No More Question Marks - Natural progesterone in the form of Mexican yam paste is the only substance to date proven to build bone.
By: John M. Taggart

Bone loss or osteoporosis and PMS are serious concerns for many women in America. In order to have an appreciation for recent progress in the area of alternative treatments for these conditions, it is important to first understand the state of the art and prevailing wisdom in the conventional fields of treatment.

In explaining osteoporosis, one must begin by understanding what bones are. Bones are the living mineralized support tissue of the body. They are constantly being made and unmade. This process in carried on by bone cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

Osteoblast cells make new bone and osteoclast cells resorb previously made bone. Resorb means dissolve. There are cells in your bones that dissolve old bone tissue, which are known as osteoclasts and cells that make new bone, known as osteoblasts.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a progressive loss of bone mass and bone strength. It is the most common and most disabling illness afflicting women in North America today.

In the United States, it causes 1.5 million fractures a year and costs for its medical care now exceed ten billion dollars annually. One of the major causes of advanced rates of osteoporosis is the standard american diet and it's characteristic excess of protein intake.

Excess protein leaches calcium out of the blood through the liver and into the urine. This calcium loss can be mitigated by the reduction of protein in the diet and by increasing dietary calcium of nondairy sources, such as leafy green vegetables.
Nondairy sources of calcium are preferable because of the high protein content of most dairy products excluding cheese and yogurt. Some foods that contain a high amount of calcium and low calories are collard greens, bok choy, broccoli, cooked greens, skim milk, low fat yogurt, black strap molasses, tofu, ricotta, sardines, salmon and corn tortillas.

Other factors promoting osteoporosis are: lack of exercise, cigarette smoking, inadequate vitamins A, D, and C, and the consumption of carbonated beverages. Carbonated soft drinks, once called phosphosodas, now known simply as sodas, increase the phosphorus intake in the relative absence of calcium and can cause bone loss.

Serum levels of phosphorus regulate corresponding levels of calcium. Increased phosphorus intake will extract calcium from bones to keep the levels in balance. It is wise therefore to restrict intake of sodas and red meat which is also a source of phosphorous. Western diets have a high amount of both these culprits.
Research into the aspects of osteoporosis have led to indications that hormone production in the body is the main function that affects the process of bone remaking and dissolution.

It is widely held in conventional thinking that estrogen slows down the leaching of calcium from the bone, but does not facilitate the deposition of calcium into the bone. In nearly all studies that look into estrogen replacement, a synthetic form of progesterone or 'progestin' was used.

Therefore it has not been demonstrated unequivocally that estrogen in and of itself has a remedial effect on the ravaging effects of osteoporosis. So estrogen is reported to retard bone loss, but does not prevent or reverse osteoporosis.
The prevailing medical opinion is almost universal that estrogen deficiency is the primary causal factor of osteoporosis, thus estrogen replacement therapy is applied whenever possible. This preoccupation with estrogen has left the more promising female hormone progesterone in the shadows.

In fact, most of the studies that have been conducted to date have used a combination of estrogen replacement and synthetic progesterone, known as progestins. Studies in which estrogen alone has been used have generated far less effect at slowing the process of osteoporosis than studies where estrogen and progestins were used.

This has led more astute researchers to conclude that what benefit has been derived from the estrogen/progestin studies is more attributable to the synthetic progestins than the estrogen itself.

Progestins were introduced because there are health risks associated with unopposed estrogen use. Unopposed estrogen has been found to cause salt and water retention, liver dysfunction, increased blood clotting and promote fat formation. In the research materials there is an additional paragraph of poly-syllabic contra-indications that look very scary that culminate in an increased risk of endometrial cancer and possibly breast cancer.

As a result of these risks, estrogen supplementation after 1976 was routinely accompanied by progestins, synthetic progesterone agents. These were found to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer, and also hopefully of breast cancer. However, these progestins which are commonly used as birth control hormones (female contraceptives) have a whole list of potential adverse side effects themselves, as anyone who is familiar with their use is aware.

