Dr. R. Keith McCormick is on a mission.
Author of the new book, “Great Bones,” McCormick is dedicated to helping you determine the best treatment options for osteoporosis.
The book, which will be available Feb. 20, is a compilation of information on the bone disease by the former Waynesboro resident, a chiropractic physician specializing in the management of patients with osteoporosis since 1982.
McCormick said 50 percent of women and 20 percent of men will be diagnosed with osteoporosis, which develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases, or when the structure and strength of bone changes. This can lead to a decrease in bone strength that can increase the risk of fractures.
It’s important that people with osteoporosis understand how important it is to deal with the disease, according to McCormick. “I’m me, you’re you, and I want to help you, with the help of a doctor and lab tests, etc., treat osteoporosis … bring awareness to this disease and how complex it is. Bones are the center of your biological universe. Bones produce hormones. They are very dynamic and can tell you a lot about the rest of your body.”
“I was devastated when I found out,” noted McCormick, who suffered 12 fractures and was eventually diagnosed with severe osteoporosis when he was just 45-years-old. “Everyone should have a bone density exam,” added McCormick, who spent decades reading everything he could find on its causes, treatments, and whether it was possible to stop osteoporosis in its tracks.
“This is a whole body approach to osteoporosis with 1,200 references. My first book was for lay people. This volume goes into much more detail and is for lay people and doctors. It really goes into depth … not only to track down causes of osteoporosis, but how to work with and capitalize on and optimize therapy. There is a huge section of medications and I go into detail about them and which ones may help you.
“This is a book everyone can use to achieve better skeletal health well into their 70s, 80s, and beyond,” according to McCormick, who earned a bachelor’s degree in human biology at Stanford University and his doctorate at the National College of Chiropractic.
Nutrition is an integral part of the equation and how it relates to improving your health overall, he noted. “The gut is where your immune system starts, and a lot of what osteoporosis and other chronic diseases are about is the disruption of the immune system.”
Currently training for the September Iron Man competition in Chattanooga,Tennessee, McCormick also is an instrument-rated commercial pilot and a U.S. Army veteran.
At Stanford, he competed on the varsity cross-country and fencing teams, and as a junior, was the silver medalist in the 1973 Modern Pentathlon World Championships. Two years later he won the North American Championship and in 1976 was a member of the United States Olympic Modern Pentathlon (running, swimming, shooting, fencing, and horse jumping) team that competed in the XXI Olympiad in Montreal. He is the former U.S. record holder (1976) for most points scored in a pentathlon competition. McCormick continues to compete in triathlons of all distances and has completed six Ironman competitions — five of them after recovering from multiple osteoporosis-related fractures.
