Article written by Dr. Michelle Strydom MD
Osteoporosis is a deterioration of bone tissue, resulting in weakening of the bones. Osteoporotic bones break (fracture) very easily. People with osteoporosis commonly get fractures in the hip, just above the wrist and bones in the spine called vertebrae. When the vertebrae fracture they ‘collapse’ and squash the underlying nerves, which can cause severe pain. Collapse (compression) of the vertebra can also cause the spine to curve so the person has a ‘hunch back’. Bone fractures as a result of osteoporosis are a major public health problem: For example in the UK bone fractures from osteoporosis affect 200,000 people every year, with treatment costs of £1.4 billion. Osteoporosis has been called the silent epidemic because it affects so many people, and because there are often no associated symptoms or warning signs until a bone fracture appears. This epidemic of osteoporosis indicates that there is an epidemic of jealousy and envy in people’s thought lives. Why? Proverbs 14 v 30: “A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy and wrath are like rottenness of the bones.” The primary spiritual root behind osteoporosis is jealousy and envy.
Sometimes there is also a genetic component to osteoporosis. Our brain translates our thought life into a physical reaction – science calls this the mind-body connection. However, our thoughts don’t just affect our body, they also affect our genes. Envy and jealousy can cause a genetic defect leading to osteoporosis in successive generations. The basis of this is explained in detail in the chapter on “Genetically Inherited Diseases” on page 153.
The primary spiritual root behind osteoporosis is jealousy and envy.
Your bone is mainly made up of calcium and phosphate. Normally, there is continual activity in your bone tissue. There are bone-building cells (called osteoblasts) in your bone that make or build new bone, for example to increase the length of a bone when a child is growing and to replace bone that was broken. There are other bone-removing cells (called osteoclasts) that break up the bone again and release the calcium and phosphate back into your bloodstream. The bone-building cells are continually forming new bone and the bone-removing cells are continually removing old bone. A fine balance is maintained between the bone-building cells and the bone-removing cells – so that not too much bone is removed or formed. This balance is controlled by several hormones, such as growth hormones, thyroid hormones, oestrogen, insulin, cortisol and parathyroid hormones. These hormones (except parathyroid hormones*) are in turn under the control of the hypothalamus in your brain. Remember the hypothalamus is the area in your brain that is the connection between your mind and your body – it converts your thoughts into a physical reaction. The hypothalamus responds to envy and jealousy upstream in a person’s thought life by setting in motion a series of chemical and hormonal reactions that cause an imbalance in the activity between the bone-building cells and the bone-removing cells. The result is that the bone-removing cells are over active and break down too much bone, and not enough bone is formed by the bone-building cells.
Osteoporosis usually only becomes evident after the age of 50 years (after menopause). This is because the body produces less oestrogen after menopause (oestrogen stops the bone removing cells from breaking down bone, and helps the bone-building cells to build new bone). Also, the bone-building cells are worn out with age in elderly people and become less efficient in making new bone. However, not all postmenopausal women or elderly people develop osteoporosis, despite having less oestrogen and bone-building cells. This is because they have an adequate reserve of bone tissue to last them into old age. However, people who have lived for years with envy and jealousy have an imbalance between the bone-removing and bone building cells where there is an increased breakdown of bone and not enough new bone being formed. As a result they do not have enough bone reserve to last them into old age. This is summarized below:
There was a 60 year old Jewish lady from New Jersey in America with severe osteoporosis who contacted the ministry of Henry Wright. She had started with osteoporosis in her 30’s and by her early 40’s was in the advanced stages. Although this lady was Jewish, she did not know God – she did not have an intimate relationship with Him. She also had envy, jealousy and bitterness from tragic circumstances in her life. The staff in Henry Wright’s ministry spoke to her over the phone. First she was brought back into an intimate love relationship with God the Father. She then dealt with the envy and jealousy that had been in her heart all those years. What makes this testimony incredibly significant is that she was on predisone. One of the side effects of this drug is that it decreases the amount of bone tissue. Therefore you have very little chance of recovering from osteoporosis if you are taking prednisone. She was still taking this drug when she went back to her doctor to have her bone scan. When she went for her test results, her doctor told her, “I don’t know what has happened to you. I’ve been your doctor for years, and I have been in this business for years.