The most common progestin is Provera, a form of steroid, the chemical name of which is medroxy progesterone acetate. Provera is used in an attempt to counteract the threat of cancers associated with estrogen supplementation and has over thirty contra-indications listed in the Physicians Desk Reference.

Heaping medication upon complication is an all too familiar pathology and one that is best avoided.

On the other hand progesterone assists osteoblast activity helping build bone and the remaking of bone tissue. Fortunately natural progesterone has no known adverse side effects.

The emphasis of late has been on natural progesterone, which is commonly found in Mexican yams and soy beans. Also hormones that are taken orally first pass through the liver where much of the hormone is lost or altered, this approach is not generating results that are as noticeable as the transdermal application of hormones which are readily absorbed through the skin.

Topical creams and patches are a good replacement for oral ingestion of particularly natural progesterone.

Many cultures use plant medicinals to support women through menopause with good reason. Plants such as soy bean, Mexican yams, and certain herbs are loaded with both estrogens and progesterone, identical to those manufactured by the body. Of more than sixteen million post menopause women, who have started hormone replacement therapy, only half of them stick with it.

The rest drop out because of the adverse side effects or fear of cancer. To date, no treatment program that excludes natural progesterone has been shown to increase both bone mass and density and bone strength in patients with osteoporosis.
What does all this really mean? It really means the known factors affecting calcium acquisition and normal bone building are myriad. Normal calcium absorption requires sufficient gastric acidity and vitamin D. Many older women are deficient in vitamin D, due to insufficient sun exposure and many over 70 lack sufficient gastric acidity.

Dietary factors are important. A disaccharide based deficiency, common after age 50 leads to lactose intolerance and the avoidance of dairy products results in a deficiency of calcium. Diets must include the vegetable sources of calcium. Phosphorus intake should be reduced by avoiding artificially carbonated beverages and limiting red meats.

Proper connective tissue or collagen requires the micronutrients vitamin C and A. Cigarette smoking accelerates osteoporosis and must be discontinued. Alcohol intake, similarly must be minimized. The incorporation of calcium into normal bone requires bone stress, exercise and appropriate hormonal control and supplementation.

In a landmark study begun in 1982, Dr. John R. Lee conducted a control group of 100 patients, all postmenopausal women, average age 65.2 years in a suburban setting. The average time from menopause was sixteen years. The majority already had noted height loss, and many had experienced one or more fractures.

The height loss affected some by as much as five inches. The osteoporosis treatment program included a diet of leafy green vegetables, avoidance of carbonated beverages, limitation of red meat to three or fewer times per week, and a limit on alcohol use.

Their diet was supplemented with 400 IUs of vitamin D per day, 2,000 mg of vitamin C, 15 mg betacarotine, 1,000 mg of calcium, and approximately 1/2 mg of estrogen a day, and a progesterone 3% cream applied daily 12 days per month, some exercise (20 minutes a day) and no cigarettes.

All patients were instructed on the application of progesterone cream to the softer skin under the arms or of the neck and face with altering sites chosen nightly. One of the interesting aspects of this study was the absence of any complaints or complications.

All patients reported a feeling of well being after three months of therapy. During the three year observation, patient height was stabilized, aches and pains diminished, mobility and energy levels rose, libido returned, and no side effects emerged.
Lipid levels did not rise, contrary to experiences reported with progestin use. Serial bone density studies showed a progressive rise. It was common to see a 10% increase in the first 6-12 months and an annual increase of 3-5% until stabilizing at the levels of a healthy 35-year-old. Neither age nor time from menopause was an apparent factor.

The faster increases occurred in those with the lowest initial bone densities. Most importantly the occurrence of osteoporotic fractures dropped to zero. Contrast this with the fluoride treatment program, where fractures tripled.

It is apparent that those who wish to avoid skeletal degeneration or reverse their osteoporosis should be mindful of the health tips recommended by those versed in the area and mentioned in this article in addition to progesterone supplementation with transdermal natural progesterone.