Bone Health Essentials:Natural Support Strategies for Lifelong Skeletal Strength, and also male contraceptives, oral GLP-1 agent and more

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 5-15-2025:

• Dr. Dawn provides a comprehensive overview of bone health, describing bones as the "silent architects" of our bodies that require ongoing care and attention throughout life. She outlines key risk factors including family history of fractures, eating disorders, hormonal changes, digestive surgeries, and medication use, while explaining how DEXA scans measure bone density through T-scores and Z-scores, recommending the FRAX risk calculator as a superior predictive tool. She shares practical strategies like weight-bearing exercise and proper vitamin supplementation (D, K2, calcium) alongside explaining the roles of osteoclasts and osteoblasts in bone turnover and how medications influence this balance.
• She addresses a caller's question about strontium citrate and isoflavone supplements for bone health after cancer treatment, clarifying that these differ from problematic boron and suggesting C-telopeptide or N-telopeptide testing to verify bone turnover rates beyond DEXA results.
• The program discusses a promising non-hormonal male contraceptive called ADAM, a dissolvable hydrogel implant shown in preliminary trials to block sperm for up to two years without serious side effects.
• Dr. Dawn addresses misconceptions about autism, describing it as a spectrum with diverse manifestations, explaining its neurological basis in atypical brain pruning patterns, and emphasizing it as a complex genetic vulnerability to environmental events.
• She evaluates a listener email about a supplement for urinary incontinence and metabolic health, warning listeners about marketing tactics and insufficient evidence behind many commercial products.
• Dr. Dawn examines "Fatty 15," a pentadecanoic acid supplement marketed for metabolic health, noting that while some rodent studies show promise for insulin sensitivity and liver health, human evidence remains limited compared to well-established benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Dr. Dawn shares news about Orforglipron, a new oral GLP-1 medication in pill form for diabetes and weight management that appears as effective as injectable versions like Ozempic..
• The show concludes with information about innovative plant-based transparent paperboard, a cellulose-based material that biodegrades within 300 days while offering a safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional plastics.