A Growing Epidemic in Women: Osteoporosis (fragile Bones)
April 13, 2009 by Information On Osteoporosis
Filed under About Osteoporosis
What is Osteoporosis?
The term Osteoporosis comprises of two words osteo meaning bone and porosis- porous/fragile/weak. It may be defined as a skeletal disorder affecting the bone strength and predisposing it to increased risk of fracture.
In this disorder there is structural degeneration of the bone tissue leading to low bone mass, fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures.
Bony skeleton is like a strong framework for the human body with which various organs and tissues are suspended. The two basic components of bone are collagen protein which forms a soft network and calcium phosphate which imparts strength and hardness to the bone. There is a homeostasis in our bones regarding continuous degeneration of old bone cells with simultaneous building of new ones. Up to the age of 30 the balance between bone degeneration and repair is almost equal and after that amount of bone loss supercedes the bone gain and osteoporosis sets in.
Who is affected by this disorder?
Although Osteoporosis affects all ages and population but the Post Menopausal women are more vulnerable to it. At present 8.2 million people are affected in India and the figures are epidemically growing. One out of every two women and one in eight men over the age of 50 are suffering from it.
What are the Causes/Risk factors?
There are a lot of triggers /risk factors for Osteoporosis as:
§ Advanced age and post menopausal syndrome: women falling under this condition have altered hormone levels particularly estrogen which in turn leads to Osteoporosis
§ Family history of Osteoporosis
§ Irrational and overuse of Steroids (Like in Asthma, Arthritis etc), thyroid hormones and anti epilepsy(fits )drugs
§ Smoking/alcohol/high intake of junk food/cola
§ Thin boned and small farmed Asian women are at higher risk.
§ Indolent life style-no exercise attitude
§ Dietary Deficiency of Calcium and other vitamins & trace elements
How could I know, I have Osteoporosis?
In most of the cases the disease is silent killer-a symptom less disorder. a person may feel fit today but may get fractured tomorrow.
§ The coexisting symptoms are pain in neck/lumbar region i.e. low back ache
§ Deformity of curvature in spine
§ Recurrent fractures (Non traumatic)
§ Loss of height due to deformity in spine, stooping any
What are the laboratory investigations available?
Routine X-Ray can detect the loss in bony mass only when the disease has progressed in advanced stage.
Bone densitometry mainly DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) is highly effective measure to detect the disorder. It measures the bone mass at hip and spine where Osteoporosis occurs in early stage.
It is very fast painless and accurate test which detects two energy levels and the differences are noted by the computer. The patient under the treatment for Osteoporosis is advised to go through this test yearly to check the progress of the treatment. Moreover this test also measures total fat and lean tissue in body to check the progress of treatment in obese patients.
What does Ayurveda says about Osteoporosis?
Ayurveda which is based upon the concept of Vaat, Pitta and Kapha humors of human body is a holistic therapy. It has enunciated the disease Osteoporosis by name of Asthikshya. Asthi means bone and kshya is loss. According to Ayurveda this disorder is caused by the vitiated Vaata humor and the symptoms are pain in bones, weak nails and teeth, dryness in body, excessive fall of hair, chronic fatigue without any labour and loose joints.
A detailed description of various herbs and formulations which pacify vitiated Vaata and are rich source of Calcium are discussed below.
What are the Preventive measures?
Here are some suggestions:
§ Live an active life style. Exercise daily
§ Running brisk walking, swimming, tennis, cycling, dancing and other weight bearing exercises should be practiced
§ The daily intake of calcium for an adult woman is 1000 mg. So, take adequate quantities of milk, cheese, green leafy vegetables, wheat, maize orange in your diet.
§ Vitamin D which is synthesized in our body through exposure to sun light so, bask for one hour /day
§ Do not overindulge in mental tension
§ Avoid junk food, particularly cola. Refrain from smoking, alcohol etc.
§ Yearly check up for Bone Mass Density is must over 45 years age
§ If you are already suffering from Osteoporosis take good care of your routine activities to prevent the fractures. Use flat slippers avoid high healed shoes avoid slippery floors in bathroom.
In a recent study USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging, Tufts University they found that in women drinking cola was associated with lower bone mineral density at all three hip sites regardless of age, menopaus
Thanks to Dr. Sandeep Madaan for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:
The term Osteoporosis comprises of two words osteo meaning bone and porosis- porous/fragile/weak. It may be defined as a skeletal disorder affecting the bone strength and predisposing it to increased risk of fracture.
