You Can Prevent Osteoporosis

Read this short article if you or someone you know is
interested in preventing osteoporosis.

First of all you probably don’t think of your bones as
living tissue, but that’s just what they are. Your bones are filled with “living
cells”, some of which make new bone and some of which break down old bone. This
process keeps your bones fresh and healthy, so this is something that you need
to know.  But in some people, bones are broken down faster than they
can be rebuilt. That’s a bad thing. Then what happens iver time is, this leads
to bones that are weak and thin. This condition is called osteoporosis. It
affects 10 million Americans, mostly women.

Thin bones are more likely to break or fracture. These
injuries can lead to serious problems. A hip fracture, for example, can cause a
person to need nursing home care and disable them for life. Hip fractures can
even be deadly, so this is serious stuff we’re talking about.

So, What You Can Do?

There are things you can do to prevent osteoporosis. It’s
best if prevention begins early—during your childhood and teens, that’s why
this handout is so important, especially to women. This is when you can most
influence how strong your bones will be.

That said, it’s never too late to adopt habits that help
YOUR bones. Here are some habits that every person should take up, no matter
how old they are:

Get enough calcium lactate or citrate and vitamin D.
Calcium is one of the main things that make up bone. Vitamin D helps your body
absorb calcium. That’s why many doctors recommend that people take calcium and
vitamin D supplements.  Oh and you don’t get it from drinking milk, so forget that.

Exercise. Walking, running, and lifting weights put
stress on the bones, making them stronger. This is something that most women
don’t understand. Put stress on your bones and you’ll make them stronger.

Vibration therapy.  By using some form of vibration therapy, bone growth can be stimulated with very little physical effort.

Don’t smoke. Smokers tend to lose bone faster than
nonsmokers. In fact, smokers are 55% more likely than nonsmokers to break a
hip.

Don’t drink too much alcohol. Heavy alcohol use can
reduce bone strength. It seems that too much alcohol can make it hard for your
body to process vitamin D. You should be getting a good amount of vitamin D
each and every day to prevent osteoporosis.

The following medications can weaken bones:

• Corticosteroids (used for arthritis, among otherconditions)

• Antiseizure medications

• Cyclosporine A (which is used in organ transplants)

• Thyroid hormones

There are supplements that can support healthy bone strength. 

For more information on bone health please feel free to contact us or ask your doctor.