Your are receiving this e-mail because you opted to receive the Osteopenia updates newsletter.

I do want to say Welcome to the many new subscribers. And offer a special thank you to those of you who have returned for another issue. It is a priviledge to have you as a subscriber.

This month you will find two things:

FIRST: New research about stress and bone loss - what you can do in response.

SECOND: Tip of the Month - ways to make your calcium supplement more effective.

NEW RESEARCH:

Several recent studies link stress and bone loss. In 2003 researchers at Ohio State University published an article linking stress and increased bone loss.

Then this month (September 2005) an issue of Clinical Calcium has an article by H. Kumano of the The University of Tokyo about OSTEOPOROSIS AND STRESS.

KUMON's concludes that: There may be three relationships between stress and osteoporosis:

1. Stress induces some physiological changes leading to osteoporosis.

2.Stress induces behavioral distortion of eating, drinking, exercise, and sleep habits, which leads to osteoporosis.

3. Osteoporosis, brings about anxiety, depression, loss of social roles, and social isolation, which leads to stress.

The articles states that the "study focused on post menopausal women and young women, especially those with anorexia nervosa. However, its conclusion about the physiological and behavioral changes brought about by stress seems applicable to both women and men."

There are some authors who believe that stress is one of the reasons why Osteopenia and Osteoporosis seem to follow the adoption of the "modern life style". I do not know if that is true, but I think that the chemical changes that occur during stress is something that we need to take into account if we suffer from Osteopenia or Osteoporosis.

If YOU experience significant stress it may be worth doing some stress reducing exercises or activities.

Since so many of you drive, I offer a suggestion if you experience stress while driving, Sing. Shut the radio off and start singing.

Sing anything: folk songs, hymns, patriotic songs - even kids songs. Belt them out. I guarantee that singing at the top of your lungs for 15 or 20 minutes will reduce your driving stress.

( You may even find yourself laughing before your singing time is up.)

If you can not remember the words, sing the tune saying the vowels or ad an H before the vowel [ Ha, He, Hi, Ho and Hu.] Those sounds are used in parts of Asia as 'healing sounds' since they vibrate different parts of the body. But the aim of singing or toning is to get your body vibrating. Stress will flow out on your sounds.

And if you do not drive, you will still find that singing can reduce your stress - if you sing with 'full voice'.

Tip of the month: Calcium.

1.If you are taking calcium, be sure to take it with food so as to increase its absorption.

2.Also, if you are using a tablet form of calcium, it helps to either crush the tablet or chew it well - lest it just go through your digestive tract and wind up in the toilet.

3. If you are taking a strontium supplement, do NOT take it at the same time as your calcium. The research shows that the two elements interfere with each other.

4. Also, divide your daily dose of calcium so you are taking some near bedtime. It will counteract the chemical stimulation of your osteoclasts [which remove bone] that usually happens at night.

A correction:

Some of you wrote saying you could not find the "Advocal" I talked about last month. No wonder! I misspelled the word in last month's update. So I've put a page giving some of the research about Advacal at: https://www.osteopenia3.com/Advacal.html

I really thank those of you who contacted me about my mistake. It is such a gift when readers are willing to let me know how I am doing.

Until next month, I remain,

KATE - who wants to give you as much information as I can so you can reverse bone loss.