Skeleton Pirate
WELCOME TO STRONTIUM FOR BONES BLOG
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Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Dexa Bone Density Axial Skeleton with TBS on 18 November 2024
Monday, August 19, 2024
Strontium, Osteoarthritis, and Reduced Dose of Strontium Citrate
Some research has suggested that strontium may boost the formation of collagen and cartilage in joints. In clinical studies, strontium ranelate seemed to reduce the progression of osteoarthritis (OA).
A year and a half ago, I reduced my daily dosage of strontium citrate from 682 mg strontium to 341 mg 4X per week and 682 mg 3X per week. Since then, I have developed the following:
1. A myxoid cyst, or digital mucus cyst, on my left thumb: A mucus cyst is a small, noncancerous bump usually found near a joint at the end of a finger. Such cysts are often found on the fingers of people with OA. Hot compresses may help shrink these cysts.
2. Temporomendibular joint disorder (TMD): I have had a few, mild, temporary flare-ups of TMD in years past, but this flare-up is quite painful and not easing up after a couple of weeks. I may have brought it on by eating dry papaya slices, which were tough and chewy. I may be clenching my jaws at night due to stress. The pain is worse just after I wake up in the morning. Most likely, my TMJ disorder is due to progressing OA.
Because of these two physical changes, I am resuming strontium citrate (SrC) at the full dose of 682 mg elemental strontium per day. Also, there was no reason to cut back the dosage in the first place because I was not having any adverse events from the strontium, and osteoporosis is a chronic condition--as is osteoarthritis. I didn't realize I have OA until I reduced my SrC, which was probably keeping the disease in check.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6040865/
https://academic.oup.com/mr/article-abstract/24/6/881/6302017?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791090/
How to Prepare for an Echolight REMS Scan
1. Wear loose fitting shorts. During cold weather, you can bring shorts with you.
2. Avoid eating a meal or drinking 2-3 hours before your scan.
3. Use the bathroom before the scan.
Instructions courtesy of Ray Hinish, Pharm.D., Echolight Maryland at OsteoCoach
Monday, April 15, 2024
Sometimes Less Is More
I take several supplements. Recently, I have reduced the dosage or eliminated some of them.
AOR Strontium Support II, 341 mg strontium (from citrate)/capsule
Reduced from two capsules (682 mg Sr)/day to one capsule/day for four days/week and two capsules/day for three days/week
Reason: My DXA scan of August 18, 2022 showed "normal" bone density. Due to the bone strontium effect, my BMD is more likely at the osteopenia stage. Sure beats osteoporosis!
Magnesium glycinate
For about a year and a half, I took one capsule per day of Innate Vitality Magnesium Glycinate, 500 mg/capsule. The label does not give the amount of elemental magnesium, which would be 70.5 mg (14.1% of 500 mg magnesium glycinate). I think it is misleading to not provide the amount of Mg. I switched to Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Glycinate Lysinate, which has 100 mg of Mg from 1000 mg magnesium lysinate glycinate chelate per tablet.
Eliminated magnesium glycinate
Reason: I was having multiple bowel movements with Doctor's Best, although not with Innate Vitality. There is Mg in my calcium supplement and my multivitamin. I also eat magnesium-rich foods. My husband is still taking Doctor's Best magnesium.
Horbaach Sublingual Methylcobalamin (Vitamin B-12), 5000 mcg/tablet
I was taking 5000 mcg/day, which is a huge amount. I knew it was a huge amount, but my husband needs that amount of B-12 to keep from getting canker sores. He got recurrent sores until he found out about B-12 for canker sores from a scientific article. More recently, I read that, in some people, B-12 can worsen acne because Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) need B-12. I have always had acne-prone skin.
Reduced from one tablet/day to one tablet/week. My husband still takes it daily.
Reason: Worsening acne flareups, and recommended doses are much lower than I was taking
Probiotic, Various Brands
Eliminated probiotic.
Reason: Not sure the ones I tried were helping my gas and bloating. For many years, I used Nature's Way Primadophilus Bifidus, which seemed to help my digestion. It had to be mailed overnight with a cold pack, but many vendors, such as Amazon, are not keeping it cold.
