Osteoporosis And The Loss Of Bone Density

By Jeff Foster

Osteoporosis is a health condition suffered by many today of which the hallmark is the loss of the normal bone density and the subsequent fragility of the skeletal bones.

Because of the loss of or the reduction in the bone density in the original skeletal structure, the skeletal bones lose their strength putting the osteoporotic bones at a much higher risk for fracture.

But osteoporosis leads to bones that look like a sponge. These bones are abnormally porous and begin in the worst-case situations to look a lot like Swiss cheese. Osteoporosis weakens the entire skeletal system and puts the sufferer at great risk for bone fracture.

The morbidity associated with bone fractures in the aging population is quite high.

The anecdotal stories recalled time and time again of senior citizens failing to ever really recover from a bone fracture seem to point as clear evidence of the high morbidity of skeletal fractures.

With osteoporosis bone fracture easily.

In fact a minor fall or simple injury that in the majority of the population might only cause a bump or bruise, but in a person suffering from osteoporosis it can lead to a severe fracture.

The wrist, hips, and spine are the most common locations of osteoporosis-related bone fractures; however, osteoporosis-related fractures can also develop in almost any skeletal bone area.

Normal bone is composed of the collagen, calcium, and protein. But with osteoporosis these are no longer well represented.

Fractures associated with osteoporosis can be in the form of a collapse such as in the case with a compression fracture of the vertebrae in the spine or it can be a fracture in the form of a crack such as when you see a complete hip fracture.

While treatment options are more readily available, the key to osteoporosis is prevention. Once a break occurs the ramifications of that will be with you for life.

It seems currently that women have a higher incidence of osteoporosis. This is thought to be related to the many hormonal changes experienced by a woman during her lifetime.

Osteoporosis is a preventable disease.

The morbidity and mortality associated with osteoporosis is something that must be taken seriously.

Make sure that you see your health care provider on a yearly basis in order to have a current assessment about the status of your bone density particularly if you are a woman over the age of 35.

For more important information on back pain, causes of back pain, back pain relief, and more, visit http://www.0-backpain.com where you'll find articles and information on what causes and relieving your back pain

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Protect Yourself From Osteoporosis

By Jeffrey Wendland

Osteoporosis is a common disease. In America, it affects approximately one in nine. That works out to 28 million people, with of them being women over middle age. While some bone loss is inevitable as we age, there are precautions we can take to protect our bones and reduce bone loss and the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become weak or brittle and are much more prone to breaking. If not prevented or treated, it can lead to easily broken bones, especially that of the wrist, hips and spine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 90 percent of American women are calcium deficient on a daily basis. Being deficient in calcium puts you at risk for gum disease, menstrual cramping, depression, insomnia and down the road it can lead to osteoporosis. So it is clearly important for us to be aware of how much Calcium we eat. We need to try and eat more foods rich in calcium and add calcium to the diet as supplements.

Some of the foods which are rich in calcium are dairy products of nearly all kinds, greens such as turnip, bock choy, mustard and broccoli, oysters, blackstrap molasses, almonds and even some mineral waters.

It is important to note that some of the foods we eat have natural inhibitors to Calcium absorption. Foods like spinach, sorrel, rhubarb, and dandelion greens contain oxalic acid which binds to calcium to form calcium oxalate, which is indigestible.

Grains can also interfere with calcium absorption. Phytic acid is found in grains and this is a phophoruslike compound that combines with calcium in the intestines and blocks its absorption. Most people do not need to worry too much about this unless you are eating a very high carbohydrate diet.

There are also nutrients that will enhance the absorption of calcium. Magnesium helps with calcium metabolism and in transporting calcium in to bones and soft tissues. Magnesium is also important for preventing calcium oxalate crystals from forming which is what kidney stones are made from.

There are also vitamins which are important for calcium absorption. Vitamin C is one calcium enhancer. But more importantly, Vitamin D is vital for calcium being transformed into a usable form by increasing calcium absorption in the small intestines and retention by the kidneys.

There are trace elements that enhance calcium absorption. Boron maintains calcium and magnesium levels by aiding the body in it’s synthesize with both estrogen and vitamin D. Silicon is also important. Silicon helps to support calcium in the maintenance and growth of bones and joints.

Estrogen plays an integral role in the body’s use of calcium. Estrogen both increases calcium absorption and decreases its urinary excretion.

Exercise is one of the most important things that can be done to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Bones grow stronger with physical stress. Weight bearing exercise is the most important form of exercise to protect your bones. A study by the Mayo Clinic found that women who exercise twice a week have denser bones than those who exercise once a week, which in turn have denser bones than those who never exercise at all. Even sedentary postmenopausal women increased bone mass by 5 percent after nine months of an exercise program and a high-calcium diet.

