I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Ellis, also known as the Bone Coach, about his experience with osteoporosis and his journey toward better health. Kevin was diagnosed with osteoporosis in his early 30s, a shocking diagnosis for someone so young. But instead of letting it defeat him, he used it as motivation to learn everything he could about bone health and share that knowledge with others.

I asked Kevin about his views on traditional medicine and whether he believes the answer to health problems always comes from the pharmacy. His response was clear: “Not necessarily. There are a lot of natural ways to support your health, and it’s important to look at the root causes of your issues instead of just treating symptoms with medication.”

One of those root causes, Kevin explained, is gut health. “To absorb anything, you need roots in your soil. Our roots are called villi. They're these tiny little hairlike projections that cover our small intestine. The villi will shuttle nutrients into your bloodstream so they can travel where they are needed in your body. When you have poor digestion, you won’t be able to break down food properly.”

So, how do you improve your gut health? Kevin recommends testing your stomach acid and taking digestive enzymes if necessary. He also emphasized the importance of a digestive stool test to understand what’s going on in your microbiome.

As someone who enjoys a morning cup of coffee, I was curious to hear Kevin’s thoughts on whether caffeine can impact gut health. “Caffeine is going to vary slightly increase calcium excretion,” he explained. “Many people don’t need to completely avoid coffee. Instead, drink less.”

Having gone down this path with osteoporosis, Kevin is all too aware of the importance of bone health from an early age. When asked about when people should get their first bone density scan, he emphasized the earlier, the better. “You can build bone strength at any age. It just gets more challenging as you get older. Getting this scan done is key for understanding where you’re at now and to start taking steps to improve and address osteoporosis.”

For postmenopausal women, in particular, Kevin stressed the importance of finding a functional medicine practitioner or naturopathic physician to discuss options for hormone replacement therapy. “Primary osteoporosis is typically related to the decrease in estrogen in postmenopausal women. When estrogen levels decrease as they do during menopause, it's going to cause an increase in the activity level of cells that break down bone. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy could be helpful for some people, but you’ll want to discuss that with your physician first.”

One surprising thing I learned during our conversation was that foods we often consider to be healthy, like spinach and kale, can cause digestive problems due to oxalates, an anti-nutrient. “People eat a lot of spinach. If you can’t break down the oxalates, you will have some issues,” Kevin explained.

Finally, I asked Kevin about his top recommendations for improving bone health. His answer was simple: have a strategy. “If you rely on a single supplement, you may lose more bone because you didn’t have a strategy. There’s a Free Stronger Bones Masterclass that you can check out from BoneCoach™.”

Speaking with Kevin Ellis was an informative and enlightening experience. His passion for bone health is clear, and his expertise on the subject is invaluable. For anyone looking to improve their bone health or prevent osteoporosis, his insights are a must-read.