Medications Category
Estrogen is Good for Bones
Human Estrogen is the natural means of preventing bone loss before menopause in women. The huge drop in estrogen levels during menopause leads to increased bone loss during and after menopause.
Estrogen stimulates the formation of Osteoblasts (the cells that make new bone). Estrogen lengthens the lifespan of Osteoblasts and Osteocytes (the cells that live in and maintain bone). Estrogen supresses the formation and activation of Osteoclasts (the cells that eat bone away).
Strontium Increases Bone Mineral Density, But…
The secret ingredient which incrreases Bone Mineral Density in some “Natural Supplements” sold in the US is Strontium Citrate. Strontium has more than twice the atomic weight of Calcium. Bone places Strontium where Calcium belongs in the bone crystal latice. Bone with Strontium has a higher Bone Mineral Density than bone with only Calcium.
But is it stronger? Increasing Bone Mineral Density with Fluoride makes bone more brittle. We do not know all the effects of Strontium, although we do know some. A Strontium atom is bigger than a Calcium atom. Therefore, using Strontium istead of Calcium can distort the crystal latice that gives bone it’s rigid strength. That probably is not good.
AAOS Asks: Which Medication is “Best” After a Fracture?
Here at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Meeting, the most common question is: “Which Osteoporosis Medication should I use after a fracture?” We need to know how each type of medication works to answer that.
Immediately after a fracture, or a surgery on bone, or a tooth extraction, you want a medicine which will not slow down bone healing. Better yet, you would like to stimulate bone formation and remodeling. Anabolic Medications do that. Teriparatide (Forteo) is the Anabolic available in the USA.