Know Nuances of Osteoporosis and Know How to Combat it

You have heard of bone fracture, have heard of weakness in bones. But did you know the cause? You might have heard of Osteoporosis, but this mumble-jumble you did care for. You don?t want to get into the medical jargons, but the fact is most of the people are unaware of what osteoporosis is and how it affects them. Here is a brief overview of what does osteoporosis mean and how to combat it.

What is osteoporosis:

Osteoporosis is the loss of bone mass that creates problems like broken bones, particularly in the spine, hip, and wrist. Well, osteoporosis occurs due to imbalance between new bone formation and old bone absorption. If you are lacking calcium and phosphorus in your body then also you get pain in your bones. So, the doctor recommends calcium and phosphorus in your diet. It occurs mostly in women and mostly found in whites or Asian women with a family member with osteoporosis. At the initial stages, it may not let you know the pain or anything, but in later stage it cause pain in the bones, joints, particularly low back pain and neck pain.

Treatment and managing osteoporosis:

In the course of treatment doctors mainly focus on reducing the minerals, calcium and phosphorus loss and give medicine that prevents pain. Doctors also suggest taking balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D and strictly say no to tobacco or alcohol intake.

You can deal with osteoporosis by taking calcium and vitamin D in your diet, doing weight bearing exercises, healthy life style with no smoking and alcohols and can visit to doctor to take proper medication.

Prevention of osteoporosis:

Although osteoporosis is regarded as incurable, it can be prevented. Prevention includes patient education and early recognition of the symptoms and signs. Take the help of physiotherapists and doctors if osteoporosis is a concern for you.

Education regarding Osteoporosis is an important matter. Instruct children, adolescents, and their families and say that the roots of adult-onset osteoporosis begin in childhood. To combat this at the initial stage, one has to do a lot of exercises. It is proved that established that regular weight-bearing exercise, such as jumping, in school-age children improves bone mass.

Causes of Osteoporosis, Symptoms of Osteoporosis and Treatment

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.

Should You Take Drugs to Combat Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone disease, which means that it progresses over time. In order to determine if you have osteoporosis, it is ideal to visit your doctor for a bone density test. Once your doctor has confirmed that you have this bone condition, it is important to take osteoporosis medication or other treatment options into consideration.

?

First and foremost, it is important to make sure that you follow your doctor?s instructions in regards to any type of osteoporosis treatment medication. Be sure to remind your doctor of any health conditions or medications that you may currently be on, in order to insure that they will not interfere with treatment options.

?

That said, there are several osteoporosis medications and treatments that you should know about.

Bisphosphonates are the most common type of osteoporosis treatment medication that is used to prevent further bone density from being lost. Some of the most popular brand name medications that fall under this category of prescription drugs include Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva.

?

However although these are some of the more popular osteoporosis medications, they are not without their detractors. Fosamax, in particular, is the subject of one internet forum where users of the drug report a wide range of unpleasant and unwanted side effects.

Your doctor will also probably recommend a vitamin supplement as an additional osteoporosis medication. Certain vitamins, such as Calcium and Vitamin D, can slow down the process of osteoporosis. A diet which consists of a high amount of both of these vitamins, as well as other essential nutrients, is a main key to prevention of osteoporosis.

?

Research has shown that changes in diet can have a beneficial effect on osteoporosis, however a change in diet does not, of itself, constitute a complete osteoporosis treatment.

?

Research has also shown that there can be major steps taken towards combating osteoporosis by the use of high quality dietary supplements. Good quality nutritional supplements (and there are some very bad quality ones around) can help in the battle against this degenerative bone condition, and should be part of any total solution to osteoporosis.

?

There is also a good chance that your doctor will recommend you to stay active if you have osteoporosis. Exercise is known to work as an osteoporosis treatment medication, as it can help keep the bones in good health. A regular exercise routine is a main key to osteoporosis prevention and treatment.

The right treatment for osteoporosis varies according to person. What works for some may not work for others. Generally, however, a combination of dietary changes and high quality nutritional supplements aimed specifically at combating is ideal for the best results.

?

Once your doctor has confirmed that you have lost bone density or you have osteoporosis, it is important to talk about which osteoporosis medication is the right choice for you.

?

And remember, not all nutritional supplements are good quality, and it may surprise you to find out which company manufactures the best nutritional supplements. They certainly don’t sell them in your local drugstore.

?

Osteoporosis – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Methods

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. Osteoporosis often was thought to be a condition that frail elderly women develop. Osteoporosis leads to literally abnormally porous bone that is more compressible like a sponge, than dense like a brick. This disorder of the skeleton weakens the bone leading to an increase in the risk of breaking bones (bone fracture). A broken bone can really affect a woman’s life. It can cause disability, pain, or loss of independence. It can make it harder to do daily activities without help, such as walking. If you have osteoporosis, you have an increased risk for fractured bones (broken bones), particularly in the hip, spine, and wrist. In most cases, bones weaken when you have low levels of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals in your bones. The process of bone remodelling from resorption to matrix synthesis to mineralization normally takes about 8 months–a slow but constant process. The disease is ?silent? because there are no symptoms when you have osteoporosis, and the condition may come to attention only after you break a bone. Osteoporosis can also accompany endocrine disorders or result from excessive use of drugs such as corticosteroids.

