- [Lorie] These days, 48year old Mira Calton enjoys
near-perfect health, a far cry from
when severe pain kept her fromeven getting off the couch.
- I was literally bedridden
and I went to see thedoctor and at that point,
he diagnosed me withadvanced osteoporosis.
He told me I had the bonedensity of an 80 year old woman.
He told me I'm not going to get better
and that was the way it was gonna be
for the rest of my life.
- Osteoporosis literallymeans porous bones.
That's bad.
In fact, half of Americans over 50
either has osteoporosis oris at risk of getting it.
Broken bones from osteoporosis account
for more hospitalizationsthan breast cancer,
heart disease, and diabetes combined.
Refusing to accept her doctor's diagnosis
of a life sentence, Mira decided
to research the field's top doctors.
That extensive work eventuallyled to not only a lifesaver
but also her futurehusband, Dr. Jayson Calton.
- And what's really scaryis that 50% of women
and 25% of men will fracturebecause of osteoporosis.
24% of these men andwomen who fracture a hip
literally die within the first12 months of that fracture.
Now we start to seeosteoporosis for what it is:
it's a deadly disease.
- [Lorie] Dr. Calton put Mira on a program
to strengthen her bone density.
- After two years workingwith him I went back
for a DEXA scan and I hadreversed my osteoporosis.
- [Lorie] In their book,"Rebuild Your Bones,"
the Caltons lay out the exact plan
that worked so well for Mira.
It starts with a dietrich in micronutrients,
especially calcium,magnesium, and vitamin D.
You focus on vegetables, seeds, and fish
while avoiding thechemicals and sweeteners
in processed foods.
- Sugar blocks your body'sability to absorb calcium
and magnesium and reducesyour vitamin D levels.
We don't want that.
We're trying to fight toget the micronutrients in.
- [Lorie] Sometimes even the healthiest
diets don't do the job and that's
when supplements come into play.
You just need to choose the right ones.
- They did a study where they went out
and they got 49 multivitaminsright off the shelves
and these are major name brands.
The scientists lookedat them and determined
that 51% of them or more than half
of them didn't even disintegrate.
So how can you get thebenefits of the micronutrients
in your supplements if you can't even
get your body to absorb them.
- [Lorie] Even the vitaminsour body absorbs might need
to be taken at differenttimes so plan your doses.
- A good example: calcium and magnesium.
They actually compete.
Yes the calcium will get in,
but the magnesium won't be able to.
Also, vitamin D and vitamin K2.
Oftentimes we see thesesupplements combined,
but we don't want to take them together
because they directlycompete for absorption.
- [Lorie] After changingher diet and supplements,
Mira looked for other ways tostop depending on chemicals
such as cleaning suppliesand personal products.
- And some of thesechemicals are so dangerous
that even one of them, triclosan,
that's found inantibacterial soap and also
your toothpaste and shampoo,you have to be careful,
increases your chances ofgetting osteoporosis by 50%.
One single ingredient.
- [Lorie] Next came focusing on her sleep.
That's because peoplewho do not get enough
quality rest face a 270% greater risk
of developing osteoporosis.
Lack of sleep affects theso-called hunger hormones,
ghrelin and leptin.
An increase in hunger typically leads
to choosing comfortfood, which is often low
in bone-building micronutrients.
- Make sure you just go into your room
and start slowly shutting everything down.
Get off of the computer earlier,
turn the television down earlier,
and pay attention to your sleep habits.
- Too little sleep increasesour stress hormone,
cortisol, which canblock the body's ability
to absorb calcium, leading to bone loss.
In fact, some diseases thatincrease cortisol levels,
such as Cushing's Syndrome,
carry increased osteoporosis risk.
The CDC reports nine out of 10 older
Americans have used a prescription drug
within the last month.
While they can be lifesaving,these and over-the-counter
medications can deplete the vital
micronutrients our bones need.
Some of these drugsinclude corticosteroids,
used to treat allergies,asthma and inflammation,
antidepressants, andlong-term use of antacids.
Dr. Calton recommends ways to reduce
what he calls our toxic load.
That's his term for theenemies our body fights
instead of using strengthto fortify our bones.
One way to reduce that loadis by using a HEPA air filter
to clean the air we breathe.
Certain water filters can take away lead,
copper, and mercurycoming out of the faucet.
- These heavy metals slowly deteriorate
and rob the body of the micronutrients
that it could be using tokeep your bones strong.
- [Lorie] Look for a water filters
that remove 99% of contaminants
and can back up their claims.
So while we don't plan tofall, eventually we do.
When that happens, strong bones allow us
to get up and keep going.
Lorie Johnson, CBN News.
