Bones are similar to a porous framework which is filled with minerals that make it hard and strong. With age, there is gradual degradation and the mineralized portion is lost, thereby leading to thinning of the bone. The word osteoporosis literally translates to porous bones, which is due to the gradual demineralisation. In addition to the natural ageing process, there are other diseases that can accelerate the demineralization process.

Women are more prone to demineralisation, and after the age of 40, they should take extra precaution to slow down the onset of the condition. The following are some ways to improve bone health and halt osteoporosis in the long run-

Diet: Ensure that your diet has sufficient amounts of vitamin D and calcium. Though calcium is the essential mineral for bone formation, vitamin D is required for the absorption of calcium, and therefore both these elements play a vital role in maintaining the quality of the bones in our body. Most people require about 1,000 mg of calcium and about 500 units of vitamin D for optimal bone health. This requirement goes up slightly in postmenopausal women.

Sun Exposure: In most people, exposure to the sun allows the body to make vitamin D, but careful sun protection prevents this from happening. Also, with age, the body s ability to form intrinsic vitamin D also declines. The body, therefore, relies on supplements. Most dairy products are good sources of calcium. In addition, spinach, salmon, turnips, and broccoli are some calcium-rich foods. Supplements of calcium carbonate or calcium citrate can be taken if your diet is lacking in calcium. Vitamin D also should be included in the supplementation. The treatment for osteoporosis is incomplete without these two supplements.

Exercise With Weights: The constructive tension that exercise puts on the body helps in bone building, whatever the age may be, which prevents the onset of osteoporosis. Any exercise which improves muscle mass strengthens the bones, and puts stress on the bones is advisable. Since the fractured area due to osteoporosis mainly includes the spine, lower back exercises, yoga, tai chi, and abdominal exercises all work wonders. Pick any of these and do them for 30 minutes three times a week.

Quit Smoking: Continuing to smoke while taking osteoporosis medications is completely useless. Nicotine negates all the effects which defeat the purpose of taking the medication and is as good as taking no medication at all. So if you want the bone thinning to stop, stop smoking.

Alcohol Consumption: While a drink or two per week is permissible, more than this can harm the bones significantly.

Constant Health Watch: Talk to your doctor about how other routine medications (if any) can affect your bone health. Also, identify how frequently you should check your bone mineral density and stick to the schedule.

Bone health and osteoporosis can be managed with some conscious efforts.

Bone Health And Osteoporosis - Know More About Them!

Your bone is a living tissue that constantly undergoes the cycle of breakage and replacement. Osteoporosis is a condition wherein the rate at which new bones form cannot match up to the worn out bones, thus making the bones fragile and brittle. Osteoporosis mainly affects the wrist, hip or spine and can result in a stooped posture accompanied by height shrinkage and back pain caused due to a collapsed vertebra.

Reasons Behind Osteoporosis

Hormones: Lowered estrogen count in women and testosterone in men as a result of ageing or other treatments can result in this condition. Excess thyroid secretion in the body, an overactive adrenalin gland or parathyroid gland can also accelerate bone loss. Women are more vulnerable to osteoporosis during menopause.

Prolonged use of injected: Prolonged use of injected or oral corticosteroid medications such as cortisone or prednisone messes with the bone-building process. Medicines used to combat cancer, gastric reflux and seizures can be responsible as well.

Medical Conditions: Certain medical conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, liver or kidney disease increases the risks of acquiring osteoporosis.

Sedentary Lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle with not much physical activity along with an excessive consumption of alcohol and tobacco makes you susceptible to osteoporosis.

Treatments for Osteoporosis:

Medication: Commonly prescribed medicines for remedying fractures include bisphosphonates such as Zoledronic acid, Ibandronate, Risedronate and Alendronate.However these medicines are not free of side-effects such as abdominal pain, nausea or heart burn. In case, your regular medicine doesn t work, you can use Denosumab and Teriparatide as alternatives but only after consulting your physician.
Hormone Therapy: Estrogen therapy for women after menopause helps sustain bone density. However such procedures can escalate the dangers of getting afflicted with cancer, heart diseases or conditions such as blood clotting.
Alternative Medicine: Ipriflavone, a laboratory manufactured product, when combined with calcium can curb chances of bone loss and alleviate pain.

Osteoporosis - How It Can be Treated?

Osteoporosis is a degenerative condition connected with the bones. In this condition, the bones become absolutely brittle and hollow over a period of time. In normal scenarios, bones usually get broken down and repaired over time. They are known as the living tissue of the body. But when the old bone does not get removed due to the lack of new bone creation, this is known as osteoporosis. This disease can affect both men and women. Many women go through this condition after menopause. Let us find out more about the symptoms of this condition.

