About Osteoporosis

peterhutch asked:


Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones characterized by a decrease in bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures of the hip, spine and wrist.

The word “osteoporosis” literally means “porous bones.” Osteoporosis (pronounced OSS-tee-o-puh-RO-sis) occurs when bones begin to lose some of their essential elements. The most important of these elements is calcium. Over time, bone mass decreases. As a result, bones lose their strength, become fragile, and break easily. In extreme cases, even a sneeze or a sudden movement may be enough to break a bone.

Osteoporosis affects millions of older adults, usually striking after 60. Although it is most commonly found in women, it is not unheard of in men. Osteoporosis can be very far along before it became noticeable. Sometimes the first sign is a broken bone in the hip, spine, or wrist after a bump or fall. As the disease gets worse, other signs may appear such as pain in the back and ultimately, a curved backbone.

Causes of Osteoporosis

The average rate of bone loss in men, and in women who have not reached menopause, is actually quite small. However, after menopause, the bone loss in women accelerates to an average of one to two percent a year. It is after menopause that the level of the female hormone estrogen in a woman’s body decreases sharply. Estrogen is a hormone that is important in protecting the skeleton by helping the body’s bone forming cells to keep working. So after menopause, this protection can be considered lost as the level of estrogen decreases.

Other causes of osteoporosis are heredity and lifestyle. Whites and Asians, tall and thin women and those with a history of osteoporosis are those at the highest risk of getting osteoporosis. The behavioral causes of increasing the risk of osteoporosis are smoking, alcohol abuse, prolonged inactivity and a diet low in calcium.

Symptoms and Treatment

Usually, osteoporosis does not cause any symptoms at first. Osteoporosis is often called the “silent” disease, because bone loss occurs without symptoms. People often don’t know they have the disease until a bone breaks, frequently in a minor fall that wouldn’t normally cause a fracture. Many people confuse osteoporosis with arthritis

and believe they can wait for symptoms such as swelling and joint pain to occur before seeing a doctor. It should be stressed that the mechanisms

Treatment for osteoporosis includes eating a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, getting regular exercise, and taking medication to reduce bone loss and increase bone thickness. It’s important to take calcium and vitamin D supplements along with any medicines you take for osteoporosis. Even small changes in diet, exercise, and medicine can help prevent spine and hip fractures. Adults who adopt healthy habits can slow the progress of osteoporosis.

Think calcium, eat calcium. Learn to love tofu, tinned sardines and salmon and dark green leafy vegetables. Dairy produce and calcium enhanced foods are good calcium replenishments for bone.



Lucy

Marsha Hudnall asked:


So you’ve been trying to eat healthy for some time now. And getting enough calcium is something you know you should do. After all, women run four times the risk men do for osteoporosis, a disease that can set you up for brittle, broken bones later in life. And currently, over 20 million of us suffer from the problem. So how are you doing in getting what you need?

If you’re like most women, you’re still falling short on this critical nutrient. Studies show on average American women get only about half the recommended amount. We’re supposed to be getting 1000 to 1200 milligrams (mg) a day; we average around 600 mg.

And that’s why, in survey results released this week, nearly 98% of the nation’s leading nutrition experts ranked calcium intake as one of the top health issues for women today.

But that’s not the whole story. Moving your body regularly is also critical. So here’s some easy-to-follow advice that’s been put to the test over the years to help put you solidly on the path to healthy bones and feeling great throughout life.

How to Up Your Calcium Intake, and Keep It Up

Eat what you like. Remember, the #1 reason people choose the foods they do is taste. If it doesn’t taste good, they won’t eat it regularly. So to consistently get enough calcium, look for sources that you enjoy. Try to savor at least three servings of dairy foods every day, fat-free or 1% milk or yogurt, regular and reduced fat cheeses (as long as they’re tasty), soups made with milk, puddings made with milk, even ice cream on occasion. Why dairy foods? Because they are not only great sources of calcium, dairy foods also contain lactose, which helps you absorb calcium better. Plus, milk is fortified with vitamin D, another nutrient important for healthy bones. Other excellent non-dairy sources of calcium are fortified orange or grapefruit juice, and fortified ready-to-eat cereal (check the label to find the calcium fortified varieties and how much they contain).