We can conclude that if you want protect your bones, exercise and proper diets and supplements will be important for your health. Choosing the right supplement can be difficult with so many products out there. Many experts believe that postmenopausal women need up to 1,500 mg of calcium daily. When looking for a calcium supplement look for one that is also high in magnesium. You will also want to either find one with Vitamin D already in it, or take a separate D at a minimum of 400 I.U.

Isn’t it now time that you take action and prevent yourself from the risks of osteoporosis? Consult your physician for advice on starting an exercise plan if you are not already doing so. And look for a quality calcium/magnesium supplement to protect your bones so that you can enjoy a healthy, active life in your later years.

The Author of this article pubsishes the natural health and blog http://www.jeffshealthyliving.com/blog and the fitness and weight loss blog at http://www.christianweightcontrol.com/blog

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What Causes Osteoporosis and Ten Changes You Can Make to Reduce Your Risk of Osteoporosis

By John Mericle M.D.

Ten Simple Lifestyle Changes You Can Make to Reduce Your Risk for Osteoporosis

• Stop or decrease your meat intake.
• Stop or decrease your dairy intake.
• Decrease or eliminate sugar from your diet.
• Cut back on processed foods.
• Eliminate highly acid vinegars.
• Decrease or stop caffeine.
• Stop smoking.
• Cut back or eliminate alcohol consumption.
• Start a weight bearing exercise program.
• Get plenty of sunshine or supplement vitamin D.

“The myth that osteoporosis is caused by calcium deficiency was created to sell dairy products and calcium supplements. There's no truth to it. American women are among the biggest consumers of calcium in the world, and they still have one of the highest levels of osteoporosis in the world. And eating even more dairy products and calcium supplements is not going to change that fact.” - Dr. John McDougall

Discussion:

The ingestion of milk causes the blood to become acid ie -pH less than the normal 7.43. The body corrects this via the calcium phosphate balance which requires mobilization of additional calcium into the bloodstream to correct the acidosis. This calcium is obtained by removing it from the bones. Thus, it is no surprise that milk causes a total body calcium loss. This is not new information and is well discussed with reference to the original studies in John Robbins's book "Diet for a New America."

Amazing as it sounds, the ash (residue) from any animal protein that finds its way to the bloodstream is so acid that the homeostatic mechanisms of the body that maintain the pH of the blood at 7.43 are immediately invoked. The prime mechanism to accomplish this (as noted above) is the calcium / phosphate balance in the bloodstream. Since calcium acts as a base (can correct an acid condition of the blood) the body pulls calcium from the bone to offset or correct the acidosis caused by the acid residue from the animal protein (this includes dairy/milk).

Over time the continuing ingestion of animal protein leads to significant loss of bone mineralization and eventually clinical osteoporosis. Ingesting more calcium is a very simplistic approach that more often than not does not help. The problem is that supplemental calcium seldom finds its way to the bloodstream and the body will continue to remove calcium from the bone since this is the pathway that mother nature has established.

As a diagnostic radiologist I had many an occasion to see calcium tablets of all varieties totally undissolved on abdominal radiographs. Treating osteoporosis with additional calcium is like replacing the wood in a termite infested house without eradicating the termites. The only effective (and extremely simple) answer is to just not consume animal protein. One of the other complications of the increased mobilization of calcium is kidney stones. The incidence of kidney stones is considerably increased in those who consume animal protein.

The Bantu women, who are exclusively vegan and live off of a completely plant based diet in central Africa, get less than 350 mg of calcium in their daily diet. Yet, there is no osteoporosis in these women since they do not ingest any animal protein. This is also true for many women in the more remote portions of mainland China.

All the new imaging devices for measuring bone density are really a large technological waste of time and money. If you consume animal protein you are at risk for osteoporosis -period. Just take some of the money you would spend to have your bone density measured and go out and buy some good organic veggies. You and your bones will love you for it.

Osteoporosis is not gender specific. Although more women than men are affected, men also have osteoporosis. I once knew an Ultrasound technician in his thirties who had osteoporosis.

Recipes:

The following recipes are good sources of calcium from totally natural sources as well as recipes that avoid the foods that cause osteoporosis. For those of you outside of the US the need for organic foods is not as critical since the destructive commercial farming practices here have not reached the rest of the world -yet. This is especially true in Europe where a tomato, I am told, still tastes like a tomato.

Black bean burritos, tostadas and tacos.

