Osteoporosis is a progressive disease in which the bones gradually become weaker and weaker, causing changes in posture and making the individual extremely susceptible to bone fractures. The term osteoporosis, is derived from Latin, literally means " porous bones". Osteoporosis primarily affects women because of the physiological, nutritional, and hormonal differences between males and females. This debilitating disease afflicts more women than heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, stroke, or arthritis. Half of all women between the ages of forty-five and seventy-five show signs of some degree of osteoporosis. Over a third of that group, also suffer from serious bone deterioration.

Many women mistakenly believe that osteoporosis is something they need be concerned about only after menopause. Recent evidence indicates that osteoporosis often begins early in life and is not strictly a postmenopausal problem. Although bone loss accelerates after menopause, as a result of the drop in estrogen levels, the bone building activity also decreases as a result of the drop in progesterone. This begins in the premenopausal years.

Progesterones Role in Making New Bone:

There are little cells that migrate through the bone and they are sniffing out areas where there is old bone- bone that was made 10 years ago. When they find those areas they dissolve them away. Those are called the osteoclast cells. It is kind of like Pacman™ in the arcades, Pacman™ comes in and eats up the old bone, and a little space called a lacuna is left, like a little lake – a little emptiness. Here comes the osteoblast. Although they are related to the osteoclast, they are different. They come in and they put in nice thick new bone. The new bone can be stronger than the old bone that was removed. That is amazing!! The osteoblasts only do this at the places where the osteoclasts have eaten out old bone. So the bone is always being made, unmade, and then made again. The timing of making a hard bone like the femur the leg bone, is about 14-15 years for complete turnover. 100% brand new, all the minerals, all the vitamins all parts of it including the collagen, the entire part, brand new. This is continuously made. This means every year only 1/15 is being worked on, so it is a slow turnover time. Whereas, the bones in your back and in your heal have a turnover time of about 5 years, totally brand new in 5 years. However part was 4 years ago, part 3 years ago and so on. So new bone is made, and then it rests until the time for remaking comes around again 5 or 6 or 15 years later. This is the whole way bones are made. Progesterone’s role is to stimulate these osteoblasts to make new bone. What estrogen does is to help slow up Pacman™, the osteoclast. Estrogen does not do anything to make new bone, this is standard, and it is being taught now.

Osteoporosis - Reverse It!

Dr. Lee has stated that he didn’t know anything about progesterone back in 1976 (even after 20 years of practice). All he knew was that he had patients with osteoporosis… Osteoporosis is a major disorder. It is the most common and most expensive metabolic disorder that happens to women. Dr. John Lee states that when he was in medical school they called it menopausal osteoporosis, or postmenopausal. But once bone mineral density tests were available, simple x-rays did not have to be relied upon. It was discovered that the average women once she reaches menopause has already lost 30% of her bone mass. It’s not a menopausal thing. It starts when you are 35 years old and you loose bone progressively even though you are having periods. Right there, you know it is not due to estrogen lack. You have plenty of estrogen and you still have it. Although bone loss accelerates a little bit when estrogen falls at menopause it can recover from that too.