Baths don’t make your bones stronger

Reading books strengthens your brain, so I’m told. Certainly, reading books while soaking in the bath does wonders for my wellbeing. Writing about what I’ve read for The Tawny Bathtub Bookclub makes me happy but none of these activities does anything to improve my bones, posture or balance, so it was a real thrill to get to know OsteoStrong in Manly. OsteoStrong is in the plaza end of Sydney Road, on my route to the library. Handy. With its rather fierce black and gold branding, dark tinted windows and a logo that put me in mind of a Forex dealer I was doubtful that anything going on in there was of relevance to me. 

Going in for my complimentary assessment, I wasn’t sure what to expect but Ashling, the charming Irish owner, and her team of health professionals, were fantastic at unravelling the mysteries of OsteoStrong. And unravelling is the right word, as the science behind OsteoStrong is not simple to understand. It challenges the conventional wisdom we’ve been fed of “no pain, no gain” propaganda that’s spouted with an evangelical energy. I am a cynic by birth so had to suspend judgment while listening to unfamiliar terminology and concepts.

My eyes glazed over when Ashling spoke about osteogenic loading and how it provides axial bone compression emulating high impact forces. But when Ashling told me the story of how a biomedical scientist called Dr John Jaquish wanted to find a treatment for his mother who had been diagnosed with osteoporosis I was in full listening mode.

Dr John made it his purpose in life to find a way to reverse the bone weakness that osteoporosis causes. And he succeeded. He studied the effects of high impact loading on people with strong and weak bone density and invented a series of medical devices that help improve bone density and even reverse bone loss. I had a guided tour of Spectrum, the osteogenic loading equipment, and tested them out under Ashling’s care. Spectrum identifies your baseline. Improvement from there is monitored week by week so that you know when you’re achieving the target where osteogenesis occurs, or as I like to think of it, the magic happens!

I’ve checked out the medical research and it confirms the proven benefits of using osteogenic loading to build bone strength. The health benefits go beyond building stronger bones. I’m looking forward to improved posture and better balance too. I want to be able to get in and out of my daily bath for many years to come without the need for bath grab rails. Who knows maybe I’ll even return to one of my former hobbies – ice skating!