Digestive Enzymes, Various Brands
Eliminated digestive enzymes
Reason: None of the various brands made a noticeable difference for my gas and bloating. I am not lactose intolerant. If I were, I would take Lactaid, or a generic lactase supplement, as my husband does.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Sites Providing REMS Echolight Scans in USA
Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS) Echolight is a new, radiation-free technology for assessing bone density and quality at the lumbar spine and femoral neck. US headquarters are located at 509 Madison Ave, RM 1510, New York, New York 10022. Below are the sites offering the scans in the USA. Echolight has a map of REMS centers in the USA. https://www.echolightmedical.com/en/find-your-rems-center-in-usa/
Arizona
OsteoStrong Arcadia, AZ
3301 E Indian School Rd, Suite 101, Phoenix, AZ 85018
https://www.precisionboneimaging.com/book-now
OsteoStrong Sedona, AZ
Safeway Plaza, 2370 W State Rte 89A, Suite 4, Sedona, AZ 86336
https://www.precisionboneimaging.com/book-now
URPrecious 3D Breast Ultrasound
9300 E Raintree dr, suite 130,
Scottsdale, AZ, USA 85260
Phone 602-878-7501
Radiologist: Meghna Krishnan MD
https://www.3dbreastultrasound.com/rems-echo-light.html
California
Anatara Medicine, 1700 California Street, Suite 520, San Francisco, CA 94109, phone 415-360-6355, Dr. Ahvie Herskowitz
Hydrate Wellness, contact David Perez, 613 Westlake Street, Suite 125B, Encinitas, CA 92024, phone 858-2424 (Encinitas is in San Diego county.)
OsteoStrong, Los Gatos, CA, contact Natasha Galkina, 786 Blossom Hill Road, Suite B, Los Gatos CA 95032, phone 408-596-9504
OsteoStrong Palm Desert, CA
OsteoStrong Porterville, CA
OsteoStrong Sacramento, CA
OsteoStrong San Diego, CA
OsteoStrong San Jose, CA
OsteoStrong Santa Barbara, CA
OsteoStrong Studio City, CA
https://www.precisionboneimaging.com/book-now
Coming soon:
OsteoStrong Brentwood Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA
OsteoStrong Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA
OsteoStrong Torrance, Los Angeles, CA
OsteoStrong South Pasadena, CA
https://www.precisionboneimaging.com/book-now
Florida
- USF Health and Tampa General Medical Group, Diabetes and Endocrinology, has three locations. The TGH Brandon Healthplex lists REMS.
TGH Brandon Healthplex
Clinics
Endocrinology Day Hospital
DXA
REMS
10740 Palm River Rd
Tampa, FL 33619
4th Floor
Appt: (813) 821-8011
https://health.usf.edu/care/diabetes-endocrinology/locations
Screen My Bones
3341 Tamiami Trail North
Naples, FL 34103
305-998-6008
Dr. Krystyna Shepetiuk travels around the State of Florida with her Echolight and performs scans in various locations, including Osteostrong facilities. She may be visting Osteostrong in Lake Mary, Florida some time this summer (2024).
Hawaii
Idaho
OsteoStrong Boise
600 N Steelhead Way, Suite 164, Boise, ID
(208) 331-4072
Illinois
- SMaRT Institute - The Sports Medicine and Regenerative Therapeutics
Dr Metthew E. Vogt
12 Salt Creek Ln #300, Hinsdale, IL 60521
https://www.thesmartinst.com/home.html
- OsteoStrong of Greater Chicago, Inc
Marc Malizia
126 Skokie Blvd, Wilmette Illinois 60091
001 224-487-8833/ 224-408-2383
Maryland
OsteoCoach Center for Strong Bones, 10210 S Dolfield Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117, phone 410-204-2904, Ray Hinish, Pharm.D.; Heidy Garcia, CPT
https://appointments.osteocoach.com/booking?service=4
Rheumatology Associates of Delmarva, 505 Dutchmans Lane, Suite A3, Easton, MD 21601, phone 410-819-6545, Drs. Ed McLaughlin and Curtis Foy
New Jersey
- XBody Health, Wellness and Spa
87 Berdan Ave, Suite 3 - 07470 Wayne, NJ
973-692-9780
North Carolina
- Dr Andy Bush (Orthopedic Surgeon)
Central Carolina Orthopaedic Associates
Sanford, NC
919-774-1355 (ask for James)
- StrengthX
Dr Mike Lewen (Chiropractor, Exercise Science)
411 W State Street
Black Mountain - Asheville NC
828-505-7200
Oregon
OsteoStrong Central Oregon, Bend, OR, Anne-Marie Amos (owner), phone 541-241-7067
OsteoStrong Happy Valley, 112111 SE 82nd Ave., Suite K, Happy Valley, OR 97086, phone 503-575-9845, email appointments@osteostronghappyvalleyor.com (Happy Valley is a suburban city in the Portland, OR metropolitan area.)
https://osteostrongpdx.com/free/
Pennsylvania
- Z Medical Solution (Dr Kimberly Zambito)
27 Opal Court – 18940 Newtown PA
267-753-9933
Texas
- AOCBV (Arthritis & Osteoporosis Clinic of Brazos Valley)
Dr Ricardo Pocurull
College Station, TX
979-696-8000
- Covenant Wellness
Jackie DeVilliers, RN, BSN
4014 22nd Place, Building 67, Suite 9
Lubbock, TX 79410
(806) 725-6543
- Thermography Center of Dallas
Dr Michael Einsohn
5529 Spring Valley Road
75254 Dallas, TX
+1 972-999-1765
thermography@thermographycenter.com
https://www.thermographycenter.com/
Friday, November 10, 2023
Echolight Scans Are Not Affected by Bone Strontium Content!
