be done on everybody before they even think about doing a drug.

spk_1:   21:48
No, I think that was a fantastic overview of lab testing and really gave some good information to our listeners about what they should be asking their provider to order if they're not already done a proper work up. So you also just mentioned osteoporosis medication. That's something I'd like to talk about for a minute. A lot of our listeners, myself included, are focused on improving their bone health solely through diet, lifestyle and exercise. And we also have listeners who have incorporated bone meds into their bone health journeys. And I think you have a unique perspective on them because they played a role in your bone health journey and in your book. You also use a wilderness trek analogy when talking about the use of pharmaceuticals, where you talk about survival being about being smart and doing what is necessary at that particular moment for that particular problem with your particular ability. What advice would you offer to someone in their thirties forties fifties whose newly diagnosed with osteoporosis about using medications and bringing them into their own bone health plan? What should they be considering when making their decision?

spk_0:   22:57
When I was first diagnosed, I was 45 years old. Have it had a negative 4.3 key score I was breaking. I broke 12 bones in five years, and I went to five different and technologists, and they all handed me a prescription for this fast in it, and I looked at every one of them. I said, I'm not here to get a prescription. I'm here to three out. Why of osteoporosis? If you're really young, that's what we have to do. Going straight to a drug is not the thing to do, I guess. I mean, sometimes we have to do it, and these drugs are not bad. The problem is, if you're starting a drug when you're 40 or 50 years old, you're gonna live nine year 100. You supposed to be on these drugs for 50 years. That is not the way to go, Uh, for me and for many of my patients, Uh, is he so impatient? That has their bone density is so core, they're breaking bones. The only option we have is the who now this whole and use some medications. But all the while we're using the medication. We're trying to figure out other ways to help them and make their overall health better. Osteoporosis is not just a disease of bone. It's your whole body is involved in some way or another. You know, I think of the maybe it's just because I in the car tractor and I deal with us to process. But I think of your skeleton is a century. The center of the human universe is the skeleton is actually an American working. It actually puts out four moments that have to do with energy regulation. It is, um, affected by every single organ in your body. It affects other organs in turn, so if you don't have good bone as it would good going help, I'll guarantee there's other things that are going on in your body that aren't good either. And an all chronic disease is related people with with Austria purposes have a much higher risk for heart disease. Alzheimer's diabetes and people who have heart disease have a higher risk for roster process. And the reason why a lot of these things are essentially related. They come down to having a chronic inflammatory issue behind them. Uh, if your diagnosis, when you're when you're young, uh, it may be because you never accrued enough bone density to begin with. Or there's something else going on that is causing this big bone loss. And the answer is not to jump on a drug right away. Um, it's it's the drugs can be helpful. You use them. Be testing first. I touched on one thing. Let me just finish that thought that I had about the medications and that essentially, especially the Miss Foss minutes and the importance of testing first, if you're 50 years old and you just find out you have osteoporosis and your your doctor says, Oh, here's a prescription poor of this. Fascinating. Without testing, you're speaking of a peptide. You don't know whether your classic activity is high. For Oster, classic activity is low. If you have low Oster classic activity, and you have poor Austria plastic bone formation. The worst thing to do would be to start on a bus pasta Nate. And the reason why is because you're not gonna take what little bit of Austria classic activity in Austin plastic activity you have. And now you're going to put a poison in there and make them even sicker than they are. So you're taking a what's called a low bone turnover osteoporosis. And that's where this one when people have low seek yaks, low P one and P. Abel What's for the low bone turnover Osteoporosis? It's different than regular roster process, which which usually is Ah, hi, bone turnover. Osteoporosis. Which medications work better than that? But it's a low mooned over if they're seeking axes. Already, 150 or 200 is pretty low, putting them on this pasta. Nate is going to bring down Austen classic activity to essentially a dangerous level, which you don't want to do because that makes bones more fragile and they're already for Hatcher. We don't need to make him worse. People also get nervous about osteonecrosis of the job and atypical femur fractures. That's when people in bones get riddle from these medications. It's really not a fear that that is, it should be real. And people's minds. Yes, it happens. It's very rare to get us in the closeness of the job. It's very rare to have a typical femur fractures, but they do happen. And they happened mostly when people I have cancer and they're being given given this fascinates for a long time. And, um, when a person has Doster process without heaven cancer and they're giving him a lesser, the less strong bisphosphonates and they're giving it just for one year or two years, then the risk of these major adverse effects is much less. Ah, and they're very helpful a times. But I think that's the thing that people don't realize. They they hear, oh, osteonecrosis of the job. They hear a typical femur fractures from these drugs. Oh, they're bad. We should never take them and that you don't throw the baby out with the bath water in these situations, you use them when you when you we have to. We don't when we don't have to. And there's so much that can be done naturally to help people improving your pH. Uh, making sure your osteoblasts have all the materials they need to build bone protein minerals, making sure that justice situations air, air good, where you absorb nutrients. There's a lot that could be done. But if a person is on the on the brink of breaking, sometimes we just have to pull out all the stops, do a drug for temporarily and right to send. All the while, you were working on improving their health. But we don't throw away the drugs and just say we're not gonna use him. Sometimes we just have to.

