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Margie Bissinger PT, MS, CHC | Osteoporosis

@margiebissinger

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Integrative Health Coach, PT & Happiness Trainer
🦴Happy Bones, Made Simple
🎧Host - Happy Bones, Happy Life Podcast
👇Join the Happy Bones Club

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Maybe you’ve been doing your strength training, eating well, paying attention to your overall health, and working on your stress. Then you get your new DEXA results and the numbers haven’t really changed.

It’s completely natural to hope for a bigger improvement after all the work you’ve been doing.

But I also want you to remember that bone health isn’t only about seeing a number go up. Depending on your individual situation, maintaining your bone density over time can be encouraging too.

A DEXA score is important, but it’s one part of the picture. Think about what else has changed. Maybe you’re stronger than you were a year ago. Maybe your balance has improved, you’re moving with more confidence, or you’re doing exercises you never thought you’d be able to do.

I always say that the things we do for our bones support so much more than our bones.

They support our strength, our health, our confidence, and our ability to keep doing the things we love.

So if your results come back about the same, don’t look at that number in isolation. Look at the whole picture, and talk with your healthcare practitioner about what those results mean for you and whether anything in your plan needs to change.

And then keep doing the good things you’ve been doing.

If someone you love just got her scan results and is feeling discouraged, please share this with her. 💜

#bonedensity #osteoporosis #bonehealth by @margiebissinger

Some of the questions I’m asked most are about which supplements to take and whether medication should be part of the plan.

I understand why. You want to do something, and you want to know that what you’re doing makes sense for you.

What I always come back to is that those decisions are much easier to understand when you’ve looked at what may be contributing to your bone loss in the first place. That’s why testing is such an important part of the conversation.

A DEXA score is important, but it’s often not the whole picture. When you and your healthcare practitioner have more information about what’s going on, you can ask better questions and make more informed decisions about what comes next.

I put together an osteoporosis testing guide to help you with that conversation. You can read it before your next appointment and bring it with you to talk through which tests may make sense for you.

💜 You can get my osteoporosis testing guide here: https://tinyurl.com/osteoporosistestingguide

#osteoporosis #bonehealth #rootcauses by @margiebissinger

🟣 A bone density scan every year or two can leave a long time between answers.

If you've made changes to your exercise, your nutrition or your medication, it's natural to want to know whether they're helping. Waiting two years to find out is a long time.

🎙️ That's one of the gaps I explored in this episode of the Happy Bones, Happy Life podcast with my husband, Dr. Craig Bissinger, as we went through what we see missing most often from osteoporosis programs.

I think the bone turnover markers CTX and P1NP are so important. CTX gives us a picture of bone breakdown and P1NP of bone building, and how the test is done really matters: fasting, no vigorous exercise for 24 hours before, and as early in the day as possible, at the same time each time, so you're comparing the same thing. It's much better to have your doctor on board, and once you explain that you want to see what's happening with the cells that break down and build your bone, I find it's hard for them to say no.

Craig adds a tip from his own practice: before reacting to one DEXA result, compare it with your earlier scans, ideally from the same machine.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

✔️ How to prepare for CTX and P1NP testing
✔️ Comparing a new DEXA with your older scans before reacting
✔️ The exercise pieces that often get missed: balance, posture, and core stabilization that includes the pelvic floor
✔️ What to do when an old shoulder or knee problem is holding you back
✔️ Nutrients that are often overlooked, including vitamin K2, magnesium and protein
✔️ Two simple ways to begin with stress and happiness

What's the one thing you're going to add to your program next? Tell me in the comments. 💜

You can watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/sdcCkOMztd4?si=OcTqhJfJ2WlkjQ5Z

🔗 Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Also, find it at the link in my bio.

#happyboneshappylife #bonestrength #osteoporosis #bonehealth #wellnesspodcast by @margiebissinger

What does a month in the Happy Bones Club actually look like?

If you’re trying to make sense of bone health on your own, you already know how much information is out there, and how often it conflicts.

That’s one of the reasons I created the Happy Bones Club.

It’s my membership for women with osteopenia or osteoporosis who want ongoing support, trustworthy information, and a place to ask questions.

Each month inside the Club includes a live Guest Expert Session, a live Q&A with me, and a live Happiness and Stress Reduction Workshop. You also have six on-demand workshops to watch whenever it suits you, plus our private Happy Bones, Happy Life Facebook group where you can ask questions between classes.

And if you’re worried you won’t be able to come live every time, you’re not alone. Replays of the Q&A and the Happiness Class go up afterwards.

One member said it so well:
“I can’t always come, but I wanted to come… being around positivity, and I think that’s so wonderful.”

The Club is $29 a month, or $290 for the year in one payment, which gives you two months free.

