Strontium -- Preventing and
Reversing Osteoporosis

by Gregory Allen Butler

"Can strontium prevent osteoporosis?" That was a question I was asked yesterday. And the answer is a resounding yes. Not only can it prevent it, it can reverse it. This abundanat mineral builds bone density. It doesn't just slow down the loss of bone density, it creates it. It's safe, its natural. There are no known side effects. The people in the world that are losing bone density (and developing osteoporosis) are doing so unnecessarily.

It’s by far the most effective supplement you can take to create bone density. I started using it last year when I fractured my shoulder. My chiropractor is the person who first told me about it. I went to two different health food stores to buy it, but neither one carried it. I found it, however, online at IHerb.com.

I also did some research on it and what I found astounded me. If you are someone who is genetically predisposed to osteoporosis, worry no more. If someone you love is losing bone density, worry no more (assuming that they will listen to your advice). Strontium makes it a non-issue.

I view it as a travesty of modern medicine that doctors are not more versed in what this mineral can do. The research is there to enlighten them if they would just read it. Instead, too often they prescribe dangerous treatments like hormone replacement therapy, which is often given to post-menopausal women. That is like playing Russian roulette, with it possible deadly side-effects of cancer.

Or perhaps, if you are like my brother (who has a serious back problem) you might be prescribed fosamax (or its generic version alendronate). Talk about side-effects: The possible side effects for fosamax are chest pain; difficulty or pain when swallowing; pain or burning under the ribs or in the back; new or worsening heartburn; severe joint, bone, or muscle pain; or jaw pain, numbness, or swelling. But here's the kicker: It doesn't build bone density to the degree that strontium does. Not even close.

I can hear some of you saying, “Well how come my doctor didn’t tell me about it?” And the only answer I have is because it is not a drug, it’s a natural mineral. Because it is a mineral, it cannot be patented. (There is now a synthetic form of strontium available in Europe called Strontium ranelate that does have a patent. More on that below.) Thus no huge profits for drug companies, and thus no money for advertising. (With the new synthetic form there is now money for huge clinical trials.) But until recently, this mineral iwas as obscure as a banned book.

What happened was that in the 1950s there was a lot of fear put into the public's mind about strontium being highly radioactive. That was strontium 90, a by-product of nuclear fission. It was played up big in the news after the atomic bombs were exploded. Yes, you definitely want to stay away from that.

But the strontium I am discussing is stable strontium -- nonradioactive -- a natural mineral, number 38 on the Periodic Chart. There you will find it standing just below Calcium.

Research on strontium was first two were done in Germany almost 100 years ago. The research there showed it promoted rapid formation of bone. Unfortunately, this research was not picked up by the rest of the world and doctors, for the most part, were ignorant of its effectiveness.

However, that began to change in the 1950s. In 1952 a study from Cornell University supported the German studies, showing that the use of both strontium and calcium was superior than calcium alone.

The Mayo Clinic, in 1959 completed a study that showed 100% of patients with severe osteoporosis improved on strontium supplementation. In a group of 22 patients taking strontium only, 18 showed “marked improvement” while the other four showed “moderate improvement.”

Recent large-scale, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials using the ranelic acid salt of strontium have proven that it, combined with calcium and vitamin D, dramatically build bone mass, reduce the incidence of spinal deformities, and slash hip fracture risk compared to calcium and vitamin D alone.

In a three-year trial involving 1649 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, women receiving only calcium and vitamin D suffered the loss of 1.3% of their lower spinal Bone Mineral Density, while women also taking Strontium supplements at 680 milligrams per day increased their bone mass by an astounding 14.4% at the spine, and by 8.3% in the large bone at the top of the thigh. Women taking Strontium supplements were spared 41% of the new vertebral fractures that befell women taking calcium and vitamin D alone.

Strontium ranelate (the brand name is Protelos), a synthetic version which combines the mineral with a patented synthetic chemical called ranelic acid, will most likely be approved as a drug in the United States in the near future. It has already been approved in European Union, and it provides similar results to the natural substance. So for those people who swear by pharmaceutical drugs, help is on the way. But why wait. No evidence has shown it to be more effective than the natural form of strontium, and since the natural form has no side effects and is less money, I’m staying with that.

You might want to read this article on strontium by Ward Dean, MD. I found it an eye-opener. He also shows evidence of it being effective for preventing tooth decay, treating osteoarthritis, and rebuilding bone destroyed by metastatic bone cancer.

One study that Dr. Dean highlights shows that the optimum dose is 680 mg per day. Studies also show that it is best to take it early in the morning on an empty stomach and take the calcium just before bed time. This is due to absorption issues.

If you're like me, you'll take a certain pleasure when your doctors looks at your new numbers (after taking strontium for a year or two) and say outloud, "We must have made a mistake in our initial diagnosis." It will be up to you to clue them in.