spk_1:   29:33
You brought up a lot of really great great points. And in that piece about osteoporosis medications, one thing I just want to reiterate is ah, lot of times for people they have once again osteoporosis diagnosis. They have that knee jerk visceral reaction like I need to do something about this right now. And sometimes they may not even be actively losing bone. They may just not have achieved beak bone massive. So, like you said, figuring that out of front doing the appropriate testing is really, really important, too.

spk_0:   30:05
When I when I was first, the bag knows I was I'm really evil. Be anxious. I remember, uh, Thanksgiving coming and Christmas coming and thinking, Oh my God, no way is working on my problem thinking, thinking about everybody's out on vacation. Nobody's figuring out what's wrong with me. And that's That's when I realized what I just set up for myself by myself and just said, I'm figuring that stop myself. But I also began to realize that osteoporosis is kind of like a tornado crossing the road. You know, it takes its time. There is time to figure things out. This almost is never a crisis. Uh, except when a person has a fracture, I agree, but usually beginning you have time to figure this out and in there in like you said, there's no reason to do a neat trick. Reaction to jump. It's something right away. We have time. That's the luxury of this disease. It's

spk_1:   31:05
if there is indeed a luxury. Um, so you know, I do wanna ask. Are their natural ways for reducing osteoclasts activity, which is, you know, the bone breaking cells or increasing osteo black sec osteoblasts activity. The cells that form bone are there wasted, naturally, increase in reduced. These

spk_0:   31:27
it's much easier to reduce Austen classic activity then is to increase osteo plastic activity. And there's a couple reasons for this number one as we age osteo plastic activity naturally peters out for some reason. You know, if you look a light bulb and it's getting to the end of its life, what is the light bulb do? It doesn't just burn out. It always said it gets really, really bright, and then it burns out in the Austin class for the same. They just go home wound for years, and then they finally calmed down. But, uh, anything that stimulates that immune system is going to stimulate them. So it's actually almost pretty easy. I would say 90% of the time, I couldn't bring Austria 95% time. I could bring Austria classic activity down just to natural ways without even doing a drug. Sometimes we have to do the drug on top because I can't bring it down to the level that we need to quote saved the person they already have. A negative 3.8 were right. So for people who don't know that T scores of osteoporosis and negative 2.5 is osteoporosis on negative 3.5 with the fracture is getting to be spurious, severe osteoporosis and negative one and get 1.5 native to even. That's osteopenia. It's not great. It's not bad, but as the worst, the number gets the worst. The bone density is the when a person gets to be name 3.5 a 3.84 point native. Four point out that alarms me a little bit under that way, have more time. So if a person's and negative you okay, we get kicks and some other markers. Like I said, let's say the C T. X is the secret of appetizers 450 or 500. We could do things like change their diet. And if they're having constipation, diarrhea, bloating, we figure out what that ISS they have a bacteria or a girl. There they are. The a sense of the gluten. Do they have sensitivity to dairy? Um, are they having a a er, thyroid issue? Um, are the low on vitamin D? All these things can contribute to it changed in your new system and change in in what's called rankle. If you've read my book and now you have Kevin, uh, talk a lot about rankles called R a N K L. It's called receptor activated for nuclear factor. Kappa Be Lie again, big mouthful. But when it is, it's a It's a molecule that's directly stimulates the osteoclasts to break down bone. You're bringing down rankle that will bring them in Austria. Classic activity. And there's a lot of, um, one of the things I use is out for that poet acid to do that. And the reason why is this Apple acrylic acid is one of the best and the toxins for getting into all the nooks and crannies of your body. It's the reason why is because, like vitamin E is antioxidant, it's just fat soluble when C is just what So after the court gases antioxidant that's both. Water soluble in fat soluble gets it off with marsten crannies. So it gets from your blood into the bone marrow, which is, uh, fatty and helps decrease osteoclasts activity. And the cirrhosis came helps f urgent work better. One of things people don't realize is that even in a male, your estrogen is by far more important for bone help in testosterone. This, uh, estrogen, when estrogen gets too low when a When a woman goes through menopause, estrogen levels plummet because they always peter out with their s in production and in the meantime, who has to take up the slack who has to take up the production of estrogen? You never get to the same level as of estrogen that you used to have when four minute up menopause that after menopause always give out the adrenal glands and the fat that you have within you are the two things to produce the estrogen within you, and it takes a while for the body to readjust. Oh my gosh, the ovaries Just stop the adrenal gland. Say I have to do the job. That's why you know, it's a big stress on them. That's all it takes. The well, thanks, essentially five years. It's a long time to wear Oster. Classic activity rises because a woman doesn't have the same amount of estrogen in there. But men have been easy. We don't go through. We go through on andropause sometimes, but it's much different, much more gentle, much more slow and not as pronounced as menopause is for a woman. And so just the one that was my decrease, but it doesn't impact their bones nearly as much as the estrogen lost in women. And for men like I said, estrogen is is a very important, more important than that testosterone for the for the bone house. So it takes a little time for for that to happen with the estrogen. And I'm a big proponent of estrogen therapy. If it put in one of the tests I do that I didn't mention before. For one, if they're just, if they'd just gone through menopause and we're looking at their low bone density, I'll do an ultra sensitive Esther dial that wanna and that will tell us. Oh, is there Esther dial like a five picograms right now? Or is it a 15 pecker Gramps run out. If it's a five pack a gram smell, which is way too low, they might talk to their doctor about doing low dose estrogen therapy. Not high dose estrogen dirty but low dose estrogen Deri, because that will help decrease Seiki X that help decrease the Austria Classic activity. Estrogen is er, is a great quieter downer of Austria. Class osteoclasts need estrogen to keep them calm. Uh, when you lose the estrogen they get wrecked, cranked up and so little bit low dose Estrogen goes a long way for for a few years. It helps helps bridge that gap between menopause and 57 years after minute. Also, mouse that your body to be let down a little bit slower

