Just call me dense…

dem bones…dem bones…

‘If only,’ I thought as I first glanced at the results of my recent bone density scan at the London Imaging Centre.

As a reasonably healthy, exercise keeno, I had skipped off for this benchmark check, without an inkling that my bones were anything other than dense.

You see, having had my ovaries taken out aged 40 (to dramatically reduce my risk of ovarian cancer), a bone density scan was in order because thinning bones and osteoporosis are very much associated with early menopause.  And these results, now aged 41, would help me to understanding how my bones would fair without ‘normal’ hormones in future years.

Yehudi Gordon at Viveka

So, unexpectantly, I am confronted with low bone density in my spine.  Just like that.  Often osteoporosis is referred to as “the silent disease” because bone loss usually occurs gradually over the years without symptoms. Many people aren’t aware that they have osteoporosis until they either have a scan like mine or have a minor fall which causes a bone to break.

Without further ado, I headed directly to my main (hormone and baby-making) man, Yehudi Gordon.  I make HUGE claims about Yehudi and his Viveka practice as they were once faced with a miserable girl and boy failing in the pregnancy department.  Four years later, I was whining about the amount of nappies I was faced with changing.

Blood and urine tests followed and I was keen to visit Yehudi today to hear what he could do with this bag of porous bones.

It turns out I have probably had low bone density since the age of 20 and it is only due of my recently departed ovaries that I have made my weak bones discovery.  The good news is that there is a fair bit you can do to strengthen up.

vitamin supplements to build up my bones

Yehudi broke it down for me into three categories:

Exercise – in a nutshell, the right exercise (particularly weight bearing) can improve the thickness of your bones.  Yehudi advised walking with a weighted backpack and trampolining as well as sessions with a PT who knows about weight training.

Diet – this should include plenty of calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D, Omega 3 fatty acids and fruits and vegetables. It also turns out that foods which contain lots of antioxidants help to slow down many aspects of the aging process, including thinning bones.

Supplements – I need additional calcium, magnesium, selenium and boron. Yehudi is a huge Marilyn Glenville fan and – cross-referring with my test results – he has advised me to take her National Health Practice vitamins:  Osteo Support, Multi Menopause and Omega 3 Support.

So here I am on a bone building mission.  With three years until my next bone density scan, I am determined to boost these bones.

Bone density loss affects us all. This process begins at the age of thirty and the average density loss is about 1% per year.  If you are interested in contacting Viveka, call 020 7483 0099.