Osteoporosis Treatment and Prevention

Causes/risk factors:

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease in which the structure of bone tissue breaks down, leaving bones thin and brittle. As part of the natural lifecycle of bone, old bone tissue is continuously being absorbed and a new bone is formed until the age of thirty. Bone mass increases because new bone forms faster than old bone breaks down. After thirty, the rate of new bone formation gradually declines, leading to overall loss of bone mass.

What Causes Osteoporosis?

Aging is the major cause of osteoporosis; it is more common in women than in men because of the production of estrogen, a female sex hormone. This helps supply bones with calcium, a mineral that is essential for new bone formation. The danger is especially high in woman who experience early menopause.

Diagnosis:

Osteoporosis is most often diagnosed with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) which measures the mineral content of bone- an indicator of its density and strength. Women should start having routine bone density tests by age of sixty or earlier if they have family history of osteoporosis.

Treatment:

I use a secret family recipe- extract calcium from oyster shell powder and pearl powder to form pearl calcium, a concentrated all natural calcium dietary supplement, which can increase new bone cells to form much faster than people who do not take pearl calcium. Because pearl calcium is all natural and 100 percent dissolvable, the body will absorb and digest much faster.

During many years of practice I often heard patients tell me that they take calcium for many years but they have not noticed any difference, but once they take pearl calcium only several months they can feel calcium work in their body. For example: the patients will feel their knees stronger than before, hair loss is decreased, nails grow faster and stronger, and the quality of sleep is increased. That is the reason why 95 percent of my pearl calcium consumer become a regular customer.

Prevention:

• Exercise play an important role of new bone mass forming. Walking, cycling, dancing, and swimming are heavily encouraged. I recommend doing these activities at least three to four times per week.

• Eating a balanced diet with pearl calcium can provide daily vitamins and calcium need for body. Good sources of calcium from food are low-fat milk or yogurt, tofu, leafy green vegetables, sardines and salmon with bones, and cereals.

• If you have frequent muscle cramps, cut back on caffeine and alcohol use. Proven techniques to control emotional stress are meditation, yoga, and tai chi.

Dr. David Peng 9968 Bellaire Blvd, Suite 210 B, Houston, TX 77036 dxpeng@yahoo.com http://www.pengsacupuncture.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Peng

Does Chocolate Cause Osteoporosis?

When I saw the headlines, "Chocolate Causes Osteoporosis" I knew I was in trouble. As expected I came into the office to tons of emails from chocolate lovers everywhere who wanted to know if their love affair with their creamy sweetie was at an end. It especially hit home when my own mother told me that she was giving up her occasional chocolate square because she read the news that her bones were damned if she didn't cease consuming chocolate entirely.

So what is the deal?

In a recent study, scientists evaluated the food diaries of over one thousand senior women (ages 70-85). After evaluating the records and comparing a number of variables to bone density it was discovered that women who ate chocolate one time or more daily had weaker bones than those who ate it less than once a week. In fact the group who ate chocolate daily had bone densities that were 3.1% lower than their counterparts who ate chocolate less than once per week.

Thus the headlines... Chocolate Causes Osteoporosis.

So does chocolate cause osteoporosis? Not likely. This study is considered preliminary research because it does not show cause and effect. Although the statistics show a correlation between chocolate and bone loss, there are just too many other factors (perhaps thousands) that can account for the findings that chocolate eaters have lower bone density. For instance, is it possible that people who eat chocolate daily take less care of themselves compared to people who eat it once a week? In my book, daily chocolate consumption suggests either a lack of health knowledge or a disregard for health and fitness. Is it then feasible that the group who eats chocolate daily also eats other acidic foods, sugary foods, drinks more sodas, exercises less, etc?

Of Course! This study falls into a class of research called observational or epidemiological research which is considered the weakest form of study. This type of research commonly acts as the launching board for more expensive and involved double blind research. In the case of chocolate, I doubt we will see this type of research completed.

Is it possible that these findings are accurate? Is it possible that there is some compound in chocolate that causes bone loss? As a scientist, I must concede the possibility, however, it is highly unlikely! Should we eat chocolate daily? Of course not, at least not in quantity, but should my dear mother, who eats well, takes her supplements, goes to her daily "Guts and Butts" exercise class avoid her chocolate square once or twice a week...No! She is 72 years old and deserves to enjoy her chocolate square and it is unfortunate that many people will likely fall prey to this ploy to sell newspapers.

Dr. Ray Hinish received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and has been studying natural approaches to health for over a decade. He has achieved certifications in nutrition and is currently certified as a personal trainer. He authored the eBook, Strong Bones Forever, which is a guide to curing osteoporosis using only natural means. He currently practices at Your Prescription for Health in Owings Mills, Maryland.

http://www.strongbonesforever.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raymond_L_Hinish

Osteoporosis - Natural Prevention and Treatment

Osteoporosis is the loss of bony tissue resulting in deformed and brittle bones. In osteoporosis the bones literally waste away as their mineral density is gradually lost, making them increasingly weak and fragile. This is a common cause of fractures in the elderly. Thinning of the bones leads to increased risk of fractures, particularly of the lumbar vertebrae, wrist, hip, shoulder and the femur, or thigh bone. It is possible to prevent and to treat osteoporosis. However, you must take action.