Expand your taste horizons. Okay, we can’t avoid it. We have to advise you to eat more vegetables, especially the dark-green leafy ones like spinach, kale, turnip greens. Not for calcium*, however. Instead, it’s the vitamin K in dark-green leafies that may be key. A recent study at the USDA Nutrition Research Center on Aging showed that women who ate more dark-green leafy vegetables had fewer hip fractures than those who consumed less of these foods.

Eat regularly. It’s key to helping yourself eat well consistently. Enjoy a mix of grains/starchy vegetables, protein foods and fruits &/or vegetables at most meals, and at snacks at which you are particularly hungry. And don’t go too long between meals. That way, you won’t get too hungry, which can lead to overeating. You’ll also find yourself less drawn to richer foods. With healthy eating you’ll find it easier to stop yo-yo dieting; the more you yo-yo diet, the more bone you may lose.

Laying It Down

Getting enough calcium into your body is the first step. The next is getting it into your bones. And that means physical activity. What kind? While you may have heard that weight-bearing exercise is key, maybe it’s reassuring to reinforce that there are more choices here than lifting weights. Just walking regularly helps your body lay down calcium in bones, thereby helping to preserve or increase bone density. And that makes for stronger bones. What’s more, regular physical activity improves muscle strength, balance, coordination and flexibility, all of which can help prevent falls and fractures.

Already Have Osteoporosis?

How to reverse osteoporosis is the subject of plenty of studies right now. Researchers believe getting plenty of calcium can help, along with plenty of weight-bearing activity. Here’s a new type of activity that can be fun and effective: A pilot study at the University of California showed that working with resistive balls (a form of isometric exercise) just 10 minutes a day for two months helped women who had signs of osteoporosis significantly strengthen their bones. Regular weight bearing exercise such as walking, biking, or resistance training will help you stay healthy for life!

*Actually, while calcium-containing plant foods like some vegetables, fruits and tofu can contribute to calcium intake, you generally have to eat more than you would want to get enough, such as 7 cups of broccoli to get the same amount of calcium in a cup of milk! Milk contains about 300 mg calcium per cup; broccoli only about 45 mg.”

 



Ronald

Sharon Bell asked:


Men often think that osteoporosis is a woman’s disease. So, they go on about their lives believing that they have one less disease to worry about. But the truth about osteoporosis is that it can also strike men, particularly in their forties or fifties. And having osteoporosis can be very problematic for men as almost all of them are used to an active and energetic lifestyle.

Statistics show that around 13% of men aged fifty or above are at risk of having bone fracture as a result of osteoporosis. A man’s susceptibility to have fractured bones increases as he becomes older; this is due to the fact that older people, including women, tend to have a bad fall more frequently. And here’s the rub; between the two sexes, men are more likely to die from bone fractures on vital areas like the hips.

While it is true that the incidence of osteoporosis in men is much less than in women, men still experience a dramatic decline in their bone mass density as they age. Even the fact that men have considerably larger and more compact bone structure can not be an assurance that osteoporosis will not be their problem. Being a man, you should not be complacent about being spared from this disease.

Your risk of having osteoporosis may be brought about by certain factors in your body and the way you live your life. For instance, the levels of important hormones in your body like testosterone begin to decline as you age; testosterone is important for bone health in men just like estrogen is in women. And very much like women, your body’s ability to absorb and process bone-enhancing calcium also deteriorates as the years go by.

Your very active and strenuous lifestyle in your younger days could have hastened the wear and tear of your bones and may also take its toll on them as you reach the age of fifty. If you are a smoker or an alcoholic, your chances of getting osteoporosis also increases. It is the same if you are overweight for most of your life.