All osteoporosis has been stopped (osteoporosis is known in the medical field to be a progressive disease that a person does not recover from i.e. it only gets worse over time), and not only has the osteoporosis been stopped, but in all bone scan areas throughout the structure of your bones, you have an average bone density of 15% to 18%!” A bone density of 15 to 18% is equivalent to the bone density of a 30 year old woman (remember she was 60 years old). In Psalm 103 v 5 it says that God will renew our youth like the eagle’s (strong, overcoming and soaring). It happened to her when she applied God’s principles in His Word. When you deal with the spiritual root and get rid of jealousy and envy in your thought life, the hypothalamus sets the body back into balance – new bone is formed and the osteoporosis disappears.
If you have struggled with jealousy and envy coming out of tragic circumstances in your life, the chapter on page 538 will help you.
Finally, after you have worked through that chapter, pray this out loud with me: “In Jesus’ Name I command the bone removing and bone forming cells to come back into balance. Calling those things that are not as if they were (Romans 4 v 17), I now speak a creative miracle into my bones, I speak the bone tissue into place now …be formed! By the stripes of Jesus I am healed and made whole! (Isaiah 53 v 5)”
Other Causes of Osteoporosis:
Osteoporosis can be a side effect of certain drugs such as corticosteroids, anticonvulsants and sedatives. So if you are on chronic medication, check the package insert to see if osteoporosis is a possible side effect. Why are you taking this medication? What is the spiritual root behind that disease? Deal with it so that it will no longer be necessary for you to take those drugs. Then your bones will be able to recover and the osteoporosis will resolve.
Fear, anxiety and stress can also cause osteoporosis. Just as a calm and undisturbed mind leads to health, a thought life dominated by fear and anxiety will put the body into a toxic state of stage 2 and 3 of stress that leads to disease. (The different stages of stress and how long term fear and anxiety affects the body is discussed in depth in the chapter on page 180).
In stage 2 and 3 of stress there are high levels of stress hormones. One of these stress hormones is cortisol. In excessive quantities cortisol increases the activity of the bone-removing cells and inhibits the bone-building cells from making new bone. The result is that too much bone is broken done and not enough new bone being made, and thus osteoporosis develops. If you have perpetual fear, anxiety and stress in your thought life, turn to page 523.
Osteoporosis can be the complication of other diseases, such as those mentioned below. When the spiritual root behind those diseases is dealt with, the osteoporosis will also fall away.
- Anorexia/ low body weight, diseases of the pituitary gland and excessive decrease in oestrogen after menopause – in these conditions insufficient sex hormones (e.g. oestrogen) are produced resulting in not enough bone being formed. Anorexia is explained on page 234.
- Excess alcohol and smoking – these problems and the spiritual root behind them are discussed in detail in the chapter on addictions on page 216.
- Immobility – for example if you are bed ridden for a long period of time, osteoporosis will result. This is because exercise and movement keeps your bones strong.
- Hyperthyroidism and hyperparathyroidism can cause osteoporosis. In normal concentrations thyroid hormones promote bone growth, but when there is excess quantities of thyroid hormones (such as in hyperthyroidism), they cause bone break down and osteoporosis. Hyperthyroidism is discussed on page 442.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and chrons disease) and malabsorption – not enough calcium is absorbed from your gut. Calcium is needed to make bones. Therefore if you have a shortage of calcium (for example due to malabsorption), osteoporosis can result. Inflammatory bowel disease and malabsorption is explained in the chapter on gastrointestinal diseases on page 358.
- Rheumatiod arthritis which is also discussed in this chapter can cause osteoporosis.
- Untreated diabetes can cause osteoporosis. Diabetes is explained on page 432.
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