Halting bone loss: The sooner the better
Q: After my last bone density scan my doctor told me that I am showing bone loss and am at risk for osteoporosis. I started right away taking the nutrients I’ve read about in your newsletter and some others that can help rebuild bone. But my doctor told me that it won’t do any good to have another bone density scan right now because it’s been too soon since my last one. I’m anxious to know if my situation has changed though, for better or worse. Isn’t there any other test that can tell me how I’m doing?
JVW: Bone density scans are the tests of choice among most mainstream physicians, and they can tell you whether you’ve gained or lost bone. But the main drawback is the one you’ve just encountered: They can only show changes over a prolonged period of time, usually 9 to 12 months or more.
But there’s also a simple, inexpensive urine test, called the NTx test, that can monitor bone loss on a daily basis.
The NTx test checks urine for tiny, tiny breakdown fragments of bone. Bone build-up and breakdown changes every day, so if your test shows too much bone loss, you can start — or, in your case, increase — any corrective measure(s) right away.
Once you’ve adopted or adapted your bone-building program, you can repeat the NTx test three to four weeks later to find out if the changes you’ve made have been effective. That way, you don’t need to wait months for your next bone density scan to find out if what you’ve been doing is effective.
Any doctor and most chiropractors can order this test for you. It can be performed right in your doctor’s office, or your doctor can order it for you to run at home. You don’t need to fast or go through any special preparations beforehand, and if you take it in the doctor’s office, the results are generally available in a day or two.
I can’t say for sure whether your particular insurance plan will cover the cost, but since it’s FDA approved, the chances are much better that it might.
One important technical detail: The NTx is a test of bone breakdown. The other half of the equation, bone build-up, still doesn’t have a simply done, inexpensive test available.
So it’s possible to have a normal NTx (bone breakdown) test, and still show no improvement on a bone density scan. Fortunately, though, this situation isn’t common, partially because many of the same factors that inhibit bone breakdown also promote bone build-up.
