Wendy James - Wilmington, NC
Hi, my name is Wendy James. I'm from Wilmington, North Carolina, and I'm 54 years old. Today, I'm sharing my experience with the AlgaeCal Bone Builder Pack.
Growing up, I didn't drink much milk, and in my 20s and 30s, I never really took calcium supplements either because I had trouble swallowing pills back then. I found out about my bone loss in my late 40s. My grandmother had osteoporosis, and even though I felt healthy, I decided at age 46 I would have my first bone density scan.
I was honestly surprised by the results. My lumbar spine T-score was -1.6 and my left femoral neck was -1.2, which meant I was already in the osteopenia range at the age of 46. So I asked my doctor what to do, and she advised me to take vitamin D. So I did. I stayed consistent with just taking vitamin D for the next four years.
When I retested, my scores had only approved about 2 tenths of a point in both my lumbar spine and my hip, and I was still in the osteopenia range for both. I asked my doctor again what else should I do, and the advice was basically the same. Just take vitamin D. So I continued with just the vitamin D for about three more years, from age 50 to 53. During that time, I wanted to be more proactive, but I didn't truly have a clear plan or a product I felt confident in.
Then at age 53, I had my bone density tested and it had gotten worse. My lumbar spine went from a T-score of -1.4 down to -2.1. My left hip went from a score of -1.0 to -1.4. And what really hit me emotionally was what my DEXA report said: "With a Z-score of -2.1, the patient has very low bone mineral density for her age and sex. Causes of secondary bone loss should be investigated." Needless to say, I was fairly devastated, and to make it worse, I'm a physical therapist. I've seen what osteoporosis can do. I've watched people lose independence after a hip fracture or spinal fracture, and I didn't want that future for myself.
So how did I discover AlgaeCal? Well, I reached out to a physical therapist friend in Washington state, and she told me about AlgaeCal and the Bone Builder Pack. She had personally used it and had some success with her bone density. I first, I just went on the AlgaeCal website to look around and kind of see what products they had and what the research said. And I immediately ordered a six-month supply of the Bone Builder Pack. And I also went ahead and ordered some Vitamin D3.
After the first six months, I went ahead. I did everything I was supposed to, and I decided to order another six-month supply because I was going to give this one year. And I want to be honest, I also didn't do anything extreme alongside of it. I didn't suddenly start heavy weightlifting, even though I probably should have. The only lifestyle change that I made in addition to taking the AlgaeCal was about six months ago, I started walking several miles most every day.
Since starting the Bone Builder Pack, the biggest improvement I've noticed was kind of in my mentality. I finally had hope that I was doing something that had been proven with science and research, and it was going to help me. When you're watching your numbers trend in the wrong direction, it feels like you're powerless, like you're just waiting for something bad to happen or for your scores to get worse. Taking AlgaeCal made me feel like I finally had a plan that was focused on actually building bone, not just waiting and watching.
So a couple of weeks ago, I had my fourth bone density test, and I am thrilled with my results. After just being one year on the AlgaeCal and Strontium, my lumbar spine T-score improved from a -2.1 to a -1.6. That's a 6.7% improvement. And my left femoral neck score improved from a -1.4 to a -0.8. That's almost 10% improvement.
What I can say now is that having a product I can be consistent with and that's designed specifically for bone density has changed my mindset completely. I'm no longer just hoping my bones don't get worse. I feel like I'm actively working toward getting stronger bones.
For me, AlgaeCal gave me something I didn't have before, a structured approach I can follow daily and the feeling that I'm doing something meaningful for my bones. To me, increasing my bone density means protecting my independence.
I feel like 54 years old is fairly young and I'm not willing to sit back and hope my bones don't get worse.