In this disorder there is structural degeneration of the bone tissue leading to low bone mass, fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures.
Bony skeleton is like a strong framework for the human body with which various organs and tissues are suspended. The two basic components of bone are collagen protein which forms a soft network and calcium phosphate which imparts strength and hardness to the bone. There is a homeostasis in our bones regarding continuous degeneration of old bone cells with simultaneous building of new ones. Up to the age of 30 the balance between bone degeneration and repair is almost equal and after that amount of bone loss supercedes the bone gain and osteoporosis sets in.
Who is affected by this disorder?
Although Osteoporosis affects all ages and population but the Post Menopausal women are more vulnerable to it. At present 8.2 million people are affected in India and the figures are epidemically growing. One out of every two women and one in eight men over the age of 50 are suffering from it.
What are the Causes/Risk factors?
There are a lot of triggers /risk factors for Osteoporosis as:
§ Advanced age and post menopausal syndrome: women falling under this condition have altered hormone levels particularly estrogen which in turn leads to Osteoporosis
§ Family history of Osteoporosis
§ Irrational and overuse of Steroids (Like in Asthma, Arthritis etc), thyroid hormones and anti epilepsy(fits )drugs
§ Smoking/alcohol/high intake of junk food/cola
§ Thin boned and small farmed Asian women are at higher risk.
§ Indolent life style-no exercise attitude
§ Dietary Deficiency of Calcium and other vitamins & trace elements
How could I know, I have Osteoporosis?
In most of the cases the disease is silent killer-a symptom less disorder. a person may feel fit today but may get fractured tomorrow.
§ The coexisting symptoms are pain in neck/lumbar region i.e. low back ache
§ Deformity of curvature in spine
§ Recurrent fractures (Non traumatic)
§ Loss of height due to deformity in spine, stooping any
What are the laboratory investigations available?
Routine X-Ray can detect the loss in bony mass only when the disease has progressed in advanced stage.
Bone densitometry mainly DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) is highly effective measure to detect the disorder. It measures the bone mass at hip and spine where Osteoporosis occurs in early stage.
It is very fast painless and accurate test which detects two energy levels and the differences are noted by the computer. The patient under the treatment for Osteoporosis is advised to go through this test yearly to check the progress of the treatment. Moreover this test also measures total fat and lean tissue in body to check the progress of treatment in obese patients.
What does Ayurveda says about Osteoporosis?
Ayurveda which is based upon the concept of Vaat, Pitta and Kapha humors of human body is a holistic therapy. It has enunciated the disease Osteoporosis by name of Asthikshya. Asthi means bone and kshya is loss. According to Ayurveda this disorder is caused by the vitiated Vaata humor and the symptoms are pain in bones, weak nails and teeth, dryness in body, excessive fall of hair, chronic fatigue without any labour and loose joints.
A detailed description of various herbs and formulations which pacify vitiated Vaata and are rich source of Calcium are discussed below.
What are the Preventive measures?
Here are some suggestions:
§ Live an active life style. Exercise daily
§ Running brisk walking, swimming, tennis, cycling, dancing and other weight bearing exercises should be practiced
§ The daily intake of calcium for an adult woman is 1000 mg. So, take adequate quantities of milk, cheese, green leafy vegetables, wheat, maize orange in your diet.
§ Vitamin D which is synthesized in our body through exposure to sun light so, bask for one hour /day
§ Do not overindulge in mental tension
§ Avoid junk food, particularly cola. Refrain from smoking, alcohol etc.
§ Yearly check up for Bone Mass Density is must over 45 years age
§ If you are already suffering from Osteoporosis take good care of your routine activities to prevent the fractures. Use flat slippers avoid high healed shoes avoid slippery floors in bathroom.
In a recent study USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging, Tufts University they found that in women drinking cola was associated with lower bone mineral density at all three hip sites regardless of age, menopaus
Thanks to Dr. Sandeep Madaan for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:
Dr. Sandeep Madaan , M.D.(Ayurveda) is a renowned Expert in the field of Ayurvedic Healing. Many of his Articles and Research papers are published in various Health magazines, Research Journals and News papers time to time. He has been Ayurvedic Consultant at Apollo Clinic, Pitam Pura, Delhi. Having worked with Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi he masters the science of Research in the field of Ayurveda. Presently he is engaged with Maharishi Ayurveda Products, Noida and as Chief Physician at Astha Ayurvedic Clinic,C 10/27 Sec.-15 Rohini, Delhi. Treating Chronic and Obstinate diseases by Ayurvedic Therapy has far been his favourite subject and goal.
