Preventing and Controlling Osteoporosis
Posted on 26. Apr, 2009 by admin in osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is the most common type of bone disease and is very prevalent in menopausal women. About one out of every five women over the age of 50 has osteoporosis and about half of all women over the age of 50 will have a hip fracture, wrist fracture or a vertebrae fracture in their lifetime. When we’re younger, our bodies use calcium and phosphate to build new bones, but as we age this bone building process slows down. In addition, the calcium and phosphate can get reabsorbed back into the body resulting in fragile bones which are broken much easier than when we are young.
Osteoporosis is a very slow acting disease. The weakening of the bones and bone density loss occurs over a period of years and even decades – just a slow gradual loss of bone strength. In menopausal women, osteoporosis can be directly attributed to the loss of estrogen and in aging men; a drop in testosterone can also result in osteoporosis. Some bone loss may also be attributed to a lack of calcium in the diet. In most cases, most people aren’t even aware they have osteoporosis until in is already in an advanced stage.
Besides a lack of calcium and aging there are other conditions that can lead to osteoporosis. These include extended bed rest, Cushing Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, excess corticosteroid levels from using certain medications. If you have a family history of osteoporosis this would also put you into a higher risk group. In addition, other risk factors such as alcoholism, early menopause, no periods, eating disorders, low body weight, smoking, steroids and anti-seizure drugs can also put you into a higher risk group.
Testing
There are several tests available which can indicate osteoporosis. The most widely used is the bone density test called a densitometry or DEXA scam. In addition, spinal CT scans and hip x-rays may also be used but they are not as accurate as the DEXA. In some cases, blood and urine testing may be done to see if there is an underlying medical condition.
Drug Treatment
When treating osteoporosis, your doctor will try to control your pain, prevent further bone loss, try to strengthen your existing bones, and try to prevent future bone breaks.
There are several drugs available which work to both prevent and treat bone loss in postmenopausal women. Biophosphonates are medicines that include Fosamax, Boniva and Actonel and are all fairly well know osteoporosis treatments. Most of the biophosphates come in pill form and are taken weekly or monthly. Calcitonin is another treatment that is either injectable or inhaled as a nasal spray and it works to relieve pain and slow bone loss. Although hormone replacement therapy is an osteoporosis treatment, due to its many side effects it has fallen out of favor as a universal treatment for menopausal women. A separate type of hormone treatment with the parathyroid hormone is used in women at high risk of fractures. This treatment requires a daily injection with Teriparatide (Forteo) and is easily administered at home. Raloxifene (Evista) is another treatment option that has been shown to reduce spine breaks by just under 50%. Unfortunately it does not appear to help with the other common breaks such as hip and wrist fractures.
Lifestyle Treatment
In addition to getting the required 1,200 mg of calcium per day that are recommended, you need to get 800 – 1,000 IU of vitamin D3. The vitamin D helps your body better absorb the calcium.
Weight bearing exercises as well as balancing exercises can both be valuable tools in controlling osteoporosis. The weigh bearing exercises help to reduce bone loss and the balancing exercises reduce the risk of falls. Weight bearing exercise simply means any exercise where you’re on your feet working against gravity. It includes pretty much all sports activities except biking and swimming. There are a lot of fun weight bearing exercises that you can work into your routine such as walking, dancing, tennis, weight lifting, and hiking. Exercises that can help you prevent falls and promote better flexibility include yoga and tai chi.
