Every chance that I get, I remind my friends that the loss of bones and joints is not an inevitable consequence of being forced to avoid the sun and/or the oral or topical use of corticosteroid drugs (prednisone, prednisolone, cortisone, and so on ad infinitum) or the anticonvulsant medications that are taken for neuropathic pain and epilepsy.
I also remind them that it is possible to have good joints and stronger bones at much older ages than most people realize.
I do this because I wish someone had shared this information with me before I had three total knee replacement surgeries, before the bones and intervertebral discs in my spine had developed spondylosis severe enough to require surgery, before I needed regular epidural steroid injections, and nerve ablations to just keep moving. You get the picture.
I always mention vitamin D and its cofactors (Magnesium,Vitamin K,Vitamin A, Zinc, Boron).
Some of my friends do not have in place action plans that will save their bones. For example, they know that their vitamin D level is low but they are not doing anything about it or they are supplementing at a rate that would be good for healthy people but not for someone who is dealing with lupus, taking lupus medications, and in many cases completely avoiding the sun.
Others as Dewing reminded me earlier today, "Are on top of it!"
If you have in place an action plan that will save your joints and bones, would you please share it?
No other person should ever have to experience the pain of osteomalacia or joint replacement surgery or broken bones just because no one told them. Please share you plan. Please help spread the world. For me, sharing the knowledge is sharing the love.
