Osteoporosis and Calcium

Mainstream medicine is generally very resistant to the idea that nutritional supplements can help prevent or reverse disease. However, it has wholeheartedly embraced the use of calcium to both prevent and treat osteoporosis. Unfortunately, throwing calcium at osteoporosis is an overly simplistic approach that can often do more harm than good. It is popularly assumed that osteoporosis is the result of a calcium deficiency; but this is a half-truth. Rarely has this to do with an inadequate intake of calcium. In fact, people in the United States have one of the highest dietary calcium intakes of any population group (largely due to our love affair with dairy products), yet our rates of osteoporosis are also among the highest in the world.