It is estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men over the age of 50 worldwide have osteoporosis. To appreciate who is at risk of developing osteoporosis, consider the following factors that are associated with the disease.

• Older age
• Caucasian or Asian race
• Low levels of estrogen (for women)
• Low levels of testosterone (for men)
• Early menopause - before 45 years (either natural or surgical)
• In young women, later menstruation and menstruation that has stopped for more than six months
• Family history of hip replacements
• Low body weight and thin to small build
• A loss of height or stooped posture
• Unexplained back pain
• Lack of exercise now or as a child
• Disabilities
• Long-term bed rest
• Excessive exercise
• Cigarette smoking
• Previous bone fracture
• Long term medication, including:

o corticosteroids

o heparin

o thyroxin

o antacids

o antibiotics and antifungals

o aspirin

o cholesterol lowering drugs

o ulcer medications

• High alcohol intake
• Diet that is low in calcium, zinc, vitamin D and magnesium
• High caffeine intake
• Eating disorders
• Chronic diseases of the kidney, lung, stomach and intestines, particularly malabsorption related conditions such as celiac disease.

What can you do to help prevent or treat osteoporosis?

• An increased intake of magnesium, calcium and zinc may help prevent the worst effects of osteoporosis. These can be taken as a part of a good vitamin and mineral supplement as well as increasing the intake of foods that are high in these minerals. In particular it is important to have sufficient zinc.

• Vitamin D is essential because it helps the body absorb calcium. You may have a vitamin D deficiency, perhaps because of inadequate exposure to sunlight, and this should be rectified by allowing 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight onto arms, legs or back daily, although the exact exposure requirements do vary depending on geographic latitude, darkness of skin and even air quality. You should take care never to burn. Do not take too much vitamin D. Taking high doses of vitamin D (10,000 to 50,000 IUs daily) may be harmful and a dose of 400 IUs per day is adequate for housebound elderly people.

• Vitamin K is just as important as vitamin D for the absorption calcium. Many supplements designed to help treat osteoporosis fail to include vitamin K while others include an inappropriate form or simply provide too little or an improperly balanced amount, having regard for the total effect of the supplement.

• Foods containing boron, which reduces the body's excretion of calcium and magnesium, and increases the production of estrogen, should be eaten. These foods include pears, prunes, raisins and apples.

• Take plenty of antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A (as beta carotene). The antioxidants will help to slow degeneration. Vitamin C is also important for the absorption of minerals such as zinc.

• Take essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 oils to slow down the loss of calcium in the urine.

• Eat a diet that is low in or has eliminated dairy products and has reduced amounts of meat (once or twice per week for animal protein). Animal protein increase the rate at which calcium is withdrawn from the bones.

• You need to cleanse your body of toxic material so that everything, including your bones and joints are able to work effectively.

• Get as much weight bearing exercise as you can. Placing demands on the bones by using the muscles that are attached to them will encourage the body to build bone than to loose it.

• Doing all the above is important. Equally important is not doing things that will undermine your positive efforts. So it is important to avoid salt, sugar and refined carbohydrates, coffee and alcohol.

• Of course, if you smoke you are destroying your health in many ways. It is essential that you stop smoking. Join a quit smoking program such as Growerz.com and gain support and assistance to quit for good.

• If you have caffeine, alcohol, antacids, drugs, sugar, or refined food it won't matter how good the rest of the diet is. When the body's pH balance becomes acidic, calcium is pulled from the bones to buffer this acidic state, thereby weakening the bones. A study at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine at La Jolla reports that as little as two drinks of alcohol in a day could cut the benefits of calcium in one's diet.

• This brings us to the fact that you need to eat plenty of calcium rich food such as collard and turnip greens, dried figs, spinach, kale and broccoli. You will note that dairy products and animal proteins are not a part of this list. Indeed eating large amounts of dairy and other animal proteins can undermine all your other efforts and can increase the loss of calcium from your bones - but how this occurs is another story.

If you have osteoporosis or are at risk of developing osteoporosis there are many things that you can do to reverse the bone loss trend - but you need to take action. The longer you delay in making positive changes the harder it will be to improve your health later.

Dr Jenny Tylee is an experienced health professional who is passionate about health and wellbeing. She believes that health is not just absence of disease and seeks to actively promote vitality and wellness through empowering others. She encourages people to improve their health by quit smoking, cleansing their body, taking essential vitamin and mineral supplement and many other methods, including herbal remedies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Jenny_Tylee