Understanding Osteoporosis in Women

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that is prevalent in women after their menopausal period. It is characterized by a reduction in bone density and leads to an increase in the risk of having bone fracture. In osteoporosis, the mineral content in the bones as well as the structure of the bone itself is greatly altered, making the woman susceptible to bone injuries and their complications.

Detecting Osteoporosis

By itself, osteoporosis has no specific symptoms. The risk or presence of the disease is only detected if the woman becomes injured or suffers bone fractures in circumstances that healthy people would normally not suffer the same fate. In this case, the situation is described as fragility fracture because the injury is greatly due to the weak structure of the bone.

In the more advanced cases of osteoporosis, vertebral collapse is also noted. This is a condition that indicates that the vertebra is no longer able to support the woman’s body weight. This is also accompanied by severe back pain, and regular and stinging pain caused by nerve compression. Fractures may also occur in other body parts, and depending on the severity and state of health of the patient, surgery may be recommended.

A very delicate situation is when a hip fracture occurs. In this case, prompt surgery is required because the condition brings with it deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism with fatal consequences.

Treatment of Osteoporosis

Thanks to modern technology, there are now varied means for treating osteoporosis:

*Medication is the most common and a readily available form of treatment. In medication for osteoporosis, bisphosphonates are the most commonly used drug and is the first-line treatment for women who are affected with osteoporosis. However, the drug has a record of poor absorption. In order to maximize the potency of the drug, the patient must not take anything for at least 30 minutes after taking the medication. Another drug commonly used is teriparatide. The teriparatide drug is given to women with confirmed cases of osteoporosis or those who have already suffered bone fractures. Moreover, it is also used as an alternative to bisphosphonates especially when the patient cannot tolerate the latter. Teriparatide is administered in small injections.

* Another treatment that holds the future for the treatment of osteoporosis is hormone replacement. Although this process holds a lot of promise, its application as treatment for osteoporosis is not strongly recommended unless there are other uses for it.

* Nutritional factors. Calcium and Vitamin D are two very important nutrients a woman must have to effectively counter osteoporosis. Calcium is essential for bone growth, bone healing, and for maintaining bone strength. Calcium supplements are easily available in the market and it can contribute much toward countering osteoporosis. On the other hand, vitamin D helps reduce the incidence of fractures in women.

* Exercise. The proper amount and regular exercise are also very vital in ensuring that osteoporosis is treated and the woman’s bone health restored to top condition.
by: James Pendergraft


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How To Manage Your Osteoporosis

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (http://www.nof.org) : “Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist.”

While any bone can be affected, of special concern are fractures of the hip and spine. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery. It can impair a person's ability to walk unassisted and may cause prolonged or permanent disability or even death. Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity.

If you look at healthy bones you will see that there are small holes between the bone cells. In osteoporosis those pores are larger making the bones brittle and easy to break. The best way to prevent osteoporosis is to prevent bone loss in the first place. In Rio Del Mar, California, there are many people who have homes there so they can easily get exercise walking on the beach. Rio Del Mar beach homes are favored by many, but one of the advantages they have over other Santa Cruz beach homes is a very nice long beach and easy access to the sand. This invites exercise which helps strengthen bones.

Children and teenagers form new bone faster than they lose the old bone. This means their bones get denser and denser until they reach what experts call peak bone mass, which happens around 20 years old. After you reach peak bone mass, the balance between bone loss and bone formation might start to change. In other words, you may slowly start to lose more bone than you form. In midlife, bone loss usually speeds up in both men and women. For most women, bone loss increases after menopause, when estrogen levels drop sharply. In fact, in the five to seven years after menopause, women can lose up to 20 percent or more of their bone density.

The best ways to prevent that massive loss of bone is to make sure you keep your calcium levels up. Taking a multivitamin can be helpful, but for menopausal/post menopausal women a higher dose of calcium may be needed. Calcium is nice on its own, but it is only part of the story. Vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium.