Prepare some organic black beans refried style as in the MericleDiet or however you like to prepare your beans. Obtain some organic tortillas, taco or tostada shells. Drop some refried beans into or onto one of the above and add some chopped lettuce, cabbage or onions. Black beans and onions really make a good burrito. Wrap the tortilla around your filling and garnish with salsa and maybe some more cabbage or lettuce. If you like, you can fry the burrito to make what we used to call a "Cindy Special" from an old Mexican restaurant here in Tucson. The frying is however not without its caloric burden, although it makes for a real taste treat.

Other good sources of calcium are organic kale, collards, broccoli, bok choy and tofu.

A fresh spinach salad makes a nice addition to this meal and a lot of organic greens really are excellent sources of calcium that the body can utilize. I have been told that, although spinach is high in calcium, it is also high in oxalic acid which is alleged to bind the calcium thus limiting its absorption. However spinach is still a good bet since it has been shown to retard the development of macular degeneration.

Summary:

Osteoporosis is not a disease of calcium absorption but is a proactive disease caused by ingesting foods that upset the acid/base balance of the body thus requiring calcium to be slowly but constantly leached from your bones in order to keep the blood (pH) normal (7.43). No amount of ingested calcium will correct the problem as long as one continues to destroy their bones by eating the wrong foods. The answer is to simply stop the destruction of your bones by significantly reducing or completely stopping the ingestion of animal protein.

We hope you find this informative. Please stay tuned for the next newsletter that will cover sugar, vitamin C, insulin, your white blood cells, your immune system and the very interesting subject of competitive inhibition or -how much vitamin C should I take? To sign up for the MericleDiet Newsletter / Dr. Mericle Health Tips please follow the link below:

http://www.DrMericle.com

One last quote:

"In the next 10 to 15 years, one of the things you're bound to hear is that animal protein ... is one of the most toxic nutrients of all that can be considered . Risk for disease goes up dramatically when even a little animal protein is added to the diet." T. Colin Campbell Ph.D. (Author of The China Study).

Remember the Bantu women.

The MericleDiet.

The MericleDiet is a completely vegan, 100% Sugar Free and 100% Organic easy to follow diet. It is actually more of a lifestyle than a diet as you never feel deprived or restricted. It also will keep your bone density at the best it can be. Your bones will love you for it. To visit just follow the link below:

http://www.DrMericle.com

Copyright 2005 J. Mericle M.D. All Rights Reserved

http://www.DrMericle.com is devoted to achieving optimal health and peak performance through diet and lifestyle change. Dr. Mericle brings together a unique blend of formal medical education, 29 marathons, 3 Hawaii Ironman competitions and a lot of practical real life experience.

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Understanding Osteoporosis

By Riana D Lance

Osteoporosis is a progressive disease that weakens bones, enhancing the danger of sudden and unexpected fractures. Literally, Osteoporosis means ‘porous bones’. The pores develop in bones after an extensive loss of bone mass. The disorder is mainly linked to the aging process, although it can affect people of any age. The disease is more prevalent among women, particularly the menopausal women, but it occurs among men as well.

Osteoporosis is of two types:

Primary osteoporosis: This commonly occurs in women of age 50 to 65 years, i.e., menopausal/postmenopausal woman. Men after age 75 may also develop it.

Secondary osteoporosis: This may occur among young, middle-aged people and the older people as well. Some of the common causes of secondary osteoporosis include:

• Medications like corticosteroids
• Anorexia nervosa, a self-inflicted starvation which leads to malnutrition
• Too much of workouts – among women who indulge in too much of exercises, estrogen production may cease, which may lead to osteoporosis.

Causes of Osteoporosis

Bones are made up of bone tissues and minerals. The process of bone formation is an ever-going process, with each of the old bone in our body being replaced by a new one in about hundred days. However, when the bone tissues and minerals are lost more rapidly than they are replenished, osteoporosis occurs. Lack of adequate amount of bone tissues and minerals forms pores in the bones, the characteristic of this disease.

Until twenties, the bones are built faster than they are broken down; consequently, when you are around 30 years, your bone density is maximum. Osteoporosis is actually linked to how much maximum bone density you acquire (by age 30) and how much of bone loss you will undergo in your middle and old age. The greater is your bone mass acquired early in life, the lesser are your chances to get osteoporosis. For the coming 15-20 years after the age of 30 years, the rate of bone loss and that of rebuilding is almost alike, thus, the bone density continues to be similar during these years. However, beyond the age 45-55 years, the breakdown of bones exceeds their building up reducing their densities. Among women, the bone loss is fastest after menopause when the decline in estrogen levels, while among men, the boss accelerates after age 65, when the levels of the hormone testosterone fall.

