Osteoporosis and Osteoporosis Treatment

Osteoporosis, “porous bones”, is a disease that causes bones to become fragile and brittle and very susceptible to fractures. These fractures occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist. A fracture or broken bone can have a huge affect on your life, causing disability, pain, or loss of independence. Fractures can make it very difficult to do daily activities without help.

In the past osteoporosis was thought of as a women’s disease. Now we know that men also have to worry about weak bones and are at risk of osteoporosis. In fact, one in four men over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture caused by osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Diagnosis

The best method to diagnose osteoporosis is a bone mineral density test, called a DEXA test. It is recommended to get a bone density test if you’re a woman aged 65 or older or if you are 60 years old and at increased risk of osteoporosis. The results of your bone density test will give you a T-score. The T-score compares your bone density with that of an average healthy young adult of the same sex.

What is The Best Osteoporosis Treatment?

It is never too late, or too early to treat or prevent osteoporosis. Building strong bones when you are young is the best defense against getting osteoporosis later on in life. To improve your bone health, try the following advice:

1. Calcium

The best way to treat and prevent osteoporosis is to get adequate amounts of calcium along with magnesium, trace minerals, vitamins D3 and vitamin K2 in your diet. Osteoporosis is not only due to insufficient calcium intake but rather because we do not get sufficient amounts of bone building nutrients in our diet.

It is best to get as much calcium from foods in your diet as possible, and then make up the shortfall using a calcium supplement with the proper bone building ingredients included in the formula.

2. Vitamin D

To help your body absorb calcium It is also important to get enough vitamin D. You can get vitamin D through sunlight and foods. You need 10-15 minutes of sunlight to the hands, arms, and face, two to three times a week to get enough vitamin D. Recent studies show you need much more vitamin D than was previously recommended.

3. Magnesium

Magnesium and calcium work together to keep calcium in your bones and out of your soft tissues. It is always best to get minerals from your diet by eating legumes, and vegetables (especially dark-green, leafy vegetables with chlorophyll).

4. Vitamin K2

There are many recent studies finding vitamin K2 to be very important for healthy bones. Vitamin K is not made naturally by the body so it must come from your diet.

5. Exercise

Weight-bearing exercise, which is any activity in which your body works against gravity helps your bones in many ways. Exercise slows bone loss, improves muscle strength and helps limit bone-damaging falls. Walking, dancing, running, climbing stairs, gardening, doing yoga, tai chi, hiking, playing tennis, or lifting weights will all help with treating and preventing osteoporosis.



Thanks to Steven Jones for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Exercises To Prevent Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a common condition which can affect both men and women. Since osteoporosis is a degenerative disease, bone density is lost over time. It is possible to reverse the side effects of osteoporosis, however. Before you try any osteoporosis treatment, it is a good idea to consult your doctor.

However, if you have found that the latest treatment for brittle bones just does ever seem to work for you, then it may time to try some different and more natural osteoporosis treatments.

The first natural treatment that you will want to think about is your diet. For years, people with this serious health disease have been told that their diets should mainly consist of high amounts of Calcium. The latest treatment for osteoporosis and treating the bone disease shows that more than Calcium is needed in the diets of those who suffer from osteoporosis.

A diet which consists mainly of fruits and vegetables, as well as a minimal amount of saturated and trans fat, is ideal for someone with this health condition. Keep in mind that a well balanced diet will not only help treat osteoporosis, but it will help prevent this disease from occurring at all.

Another main key to naturally preventing and treating osteoporosis is a regular exercise routine. Remaining active will help ensure that your bones stay healthy and strong. Of course, this is not only an osteoporosis treatment, but a treatment for almost everything.

If you follow a regular exercise routine, as well as a healthy diet, you will also be able to prevent yourself from experiencing other conditions aside from osteoporosis.

Finally, if have had no success with the latest treatment for osteoporosis, you may want to think about taking a supplement. There are several different supplements that doctors recommend as treatment options for osteoporosis. Calcium and Vitamin D are both known to prevent further loss in bone density.

Whether you take these supplements individually or you opt for a multi-vitamin, this is a very effective and natural osteoporosis treatment. And it is better if you take a complete balanced nutritional supplement rather than a simple vitamin supplement as the body needs a wide range of vitamins and minerals in balance to operate to it’s optimum.

As you can see, there are several different options available for those who are looking for a natural and organic method of treating osteoporosis. Rather than just looking for the latest treatment for osteoporosis you may want to consider combining a well balanced diet, exercise routine and the best organic and natural supplements into your life.  This may well be far healthier than just a drug based approach.

