risk of osteoporosis
I am 58 as of this writing and well past menopause. That means I am at risk for osteoporosis.
That’s because after menopause, most women’s ovaries no longer make much estrogen and that deficiency can lead to bone loss.
I’ve never taken estrogen replacement therapy, yet the type of breast cancer I developed is a hormone receptor-positive type of cancer and feeds on estrogen.
So, you might wonder, where does this estrogen come from that’s feeding this cancer?
Well, it seems us old broads still make estrogen. The enzyme aromatase turns another hormone called androgen into small amounts of estrogen.
And we simply can’t have that.
The good news is that there is a treatment for this type of cancer, a kind of anti-estrogen drug that, for me, would be about preventing a recurrence. So every day for the next five years or so, I’ll take an aromatase-inhibitor called Letrozole.
The only problem is that letrozole can produce horrible side effects like aching pain in the muscles/joints/bones, hot flashes, hair loss, fatigue, sweating, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, as well as trouble sleeping – and maybe even make some of us depressed and anxious, though it’s hard to know if that’s caused by the drug or the side effects.
So far, I have not experienced any side effects, but I am quite concerned about the silent side effect which, in a sad and ironic and awful twist of treating the cancer but damaging the body happens to be osteoporosis.
calcium for bone health
Doctors, nurses, well-meaning friends, family members and even Sally Field have all touted the well worn wisdom to take calcium supplements to keep my bones strong as I age. Everyone told me to take about a thousand milligrams along with vitamin D twice day – everyone, that is, but my surgeon.
She told me supplements don’t work.
That got me curious so I started reading the medical journals. And lo and behold, Johns Hopkins has conducted a study concluding the best calcium supplement is none.
Not only are we not able to absorb nutrition in a pill form very well, but there’s some evidence that taking calcium supplements can actually be harmful.
So what’s a girl to do?
Well, watch her weight, lift dumbbells and get her calcium from food.
In spite of what the American Dairy Association would like us to believe, calcium comes in larger quantities and is better absorbed not from milk products, but from plants.
Plants like:
• almonds
• oranges
• figs
• soybeans
• leafy greens, especially kale
• and seeds like chia and sesame
This kind of eating is something I can do, so I got started for my return to the Appalachian Trail by making some kale chips. They taste amazing, are ultra-light and packed with goodness. Check it out!
kale chips recipe
INGREDIENTS
bunch of kale
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon “Chinese Five Spice” (star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, pepper)
salt to taste
MAKE
Remove leaves from stem and shred into approximately 2×2 pieces.
Prepare oil and seasoning.
Use fingers to massage the kale with oil mixture. Ensure you cover every bit of the leaf as it helps the kale “wilt” and will be easier to chew.
Place the leaves on your dehydrator in single layers.
Dehydrate at 120-140° Fahrenheit until shrunken. It went fast for me, about an hour.
STORE
Let cool then store in an airtight container. The chips will stay fresh for about a week.