We strontium users know that BMD results by DXA scan will be artificially high, especially after years of using strontium salts. Here is good news! Echolight REMS technology is NOT AFFECTED by STRONTIUM. It uses ultrasound instead of ionizing radiation. Echolight is a modern ultrasound device capable of measuring bone at the hip and the spine using Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS).
BMD measured by ultrasound is not affected by the strontium content of bone. An in vitro study concluded that aBMD measured by DXA was prone to overestimation in the presence of strontium, but acoustic parameters measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) are independent of strontium concentration.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29080282/
Another advantage of Echolight scans is that they assess the bone internal micro-architecture. So, physicians obtain results of bone quantity and quality.
Yet another advantage of REMS over DXA is that REMS appears to be able to overcome common artifacts such as structural alterations caused by OA (osteoarthritis) at the lumbar spine, which affect the BMD values obtained by DXA
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10217295/#:~:text=Radiofrequency%20Echographic%20Multi%20Spectrometry%20(REMS,technique%20present%20in%20the%20literaturePMC10217295
Echolight has received 510(k) clearance to sell its EchoS Systems in the USA! Companies must submit a Premarket Notification, also called a PMN or 510(k), to the FDA so that it can review the product and clear it. Once the FDA declares that a new medical device is substantially equivalent to a predicate, it is cleared and can be marketed and sold in the USA.
Echolight has opened a headquarters in NYC. The scans are not available everywhere. You will have to shop around. One early adopter is Dr. Andrew Bush, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with a practice that performs Echolight scans in Sanford, North Carolina.
COPA Healthcare LLC, Dania, FL sells the EchoS/Echolight and Marodyne LiV. The website includes a video that shows the EchoS equipment and how the scan is done. The website makes it easy to leave a message in case you have questions.
https://copahealth.us/echolight/
Wandering Skeleton
Osteoporotic Bone
How Strontium Builds Bones
Osteoporosis is caused by changes in bone production. In healthy young bones there is a constant cycle of new bone growth and bone removal. With age, more bone is removed and less new bone is produced. The bones become less dense and thus more fragile.
Scientists believe that strontium works in two ways. It may stimulate the replication of pre-osteoblasts, leading to an increase in osteoblasts (cells that build bone). Strontium also directly inhibits the activity of osteoclasts (cells that break down bone). The result is stronger bones.
When taking strontium, be sure to take 1200 mg calcium, 1000 IU vitamin D3, and 500 mg magnesium daily. It is best to take strontium late at night on an empty stomach. Calcium and strontium may compete with each other for absorption if taken together.
For More Information about Strontium
- A Dose-response Study With Strontium Malonate
- A Review of the latest insights into the mechanism of action of strontium in bone
- Antifracture Efficacy Over 10 Years With Strontium Ranelate
- Combination of Micronutrients for Bone (COMB) Study: Bone Density after Micronutrient Intervention
- Echolight REMS Scan of Young, Normal Female
- Effect of bone strontium on BMD measurements
- Effect of Lumbar Scoliosis on DXA Results
- Effects of SrR on Calcium Metabolism
- Effects of strontium ions on growth and dissolution of hydroxyapatite and on bone mineral detection
- Influence of strontium on bone mineral density and bone mineral content measurements by dual X-ray absorptiometry
- Interpretation of BMD Scans in Patients Stopping Strontium
- Melatonin-micronutrients Osteopenia Treatment Study (MOTS)
- National Osteoporosis Foundation
- Osteoporosis And Bone Physiology
- Post-Marketing Assessment of the Safety of Strontium Ranelate
- PubMed Abstract On The SOTI Study
- PubMed Abstract On The TROPOS Study
- Strontium ranelate Aristo
- Strontium Ranelate For Spinal Osteoarthritis
- Strontium: Breakthrough Against Osteoporosis
- Summary Safety Review - Strontium
- The Influence of Strontium on Bone Tissue Metabolism and Its Application in Osteoporosis Treatment
- Thirteen Key Diagnostic Tests