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Homeopathy and Osteoporosis: Surprising Benefits You Need to Know

It's World Osteoporosis Day on the 20th October. This is a disease that effects my family terribly. I had a look online to see if there had been any research on homeopathy for osteoporosis. What I found surprised me and has given my family hope for our future bone health.

I remember my grandfather suffered severe osteoporosis in his last decade of life. He was an active farmer for most of his life. He was mentally sharp right to the end. It was distressing to see him confined to a bed in a private hospital for the last years of his long life.

Understanding Osteoporosis and Its Impact on Bone Health

Osteoporosis is a chronic condition of decreased bone density. Brittle, weak bones are the result. They can fracture easily, even if the fall or injury is minor. This can cause a person to suffer anxiety about falling or breaking a bone. They may limit social interactions or activities due to this.

This condition can effect all ages but is very common in later life. Risk factors include age, hormonal changes, dietary deficiencies (such as calcium and vitamin D), sedentary lifestyle, and certain medications.

Osteoporosis is more common in post-menopausal women. It may start with osteopenia that can occur at peri-menopause. Osteopenia is when the bone mineral density is reduced. The bone density is not quite low enough to be osteoporosis. I have worked with several cases of osteopenia in my clinic to increase bone density using homeopathy.

My Mother's Journey With Osteoporosis And Homeopathy

Osteoporosis and it's effects hit close to home for our family. My mother is now suffering with it after watching it effect her sister in the later stages of her life.

Despite living a very healthy life and having bone density scans regularly my mother fractured one of her vertebrae's last year. She was diagnosed with osteoporosis and prescribed a conventional biophosphonate drug called Fosamax.

While on this medication, I noticed my mother was having symptoms that would respond well to Calc phos . As the year went on, the need for the homeopathic remedy Calc phos became more frequent with symptoms centred in the urinary system.

As a homeopath I felt this was quite odd. Calcarea phos is a remedy to support bone health. It also supports the assimilation of Calcium and Phosphorus. Something wasn't quite right with her assimilation or balance of these minerals. She was needing this remedy more and more while on her conventional medication for osteoporosis.

I encouraged my mother to go to her doctor and seek advice. After some encouragement, the doctor agreed to blood tests and a bone density scan. The doctor agreed to my mother pausing the Fosamax to see what was going on.

The blood tests showed that her kidneys were struggling. After stopping the Fosamax my mother noticed significant improvement in other unrelated symptoms.

At the time of writing this blog, she is waiting for a bone density scan to see if the Fosamax had been able to slow the decline of her bone density. In the background is the looming family history of the terrible consequences of severe osteoporosis.

I decided to look at any research I could find about osteoporosis and homeopathy. What I found was most surprising and I'm excited to share it with you.

Scientific Evidence Supporting Homeopathy for Osteoporosis

The first two studies I found were hugely interesting. Please keep in mind the recommendations of all the studies that I will share is that there is enough evidence to warrant further research.

Often that's where these studies end because there is no further research being funded, designed or undertaken. The results of these studies align with my experience of these remedies in the clinic and the homeopathic body of case studies and history of use.

Study 1: Symphytum officinale [1]
Stimulates and Supports healthy bone formation 

The first study I found was an in vitro study on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). It was investigating the potential of the homeopathic remedy Symphytum officinale to increase bone formation as the stem cells differentiate into osteoblasts.

This study exposed the MSCs to the mother tincture and four different potencies of symphytum. They found that Symphytum enhanced bone formation (osteogenesis). There was increased expression of osteoblast markers and alkaline phosphatase activity.

But the part I loved the best in regards to my mother due to the hereditary nature of her osteoporosis was that they looked at the gene expression analysis for key osteoblast markers and the effect symphytum had on them. The gene expression analysis was on the following key osteoblast markers which showed increased action of:

  1. Runx-2: a protein that plays a key role in the development and maintenance of bones, teeth, and cartilage
  2. Osteopontin: plays a role in bone metabolism. It is a major non-collagenous protein in bone and involved in bone mass, bone-related cell proliferation, and bone diseases like osteoporosis. This protein is involved in aging, skeletal muscle regeneration and retinal aging amongst other processes in the body. It is a phosphoprotein that is found in bones and teeth as well as kidneys, urine and epithelial lining cells.
  3. Osteocalcin: a small protein which binds with hydroxyapatite and enhances bone mineralisation. Osteoblasts use osteocalcin. Vitamin K is essential in this process. Osteocalcin also increases insulin production and secretion and improves insulin sensitivity. The levels of Osteocalcin increase after physical excercise.

This study found that homeopathic doses of Symphytum officinale, especially the mother tincture, have the potential to enhance osteogenesis in human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Homeopathic potencies were originally created to keep the medicinal benefits of the physical substance while preventing any toxic side effects. Keep in mind this was a study on stem cells.

In the clinic it is important to find the right potency of this remedy for each client. Each homeopathic remedy stimulates the whole body not just the bones. You can see this clearly on Symphytums action on those peptides and proteins which have impacts right across the body, not just on the bones.

A person may aggravate with certain symptoms on the mother tincture (herbal dose). In a lower potency of 3c or 6c that there are no aggravations and we can still get the positive action of the remedy.