spk_1:   38:17
and then for men, You also you just mentioned that estrogen is really important hormone for men as well. What would be some of the testing that you would look at there, too?

spk_0:   38:27
I would mostly look at the testosterone because I'm not gonna give up. Not gonna advocate giving it a man estrogen. But I would look at the testosterone that even if it's it 200 wow to one's for a little bit low. But if it's a 303 150 that so it's not great, but it's okay. And what's more important, this actually the free testosterone? What happens in men and women? Is they their sex hormone by any globulin s, a speedy goes higher, and that is just one of the things that happens as we get older and when hormones are bound up by this S H B G or by a human, which is another but, uh, protein that that they combined to it tastes the estrogen's ability or the decisions ability to work away. So we want free hormones. Uh, sometimes there's nothing you can do. I've tried hard that bring down S H G. I haven't figured out exactly how to do that with anything about it. And you're and you know that you're not getting that help from the estrogen that you need to. Sometimes there's no other way to do it except temporary use occasion. Microbus posturing. Um, you talked about different ways to bring down a spastic active each of those airways. Then to boost us your plastic activity, I said, That's even harder. And the reason why that's hardest was we naturally lose Austin blasting activity or as we get older, but the things that you can do, huh? Make sure that you have enough protein is there's some studies 10 15 20 years ago that really scared people about protein, and now we're starting to revisit back. So people heard that the more protein you had the Morris to Croesus the but they're Waas and I will realize that that might be true if It's just all acidic, broken justice from red meat and, you know, high phosphorus, uh, proteins like the grain since things like that. But if you get other proteins, um, you know, from fish and chicken and shrimp and pea protein and things like that and that you were not necessarily increasing the acidity of your body too much, then those proteins are really important, cause bone is procaine. Bone is protein impregnated with minerals. And so to help lost your blasting activity when the things you can do is make sure you're getting a protein. Also, exercise stimulates the osteoblasts D h e a which is di hydro epi. Andro stare. Um, is it as a precursor hormone? Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone. So but taking D h e A. You can help stimulate those hormones a little bit. D h E A s. The saw fated form of D h E. A is a good test to get. If that's really low, you might be good to take a low dose D h e a product, you know, maybe five or 10 and 25 milligrams OK a J. But not until us to test it for you don't want me kicking th ey and tell your tests on the way your testes, Like a said. D h e A s um you know, another thing is making sure you have enough vitamin K. So I mean, Kay activates or Kobach slates. Osteo Councilman and Austria Council is approaching this release by, uh, the osteo blast and essentially access to things when osteo osteo counselors released Man, ask your blast. And so you want to make sure that you have enough Oscar classic buster plastic activity. But if there's minimal osteoblasts captivity than what, um, ask you counseling, they released. You want to make sure that that's all utilized to the to the utmost, but to you need to activate this ostrich counsel, and that is done with vitamin K. So we have what's called a car box elation about the cost of the State Council. And when that happens, when it's activated, two things happen. It passes a nuclear for the head. Roxy appetite Crystal. So so you know how you have it. The I was get mixed up between clams and oysters, but I think it's who makes the pearls clan's heir. The oysters. They're oysters that make pearls, right, But a little Penis. Is that right? Come in. I hope so. A little grain of sand goes in the oyster and that stimulates the formation of a pearl. The same thing happens with a crystal of bone. The hydroxy appetite crystal a bone. You need a nuclear. You need something to for the the process of a crystal bone, crystal to form and nasty Austria Callison Also it kind of acts is a glue between the layers of bone formation. So that one is laid down in layers just like plywood. And then just like cloud, we need the glue in between. So the vitamin K activates the sauce to counsel. So