Ask Dr. Mike: Osteoporosis Prevention & Virus Help

Here you'll find the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions posed by Healthy Talk fans.

Listen in because what you know helps ensure healthy choices you can live with. Today on Healthy Talk, you wanted to know:

I am healthy and 74 years old. My family doc said I need to take fosamax because I have osteopenia that could become osteoporosis. I have asthma and it has always been well controlled. I took my first fosamax pill and had a headache for 24 hours. I rarely get headaches, and I can easily treat the ones I do get with Advil. The main problem is that I coughed all week, night and day. Can fosamax cause my asthma symptoms to escalate? Is it worth the benefit to my otherwise healthy body? Are there other ways to stave off osteoporosis?

If you have asthma, any drug can be a stressor to your body, because the cortisol in your body increases. The reaction to this new thing might exacerbate some reactive airway symptoms.

You need to discuss the risks versus the benefits with your doctor. As you get older, you really must take care of your bones. Look at your total calcium intake. It’s good to take 1500 mg per day, and at least 1000 units of vitamin D per day. Vitamin D helps the calcium get into your bloodstream. Take vitamin K2 to help the calcium get into your bones. You don't want your calcium to be mismanaged and deposited into the wrong places, so be sure to take all three.

Boron, silicon, and plum extract all help increase the strength and mineralization of the bones. Strontium was very popular in the 1950s for low bone density. It’s perfectly safe in supplement form and awesome for your bones.

I’m 69 years old. A month ago I got sick with a virus that is still with me. Once a week I go to an alternative medicine doctor. I was treated weekly with nutritional and peroxide IV, and yesterday he prescribed erythromycin. I've had chronic yeast inflammation for many years, and I take several supplements. What else can I do?

The ache, coughing, and malaise that hang around are known as the viral syndrome. Antibiotics won’t hurt if you’ve had it for a while, because the bacteria may hang around in the respiratory system.

Vitamin D (5000 IU daily), reishi mushroom extract, and andrographis paniculata are all great. You can also try vitamin C to bowel tolerance. Give your immune system a chance to tackle the virus.

If you have a health question or concern, Dr. Mike encourages you to write him at askdrmikesmith@radiomd.com or call in, toll-free, to the LIVE radio show (1.844.305.7800) so he can provide you with support and helpful advice.