Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is no longer exclusive to middle-aged and elderly populations. Multiple surveys show that an increasing number of young people are experiencing declining bone health. Let us examine how TCM treats osteoporosis and whether TCM offers advantages in prevention and treatment.
TCM classifies osteoporosis under "bone weakness, bone dryness, bone obstruction," attributing its etiology to kidney deficiency and spleen deficiency. Thus, treatment focuses on tonifying the kidneys and strengthening the spleen.
I. Tonifying Kidneys and Strengthening Bones
Based on the TCM theory that "kidneys govern bones," kidney deficiency is the key factor in osteoporosis. Therefore, treatment should focus on tonifying the kidneys and strengthening bones. If kidney essence is abundant, tendons and bones become firm and strong. Yang et al. selected 11 patients with degenerative osteoporosis, divided them into kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency types, and treated them with Zuo Gui Wan and You Gui Wan with modifications for two months. Nine patients showed significant reduction or disappearance of waist and back pain, and X-ray revealed increased bone density in six cases. Wang et al. used Bu Shen Yi Gu Fang (containing rehmannia, epimedium, purple river crane, ze xie, dragon bone, etc.) to treat menopausal women with osteoporosis. After three months of treatment, mineral content in the radius and ulna increased significantly. Liang et al. treated 58 patients with ingredients like achyranthes, morinda, cornus, broken bone wind, and rehmannia, resulting in marked improvement of kidney deficiency symptoms and slight increase in average bone density. Mineral content in the radius and ulna notably increased compared to pretreatment, whereas the control group showed progressive decline. These clinical cases demonstrate that treating osteoporosis based on kidney deficiency not only improves kidney deficiency symptoms but also enhances indicators such as bone mineral content and bone density, confirming the excellent efficacy of kidney-tonifying herbs in treating osteoporosis.
II. Tonifying Qi, Strengthening Spleen, Activating Blood, and Regulating Liver
Spleen deficiency leads to kidney essence deficiency, depriving bones of nourishment, making them weak and prone to osteoporosis. Thus, treatment should focus on tonifying qi, activating blood, strengthening spleen, and regulating liver. Japanese researcher Kinai Seiyo used modified Gui Pi Tang to treat osteoporosis, showing significant increases in bone salt content and improvements in anemia and menopausal index. Zhang et al. found that salvia promotes increased collagen fiber formation and calcium deposition during fracture healing, proving that salvia can mobilize calcium from surrounding bone tissue to meet calcium needs for new bone formation, indicating direct regulation of calcium metabolism by salvia.
These findings suggest that TCM holds potential and advantages in preventing and treating osteoporosis.