Study 2: Calcarea phosphorica 6c [2] 
This study is super interesting and done using rats. It compares the effects of the allopathic drug Risedronate and the homeopathic medicine Calc phos 6c on bone repair.
 
The findings were very interesting and deserved of more research. It found that the allopathic (conventional) medication of Risedronate led to greater bone formation as it prevents resorption (loss) of the bone. However, the bone was the more spongy trabecular type which is less dense in itself.
 
The use of Calc phos resulted in a more compact, lamellar bone formation. It increased the bone density but did not prevent bone resorption. The density decreased by day 28 the density decreased
 
Lamellar bone has a cortical structure. It is strong, denser and has a protective nature while trabecular bone is porous. 30-90% of it's volume can be occupied by bone marrow, blood vessels and connective tissue.
 
The conclusion of the study is the allopathic medication and the homeopathic remedy led to different types of bone formation. Further research is required to learn about the resistance and quality of the newly formed bone.
Study 3: Effect of Homeopathic Calcium on Bone Density [3]
This was a one year study on bone density in women using homeopathic calcium in medium potency. The results were that medium-potency calcium increased bone density in 11 out of 15 of the participants. 10 of the 11 were post-menopausal.
 

There is further research that is needed here but that is a very promising result.

Here is the first page of the publication which talks about osteoporosis in a little more detail and the process of Vitamin D assimilation in the body.

1st page of study write up

Vitamin D is very important for calcium assimilation and bone health. The author explains that it is first processed in the liver and then in the kidneys.

I found this super interesting as the remedy my mother needs to use the most since stopping the Fosamax is a liver and kidney support called Lycopodium. Lycopodium has long been known by the old Masters of Homeopathy as following homeopathic Calcium very well.

Benefits of Homeopathic Remedies For Bone Health

There are many benefits of using homeopathic remedies for bone health. The above studies only talk about a few of the remedies available that support bone health and strength. In my clinic we take the time to differentiate the remedies depending on your unique symptoms so we can find the very best remedies for you.

These may change over time as your body changes and shows what it requires for best health by exhibiting a change in symptoms. A homeopath has to follow the body as it communicates via these symptoms.

This means the homeopathic approach is tailored to your specific needs of your body.
Other benefits include:
  • Homeopathic remedies can be used alongside allopathic drugs due to their potentized nature. They will not interact with the conventional drugs.
  • There are no side effects of homeopathic remedies while they support bone health.
  • Homeopathy supports the body to come into it's best balance possible by supporting it's self-healing mechanisms.
  • Homeopathy can support not only the physical symptoms but the anxiety that can be related to osteoporosis.
  • Homeopathic remedies are cost-effective.

Incorporating Homeopathy into an Osteoporosis Treatment Plan

I'm very happy that I delved into this research. I feel very empowered and affirmed supporting my mother with osteoporosis and my homeopathic remedies.
 
I often tell my clients that for the homeopathic remedies to work well, the body must have all the building blocks required. That way the body can respond properly to the stimulus of the homeopathic remedies. It can better make the correct amino acids, proteins, enzymes etc. needed.
 
It's important that you have the correct diet that gives you as many of these building blocks as possible for good bone health. Protein is important, collagen and fats as well as all the minerals and vitamins. A good naturopath can help you tweak your diet and supplementation.
 
Of course physical, weight bearing exercise is important and encourages bone growth. Weight bearing excercise can be tai chi or yoga and simple walking. Tai chi and Yoga will help improve balance and strength of the muscles. This is important as we age to prevent falls.
 
The best way to incorporate the correct homeopathic remedies for you to increase bone health and strength is to start with a consultation with one of our homeopaths. They will be able to individualise your treatment plan to your symptoms and adjust it over time as necessary. Incorporating a homeopath into your lead healthcare team is one of the best things that you can do for your health.
 
Combining lifestyle factors, diet and supplementation and the correct homeopathic remedies is a comprehensive strategy that will foster stronger bones and enhance your quality of life.
 
Don't wait until you've fractured a bone. Homeopathy can support bone health at any age and stage.
 
If you would like to talk to us further about your case and how homeopathy might help you send us a message below and we will be in touch to book you in for an Orientation consultation with one of our homeopaths.

This is a free 30 min consultation.
You can talk to them directly about your symptoms and history and they will be able to give you a clearer indication of what homeopathy can offer you and what the process may look like for you in particular.

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[1] Dey D, Jingar P, Agrawal S, Shrivastava V, Bhattacharya A, Manhas J, Garg B, Ansari MT, Mridha AR, Sreenivas V, Khurana A, Sen S. Symphytum officinale augments osteogenesis in human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro as they differentiate into osteoblasts. J Ethnopharmacol. 2020 Feb 10;248:112329. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.112329. Epub 2019 Oct 28. PMID: 31672526.

[2] Werkman C, Senra GS, da Rocha RF, Brandão AA. Comparative therapeutic use of Risedronate and Calcarea phosphorica--allopathy versus homeopathy--in bone repair in castrated rats. Braz Oral Res. 2006 Jul-Sep;20(3):196-201. doi: 10.1590/s1806-83242006000300003. PMID: 17119700.

[3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/244883470_Effect_of_Homeopathic_Calcium_on_Bone_Density

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