Emily Pavlidis - York, Maine
Hi, my name is Emily. My bone story really began 17 years ago when I was diagnosed with estrogen-positive breast cancer. My doctor recommended I get my first DEXA scan to get some baseline numbers before I started cancer treatments. That scan in 2004 showed that my spine already showed bone loss, but at that point no one was overly concerned because cancer was my bigger worry. I underwent chemotherapy treatments, which put me into early menopause, and a few years later I had my ovaries removed to further lower my estrogen levels. Well, over the next 10 years, I had two more DEXA scans, and each one showed worsening T-scores everywhere. By 2014, my spine's T-score was negative 2.6 and my femoral neck was negative 1.5. All I was told was to take a calcium and vitamin D supplement and to do weight-bearing exercise regularly. I thought as a cancer survivor with little to no estrogen in my body it was just my faith to have worsening bone health. I thought I was doing everything I could for myself. Then in 2018, when my DEXA scan showed my spine T-score at negative 3.0, my doctor told me I was at high risk for spinal fracture. I was terrified of fracturing my spine so I was afraid to continue doing yoga and afraid to keep running and afraid to ride my bike. So I finally began doing my own research into bone metabolism. I ordered several books from Amazon, and one of those books was this book, "Your Bones" by Lara Pizzorno. This book explained how bone metabolism works and how I could naturally support my bones and reverse my bone loss. I started taking AlgaeCal Plus and Strontium Boost in early 2019. I also made changes, including cutting way back on my use of ibuprofen, starting an omega-3 supplement and a turmeric supplement, and changing over to a fluoride-free toothpaste. I also joined the AlgaeCal Facebook group which was hugely educational and supportive, especially in the beginning when things often felt overwhelming. I wasn't perfect, sometimes forgetting to take my AlgaeCal and often only taking one Strontium just because I was tired of taking pills. But one year after starting AlgaeCal Plus and Strontium, my DEXA scan numbers had either improved or had remained stable for the first time in 17 years. And now after taking AlgaeCal a little over two years, my spine T-score has gone from negative 3.0 to negative 2.2. Now, I am confident that eventually I will build my bone density back up to the normal range. I am extremely grateful for Lara Pizzorno and so happy that I discovered the AlgaeCal community. So thank you, AlgaeCal, and good luck to all of you who are starting out.
