In May 2023 I posted this on Facebook and it never made it on to the blog so here goes …. osteoporosis and two of my favorite self-help books by R. Keith McCormick DC:
Earlier this week I read this book, The Whole-Body Approach to Osteoporosis: How to Improve Bone Strength and Reduce Your Fracture Risk by R. Keith McCormick DC, and wow, I’m very impressed and learned a ton.
It actually consolidates and builds on what I learned from him at the in-depth and excellent interviews with him on the Osteoporosis Summit, hosted by my friend and colleague, Margie Bissinger, MS, PT, CHC (thanks Margie! – I’ve ordered his newest book too).
I really love how Dr. McCormicks walks us through him being a detective with clients (the cases are excellent). And his information and interpretation on advanced bone health tests (like CTX, P1NP), other basic blood work (CRP, homocysteine, fibrinogen, vitamin D etc.) and functional testing (celiac/gluten sensitivity labs) he does is invaluable.
I’m curious to see what updates he’s made (if any) in his newest book, Great Bones: Taking Control of Your Osteoporosis. Does he now prefer MK-4 to MK-7 (forms of vitamin K), if he addresses the tricky calcium-oxalate issues (I’m trying to figure this one out too) and if he also discusses Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) which can be included in the DXA.
I do like that he discusses prevention too – for younger women and men! He was in his 40s when he started to have osteoporotic fractures.
I’m in my early 60s and don’t have osteopenia or osteoporosis but I want to be proactive and do comprehensive testing. I do have concerns due to my dietary oxalate issues and calcium homeostasis as a result of this.
Read about both books below and more on my own osteoporosis story (yes, I do have osteoporosis after all!) and probable root causes.
The Whole-Body Approach to Osteoporosis
Here is the official blurb for this book:
No pill will cure you of osteoporosis. While medication can sometimes help, it won’t fully address the underlying causes of your osteoporosis or osteopenia. To restore bone health, you’ll need a targeted program combining the best bone-building strategies from traditional and holistic medicine. The Whole-Body Approach to Osteoporosis distills these complex strategies into a whole-body plan you can begin today to dramatically improve your bone strength and overall vitality.
This comprehensive guide includes information on:
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- What to eat for stronger bones
- Choosing bone-building supplements and osteoporosis medications
- Foods and medications that may be contributing to bone loss
- Signs and symptoms that can help you monitor your bone health
- How lab tests can help you personalize your plan
It was published in 2009, and I found it to be eye-opening and a wonderful introduction to the comprehensive functional medicine, nutritional and lifestyle approach that needs to be considered when addressing bone health. It’s written for the layperson but is meaty enough for practitioners new to the mechanisms of bone building and bone breakdown, osteoporosis medication and the impacts of environmental toxins.
As I mentioned above, his information and interpretation on advanced bone health tests (like CTX, P1NP), and other labs that are important for bone health (CRP, homocysteine, fibrinogen, vitamin D etc.) is invaluable. He also covers the basics that I cover in my book/work – like eating real food, digestive health and celiac/gluten sensitivity.
It comes highly recommended and you can find it in bookstores and on Amazon here (my Amazon link).
Great Bones: Taking Control of Your Osteoporosis
Here is the official blurb for this book:
Dr. McCormick knows what potential dangers lurk for women and men who don’t understand the life cycle of bone, who don’t realize the role nutrition plays in bone health, who don’t know what can happen to bone even when they think they’re doing “everything right.”
In his mission to help readers — women and men, athletes and nonathletes, primary care physicians and specialists — Dr. McCormick explains not just the fundamentals of osteoporosis but also the pathophysiology of bone loss and what it takes to regain skeletal health.
If you’re a patient suffering from bone loss, Dr. McCormick helps you take control of your osteoporosis; if you’re a doctor, he lays out the most up-to date science so you can best serve your patients. Great Bones is a book everyone can use to achieve better skeletal health well into their 70s, 80s, and beyond.
This one was published in 2023 and is a hefty 714 pages (vs 200 pages for his first book). This book takes everything in his first book to the next level. And while it is more geared to practitioners it is easy enough to follow for the health-savvy layperson.
Every time I pick it up to search for something I learn so much more. Here are a few eye-opening gems:
- Test CTX early morning and avoid biotin and collagen for 48 hours beforehand (I also heard him say this on the osteoporosis summits)
- “Butyric acid can increase bone formation by lowering osteoclastic formation” (bone break down) “and stimulating the deposition of calcium into the collagen matrix”
- “High concentration of lead are found in the cement lines – where mineralized bone meets non-mineralized collagen and where zinc concentration is highest” (and more information on how lead adversely affects our bones)
- “Post-menopausal women excrete eight times more urinary zinc than women with normal bone density”
With regards to my questions I had before getting this book – he does use both forms of vitamin K (MK-4 and MK-7) and he also discusses Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) which is an add-on for the DXA and a good indicator of bone texture and quality.
Unfortunately he doesn’t address the tricky calcium-oxalate issues that I’m trying to figure out, other than a very brief mention on one page.
I’m eagerly waiting for a kindle version to come out so I can more easily search for advanced topics. My index is full of my scribbles as I find some topics buried within other topics, like some of the TBS information.
This book is also highly recommended and you can find it on Amazon here (my Amazon link).