So new bone conform, and then it glues it together. S O. K is important. And another thing that's important is your pH of your body. So I often times 50 people just test the urine p a nationwide from the morning. If it's really, really low all the time at 5.5, that's saying you probably don't have the buffering capacity in your body that you need to in the deep within your bone marrow, where these bone, where the Oscar class are it only takes a 0.5 ph difference, too. Increase Oster. Classic activity make their job easier. So just even subtle differences and body pH can make a huge difference. So by eating, but just testing your you're engaged, you kind of get an idea of body. It's not perfect test by any stretch, but it gives you a little bit indication of your butt from capacity. And if it's always 5.5, you know we're not doing a good job and eating veggies, veggies, veggies, veggies, fruit taking bit. Maybe you might have to take potassium supplements have a product called Austria Mineral Way, which is goat way, uh, if the mineral part of goat that way, and so it's really high and Cassie, um, Kasam buy organic sodium, so it's a really good buffering thing. So patients when when their pH is really low. I haven't taken us this. Austria men are away to help bring up there. They're pH of their body helps calm down the bat. That master class and helps helps the Austin blast through their job better. When I was a lot,

spk_1:   45:39
No, that's That's great great information. What are some of the most commonly asked questions from your patients.

spk_0:   45:47
Oh, wow. You know, a lot of people ask about Callison, And I guess, uh, calcium is 10th 20th down on my list. Osteoporosis is not about Callison. It is important. But I think the reason why that whole myth got started is because when you look at bones, what's the major inbreeding? A bone. It's cast. So people think, Oh, well, to fix the bones. Then, of course, we have to add more counseling. But I also did the same thing 20 years ago when I was first diagnosed, I found out it osteoporosis. I was cramming, cramming, cramming so much calcium down my tummy, and it was totally crazy. Uh, you don't need that. That's not gonna do anything. Uh, you could on Lee, except so much calcium in your body. And otherwise, it's not gonna do it Do any good. It's not if you if you have too much Oster classic activity going on, I don't care how much counseling you put into into now. It's not gonna do you any good. So calming down the whole bone remodeling crosses. This is the answer. Not taking just counsel. You need the calcium, No doubt about it. He push it, take Cassin. But you don't have to be taking 2000 milligrams account cement there. Uh, so that's when the big questions people ask and they asked the wide range. I mean, also, I'd like to touch just a little bit on bone density exams because that is, believe it or not, 50% of them, or maybe even more wrong. And I often have people come into my office and the hand me this one piece of paper that is the radiologist report from the bone density. And they say, Can you tell me about my bone dense? And I say, No, I can't because this is the radiologist report. All that say says, You have a negative 2.7 and your bone density, and that's about all it says. I need to see the hole bone against the printout from the machine. It's usually four or five pages long. It has little pictures of your of your spine and the hip, and oftentimes so probably most of us here have already had a bone density, and they remember lying on their back and their their legs. Air turned a certain way. They're positioned a certain way. And then they go back two years later. And another technician puts them on the under back alliance or feet a little bit different Lancer body a little bit different and then and takes the bone. Desi. Well, that little bit of difference in the way they're alive can make a huge difference in their scores. And so I look at all these full bone density printouts and I say, Wow, your bonus. You really went down here. But I can see from this the technician rotated your hip in way too much or not enough, and that's gonna affect the world of bone density is it comes out, or they might even measure the wrong vertebrae in the spine. Lots of things happen like that. So So you're seeing what people ask me. They asked me about bone densities, and the only way I can answer that question is for me to see the actual bone density. I'm just constantly amazed at how many of these things were wrong. You wouldn't think so.

