Management of Osteoporosis in Ayurveda

By Mary Edmunds, 500 RYT

In 2022, I attended a seminar where an Ayurveda Practitioner presented their approach to the Management of Osteoporosis through the lens of Ayurveda. Since I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis for several years, I really intended to learn more information and apply it.

What I came away with was the “aha” moment when Dr. Raut explained about vihara-lifestyle recommendations and exercise. Abhyanga is bone strength and anxiety, stress reduction and atapa seva-sun exposure (Vit D3). There are two types of yoga poses:

• Stress of dynamic loading (moving into a pose)

• Static loading (holding a pose)

  • Benefited by holding between 12 & 72 seconds

  • Some asanas are planks, tree pose, crescent pose, and warrior.

Since I teach yoga and have a daily practice, I discovered that holding these poses for longer periods of time is very restful and successful. A year and a half later, I added students and gave workshops with remarkable success with the emphasis on preventing bone loss.

Most yoga participants are accustomed to poses and holding them for a short length, but when I exclaim we are holding these for 30 seconds, the students become very amenable to acquiring this habit.

Asthi, bone, is the fifth tissue. Bone helps with a person’s psychological state. Healthy bone tissue ensures security, stability, and endurance. Deficiencies result in extreme tiredness, painful and weak joints, loss of teeth and hair, and brittle nails, increased fractures, and falling.

Per CDC, an estimated 10.2 million people aged 50 and over have osteoporosis and 43.3 million more have low bone mass in US.

When I scheduled a bone density test three years ago, my rheumatologist gave me a list of Calcium supported food. It was easy to incorporate these foods into my daily food plan. There is the link for them. (Calcium Content of foods).

Today, I now have osteopenia; I have gained back bone mass in my spine and left hip. This has been truly remarkable and is available for our patients to add these protocols.