And there is a company out there manufacturing some of the finest natural organic osteoporosis treatments around, and I’ll bet you’ve never even heard of them.



Thanks to Peter Clark for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Drug Therapy For Osteoporosis

Can you answer l’il mama’s question about Osteoporosis?:

I am cutting out dairy and want to make sure I am still getting enough calcium. Please help me on ideas or brands that I can use to get the proper calcium. Thanks.

Exercises To Prevent Osteoporosis

Within this article the aim is to point people in the right direction with regard to Osteoporosis prevention. As most people know Osteoporosis is a bone crippling disease which can affect anyone at any time of life.

The highest area of sufferers is women in the age group of 50 plus years, and in most cases it revolves around the onset of menopause where the body tends to deprive the patient of the vitamins and supplements that are needed to combat this problem.

Men do suffer as well but not to such a high degree, and when they do it normally boils down to the fact that they have over done the alcohol intake or have smoked too many cigarettes. Both alcohol and cigarettes are said to me major factors in both men and women.

All over the world there are countless thousands of new cases every year, and this is not just confined to the western world as many countries have people that are under nourished and lack the vital supplements.

It is also fair to say that most people only find out they are suffering from Osteoporosis when they have a broken bone or fracture so I believe that Osteoporosis prevention should be as common as women checking themselves for breast cancer.

The main prevention or defence against Osteoporosis is by making sure the body has the right supply that it needs. This means upping the intake of things like Calcium, and by eating the right foods.

By the right foods I mean fresh fruit and vegetables, and by staying away from sugar based products and products with a high preservative level which tends to rule out a lot of pre-prepared foods, and fast foods.

A good way to look at the prevention of Osteoporosis is to visualise that the body is approximately 70% water, and as water has a ph level either of acidic or alkaline make up it is always advisable to move to the alkaline side of your intake. This means that foods with a high acidic value such as meat are not really the best for the body as the acidic content will be the base of what causes problems.

The suggestion is to have one meal a day on things like mixed fruit. Try mixing melon with red fruits, apples, plums etc. All of which have an alkaline make up.

Please note that I am not a Doctor or am I anyway qualified to give nutritional advice, and it is always advisable to check with your Doctor or a Nutritionist.



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

Osteoporosis Postmenopausal Women

The tendency to develop osteoporosis depends on a number of factors, important ones of which are listed below:

Age: The chances of getting osteoporosis increase in women after the age 45-50, while in men 65-70 years.

Gender: As compared to men, women are 4 times more susceptible to osteoporosis since their bones are lighter and thinner than of men.

Race: Studies have revealed that Asian and Caucasian women are more prone to get osteoporosis than other women are.

Bone structure and body frame: Shorter people are at a larger risk of osteoporosis, as they possess lesser bone mass, loss of even some of which can be critical enough to lead to osteoporosis. Thinner people are also at a greater risk of osteoporosis since they possess lesser fat. Fat cells make estrogen, whose deficiency causes bone loss in women.

Genetic factor: People with family history of osteoporosis are at a greater risk of osteoporosis.

Malnutrition: Lack of proper nourishment may lead to the deficiency of vital nutrients essential for the bone health (like calcium, vitamin D) and hence increase the risk of osteoporosis

Smoking: Smoking also enhances the risk of osteoporosis.

Alcohol use: In people who drink heavily, boss loss is far greater than its formation. However, a recent research has shown that consuming moderate amount of alcohol may actually increase the bone density. Thus, cutting down the amount of alcohol to mild or moderate amounts would be a better option for your bone health.

Soft drinks: Regular consumption of soft drinks with a high amount of phosphoric acid can hinder absorption of bone.

Sedentary lifestyle: Too little or physical activity and weight bearing exercises like walking, running, dancing, weight lifting or climbing stairs can weaken the bones. Exercises also make your balance better and reduce the likelihood of falling.

Certain medical conditions: If you are suffering from certain medical conditions, like hyperthyroidism, or have a disorder that hinders proper utilization of calcium and vitamin D, you at a larger risk for osteoporosis.

Certain medications: If you are on medications like corticosteroids, generally used for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma for 6 months or a longer period, you are susceptible to steroid-induced osteoporosis. These medications are the common cause of osteoporosis seen in men.

Caffeine: A high amount of caffeine can also increase the osteoporosis. Thus, you must limit the intake of coffee, tea, cola, chocolates etc.

Anorexia: Anorexia refers to loss of appetite due to certain medical condition or deliberately fasting to lose weight. Such a condition often creates a deficiency of nutrients (like calcium, vitamin D) required for bone formation, hence increasing the chances of getting osteoporosis.



Thanks to Riana Lance for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Osteoporosis Bone Density