Overview
We have been led to believe that drinking milk is the key to bone health. Unfortunately, the prevailing myth that drinking milk as children builds up a calcium bank that helps us avoid osteoporosis and fracture later in life is simply not true. Our bone health is determined by a number of things including what we eat, our stress and activity levels, our muscle mass, and other factors that contribute to the delicate balance between bone build-up and bone breakdown. Unfortunately, osteoporosis is a very common and life-threatening problem, it is also highly underdiagnosed. This is part of the reason why prevention is so important when it comes to osteoporosis.
In this episode, Dr. Hyman sits down with Dr. Todd LePine to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to osteoporosis. They get into how chronic inflammation acts as one of the main drivers of osteoporosis, why both bone density and quality are so important, and much more.
Dr. LePine graduated from Dartmouth Medical School and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, specializing in Integrative Functional Medicine. He is an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner. Prior to joining The UltraWellness Center, he worked as a physician at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA, for 10 years. Dr. LePine’s focus at The UltraWellness Center is to help his patients achieve optimal health and vitality by restoring the natural balance to both the mind and the body. His areas of interest include optimal aging, bio-detoxification, functional gastrointestinal health, systemic inflammation, autoimmune disorders and the neurobiology of mood and cognitive disorders. Dr. LePine teaches around the world, and has given lectures to doctors and patients at American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), Age Management Medicine Group (AMMG), the University of Miami Integrative Medicine Conference, The Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA, and is on the faculty for American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). Dr. LePine is the head of the Scientific Advisory Board for Designs for Health and a consultant for Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory. He enjoys skiing, kayaking, hiking, camping and golfing in the beautiful Berkshires, and is a fitness enthusiast.
In this episode, Dr. Hyman and Dr. LePine discuss:
- Why drinking milk is not the key to bone health
- Common causes and risk factors of osteoporosis, including inflammation, diet, stress, and more
- Why bone density and quality are both important
- How smoking negatively affects bone health
- The traditional vs functional medicine approach to diagnosing and treating osteoporosis
- The benefit of getting your bone density tested at various ages
- Leaky gut, gluten sensitivity, celiacs disease, and other unexpected precursors to osteoporosis
- The benefits of resistance exercise for bone health, muscle mass, stability, and balance
- Bone building foods
- Lead toxicity and osteoporosis