The NOF recommends 1,200 mcg of calcium and 1,000 mcg of vitamin D each day. If you have a severe deficiency of vitamin D you may need to take as much as 100,000 mcg per week.

The third aspect of preventing and treating osteoporosis is exercise. Bones are like muscles-- they strengthen as they are used. Here are some exercises that can be done: some are high impact and others are low impact for those who cannot do the high impact exercises.

High Impact Exercises
• High-impact aerobics
• Hiking
• Jogging/running
• Jumping Rope
• Stair climbing
• Tennis
• Dancing

Low Impact Exercises
Elliptical training machines
• Low impact aerobics
• Stair-step machines
• Walking (treadmill/outside)

The best approach to preventing osteoporosis is really three-pronged: keeping up levels of calcium, vitamin D, and exercise. Some of the calcium can be taken from your diet, so can the vitamin D. Leafy green vegetables are often good sources, such as spinach, kale and others. Exercise is a necessary evil for every age group, but is especially important for those of us who are over 50. Getting out and walking is an easy way to start your exercise. While you don’t need a Rio Del Mar beach house, to start, a walk around the block is a great way to start.
by: Gregg Camp


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Correlating Menopause and Osteoporosis

Menopause occurs when there is not enough supply of estrogen in the body. With the absence of this important hormone in a woman’s body, there are lot of adjustments to be done and changes to prepare for.

Studies show that the loss of estrogens accelerates bone loss in the span of five to eight years. One of the most common areas affected by the loss of estrogen in the body is the skeletal system—specifically the bones that lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, as defined, pertains to the thinning of the bones. As the bones become thinner and thinner, it becomes weaker and breaks more easily. The bones that are often affected include those of the spine, wrists, and hips.

COMBATING OSTEOPOROSIS CAUSED BY MENOPAUSE

As women grow older and older, risks of having osteoporosis becomes greater. Studies show that aside from aging, more and more women and men suffer become prone to osteoporosis especially if he/she has a family history of osteoporosis, fair skinned like blonds and red heads, engage in low calcium diet, lives a sedentary or physically inactive, underweight, obese, smokers and those with serious illness and disease.

In order to avoid, or at least, lessen the burden of having osteoporosis, here are some recommended lifestyle changes that you can do by yourself.

1. Have enough calcium in your body. In order to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, men women alike should start taking about 1,000 mg of calcium every day that is equals to about three serves of dairy food. Calcium is naturally found in various foods and can also be added in powder form. Having enough calcium supply in your diet will ensure strengthened bones. Aside from eating foods rich in calcium, taking in calcium tablets can also support your calcium supply. For those who are drinking calcium to avoid further osteoporic problem, bear in mind that you should reach a total daily intake of 1,000 milligrams daily before menopause and 1,500 milligrams daily after menopause.

2. Physical activity is quite crucial to avoid further complications of osteoporosis. Recent studies show that people with or without osteoporosis can also benefit from spontaneous physical activity. Doing regular exercises like walking throughout your life can help in the reduction of osteoporosis risks because it reduces the rate of bone loss while protecting the remaining bone tissues. Experts say that the required minimum exercise for people who are suffering with osteoporosis is still unknown, but physical activity of 15 to 60 minutes at least thrice a week in highly recommended. Here are some of the general recommendations for exercise approved by most experts.

- Make sure that you have visited your doctor or health care provider before you start any exercise program.

- If you are already suffering from osteoporosis, avoid high impact activities or those exercise requiring sudden and forceful movements.

- Light weight-bearing exercises such as walking, dancing, and weight training are generally recommended.

- Make sure that you can sustain the frequency of your physical activity.

- Take strength training at least once or twice a week to prepare your body to more strenuous physical activities.

- Choose exercises that flexibility exercises or stretching.

- No matter how you love the water, avoid swimming because it’s not a weight bearing exercise. The buoyancy of the water will only counteract the effects of gravity and will be more difficult for you to maintain your balance.

- Choose exercises that will help you reduce bone loss, improve your muscle strength, balance, and fitness so the incidence of falls and fractures will be lessened.

