Thirty five million women over the age of 50 suffer from osteoporosis or are at risk for developing it and by the year 2020 this figure is expected to rise to 41 million according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. There are a long list of conditions that may promote osteoporosis including diabetes, depression, certain types of arthritis and poor nutrition. Being female is also a risk factor, and while loss of estrogen at menopause may accelerate osteoporosis, bones begin to weaken long before then. One common condition that contributes to osteoporosis is acidosis...when your body is too acid. Another one is estrogen dominance when your system has insufficient progesterone to balance the estrogen a condition common in pre-menopause and beyond.

Acidosis is the result of a typical American diet high in meat, dairy, white flour and sugar. It is hard on organs and systems promoting inflammation, weight gain, diabetes and a host of other diseases and conditions. Your body attempts to balance the acid by drawing calcium from your bones to make you more alkaline. Over time this weakens your bones causing osteoporosis.

Acidosis

If you are unsure whether your body is too acid use a test kit, available online or in health food stores. If you find your score is in the acid range (less than 6.8) there are a number of steps you can take to help boost your alkaline quotient.

• Increase your intake of vegetables and other alkaline foods such as almonds, coconut and olive oil, certain fruits such as tomatoes, lemons and grapefruit and green or ginger tea.

• Decrease your intake of meat and dairy, sugar, coffee and black tea, alcohol and wheat flour products.

• Supplement your diet with green products. Mixtures may include barley or wheat grass, spirulina, chlorella, spinach, alfalfa, and/or parsley.

• Use fresh squeezed lemon in the water you drink throughout the day.

Natural Progesterone and Osteoporosis

As menopause approaches most women suffer not only from less estrogen but from even greater drops in progesterone. In many cases bone loss starts 10 to 15 years prior to menopause when estrogen is still high and progesterone has begun to decline, according to John Lee, MD. Supplementing with estrogen can slow menopausal bone loss but won't rebuild bone. On the other hand, Dr. Lee reports that supplementing with natural progesterone can cause as much as a 15% increase in bone mass. If you are wondering how to increase bone mass, natural progesterone cream is a good place to start.

Vitamin D

In addition to calcium and magnesium, bone health requires adequate intake of vitamin D. If you don't spend a lot of time out in the sun, and especially during the winter months when the days are short, it is essential to supplement with vitamin D to assure bone health.

Acidosis, and deficiencies of vitamin D and progesterone not only promote osteoporosis, they are also implicated in other common conditions such as insulin resistance, diabetes and weight gain.