Osteoporosis can cause a person to stoop forward and appear to have a hump on his or her spine. The most serious and debilitating osteoporotic fracture is the hip fracture. The goal of treating osteoporosis is to prevent such fractures in the first place. People with osteoporosis most often break bones in the hip, spine, and wrist. Most hip fracture patients who previously lived independently will require help from their family or home care. In the United States, nearly 10 million people already have osteoporosis. Another 18 million people have low bone mass that places them at an increased risk for developing osteoporosis. Any bone can be affected, but of special concern are fractures of the hip and spine. One out of every two women and one in four men over age 50 will break a bone in their lifetime due to osteoporosis. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery. Normal bone is composed of protein, collagen, and calcium. Bones that are affected by osteoporosis can fracture with only a minor fall or injury that normally would not cause a bone fracture.

Causes of Osteoporosis

The common causes and risk factor’s of Osteoporosis include the following:

Family history of osteoporosis.

Smoking.

Anorexia nervosa.

Lack of exercise or long-term bed rest can cause weak bones.

Small, thin women are at greater risk.

Certain medications eg steroids.

Drinking alcohol.

Lack of dietary calcium.

Inactive lifestyle.

Low testosterone levels in men.

Longer postmenopausal interval.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis

Some sign and symptoms related to Osteoporosis are as follows:

Back pain, which can be severe if you have a fractured or collapsed vertebra.

Broken bones.

Loss of height over time, with an accompanying stooped posture.

Dull pain in the bones or muscles.

Neck pain.

Treatment of Osteoporosis

Here is list of the methods for treating Osteoporosis:

A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D.

Alendronate (Fosamax?): This drug belongs to a class of drugs called biophosphonates and is approved for both prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

Exercise.

You may need quite strong pain killers (analgesics), for quite some time, in the event of an osteoporotic fracture.

A healthy lifestyle.

Biphosphonates: This type of medication is used to arrest the progress of osteoporosis and even reverse it. They encourage the laying down of calcium in the bones. One of these is also used when people have to be on long term steroids.

Calcitonin is another medication used to decrease bone loss.

Sodium fluoride can increase the measured bone density in vertebra, but seems to have no overall effectiveness in reducing vertebral fracture.

5 Osteoporosis Facts! Sorting the Myths From the Facts of Osteoporosis!

A lot more is known about Osteoporosis than a few years ago but the myths and lies of the corporations that benefit from the sales of ineffectual and even dangerous drugs still persist. These Osteoporosis facts will destroy many of the myths and beliefs long held in the community about this bone condition!

Osteoporosis Fact 1 – Low estrogen levels do not cause osteoporosis!

For many years the public and medical profession has been fed incorrect information about how Osteoporosis works and how it can be treated. By redefining the condition, meddling with statistics and withholding vital medical information from tests the big drug companies that had been looking for a way to sell their hormone replacement pills had found a new market.

By convincing the populace with a major marketing campaign the companies whose estrogen supplements had suffered a major loss as research showed it had major side effects with cancer being the major problem. Suddenly it seemed common knowledge that lack of Estrogen which occurs in older women after menopause was what caused low bone density!

This was not true but the marketing campaign backed by corrupt studies had everyone convinced so the sales of these products despite their risks skyrocketed.

There is in fact no proof that low estrogen levels causes Osteoporosis. Women from many cultures have been tested and it is found that older women from all over the world do suffer any major Osteoporosis problems on the whole.

Osteoporosis Fact 2 – Increasing calcium intake will not stop Osteoporosis!

Osteoporosis and lower bone density does have a lot to do with calcium in that the condition strips calcium from the bone leaving it frail. However drinking more milk and eating more dairy is not the answer. Our modern western lifestyles that are high in protein and dairy actually leaves our blood much more acidic than other people, this acidic blood strips calcium from the bone to equalize the bloods acid level but that calcium is not replaced. Unfortunately dairy food while high in calcium also increases the bloods acid levels making it of little benefit to someone already on the way to Osteoporosis.

To back this up there have been studies that have shown that people from traditionally low dairy diets in certain parts of the world do not suffer Osteoporosis to any great degree!

Osteoporosis Fact 3 – Osteoporosis is not genetic!

As with the last point we see that Osteoporosis is caused by conditions in our diet, not by the predisposition of our parents. Some people may be more at risk than others due to different body types but Osteoporosis is certainly a lifestyle condition more than anything else.

Osteoporosis Fact 4 – Osteoporosis is not about age!

Some people believe that Osteoporosis is just another part of getting old. While it is more noticeable in older people this is caused by a lifetime of problems that have led to the conditions that will show themselves later in life. The truth is that this condition is preventable with he right diet and exercise, especially weight bearing and resistance exercise that helps in bone development.

Osteoporosis Fact 5 – You can cure Osteoporosis!

Osteoporosis is not some disease that when you have it you must suffer it forever, it is a reversible condition! While prevention is easier and better than curing Osteoporosis building healthy bones from a low bone density base can be done by changing your lifestyle with diet and exercise!