If you’d like more support and community around your bone health, you can learn more and join here:
https://f.mtr.cool/blqfmawrdk

PS This month is a great month to join. On November 18th, Kathryn Bari-Petritis will be joining us to share how to cook some bone healthy holiday meals and on November 24th, Kathi Pickett will be sharing techniques and practices to enhance our Thanksgiving and our lives. And this is all included in the membership (including our live Q&A on November 2nd)

#osteoporosissupport #bonehealth #happybonesclub by @margiebissinger

🎙️ New Episode on the Happy Bones, Happy Life Podcast

What might be missing from your osteoporosis plan, even when you're already doing so much?

🎙️ In this episode, I'm joined by my husband, Dr. Craig Bissinger, a gynecologist who sees a lot of women with osteoporosis in his practice. Together we go through the gaps we see most often. So many of you are already doing wonderful things for your bones, and sometimes one small piece can make a real difference.

We talk about the bone turnover tests CTX and P1NP and how to have them done so the results are useful, why a good exercise program includes more than strength training, and the nutrients that are often overlooked, including vitamin K2, magnesium and protein. Craig also shares why he likes to compare a new DEXA with your earlier scans before anyone reacts to one result.

And we talk about stress and happiness, the piece I find people connect least to their bones, with two simple practices you can start with.

My hope is that you come away with just the next thing to add to your program.

You can watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/sdcCkOMztd4?si=OcTqhJfJ2WlkjQ5Z
🔗 Or at the link in my bio

➡️ On YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform!

#happyboneshappylife #bonestrength #osteoporosis #bonehealth #wellnesspodcast by @margiebissinger

Most of us don’t think very much about our bones when we’re young. We usually start paying attention when there’s a reason to, and that’s just how life goes.

But I think there’s something really wonderful about the fact that the things you’re doing for your bones now are also things your children and grandchildren can learn from you.

Maybe they see you doing your strength exercises. Maybe you cook a healthy meal together. Maybe they ask why you’re taking time to go for a walk, manage your stress, or do something that helps you feel good.

You don’t have to give them a lecture about osteoporosis. They’re learning by watching what you do.

And I love that, because the same habits that help us take care of our bones now are the ones we can pass on to the next generation. That’s one of the ways we can start changing the future of osteoporosis.

Taking care of your bones doesn’t have to begin after a diagnosis. It can start much earlier, with the simple things we do every day.

So keep doing what you’re doing, and let the people you love see it. 💜

#bonehealth #healthyaging #strongbones by @margiebissinger

October is National Physical Therapy Month, and being a physical therapist still shapes so much of the way I look at bone health.

When I first started working with people with osteoporosis, I was surprised by how little practical guidance many of them were getting. I met so many intelligent, motivated people who genuinely wanted to take care of themselves, but they were often unsure which exercises were right for them, how to move safely, or where to begin.

They were doing their best. What they were missing was clear, individualized guidance.

That is one of the things that drew me so deeply into this work, and it is still how I approach exercise today.

As a physical therapist, I am not only looking at the exercise itself. I am looking at the person doing it. How is your posture? What is your alignment? Are you starting in the right position? Is this exercise appropriate for your body right now? And when you get stronger, how can we safely build from there?

There is not one exercise program that is right for every person. We all come in with different strengths, injuries, limitations, and goals, which is why I think it is so important to honor your body and, when you need it, work with someone who can help you understand what is right for you.

One of my favorite parts of physical therapy is seeing someone go from feeling unsure or afraid of movement to realizing how much stronger and more capable they actually are.

Has a physical therapist ever helped you feel more confident in the way you move? I’d love to hear about it. 💜

#physicaltherapy #osteoporosis #bonehealth by @margiebissinger

🟣 Spinach, almonds and Swiss chard are such healthy foods.

They're also some of the highest oxalate foods.

So what are oxalates, and do you need to think about them for your bones?

🎙️ That's exactly what I wanted to explore in this episode of the Happy Bones, Happy Life podcast, where I'm sharing a masterclass Dr. Kim Millman did for my community.

What I appreciate about Dr. Millman is how balanced she is about this. She avoided the subject for many years because oxalates are found in so many healthy foods. And she is very clear that this isn't something everyone needs to do, so she teaches a process to help you figure out whether it matters for you.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

✔️ What oxalates are, and how they can bind to calcium, magnesium, potassium and other nutrients
✔️ Symptoms that may point to oxalates, like pain that moves around and urinary issues
✔️ The top high-oxalate foods, including spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, almonds and cashews
✔️ How your gut health can affect how many oxalates you absorb
✔️ How to estimate the oxalates in your food, and the testing options
✔️ Simple ways to reduce oxalates, like boiling, steaming, soaking and pairing high-oxalate foods with calcium
✔️ The connection between bile flow and oxalate absorption

You can watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6BUzu5kJkU

🔗 Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Also, find it at the link in my bio.

