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Osteoporosis is a disease that causes skeletal weakness and decreased
bone density making bones more susceptible to breaking. There has been
very little evidence to show what causes osteoporosis. Many doctors have
deduced that osteoporosis may not be more prominent in women; the disease
hits men later in life. Though the risk of osteoporosis in men is lower
than their female counterparts, an estimated 2.5 million men have this
bone disease. Another 12 to 13 million men are at risk of osteoporosis.
An estimated one-fifth to one-third of all hip fractures in men is symptomatic
of osteoporosis. However, most men are not even diagnosed until they have
fractured a bone. Women typically show signs of the disease between the
ages of 55-65 years, yet men don't show symptoms until much later, ages
ranging from 65-75. This could be because men have a higher bone density.
There have been studies done to correlate osteoporosis to whole lifetime
exposure to sex hormones created by our bodies. However, no consensus
has been reached on that theory. The best recommendation doctors are making
is to take preventative measures. First, identify your risk factor. Second,
find a supplement regimen that is comparable to your lifestyle.
There are two different forms of osteoporosis, senile osteoporosis and
idiopathic osteoporosis. Senile osteoporosis is caused by age related
bone loss, which can be advanced due to a lack of essential mineral absorption.
This is a common factor later in life. The latter, idiopathic osteoporosis,
occurs in men before the age of 65. The medical community considers this
to stem from certain lifestyle behaviors, medications, and pre-existing
disease or medical conditions. The most common causes are: glucocorticoid
medications, hypogonadism (lack of testosterone), alcohol abuse, smoking,
gastrointestinal disease, hypercalciuria, and immobilization. Low calcium
intake and lack of exercise are also synonymous with low bone density.
Please talk to your doctor about extra preventative means if you suffer
from any of the conditions listed above.
Luckily, treating osteoporosis has become a little easier in the past
few years. Your doctor should conduct a complete physical exam every
year. This should include: height and weight measurements, urine and blood
test, and a BMD test.
“What’s a BMD test,” you ask?
A Bone Mineral Density
measurement is a special type of X-ray that identifies and diagnoses osteoporosis
at an early stage, when it can be treated with supplementation. There
are several supplement companies that perform bone density screenings
at local health food stores. Please check out your local health food stores
for further information. If your doctor does not do regular bone density
screening at your annual check-up, please voice your concern. Talking
with your doctor now can increase your quality of life later.
Prevention is the best way to treat osteoporosis. Only 1 in 4 women, ages
45-75 ask their doctors about the risk of osteoporosis. Men, only 1-30
of you, between the ages 55-75, have asked your doctors about osteoporosis
and its risks to you. The old standard, a healthy diet and regular exercise,
holds true as the best means of prevention. The steps that you take now
can benefit you later in life. Consider it to be a little added insurance.
This is not only true to help prevent osteoporosis but a number of other
health conditions, as well as those that have moved steadily into the
mainstream - conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
A healthy diet consisting of calcium rich foods like sesame seeds, seafood,
and dark leafy green vegetables are key ways of preventing osteoporosis.
Do not look to dairy sources as the best means of getting your calcium.
Cheese contains very little calcium and an 8 ounce glass of milk contains
only 20% of your daily requirement along with a much higher content of
saturated fat and sugar. The recommended daily allotment of calcium is
1,000-1,200 milligrams and that’s a lot of milk! If you realize
that you do not get enough calcium in your regular diet, you may want
to take a calcium supplement, preferably, a supplement that contains magnesium
and vitamin D. Vitamin D is crucial to the proper absorption of
calcium and for normal cell and bone growth. Magnesium works as a catalyst
for a number of minerals, especially calcium, to ensure that it is utilized
by the body and not expelled as waste.
As for the benefits of exercise, no one is saying that you have to go
the gym 6 days a week and lift weights with a personal trainer. However,
weight bearing exercise seems to be the best way to maintain bone density
and muscle tone. Applying walking, hiking, jogging, dancing, stair-climbing,
or lifting small weights does, in fact, work. The recommendation from
health care professionals is to perform some sort of exercise 30-45 minutes
3-5 days a week, or roughly 5-10 miles a week. If you suffer from a pre-existing
ailment, be sure to speak with your health care provider before starting
any exercise regimen. The more effort you make now can save you from tedious
physical therapy later.
While the rest of the world it sighting osteoporosis as merely a women’s
health concern, please be aware that it is a disease that we all should
take more seriously. So, get up, get out, talk to your doctor, a nutritionist,
or visit your local health food store for more information about supplementation.
It is best if you start the process early, but it is never too late.
-N. Dussault
(July 2005)
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