A Taiwan news report last week once again brought the question of the relationship between soft drinks and osteoporosis into the public eye. The article described a Tapei physician who was treating a 23-year-old woman for osteoporosis. The patient’s tests indicated that her bone density resembled that of a 60- or 70-year-old woman. The physician’s conclusion: the young woman’s cola habit was accelerating bone loss.

My interest in Vitamin D3 started nine years ago, when I opted to have my ovaries removed as an adjuvant treatment for stage-one breast cancer. I knew that my bones would be at risk from the treatment, but I didn’t immediately run out and have a bone-density test either. I remember having one about three years after my diagnosis and it was OK. 

Many women in my Amazon breast cancer listserve group (breastcanceralternatives.org) were also studying osteoporosis and what to do to keep their bones strong and prevent bone loss.  We didn’t buy into the drug plan for bone health at all. We knew that osteoporosis is a complicated physiological problem and it would take more than popping some calcium pills to keep our bones in good shape; calcium is not absorbed well by the body.

Unexpected and troubling news about your body can set off an explosion of worries and concerns that can create even more vulnerability to illness.

An osteopath, a compassionate woman whom I have seen several times, told me during a recent visit — much to my surprise — that I have a great deal of osteoporosis in my lower back. The bone density report that she read from, written in French, noted that at age 52, my lower lumbar region looks like that of a 70-year-old woman.