Address for correspondence:
WZ 1959 Rani Bagh Delhi 34
Women’s Health: How to Prevent Osteoporosis
March 8, 2009 by Information On Osteoporosis
Filed under About Osteoporosis
If you do not know, osteoporosis is a disease that actually weakens your bones. This can cause a lot of bad health problems as you can guess. Things like fragile bones can make them a lot easier to break. However, osteoporosis is not a disease that you have to live with. In fact, this is a health problem that can be prevented and treated very easily.
If you have osteoporosis and you let it go untreated, then you are going to end up with weakened bones that will break. Today we are going to talk about a few guidelines that women can use to help prevent osteoporosis. After all, as women age they are the most likely to get osteoporosis, and thus, they have to know how to treat it.
The first thing that you should already know is that you need to avoid a diet that is low in calcium and other minerals that your body needs. Of course, you also need to go with a reduction in other things. For example, you will need a reduction in natural hydrochloric acid in the stomach. That is because it will just accelerate the osteoporosis process in both men and women.
The other minerals that you will need to include in your diet will come as no shock to anyone. You will need certain vitamins like C, D, E, and, of course, K. However, that does not mean that you can forget about things like magnesium and phosphorus. You will have to make sure that your body is also getting enough silicon and iron. This goes for manganese, zinc and copper as well.
A few other things that you should cut out of your diet to help protect yourself from getting osteoporosis are things like soft drinks. Although you do not have to cut them all out, they can actually lower the calcium levels in your body. They do this by blocking the calcium from being absorbed by your body. This may also help you cut down on the amount of caffeine you take in.
Whenever you drink a lot of caffeine, this actually increases the urinary excretion of the calcium in your body. Although some people do not like to hear this either, you should try not to drink alcohol or smoke. Both of these can cause negative calcium balances in your body. Pretty much, the balance means that you are losing more calcium than your body is taking in.
Things like excess salt and, of course, sugar are not good for you either. They aid in the depletion of calcium that is stored in your body. Cutting down on these kinds of things can help you. Overall, just be sure that you know the overall goal that you need to reach as far as the amount of calcium you need in your body. It is better to have an overall goal as to how much calcium you need in your body than just to go into it blind. Remember that having too much calcium in your body is no good either. Both of these extremes are bad.
Thanks to James S. Pendergraft for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:
If you have osteoporosis and you let it go untreated, then you are going to end up with weakened bones that will break. Today we are going to talk about a few guidelines that women can use to help prevent osteoporosis. After all, as women age they are the most likely to get osteoporosis, and thus, they have to know how to treat it.
The first thing that you should already know is that you need to avoid a diet that is low in calcium and other minerals that your body needs. Of course, you also need to go with a reduction in other things. For example, you will need a reduction in natural hydrochloric acid in the stomach. That is because it will just accelerate the osteoporosis process in both men and women.
The other minerals that you will need to include in your diet will come as no shock to anyone. You will need certain vitamins like C, D, E, and, of course, K. However, that does not mean that you can forget about things like magnesium and phosphorus. You will have to make sure that your body is also getting enough silicon and iron. This goes for manganese, zinc and copper as well.
A few other things that you should cut out of your diet to help protect yourself from getting osteoporosis are things like soft drinks. Although you do not have to cut them all out, they can actually lower the calcium levels in your body. They do this by blocking the calcium from being absorbed by your body. This may also help you cut down on the amount of caffeine you take in.
Whenever you drink a lot of caffeine, this actually increases the urinary excretion of the calcium in your body. Although some people do not like to hear this either, you should try not to drink alcohol or smoke. Both of these can cause negative calcium balances in your body. Pretty much, the balance means that you are losing more calcium than your body is taking in.
Things like excess salt and, of course, sugar are not good for you either. They aid in the depletion of calcium that is stored in your body. Cutting down on these kinds of things can help you. Overall, just be sure that you know the overall goal that you need to reach as far as the amount of calcium you need in your body. It is better to have an overall goal as to how much calcium you need in your body than just to go into it blind. Remember that having too much calcium in your body is no good either. Both of these extremes are bad.
Thanks to James S. Pendergraft for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:
Orlando Women’s Center. Second, And Late Term Abortions Clinic. Dr. James S.
Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women’s Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including
abortions, physical examinations, family planning, counseling, laboratory
services. Orlando Women’s Center. Second, And Late Term Abortions Clinic.
