For decades, we’ve known that a woman’s risk of osteoporosis increases if she is white or Asian, 50 years or older, thin or have small frame, consume diet low in calcium and vitamin D, smoke, or drink too much alcohol. What was not known until recently is how fast and widespread bone loss occur in postmenopausal women. New statistics have medical experts scrambling for answers.

In United States, osteoporosis and low bone mass are now believed to be a major public health threat for 44 million Americans aged 50 and older. By 2010, that number is expected to increase to over 52 million. Nearly half of all women and a quarter of men aged 50 and older will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in their remaining lifetime.

Currently, the disease affects an estimated ten million Americans – eight million women and two million men. Another 34 million Americans, most of whom are women, have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk of osteoporosis. In addition, osteoporosis is responsible for 1.5 million fractures, and the direct health care costs associated with these fractures are estimated at $18 billion per year. That’s right; billion with a “B”.

Hip fractures account for 300, 000 hospitalizations each year. About 20% of senior citizens who suffer a hip fracture die within a year of sustaining the fracture, and another 20% of all hip-fracture patients will be in a nursing home within one year. These numbers are worrisome, to say the least.

Although there is no clear explanation for this upsurge in the incidence of osteoporosis among older women, poor diets and sedentary lifestyle are suspected to play a role. In fact, a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey concluded that many Americans particularly women, ethnic minorities, and the socially disadvantaged are not meeting the current recommendations for adequate calcium and vitamin D intake through diet alone or with calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Another factor implicated in the steep rise in osteoporosis cases is too much coffee drinking among older women. There is growing evidence that caffeine decreases blood calcium levels by increasing calcium excretion in urine, and this increases the risks of fracture and osteoporosis. In a study published in 2001, for example, postmenopausal women who consumed 300 milligrams of caffeine a day lost more bone mass in the spine compared to women who consumed less than 300 milligrams a day.

So, is there something a woman can do to slow down bone loss? Many experts believe that the results of these new surveys amount to a wake-up call to all women to take immediate steps to protect themselves against the debilitation of osteoporosis. The current health advice is that older women should begin by ensuring that they meet their daily calcium and vitamin D requirements through diet alone or with supplements.

They should also get regular weight-bearing exercise. Examples of exercises that provide bone health benefits include walking, jogging, racket sports, dancing, stir climbing, and skating. For bone health, any physical activity that puts stress or strain on bone will help strengthen the bone and increase its density. On the other hand, exercises such as biking and swimming may not provide the same benefits because, during these exercises, the bone is supported rather than being put under stress.

Of course, older women must take care of smoking. In addition to having a negative effect on a woman’s bones, there is a number of health problems associated with smoking. Cigarette smoke produces toxins in the body and increases a person’s risk for chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

The bottom line is that numbers do not lie, and the current numbers for osteoporosis suggest a silent epidemic among postmenopausal women. However, older women should not feel helpless; there are steps they can take to fight back. These steps include getting enough calcium and vitamin D, getting a regular weight-bearing exercise, moderating coffee drinking, and avoiding smoking. But, they must get going. The time is now; tomorrow may be too late.



Thanks to Chima Njoku for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Osteoporosis Spine Surgery

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease in which the bones become brittle and prone to breaking. Though osteoporosis affects all bones in the body, of particular concern are fractures of the spine and hip. A spinal fracture or a fracture of the hip can have devastating consequences ranging from excruciating pain in the back or hip, temporary or permanent immobility, deformity in the bone structure and even death.

Osteoporosis can be prevented to a large extent if the proper precautions are taken at the proper time. A healthy lifestyle that promotes strong bones, particularly before the age of thirty is the best defense against osteoporosis. While the further progress of osteoporosis can be managed to a certain extent, there is no permanent cure.

Here’s what you can do to protect your bones and yourself from getting osteoporosis. Remember all four steps work in conjunction with each other and each of them is equally important in the fight against osteoporosis.

1. Make sure you get your recommended daily dose of Calcium. Bones need calcium, to grow and to stay strong. Not getting sufficient calcium can be a major factor in the development of osteoporosis.

2. Vitamin D, which is got from direct sunlight as well as from egg yolks, fortified milk and liver, is used by the body to enhance absorption of calcium. Lack of vitamin D inhibits the body’s ability to extract and absorb calcium from foods. Vitamin D3, also called cholecalciferol, is the form of vitamin D that is ideal for health of the bones.

3. Weight bearing exercises, including walking, jogging, stair climbing, hiking and dancing are hugely beneficial to the bones. Individuals who exercised regularly during childhood and adolescence are more likely to have denser bones.

4. Tobacco leaches the calcium from the bones. A healthy lifestyle that includes no smoking or excessive alcohol is a great way of taking care of your bones.

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Thanks to Mitchell Adams for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

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No one wants to live a life filled with the fear that a slight fall or bump might snap a bone in two but this is what Osteoporosis can do to you. It makes sense then that you want to find out as early as possible an Osteoporosis symptom, some sign of Osteoporosis or hint so you can maybe counter it or seek medical advice.

Unfortunately for us there is no symptom or sign of this disease until your doctor tells you! However there IS one sign that you may be on your way to getting this terrible disease and it has nothing to do with your bones at first glance.

What did you eat in the last week? What are your general dietary habits? Lots of meat? Heaps of processed and salty foods? Soft drinks? Do you exercise? If you do do you do any weight based training? Do you smoke or drink to excess?