spk_1:   49:29
And are there any other clinical pearls or or important things that you think would be great for our listeners to hear. Got

spk_0:   49:37
health is the number one. If you have any digestive issues at all, that has to be taken care of number to you. Makes sure the year eating well and he getting lots of veggies. Uh, number three. Don't be afraid of medications if we need them. Uh, but for sure, I mean, almost always for sure. You don't have to stay on these medications forever. I think that it's detrimental in and actually, you know, probably Violet instead, that can you. Years ago, every single medical doctor in the world will been upset with me. Now I want to go to meetings. That's what everybody's talking about. You know? How can we put these people on a drug get him off for a while? Get him on a taking drug holidays? Everybody's seeing now that there are problems with the medications. They're good, some of them in certain ways. But to be on all the time is not the way to go. So I have an open mind, I guess it's sort of saying, uh, don't e show me. People would come in, say I'm never taken a drug. I'm just not going there. My my mother died of a bus Foster, Nate, or something like that, and and I can see people's negativity towards that. I was really negative, too, and, um, but they can be helpful, too.

spk_1:   51:06
I think that's a really great note to end on. You have shared a wealth of information with our listeners. Dr McCormick. I really appreciate your time today. How can our listeners get in touch with you? How can they find your book? The whole body approached osteoporosis and also your you've created a line of supplements called osteo Natural is that actually helps people specifically with osteoporosis. So if you could talk about that just briefly here,

spk_0:   51:35
my website is www McCormick d c dot com says Debbie W W M c c o R m I c K D isn't delta season charlie dot com My office phone number is for 13 253 9777 And, um, if people go to my website, the McCormick d c dot com on there, I have a store for my master natural products so they can click on the tab that says Auster Naturals Shop. And there's also a place on there where it says service is there's a campsite service's and dropped down and says, uh, how people can get a hold of me for for a concert. And it explains kind of what I need and explain summat. Tests I just talked about on there that another tested that I might do. But that website will get people out of information. I also have a blogger, which I love people to read my blogged. I worked really hard on my bugs and, um, so been going and access to block from from that website.

spk_1:   52:54
That's fantastic. And you know what? I will. Ah, everything you just mentioned there. I'm going to take that and link it in the show notes of this episode so that everyone could have easy access to the information. Dr. McCormick, I just want to say thank you very much again for your time and hope to talk to you again soon. Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoyed this episode with Dr Keith McCormick. We covered a lot of information on bone health, and I hope you found it interesting, informative and helpful for this episode, you can find all of the resource is mentioned show notes and Maur information about Dr Keith McCormick over a bone coach dot com forward slash bone health expert Keith McCormick You know this podcast is something I'm really passionate about. It's really a labor of love for May I see clients all throughout the week try to spend as much time in the week nights and weekends with my family and young kids. And then the time I have left goes towards sharing information with you, the bone coach community. And with that information I'm sharing, I want to be able to help his many people as possible. That's kind of part of my my own journey of finding and sharing my purpose in this world. So if I could ask you a favor, if you enjoy this podcast and the information I'm sharing, the greatest way you could show your support would be to leave a positive rating a review on iTunes that helps more people find this information, and it could significantly reduce the stress and overwhelmed. That we all know comes with being diagnosed with osteoporosis. So a positive rating a review would be incredibly helpful. Now, as much as I try, I know I'm not perfect, either. I'm a regular person, so if there's a way I can improve the podcast or if there's a topic you'd like to learn more about or a guest speaker you'd like me to have on the show, I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email to Kevin at bone coach dot com. That's K E V I n and let me know. Remember, my goal is to provide you with the different information perspectives, interviews, research that could help you in your bone health journey. It's all about education and empowerment. The more we know, the better off we'll be for making Maur informed decisions for our own health and our bones. So stay tuned, because there's more for all of us to learn myself included. I think that's it for this one. I'm your bone coach Kevin Ellis. See you in the next episode.