By Danielle Moccia

Boniva. Fosamax. In a society where pharmaceuticals reign supreme in the medical universe, these are a few of the things that come to mind for many Americans when they think of osteoporosis treatments.

But treating osteoporosis doesn’t have to involve pharmaceuticals, says full-time herbalist Ocoee Miller, who lives near Lone Star.

“It’s only in this country that people rush to chemical medicines and consider that first,” she says. “About 85 percent of people in the world use herbal medicines as their healing modality of choice. It’s an ancient sacred wisdom that goes back thousands of years and has been proven on every continent in every culture.”

Ocoee Miller, who lives near Lone Star, has been gardening for 50 years. Her lemon tree, shown above, is more than 30 years old. I

Miller will teach a class called “Herbs Build Better Bones” on Jan. 22 at the Community Mercantile, 901 Iowa.

“I think that plants are little green miracles,” Miller says. “For any issue or ailment you can think of, there is an herbal answer. There are many herbs and supplements that build better bones, and each of them affect bone structure in a slightly different way.”

Miller, who has been teaching at The Merc for about 10 years, says she will also talk about how bones form and grow in the body, as well as things Americans routinely do that damage bone structure.

“Avoid soda pop like the plague — drinking it is the most destructive thing you can do to your bone structure,” she says. “A lot of women who drink diet pop think that they’re doing themselves a favor because it has less sugar than regular pop, but it will still damage their bones.”

Having weak bones is often the result of not eating enough wholesome foods and not engaging in weight-bearing exercise as often as we should, Miller says.

“Osteoporosis wasn’t really a problem in the past. It’s our modern lifestyle that has created this condition,” she says. “We don’t engage in weight-bearing exercise like chopping wood and carrying buckets of water like we used to.”

Miller, who learns new techniques and gets advice from accomplished herbalists at annual herbalist conventions, also says that taking calcium supplements isn’t enough for maximum bone health.

“It’s important to combine calcium intake with certain herbs and other supplements,” she says. “We need to have bones that are both strong and somewhat flexible so they can take a blow without shattering, and herbs do a superb job at that. When taken by itself, the human body can’t fully utilize calcium or it will utilize it to create chalky bones.”

Horsetail, because of the mineral silica that it contains, is one such herb, Miller says.

“Silica makes bones more flexible,” she says. “But because it’s possible to get too much silica, horsetail is not an herb you’d want to take every day for 20 years. You can take 1-4 capsules a day for a year and then lay off for a month before starting again. It also depends on how old you are and whether or not your bones are in really bad shape.”

Bonita Joy Yoder, who calls herself a “die-hard Ocoee Miller fan,” is a long-time student of Miller’s and president of National Health Freedom Action, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization that lobbies for health care freedom.

“(Miller) is extremely knowledgeable and sincerely wants to help people learn as much about herbs as possible,” Yoder says. “I always learn something new from her.”

Those attending “Herbs Build Better Bones” can plan on learning something new from Miller, who says that the information she will give will surprise some.

“I’m not going to present on the same old stuff that you’ve read in the family magazines,” she says. “This is unique material that you’re not going to find anywhere else.”