Thus, among the factors that cause osteoporosis are:
• Deficiency of the hormones (estrogen in women and testosterone in men)
• Nutritional deficiencies, especially of calcium and vitamin D
• Sedentary lifestyle with a lack of physical activity. Exercise or any kind of physical activity has been found to increase bone mass and hence reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

About the author: Riana Lance has a deep concern on health. Grasp her other motivational health tips at Health News, a worth-to-visit daily updated blog. Also check Her Other websites and more.

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Osteoporosis Prevention - Information on How to Prevent Osteoporosis and Cause of this Disease

Unfortunately, osteoporosis treatments are few and have a very low success rate, this is why osteoporosis prevention should not be taken lightly.

Osteoporosis is considered an invisible disease and is the twelfth leading cause of death in America.

It is invisible because it progresses without any obvious symptoms until the physical changes start to show up. Slowly you are shrinking, you are starting to stoop down, irreversible pain and you are prone to bone fractures. A fracture could happen without you falling or hitting something.

One solution for osteoporosis is to do some weight bearing exercises to develop strong, dense bones. Also the intake of calcium and other essential minerals throughout life should not be ignored.

What is the cause of osteoporosis?

Our bones undergo a continual process wherein the old bone is replaced by the new bone. This process is called remodeling.

The problem occurs when the removal of old bone occurs faster at a faster rate than the depositing of new bone which is called bone resorption.

Women are at a greater risk for developing osteoporosis mainly because of small bone structure and hormonal changes that accompany menopause.

It's crucial to take calcium supplements at different stages of life. Adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D are required during childhood and adolescence to develop strong and dense bones.

During the middle years, however, the need for calcium supplements is supported by the fact that calcium loss exceeds calcium gain to bones.

To prevent osteoporosis, you may consider drinking high quality green tea throughout the day -- everyday. It has the ability to reduce excessive resorption.

Green tea also contains vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, B2, D, K, and carotenoids as well as chromium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, molybdenum, selenium, sodium, phosphorus, strontium, cobalt, nickel, and potassium, to name a few in addition to polyphenols particularly catechins and EGCG.

Polyphenols although can be found in garlic, fruits, and potatoes are not as strong and as remarkable as the polyphenols found in green tea.

In the Mediterranean Osteoporosis Study, it was identified that drinking green tea is a key factor to prevent osteoporosis.

Mary Rose Antonio is a physical therapist for 20 years now and is a great believer in natural healing. She invites you to learn more about the amazing benefits of green tea. Find out more information on japanese green tea and chinese green tea

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3 Main Symptoms of Osteoporosis

By Riana D Lance

Osteoporosis generally develops without any apparent symptoms and therefore is referred to as ‘silent disease’. A few of the symptoms that do arise generally emerge only in the advanced stages. People normally do not become aware of the disease being cropping up, unless their bones turn out to be so weak that a light bump or a fall leads to a fracture or collapse of a vertebra. Some people may also develop stooped posture, loss height or severe have back pain when the disease is in its advanced stage.

Fractures

These are generally the first symptom of osteoporosis. The bones become too weak to support the body so they break even by a light bump or a moderate strain. Although this disease affects all bones of the body, the most susceptible ones include spine, followed by hips, which is followed by wrist.

A spinal crush fracture, which involves crumbling or collapse of a vertebra is extremely painful and can result in deformed posture.

Stooped Posture and Loss of Height

Although most people believe that stooped posture and loss of height occur because of aging, they are actually avertable symptoms of osteoporosis. The loss of height most often occurs because of "compression fractures" in the spine, which in turn, arise when weak bone tissues of the vertebrae give way. These weak vertebrae can collapse even by coughing or sneezing, resulting in a sudden, unbearable pain. Over a certain period, these fractures lead to stooped posture, humpy back or loss of as much as 6 inches of height.

Acute or Chronic Back Pain

Your upper body is connected to your pelvis and legs by the lower spine. Your lower spine is one, which confers you the capability to turn, bend, lift or twist. It also supports most of the weight of your body while you stand. Hence, this is the region, which is always under maximum stress and also most susceptible to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis of this region causes sharp and unbearable pain.

Thus, the consequences of osteoporosis are often intolerable and debilitating. The good news is that osteoporosis is a preventable and treatable condition. The need is to educate yourself about how to make better your bone health and keep away from the risks of osteoporosis.

About the author: Riana Lance has a deep concern on health. Grasp her other motivational health tips at Health News. Also check Her Other websites and more.

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