Indeed, there is no easy way to address osteoporosis. Being a complex condition involving hormonal, lifestyle, nutritional, and environmental factors, osteoporosis can only be cured through proper exercise, diet, and supplements. Aside from these, medical preventions and treatments such as hormone therapy (HT), Bisphosphonates, selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), potential therapies like Tibolone (Livial) and parathyroid hormone are available today.
by: Nathalie Fiset

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What You Need To Know About Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis literally means "porous bones". A lack of calcium is the major cause of osteoporosis; a silent disease in which bones lose some of their calcium and other minerals making them brittle and fragile. It does not give an advanced warning. Usually, the first sign is severe low back or hip pain, or a broken bone.




With aging, almost everyone experiences some loss of bone mass. However, it is more common among women than men because women have about 30% less bone mass to begin with. Also, estrogen appears to play an important part in female bone metabolism, which is why women lose bone mass at an accelerated rate during the first 5 to 10 years after menopause. Estrogen protects the skeletal system by promoting the deposit of calcium in bone.

You experience your peak bone mass around the age of 35. After the age of 35, the body creates less new bone and is less efficient in absorbing and storing dietary calcium. This results in the loss of bone mass of about 1% a year. Until you hit menopause, then you lose about 2 to 4% a year for about the next 10 years.

Once you stop producing bone mass your body still needs calcium for functions, so your body has to take the calcium from your bones leaving them brittle and fragile.

Other causes of osteoporosis are an inability to absorb enough calcium through the intestine, prolonged jaundice, a calcium-phosphorus imbalance, lactose intolerance, a gastrectomy and a lack of exercise.

Certain drugs; such as, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, thyroid medications and high doses of steroids can also be a factor in calcium loss.

Healthy bone metabolism requires a certain amount of stress on the bones. Therefore; regular exercise that gives weight-bearing bones a good workout is essential. Good bone building exercises include walking, jogging, bike riding, dancing, tennis or other activities that require moving about.

The best ways to prevent osteoporosis is to build strong bones early in life, especially under the age of 35 while still building bone mass. Then take steps to keep the bones healthy by eating more calcium rich foods or taking supplements.

A diet adequate in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C and vitamin D is the best prevention and treatment for osteoporosis. Additional minerals important to the health of your bones include boron, copper, manganese, silicon and zinc.

Calcium is the largest and most difficult molecule to utilize. It is most effective when taken in smaller doses throughout the day and at bedtime. When taken at night it will also promote a sound sleep.

Magnesium plays a role in the formation of bone metabolism. It assists in calcium uptake.

Phosphorus is needed for bone formation. A balance of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus should always be maintained.

Vitamin C is important for collagen and connective tissue.

Vitamin D is required for calcium and phosphorus absorption and utilization. It is especially important for normal growth and development of bones. The body manufactures vitamin D when it is exposed to sunlight and is found in fortified milk and multivitamins.

Boron improves calcium absorption and is needed in trace amounts for healthy bones.

Copper aids in the formation of bone. It is essential for the formation of collagen, which makes up the connective tissue of the bone matrix. One of the early signs of copper deficiency is osteoporosis.

Manganese is vital in mineral metabolism. It is required for normal bone growth and reproduction. However, do not take calcium and manganese together - they will compete for absorption.

Silicon (silica) is necessary for calcium utilization and bone strength. Silica tablets contain high amounts of calcium in a form that is easily absorbed.

Zinc is important for calcium uptake and is important to the health of your bones. A deficiency impairs the body's ability to utilize proteins.

Excellent sources of easy to assimilate calcium are buckwheat, buttermilk, cheese, dandelion greens, flounder, kefir, kelp, molasses, nuts and seeds, oats, seaweed, tofu, most vegetables, wheat germ, whole wheat products and yogurt.

Herbals you might want to try if you have osteoporosis include feverfew, horsetail (silicon), oatstraw (a form of silica) and shavegrass.

If you are worried that you are at risk for osteoporosis, you may want to consult with your doctor to discuss an exercise and prevention plan.
by: Edith Lingenfelter

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