Causes: There are a variety of things that cause the painful symptoms of osteoporosis. Hormonal changes that affect the sex and thyroid hormones as well as adrenal and parathyroid glands are known to cause this condition. Also, low calcium intake over a prolonged period, especially after childbirth and during menopause can cause this condition in many women. Further, eating disorders where the patient practices severe restrictions when it comes to food intake, can also have a bearing on the person, which keeps the right nutrients from reaching the bones. Steroids and other kinds of medicines that have been used on a prolonged basis in order to treat cancer, gastric reflux, seizures and to cure transplant rejections, can also lead to this condition. Celiac disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel conditions and liver or kidney disease can also lead to osteoporosis.

Fracture: One of the most common symptoms of osteoporosis includes fragile bones that may lead to fractures. Even a minor movement or a fall can cause a fracture as the bones are brittle and hollow. Because the bones are more delicate than usual, these fractures can be triggered easily by an impactful action like a particularly loud sneeze or a persistent cough.
Neck and Back Pain: Compression fractures in the spine are a common occurrence for people who are suffering from osteoporosis. The vertebrae that have collapsed can pinch the nerves radiating from the spinal cord. This can be a very painful condition that goes from tender pain to debilitating sharp pain.
Height: One of the most noticeable symptoms of osteoporosis includes the visible loss of height. A patient suffering from this condition will appear to have shrunk suddenly, in a very mild way. It can cause a condition known as kyphosis, which is basically a stooped back. Owing to this condition, there may be severe pain in the neck and lumbar, or lower back region as well.
Emergency Situation: If you happen to be experiencing debilitating and sudden pain in the hip or wrists or other such areas, then it is recommended to see a doctor immediately as this could indicate a fracture.

Osteoporosis - 4 Common Signs!

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that happens when bone density decreases and the body stops producing as much bone as it did before. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps. It can affect both males and females but it is most likely to occur in women after menopause, because of a sudden decrease in estrogen, the hormone that usually protects against osteoporosis.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis-

The early stages of osteoporosis do not cause any symptoms or warning signs. In most cases, people with osteoporosis do not know that they have the condition until they have a fracture. If symptoms do appear, some of the earliest ones may include receding gums, weakened grip strength, weak and brittle nails, back pain, loss of height over time, a stooped posture, and a bone fracture that occurs much more easily than expected.

Causes of Osteoporosis-
Some of the leading reasons behind osteoporosis include the following:

Age: The biggest cause of osteoporosis is age. It mostly affects people aged above 50.
Menopause: Another primary cause of osteoporosis in women, which occurs around the age of 45 to 55 years. Due to the changes in hormone levels associated with it, menopause can cause a woman s body to lose bone even more quickly.
Reduced sex hormones: Lower estrogen levels appear to make it harder for the bone to reproduce.
Ethnicity: White people and Asians are more susceptible than other ethnic groups.
Bone structure: Being tall or slim increases the risk of osteoporosis.
Vitamin D deficiency: In case of vitamin D deficiency, the body cannot absorb adequate amounts of calcium from the diet to prevent osteoporosis.
Risk Factors for Osteoporosis-
A number of factors can increase the likelihood of osteoporosis, these may include your age, race, lifestyle choices, and medical condition and its associated treatment. Some of the risk factors for osteoporosis are out of your control, including sex, age, race, family history, and body frame size. Osteoporosis is more common in people who have too much or little of certain hormones in their bodies. Examples include sex hormones, thyroid hormones, and hormones released by the adrenal glands. Osteoporosis is more likely to occur in people who have low calcium intake, eating disorder, and gastrointestinal surgery. Osteoporosis has also been associated with medications used to combat or prevent seizures, gastric reflux, cancer, and transplant rejection. Even lifestyle choices such as sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol consumption, and tobacco use can increase your risk of osteoporosis.

Prevention of Osteoporosis-
There are many risk factors for osteoporosis that you cannot control. These include being female, getting older, and having a family history of osteoporosis. There are some of the factors, however, that does fall within your control. Some of these ways to control osteoporosis include getting plenty of vitamin D and calcium, doing weight-bearing exercises, abstinence from smoking and for women, weighing the pros and cons of hormone therapy. If you are at an increased risk of osteoporosis, talk to your doctor about the best way to prevent it and do that as early as possible.

Osteoporosis - Symptoms You Must Not Ignore!

The bones and muscles tend to get worn with age and other conditions. Osteoporosis is a condition described by a reduction in bone thickness. Bones tend to become weak and fragile in this condition. The most common consequence of osteoporosis is fractures. Osteoporosis does not cause signs or side effects until it has reached an advanced state. Certain signs and symptoms of osteoporosis include:

Back pain

Loss of growth after some time

A stooped stance

Crack of the vertebra, wrist, hip or other bone

Homeopathy has been a very beneficial modus operandi in the campaign against Osteoporosis. Homeopathic remedies will not reverse existing bone loss, but can help control pain, will slow down or stop further bone loss, can promote stability and healing.

Homeopathic remedies will allow the essential minerals and nutrients to be absorbed more efficiently, thus, further preventing bone fractures, or accelerating healing of any existing fractures by strengthening the bones.

