I’ve been eating a lot of sugar. At Holiday time, I love to bake Christmas cookies, and this year I really overdid it. After a while, I began to notice my teeth hurting, my bones aching. Sugar is known to leach calcium out of teeth and bones, and I certainly don’t want to run the risk of having osteoporosis, so I’ve been taking my calcium tablets and hoping for the best.

If you’re a woman “of a certain age”, you may also be concerned about bone health. But before you are told by your doctor to start taking a pharmaceutical–Fosamax or Boniva–here’s what the latest research is proving:

YOGA IS BETTER THAN DRUGS FOR BONE HEALTH!

Some of the side effects of taking these drugs are:

• Gastric discomfort
• Weaker bones
• Skin rash
• Eye problems
• Low blood calcium
• Joint pain
• Jawbone deterioration
• Stress Fractures
• Esophageal inflammation

On the other hand, Yoga has been proven to improve:

• Better posture
• Better balance
• Better coordination
• Better range of motion
• Core Strength
• Better bone mineral content
• Lower anxiety
• Better proprioception
• Neuromuscular integration

My mom was prescribed Fosamax when she was about 80 years old. Over time, her jaw definitely shrank, to the degree that she couldn’t wear her dentures anymore, they were way too big. And she developed compression fractures that were extremely painful. She also complained about losing her appetite, from upset stomach. Finally, she fell, breaking her hip. Did she fall and then break her hip? Or did her hip break and then she fell as a result of a compression fracture in her weakened bones? She never recovered her ability to walk again, yet, because of her great constitution, she lived another 2 years, in misery. It broke my heart to see my once vibrant, feisty mom turn into a helpless, depressed vegetable.

​So do your Yoga! Stay vibrant and feisty!