My osteoporosis story (some of it anyway)
When I posted about these books in May 2023, I was planning to be proactive and do comprehensive testing to get a good baseline in my early 60s. After reading these books and two others, I had my first DXA in July that included a TBS and testing of my left forearm. I was shocked to find out I have osteoporosis, despite the fact I have exercised my entire life – running (road and trails), playing tennis and then squash, rock-climbing, doing weights to train for climbing, backpacking with heavy packs, mountain biking, skiing and wind-surfing.
Because of this I’m really passionate about getting the message out about testing early (for women and men) and being informed and proactive. Dr. McCormick suggests women do their first DXA at 50 and men at 55 (and earlier if they’ve had a fracture).
Given my many possible root causes, I now wonder if I should have tested myself at 40 years of age? As I mentioned above, my dietary oxalate issues and the disruption of calcium homeostasis is likely a major factor. I’ve added these as contributing factors too: my long-term gut issues (since childhood), gluten sensitivity, SIBO, my history and propensity for anxiety and panic attacks, my past exposure to toxic lead (in my 20s I worked in an oil refinery and was exposed to jet fuel at a small airport), the fact that I have pyroluria (the zinc and vitamin B6 connections – I’ll be publishing a blog post on this and osteoporosis) and my liver/bile issues (which play into the oxalate issues).
Dr. McCormick says this at the start of Great Bones … “you need to understand the causes” and I do so now I can work on all of this. I love that he also says: “In this book what you will find is hope – within realistic physiological limitations – that you can improve your bone health.”
Dr. Kim Millman’s healthier bones course
With these books and other reading I’m doing, I now have the knowledge and tools. I’ve seen some improvements in the last year and I’m ready to jump in and do further testing and additional adjustments to actually reverse my bone loss.
But I need more so I’ve just signed up to do Dr. Kim Millman, MD’s online Restore & Rebuild: 100 Days to Healthier Bones program. Dr. Millman was also a speaker on Margie’s osteoporosis summit and if you are also looking for support and expert guidance via an online program, this one is a no-brainer. There is also an opportunity to ask your questions. It’s really short notice and if you can’t make this cohort, I’ll share my feedback in case you make the 2025 class.
Dr. Millman shared this in one of her interviews with Margie: “I think that the most important thing to understand is that it is possible to reverse bone loss and drastically reduce your risk of fractures naturally. And in my 15 years of evaluating and treating the root causes of bone loss, my patients do not break bones, and they don’t feel fragile anymore. Their fear fades. They don’t feel vulnerable, and they return to living their most active lives and doing the things they love.”
Hearing this gives me even more hope and I’m excited!
And in case you’re wondering, I’m still glad I’ve read both these books and have them to refer back to again and again. Both are heavily referenced too and I love to look at the research.
Wrapping up and your feedback
Now I’d love to hear from you – do you have osteoporosis and have you read either of these books and have any gems to share?
Do you have another favorite book on bone health?
Have you done Dr. Millman’s program?
What age were you diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis and were you surprised?
Have you been able to reverse your bone loss and drastically reduce your risk of fractures naturally?
What root causes do you feel play a role for you?
If you’re a practitioner working with clients/patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis I’d love your insights
Feel free to share and ask your questions below.
I developed osteoporosis from aromatase inhibitor for my breast cancer. Does his book address this issue?
Peggy
I’m sorry to hear this. Dr. McCormick does have 2 pages on cancer in his “Great Bones” book. However there is a more extensive section on aromatase inhibitors in one of the other two books I purchased.
The medications chapter of Dr. John Neustadt’s book “Fracture Proof Your Bones” (my Amazon link https://amzn.to/4fZkzYK) does cover aromatase inhibitors specifically. He shares that only 42% – 68% of all women on aromatase inhibitors are given a bone density test. I’m curious if bone loss/osteoporosis was discussed with you before treatment and if baseline DXA and bone marker testing (NTX, P1NP, CRP, homocysteine etc) was done?
Dr. Neustadt also addresses the osteoporosis connections with these medications – antacids/PPIs, antidepressants, opioids and corticosteroids (and others). Of the four osteoporosis books I have recently read his coverage of medications and bone loss side-effects is the most extensive. I purchased this book for this reason. Also the information on how to fracture-proof your home is excellent.
The other book is “Dr. Lani’s No-nonsense Bone Health Guide’ by Dr. Lani Simpson CD (my Amazon link https://amzn.to/3WHAAJK). I purchased this one because of her very detailed information about getting a DXA done properly and how to read them.
Each book offers something unique the others do not and as someone with osteoporosis I have found all four to be invaluable.
A very belated thank-you for the osteoporosis books information. I ordered the ones by Dr. John Neustadt and Dr. Lani Simpson. I have listened to several talks by Dr. McCormick and took notes, so I am holding off on his book for now, since he has very little on cancer.
I have not yet found any medical provider who knows about a P1NP test, let alone where I can get one done. The oncologist I go to never did a homocysteine test, nor CRP or NTX test. My integrative doctor did do a CRP test (results are fine). I can’t find anyone who can do any baseline bone testing, such as osteoblasts versus osteoclasts. Very frustrating. My oncologist told me I have osteoporosis based on the T scores of my DEXA, not the Z scores, which I told him were more accurate. He just wants me on Prolia or other drugs with lots of side effects. I hope they do another next year (it will be 2 years from the diagnositic one).
I’ll read the books as soon as I get them, and I’ve added in vitamin K2 per my primary care MD and integrative MD. Oncology does not approve, but it’s my body. Thanks for listening/reading.