#happyboneshappylife #bonestrength #osteoporosis #bonehealth #wellnesspodcast by @margiebissinger

🎙️ From the Happy Bones, Happy Life Podcast

I've been getting so many questions about oxalates.

What are oxalates? Is it something I really need to deal with? How is this affecting my bones? And what can I do to reduce the oxalates in the food I'm eating?

🎙️ In this episode, I'm sharing a fabulous masterclass that Dr. Kim Millman did for my community. Dr. Millman is a Stanford, UCSF and USC-trained integrative medicine physician and research scientist who has specialized in an integrative approach to osteoporosis for over 18 years.

Dr. Millman explains what oxalates are, why they matter for calcium and other minerals, and the symptoms that can show up in so many different parts of the body. She also walks through the top high-oxalate foods, how to figure out whether oxalates may be a concern for you, and practical ways to reduce them, like boiling, steaming and soaking, and pairing high-oxalate foods with calcium.

She is also very clear that this isn't something everyone needs to do.

At the end, I share something Dr. Millman and I discussed afterwards that I think is so important: the connection between bile flow and oxalate absorption.

You can watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6BUzu5kJkU

🔗 Or at the link in my bio

➡️ On YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform!

#happyboneshappylife #bonestrength #osteoporosis #bonehealth #wellnesspodcast by @margiebissinger

Today is World Osteoporosis Day.

Hearing the word osteoporosis for the first time can feel overwhelming and scary. You may start wondering what is safe, what you should be doing differently, and what this diagnosis means for your future.

That feeling is so understandable.

But I always say that a diagnosis can also be a catalyst for change.

It can be an opportunity to look at the bigger picture of your health. Maybe it is how you move. Maybe it is your nutrition. Maybe there are root causes of bone loss that have never been explored. Maybe stress, sleep, or other parts of your health need more attention too.

That is why I do not look at osteoporosis as only a bone density problem. I look at the whole person.

And the most important thing I want you to hear today is this:

There is so much we can do.

You do not have to change everything at once. Start with one thing, learn what you can, and keep moving forward from there.

If someone you love has been diagnosed recently and is feeling overwhelmed, please share this with her today. 💜

#worldosteoporosisday #osteoporosis #bonehealth by @margiebissinger

Tomorrow is the day. 💜

Tomorrow is World Osteoporosis Day, and I'm really looking forward to celebrating it by moving together.

Rebekah Rotstein, founder of Buff Bones®, is joining me for a special live workout:

World Osteoporosis Day Workout with Rebekah Rotstein
Tuesday, October 20 at 12:00 pm EDT (9:00 am PDT)

Rebekah will guide us through a workout that challenges:
➡️ Strength and impact, done safely for your bones
➡️ Balance and agility
➡️ Mobility
➡️ Confidence in your movement

I love that combination because our bodies need more than one type of movement. We want strength, and we also want to be able to balance, change direction, move well and feel confident using our bodies in everyday life.

Rebekah has more than 20 years of experience in Pilates, personal training, dance and sports medicine, and her Buff Bones® method has grown into an internationally recognized program for bone health.

Everyone who registers will receive the replay plus a bonus Buff Bones® workout video to keep and use again.

So tomorrow, clear some space, come ready to move, and spend World Osteoporosis Day with us. Please allow at least an hour for the class.

💜 The registration link is in my bio.
Or sign up here: https://www.happyboneshappylife.com/world-osteoporosis-day-workout

Can't join us live? Register anyway and you'll receive the replay and the bonus workout video.

#WorldOsteoporosisDay #BoneHealth #OsteoporosisExercise by @margiebissinger

🟣What if the HRT story you’ve heard isn’t the whole story?

For years, many women were told to be cautious about hormone therapy. Then, more recently, the conversation around HRT started changing.

So what does the research actually say, and what does any of this have to do with your bones?

🎙️That’s exactly what I wanted to explore in this episode of the Happy Bones, Happy Life podcast with my longtime friend, Dr. Felice Gersh (@dr.felicegersh), a double board-certified OB-GYN and integrative medicine physician.

We dive into the history of the Women’s Health Initiative, why it had such a lasting impact on how women viewed HRT, and why there is still so much confusion surrounding hormone therapy and menopause.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

✔️Why estrogen matters to bone health
✔️The idea of a “window of opportunity” for HRT
✔️What Dr. Gersh believes was misunderstood about the research
✔️Why she believes progesterone deserves more attention
✔️What women in their 50s and 60s should consider when thinking about HRT
✔️Why individualized decision-making matters and why more research is needed

You can watch the full episode here: https://f.mtr.cool/70zm8yrgnr

➡️Dr. Gersh's website: https://f.mtr.cool/unlv8qrcmv

🔗 Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Also, find it at the link in my bio.

#happyboneshappylife #bonestrength #osteoporosis #bonehealth #wellnesspodcast by @margiebissinger