Homeopathic constitutional approach takes into account a patient s characteristic symptoms, their overall physical and mental condition and understands the way a person s body reacts to Osteoporosis.

The purpose of Homeopathic approach is to vitalize the body s natural healing and self-repair ability to create the highest state of health and well-being.

The aim and objective of Homoeopathic management can be achieved by:

Dietary intake of intake of calcium required by body.

Correction of intake of calcium apart forms food to regulate the daily requirement of calcium.

Correction of intestinal absorption of calcium.

Correction of assimilation of calcium channels in body by constitutional approach.

Exercise, in the form of light exercises and/or meditation.

Therapeutic correction in case the above criteria fail or partially improve the patient.

Various homeopathic prescriptions are accessible to cure bone loss and keep up bone mass. They tend to get rid of the condition from its roots and prevent it from happening in the future. These include:

Symphytum Officinale: It is the best homeopathic solution for treating fractures in osteoporosis. This homeopathic cure helps in joining the cracked bone proficiently. Fractures, where patients complain of a prickling pain in the fractured area, can be significantly soothed by giving this regular homeopathic treatment. This common homeopathic medicine can likewise help in decreasing irritability of the fracture.

Ruta Graveolens: It is yet another very effective homeopathic cure used for the treatment of fractures in osteoporosis. Whenever a bone gets broken, the ligaments and tendons of bones that surround it additionally get harmed. It is in this circle where homeopathic medicine Ruta Graveolans demonstrates its great impact. This regular solution helps in mending torn ligaments and tendons.

Hypericum Perforatum: It is yet another helpful natural homeopathic solution that can be used with certainty for the excruciating pain in the back because of crushed nerves in the middle of harmed vertebral bones.

Calcarea Phosphorica: Calcarea phosphorica is a very effective medication used in homeopathic treatment of the curvature of the spine and flow of blood in patients of osteoporosis. It is mostly given to those patients who have a weak spine and delicate bones, which cause the curvature and stop the flow of blood.

Phosphorus: Phosphorus can also give the best results in curing the curvature and flow of blood in patients of osteoporosis. If blazing sensation in spine remains along with the curvature, this treatment is the most effective. This regular homeopathic cure is also valuable for pain and weakness in the spine.

Calcarea Fluorica: It is a brilliant solution for osteoporosis patients who complain of pain in the back, which is more painful while resting and better when walking or doing some physical exercise.

Syphilinum and Fluoric Acid: These are homeopathic prescriptions that can be used as a part of homeopathic treatment of osteoporosis where the pain occurs in the long bones and is more painful during the night.

Sulfur: It is used for those patients of osteoporosis who have an arch in the spine and walk and sit in a stooping position.  

How To Treat Osteoporosis Effectively With Homeopathy?

Osteoporosis is a medical condition marked by a decrease in bone density. It results in the brittleness of bones and their fracture. Osteoporosis does not display any signs or symptoms but manifests itself in advanced age.

Homeopathic remedies for Osteoporosis

Silica or Silicea-This remedy is for people who are often nervous, feel sweaty during the night, get easily tired and are a highly nervous lot. The injuries of such people take the time to heal/ are difficult to heal and their spine is weak. Generally, these patients have delicate or refined features.
Symphytum- Meant for those fractures that occur because of mild trauma, this remedy is useful in cases where pain persists in old but healed fractures and also when bones need to be strengthened.
Calcarea carbonica- This remedy is administered to people who are overwhelmed by a lot of work and stress, get tired easily after work and have a proclivity to stress a lot. Generally, these people are overweight and have a lot of body flab and easily get depressed by cold/chilly weather and dampness in the air. They have swollen joints, experience a recurring back pain and get a sweaty head in the night. An interesting characteristic of these people is also that they have a craving for eggs and sweet things.
Calcarea phosphorica- This remedy is meant for people who have a deep, uncontrollable and intense desire for travel. They want a change in their environment and have a general sense of dissatisfaction. People requiring this medication have pain in their neck, upper back and hips. Fractures, if any, are slow to heal and there maybe deposits of calcium in the bones. Post-exercise, these people feel greatly tired.
Phosphorus- Meant for people who experience a burning pain between their shoulder blades, phosphorus as an osteoporosis remedy is given to those people who have an intense desire for refreshing foods like ice cream, beverages, carbonated drinks etc. Such people are usually lanky and their faces often get flushed. They are sensitive, suggestible and susceptible to the imagination. They get easily tired after a round of exercise and work.
Homeopathy Dosage
Unless directed by a homeopathic physician, take doses of low potency like 6X, 6C, 12X, 12C, 30X or 30 C if you are going in for self-medication. Follow the instructions printed on the label.
If you are taking a single dose, ten wait for its response. If the medicine is working, then wait for its full effect to manifest. If there is little or no response, take another dose. If there is no response at all after taking the second dose then change the medicine.

Please note that dosage depends upon the individual and the intensity of his/her ailment,

Osteoporosis - How Homeopathic Remedies Can Help?

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