The good news is that you can lower your risk of bone loss and actually improve the health of your bones. By adopting a lifestyle that promotes good health and clean living, you can prevent osteoporosis from ever happening to you. You can begin by throwing out the cigarettes and avoiding alcohol. Doing your best to avoid bad falls as you get older will also prevent injuries to your bones. And if all these preventive steps are not enough, you can always make use of calcitonin and testosterone replacement therapy.

Calcitonin

Basically, this is a hormone produced by your body naturally. It is secreted in the thyroid glands and has been proven to have an important function in bone-building. Calcitonin is responsible for delaying the process that leads to the breakdown of bones brought by bone-destroying cells known as osteoclasts. By doing so, calcitonin buys more precious time for bone-building cells called osteoblasts to, well, rebuild bone structures.

But as mentioned, age will make it harder for your system to produce hormones. Fortunately, synthetic forms of this hormone are now available as a nasal spray or injectible.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Hypogonadism or low levels of testosterone in the body can bring about osteoporosis in men. If this is the case, you can always choose to have a hormone replacement therapy just like in menopausal women; only this time you boost the levels of testosterone and not estrogen. This process aims to increase the levels of testosterone in your body via injection, oral medication in tablet form, implants, or patches on the skin.

Special bone supplements like Osteozyne can also help in making your bones stronger and more compact even as you age. Click on www.osteozyne.com/ to know more about this product.



Bonnie

Alien asked:


Osteoporosis, or “brittle bones,” occurs when the bone density is reduced, resulting in thin, weak, and porous bones. The bone becomes thin due to a loss of calcium, causing persistent backache, in the neck, rib, and hip area, The back gradually becomes stooped, reducing height. The causes of osteoporosis are varied, and include:

menopause, when the female hormone estrogen is no longer produced (estrogen has a protective effect on the bones)

deficiency in calcium and vitamins C and D

malabsorption

long-term use of corticosteroids

rheumatoid arthritis

immobilization

lack of sunshine.

Treatment

Diet and Nutrition

Increase your intake of dark green, leafy vegetables, sesame seeds, fish, beans, peas, dark blue­black berries, cherries, raspberries, citrus-rinds, and colorful fruits. Reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates, fat, animal products, and fizzy drinks. Dietary supplements include vitamins B6 100mg, folic acid 1mg, B12 1mg, calcium citrate 1g, and magnesium citrate 500 mg daily. An alternative treatment is natural progesterone cream, with added vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Acupuncture This can restore the balance of energy in the body and provide relief from pain. Malabsorption may also be addressed.

Naturopathy Biochemic tissue salts Calc. fluor. and Calc. phos. taken four times daily for four weeks.

Massage Aromatherapeutic massage, relaxation therapy, and shiatsu may be useful.

Herbalism Treatment may include the following as teas: dong quai, false unicorn root, black cohosh, licorice, and fennel.

Osteopathy (Including Cranial) Gentle techniques for joint mobility will maintain musculoskeletal integrity.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)

AS is a degenerative rheumatic disease where spinal joints become inflamed, stiff, and eventually fused. It develops slowly. Symptoms are usually worse after rest and later may affect the chest, shoulders, hips, and knees, spreading up to the neck in severe cases.

Treatment

Seek treatment from a registered practitioner who will prescribe according to your specific symptoms and constitution. Mobility delays fusion, and swimming and stretching may be suggested.

Tens (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) This uses electrodes to block nerve impulses and to stimulate the release of endorphins.

Hydrotherapy Epsom salt baths may be suggested, or adding aroma therapeutic oils to the bathwater, including lavender, rosemary, and basil. Massage with these oils may also relieve symptoms.

Homeopathy Treatment should be constitutional, but Arnica, Rhus tox. and Bryonia may be appropriate short term remedies.

Herbal Medicine

Herbal treatment may consist of black willow, devil’s claw, and bogbean, taken as teas.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Acupuncture and Osteopathy These can be helpful.



Clifford

sburns64 asked:


old tissue is not replaced quickly enough
infection of the bone marrow
dead bone separates from the good bone
too much calcium and phosphorus

Audrey