Beautiful Bones without Hormones: The All-New Natural Diet and Exercise Program to Reduce the Risk of Osteoporosis [Hardcover]

Leon Root (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2004

Dr. Leon Root, world-renowned orthopedic surgeon and author of the bestseller Oh, My Aching Back, presents a 100% natural, HRT-free diet and exercise program for increasing bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

“Save your bones, save your life.” That’s Dr. Root’s motto after thirty-five years in practice. Today, forty-four million Americans suffer from osteoporosis or osteopenia. Having seen scores of people lose their independence and their lives to osteoporosis-related fractures, Dr. Root has become a crusader against this silent killer. Dr. Root’s plan is the first and only one written since the Women’s Health Initiative Study, which questioned the safety of Hormone Replacement Therapy. His simple, all-natural approach consists of an easy-to-follow diet and exercise program that will safeguard your bones against the incurable—yet almost always preventable—disease of osteoporosis. The book includes:

* A Fourteen-Day High-Calcium Diet (with foods you love), including variations for children, vegetarians, and the lactose intolerant, with an emphasis on forming healthy habits for a lifetime.
* A breakdown of the amount of absorbable calcium in common foods
* More than sixty simple, calcium-rich recipes for delicious—not “diet”—meals, including calorie counts and nutritional information
* A fully illustrated, twenty-minute exercise routine that you can do at home
* Cutting-edge information on recent breakthroughs in drug treatment for osteoporosis
* An extensive glossary, plus a list of organizations and Web sites to help you beat osteoporosis

No other book comes close to providing the comprehensive, up-to-the-minute information and advice Dr. Root gives in Beautiful Bones Without Hormones.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hippocrates said, "Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food." Root, an orthopedic surgeon, agrees with this advice and presents compelling evidence as to why it's true. Osteoporosis, often called "the silent killer," affects both men and women. And it's common: "more than twice as many Americans die from complications resulting from hip fractures [due to osteoporosis] than from car accident fatalities." Root describes the disease and offers illustrations to emphasize its impact on the body. He explains who is at risk and why and includes ways to reduce risk factors. Although osteoporosis is commonly considered "a little old lady's disease," the author points out that the average American woman now lives at least one-third of her life after menopause. Thus, she'd be wise to prepare for that stage of life. This is a practical, how-to book that lists the new bone-building medications available and provides readers with a 14-day, healthy, high-calcium diet; a seven-day, healthy, high-calcium diet for vegetarians; and one for the lactose-intolerant as well. Part three reminds readers that "bones need exercise like babies need love," and affords an illustrated exercise regime as well as a chapter on the safest aerobic and alternative therapies. The coup de grace is the cookbook at book's end. With recipes for The Famous French Croque-Monsieur Sandwich and Macaroni and Cheese, calcium never looked so good.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Do we need this book? Yes, yes, yes! Having read it, I plan to have the strongest bones this side of a Tyrannosaurus rex. (Helen Gurley Brown, editor-in-chief, Cosmopolitan International) Dr. Root writes in the clearest and most informative way. His is a book that anyone who even suspects that he or she has osteoporosis—and that is a great number of us—should immediately read. (Barbara Walters, ABC News) Beautiful Bones Without Hormones offers an incredibly sound and wholesome diet and exercise program certain to minimize the risk of osteoporosis in anyone who follows it. It's an exceptional book, and I recommend it heartily. (Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D., associate professor, The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, and author of the national bestseller Strong Women, Strong Bones) Osteoporosis is a terrible thief, stealing health and independence from women of all ages. Fight back with Beautiful Bones Without Hormones, this simple and effective do-it-yourself manual from one of America's most experienced and trustworthy orthopedic surgeons. (Lisa R. Callahan, M.D., author of The Fitness Factor and medical director of the Women's Sports Medicine Center, Hospital for Special Surgery) An eye-opening account of a very serious disease, osteoporosis, by a thoughtful leader in the field. (Tim McCarver, Fox Sports) This book has become a fixture on my bedside table. (Beverly Sills, Coloratura Soprano and former director of the New York City Opera)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; First Edition edition (April 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592400620
• ISBN-13: 978-1592400621
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,846,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Bones by Leon Root, April 2, 2005

By 

Joseph S. Maresca "Dr. Joseph S. Maresca CPA,... (Bronxville, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beautiful Bones without Hormones: The All-New Natural Diet and Exercise Program to Reduce the Risk of Osteoporosis (Hardcover)

The work discusses a variety of topics aimed at strengthening the
musculo-skeletal system. Classic cholesterol-reducing treatments
are statin, fluoride, estren and natural estrogens. Calcium in the elemental form is utilized to regulate heart beat, blood clotting, muscles/nerves, intestinal absorption and nutrition. Helpful vitamins are Vitamin A, D, E, B1-9, B12 and C at 1500 mg./day.
Helpful mineral compounds are Ca.,Phos., Mg, K (potassium) or
POM juice, Boron, Cu. and Zn. Cruciferous veggies help in
calcium supplementation and cancer fighting. A good calcium
test involves placing the capsule in white vinegar for 1/2 hour.
If it doesn't melt/dissolve , the vitamin will be
poorly absorbed when the calcium pill is swallowed. This book
has many helpful hints on maintenance of the bone structure.
It would be a solid investment for anyone seeking to develop/
maximize the existing bone structure far into the foreseeable future. The work is vital for men/women who are prone to
osteoporosis in their later years. Proper supplements and exercise will help strengthen the bone structure for the long term. The acquisition will help you in formulating a rational
plan to handle musculoskeletal issues in your middle age and beyond. The book is worth the price charged. It belongs in
every personal medical library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars /The Best Osteoporosis Book, but..., January 17, 2008

By 

Claudia Summer (Puget Sound, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beautiful Bones without Hormones (Paperback)

Very well written description of osteoporosis, the dangers, and what to do to improve your bones. A good read, motivating and helpful. I've read a dozen books on the subject. This is the one I sent to my sister and I'm buying one for myself for ongoing reference. Charts showing calcium content of just about every food are indispensable.

However, most of the recipes contain too many calories and daily meal plans would be too much food for most average sized women. You'll end up inventing less fattening versions. Not a huge problem. Nonfat yogurt and part-skim ricotta are calcium powerhouses you can slip into many of your favorite foods.

Exercise is necessary for bone health and the book has an entire section with clear instructions and photos. A cautionary note: If your wrists are painful, you won't want to do the exercises that require putting a lot of pressure and weight on them.

I do have a problem with taking Actonel, one of the three bone hardening prescription meds Dr. Root advises. I'm going to ask my doctor to put me back on low-dose estrogen as the option with fewest side effects for me.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a life saver, July 10, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Beautiful Bones without Hormones: The All-New Natural Diet and Exercise Program to Reduce the Risk of Osteoporosis (Hardcover)

What the authors have done in Beautful Bones Without Hormones is to give us, very simply, the reasons why we should fear osteoporosis, the steps we can take to avoid it or reverse it and the routines that we need to adopt to protect ourselves. It's very user-friendly, good science boiled down to a clear and manageable list of to-do's. Either you or someone you love can save themselves a lot of agony by reading and using this book.