Can you answer Heidi14’s question about Osteoporosis?:

Any information about links between high bone density and breast cancer? I recently had my bone density checked for Osteoporosis risk using the heel ultrasound, and was off the charts, up around 4.6. Low risk is usually measured as values between 0-2, but anything above zero is supposed to be good.

Osteoporosis Bone Density

Can you answer odonche’s question about Osteoporosis?:

I’m looking for a brand that’s available online.
I have osteoporosis. I want to replace my calcium carbonate with calcium citrate, because it’s better absorbed. The ideal supplement would also include vitamin D, I suppose.

Reversing Osteopenia

Fractures, bone pain, foot or leg cramp during post menopause can also be referred to as Osteoporosis. Bone strength slowly decreases and causes the skeletal system to become more fragile. Bone density represents about 70 percent of the bone’s strength. When osteoporosis exists, the bone become porous, giving the body a greater chance to have fractures, bone pain, foot or leg cramps.

Post menopause is the final phase of the transition of your body caused by hormone levels changing with your age. Most women over the age of 50 should consider having a test done that measures the density of your bones.

Considering having a bone density test done by a physician is a diagnostic test that will measure the amount of minerals left in your bones allowing the doctor to determine whether or not osteoporosis has set in.

These tests have been debated as to whether or not your physician has enough evidence to administer the proper medication to treat these symptoms. The testing is very valuable because it will give your doctor the proper information to administer hormone, and/or drug treatment.

There is a number of prescription drugs used to treat these symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is one way to treat these symptoms. Replacement hormones consist of synthetic estrogen, and or, progestin. These hormones replace a woman’s depleting hormones allowing the body to be relieved of the symptoms of menopause. These replacement hormones, if taken up to five years after menopause begins can stop the effects of osteoporosis. It is estimated that HRT can give a 50 to 80 percent decrease in vertebral fractures, and a 23 percent decrease in non-vertebral fractures if taken with a five year use. There are side effects to HRT which include bloating, nausea, breast tenderness, vaginal bleeding, fluid retention, weight gain, depression, and a possible increase of migraine headaches.

Herbs have also been used to treat osteoporosis such as Vitex, also known as chaste berry. This herb is known to even out hot flashes, mood swings, and restore vaginal lubrication.

The symptoms of fractures, bone pain, foot or leg cramps are feelings of power surges throughout the body, and can be very uncomfortable.

Along with the hormone/drug treatment, there are also natural ways to fight fractures, bone pain, foot or leg crams during post menopause.

By drinking milk, eating calcium rich foods, such as broccoli, deep green leaf lettuces like kale, and taking calcium supplements. Doctors recommend that you take 1,500 mg., along with magnesium because it will work with your body to help you absorb the calcium better. Foods to avoid during this time are caffeine, including chocolate, alcohol, and spicy foods. You can also increase your diet with foods like soy tofu, and soy products because they are rich in isflavones. By utilizing these mediums you can delay the natural causes of fractures, bone pain, foot or leg cramps, during post menopause because when you lose bone density, you can not get it back.

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Thanks to Raj Kumar for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

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A loss of bone density and strength can ultimately lead to a diagnosis of osteoporosis and the potential of years ahead of morbidity that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Diagnosing osteoporosis must be taken seriously and it must be diagnosed as early as possible so that you can salvage as much bone loss as you can.

There are very high health costs associated with an inaccurate or a missed diagnosis of osteoporosis since this can lead to unnecessary bone loss and additional fractures that could have been prevented.

When you see your physician for an exam and she is trying to determine if you have osteoporosis, and if this is a positive diagnosis, she will also look to determine if you have either primary or secondary osteoporosis.

Primary osteoporosis means the osteoporosis itself is the root of the problem. Secondary osteoporosis means that there is an underlying health condition that is creating the osteoporosis. Some of the causes of secondary osteoporosis can be chronic alcohol use, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, lymphoma, multiple myeloma or even Marfan’s syndrome. Your healthcare provider must know whether you have primary or secondary osteoporosis since the treatment is different for both.