We have just found our symptoms right there! Osteoporosis is not some disease caused by genetics it is a condition we in the western world in particular bring upon ourselves with our lifestyle and eating habits!

You see bone is constantly being renewed in a cycle where cells called osteoclasts seek through bone finding old parts and destroying them leaving an empty space, this space in turn is sought out by cells called osetoblasts which then refill the space with new healthy bone. Osteoporosis is caused by there being too many gaps for the osteoblasts to fill leaving a honeycomb of bone that is weak and fragile and prone to breakages.

So how does our diet and lifestyle influence this you ask? Blood. When our blood becomes too acidic which is very easy with high protein diets especially it starts to strip calcium away from the bone to balance the bloods acid levels, however this calcium is not deposited back into the bone.

“Hey wait! I drink heaps of milk and eat lots of dairy food I should have lots of calcium!”. Nice try but unfortunately dairy products also increase the acidity of your blood making the gain from dairy on its own negligible.

Weight based training also helps the body promote healthy bones and muscles around those bones and should not be overlooked!

So when you want to check for some sign of Osteoporosis remember it is your lifestyle that will determine this condition. There is no other Osteoporosis symptom!



Thanks to Michael Porteous for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Drug Therapy For Osteoporosis

With Osteoporosis treatment each case is different but when you consider that 1 in 3 women over the age of 50 can be sufferers in some way shape or form that things can be generalised to some aspect.

The reason women are so vulnerable is due to the hormone change during the menopause which deprives the body of certain vitamins and minerals it needs to fight of this bone crippling disease.

For effective Osteoporosis treatment the first thing to think about is to make sure that the body receives the extra supplements it needs. Things like extra Calcium, and all the other standard vitamins found in fresh fruit and vegetables making sure a good healthy diet is in place which will in turn be beneficial.

It is also true that men suffer as well but in men the figure only tends to be 1 in 12. There are many things each and every one of us must avoid and one of the main ones is smoking.

If you are a smoker we all know that it is hard to give up as the body gets use to having that drug pumping through your body.

Like smoking, red meat, and alcohol also contribute to the acidic value of the intake to the body. The acid then gets into the system and weakens the bodies natural defence system.

At this point I’m not preaching that you should give up red meat and alcohol but simply to cut back to moderation. This in it self will be an effective Osteoporosis treatment.

To take things further try replacing the odd fizzy drinks with tea or coffee so that by taking these drinks with milk you will take on board more calcium.

Summing up can be simplified, and affective Osteoporosis treatment can be made simple by first taking care of your diet and make sure that it is mainly on the alkaline side rather than the acidic. Many articles and books are available on this subject and it’s never too late in life to make that effective change to keep away the problems concerned with Osteoporosis.



Thanks to Mick Hince for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Osteoporosis Spine Surgery

Osteoporosis is a bone disease. It is virtually a disease on account of which the bones generally become fragile and weak. Osteoporosis if not taken proper care of lead may to the breakage of the bones thus leading to a fracture. Osteoporosis generally is found to be very much typical in certain parts of the body, say for instance in the hips, wrists, spinal cord and also in the vertebras. Osteoporosis is like a silent killer which attacks an individual without prior symptoms.

Simply a sneezing, a tight hug, stepping, bending down to get something can cause Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is also known by another name called “porous bone.” There are certain factors which are associated with Osteoporosis. These factors are termed as “Risk Factors.” Some of the factors are as mentioned below:

• Gender: Sex plays a major concern in the occurrence of Osteoporosis. Females have a more probability of being attacked with Osteoporosis than the male generation. Sometimes Osteoporosis is also related with menopause. Osteoporosis is estimated to have been attacking the women folk as and when they reach the stage of menopause. Thus when a woman reaches the age of around 45 years and when she is attacked with menopause that is when she experiences the stoppage of menstruation, the velocity of Osteoporosis is found to be more.

• Age: Age is yet another risk factor of Osteoporosis. The more a person advances in age, the more is the risk of being attacked with Osteoporosis. It is generally during the old age that the bones become very much weak and fragile and thus they are prone to get attacked with Osteoporosis.

• Body dimensions: Women with thin and lean body physique have more the chance of being attacked with Osteoporosis.

• Ethnicity: Ethnicity plays a major role in respect of Osteoporosis. Here we can state that Asian as well as the Caucasian women folk has a high risk of Osteoporosis then when compared to American, African and Latin women.

• Hereditary: Family history is also adversely related with Osteoporosis. Present generation whose fore-fathers suffered from Osteoporosis, has more risk of Osteoporosis.

Besides these, anorexia, certain medications, smoking of cigarette, excessive drinking of alcohol and also maintenance of a low lifetime diet with less amount of vitamin D and calcium also causes Osteoporosis.

As it is always said that prevention is better then cure, thus Osteoporosis can also be prevented by undertaking certain precautions in the early stage of one’s development. As the demand of calcium is found to be very high in the growing stage of one’s development, thus a good amount of calcium products should be undertaken from the early developmental stages. Inadequacy of calcium in one’s body has a greater prospect to be affected by Osteoporosis. So it is always advisable to undertake certain calcium products in one’s diet like yogurt, milk, cheese, ice cream, green and leafy vegetables, like broccoli, spinach etc, fish like salmon and sardines, dry fruits like almonds, juices and squash etc. Thus according to the different stages of one’s development right from the stage of infancy to old age, the intake of calcium should be adjusted accordingly in order to prevent Osteoporosis.



Thanks to Farzina Naznin for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

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