About Me

Thank-you for visiting my website. My name is Darlene Varaleau and this site is dedicated to providing information on natural treatment solutions for osteopenia and osteoporosis.

I created this site because I was diagnosed with osteopenia several years ago. This was quite a shock to me because I had none of the risk factors...except one. Heredity. Osteoporosis is rampant within my family. I have large bones, exercise regularly, have a good diet and am not on any medications that compromise bone health-except a thyroid medication. But it seems that heredity can be a determining factor in spite of a healthy lifestyle. So I decided to see if I could restore my bones to the normal range...or at least prevent full osteoporosis.

At age 54 my bone density scan showed that I was in the normal range and I continued to take calcium and vitamin D supplements as a precaution. Two years later I was shocked to learn that I had lost 15% bone mass and had osteopenia in one hip.

In addition to taking Evista (which is particularly good for the spine) I have designed a vitamin program to improve the quality of my bones. After a LOT of research, my daily program has stabilized as follows:

These were the highest quality supplements (with recommended levels of calcium, vitamin D, magnesium and vitamin K) that I could find...and at the best price. I would have liked to take Puritan's Pride Bone Builder because it has an excellent formula that meets all the recommended guidelines...but it seems that Health Canada prevents the import of calcium for reasons known only to them.

I am also using Gentle Changes progesterone cream but not in a very disciplined way. My blood tests show that my hormones are normal for my age...although there continues to be a debate over the value of increased estrogen and progesterone after hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was found to be great for bone health but terrible as a cancer risk.

I increased my vitamin D3 to 5,000 IU a day in a gel tab when a blood test showed that I was deficient (70 nmol/L) despite taking 2,000 IU in a regular tablet and getting a LOT more sunshine than most Canadians. I continue to be surprised when I meet people who are not monitoring their vitamin D level as an essential step in the battle to improve bone health.

It seems that my spine has improved and is still in the normal range while my right hip (femur) continued to decline but more slowly than previously. It lost 3% of bone density in two years rather than the 15% in the previous two years. I have decided to continue with both the Evista and my natural treatment program for the next two to three years to see if I can get my right hip back into the normal range. No hip surgery for me...if I can help it.

I am just exiting the period of greatest bone loss for women-which is the first 5-7 years after menopause. Experts say that natural bone loss should continue at about 1% a year after that...although I am still working on pushing my bones back into the normal range...just for the fun of it all.

I am a lawyer and business person by training...and not a medical expert. All visitors to this site are encouraged to work with their doctors both in monitoring their bone health and vitamin D levels and designing an osteoporosis treatment program that suits their particular situation.

The information on this website has been gathered from medical research sites and from various American, Canadian and International Osteoporosis Societies. Most of my sources are listed on the Links page.

Thank-you for visiting. I hope you enjoy the site. And good luck with your next bone density test!

I live in Ontario (Canada) and canoeing in our beautiful parks is my favourite summer activity. I need strong bones for all the portages!

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