The gold standard used when diagnosing osteoporosis is the DEXA scan, which disperses very low amounts of radiation. This test takes about 10 minutes to complete and is totally painless. With the DEXA scan the bones in the hip, the spine or the wrist are examined to determine the accurate density of the bone.

Your physician will interpret the results and based on standardized findings will be able to The DEXA scan will be able to establish if you are at a higher risk than others in the norm group to sustain a bone fracture.

Current recommendations suggest that all women over the age of 65, postmenopausal women under the age of 65 who have multiple risk factors, patients who have taken a long-term course of oral corticosteroids, and patients with a hyperparathyroidism should have a DEXA scan to determine bone density and risks.

Diagnosing osteoporosis is a painless and rather simple thing for your health care practitioner to do. Particularly if you are in the risk group, see your healthcare provider for a complete history and physical exam along with any appropriate bone scans, such as the DEXA scan so that you can have a definitive diagnosis of osteoporosis or not. Your health depends on it.

We all want to live healthy and when there is something so simple that you can do about it, take action. There’s no pain involved…well, that is unless you choose to ignore your osteoporosis and then you will have to contend the rest of your life with the results of bone fractures that you possible could have avoided.

Make the call! Your health deserves it!



Thanks to Jeff Foster for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Reversing Osteopenia

Recently, researchers have questioned whether ensuring adequate calcium consumption throughout her life is enough to reduce the average woman’s risk of developing osteoporosis or brittle-bone disease later in life.

Current thinking is that exercise may play an even more important role than we previously thought in keeping bones healthy and strong. To keep your bones healthy, experts recommend you make the following forms of exercise a part of your life.

Weight-bearing activities, including activities you do on your feet with your bones supporting your weight. This can be walking, jogging and stair climbing. Strength training using resistance, such as free weights, resistance bands or water activities strengthens your muscles and help slow bone mineral loss.

Back-strengthening exercises improve your posture. This reduces your chances of a stooped posture, caused by pressure on weakened bones that eventually fracture.

Training Tip

The best solution to dodge exercise plateaus is cross training. Performing the same activity repeatedly at the same level makes the body more efficient, resulting in lower kilo joule expenditure from the activity. Research shows that by sticking to one activity, the number of kilo joules burned may decrease by as much as 25%.

Exercises should make sure they change their workouts often to maintain workout efficiency and prevent boredom.

Deskercise to Beat Stress

Sitting in front of a computer for hours on end, either for work or fun, is a way of life for many. This means that the average person isn’t moving around much, leading to muscle and joint stiffness and a build-up of tension. To avoid feeling tired after time in front of a computer here are some quick and easy exercises.

Shoulder Rotation

Sit up straight, facing forward and slowly roll your shoulders forward five times and then backwards. Repeat as many times as you need to.

Stretch

Remaining seated, stretch one arm up as high as you can, trying to stretch from your lower back. Repeat 10 times alternating arms.

Move Those Fingers

Touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of each finger to make a circle. Straighten your fingers in between the thumb touches.

When you consider how long you spend sitting each day, whether at the office, in the car or in front of the TV, is it any wonder that so many people complain of lower back ache? Stretching your back is a great way to loosen up the muscles and reduce tension build-up and a great move to try is the Cobra pose.

Warm Up: Loosen up your back with the lotus foot and ankle stretch. Place hands (palms downward) immediately behind your back. Flex your feet up towards you, flexing from your ankle and not your toes. Open up the back of your knees and keep your legs straight and hold for 10 – 15 seconds.

The Cobra

Lie on your tummy with your legs extended, your hands tucked under your shoulders and your elbows tucked into your waist. Inhale and as you do so, lift your eyes, then your head and then your chest upwards until you are looking up towards the ceiling. As you exhale, gently come down and as you do so, turn your head down towards the floor. Perform the cobra pose twice more and then rest in the Child pose. Lower your knees to the ground and hips to your heels. Relax with one cheek to the ground and arms at the sides, palms facing up.



Thanks to Sandra Prior for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Calcium Vitamin D Supplement