Osteoporosis is a condition of porous bones that makes your bones weak and fragile. There are 3 thing you can do to avoid falling prey to Osteoporosis:
*Consult your doctor to figure what's the optimum amount of Calcium you should be taking. Pregnant women, for instance, need more calcium than normal people.
*Take Sun-bath daily to ensure adequate amount of Vitamin D for your body. There are other sources of Vitamin D too. Consult your doctor to find out what are those sources and what's the right amount.
*Regular exercise is extremely necessary for good bone health. Make a plan and stick to it

3 Important Things to do to Avoid Osteoporosis

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?

The bones are a porous matrix which is filled with minerals like calcium and phosphorus which make them strong. Over a period of time, the mineral content is lost and therefore the matrix gets brittle. Bones are more likely to fracture in these people.

Causes/Risk factors:

The bones get fragile and brittle with age in most people, and people over 60 years of age are likely to be affected
Asian women about the age of 45 are prone to osteoporosis
Reduced vitamin D intake (either by sun exposure or through diet) also makes bone porous and prone to fracture
Sedentary lifestyle with minimal or no exercise
Lower levels of estrogen, especially post menopause
Cigarette smoking
Reduced testosterone levels
With fracture, there is severe pain, loss of mobility, and need for prolonged nursing.
Foods which can help control/prevent osteoporosis:

Yoghurt: Derived from milk, it is rich in animal protein and also contains good amounts of vitamin D and B2, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. It helps in maintaining estrogen levels during menopause, thereby preventing osteoporosis. They also provide a good supply of gut bacteria, which improves immunity.
Milk: Similar to yoghurt, this is also rich in various minerals that are essential for bone health. The vitamin D in it also improves calcium absorption, thereby prolonging the occurrence of osteoporosis.
Fish and meat: Lean meat and fish are good sources of oils and protein and form an essential part of diet for preventing osteoporosis. Sardines and salmon are ideal as the tiny fish are rich sources of calcium.
Eggs: This contains good amounts of natural protein, minerals, and vitamins essential for bone health. It also helps in estrogen formation, which has a bone-protective effect.
Cabbage: Any form of cabbage is good for preventing osteoporosis. It promotes bone metabolism and has calcium which help in strong bone formation.
Bananas: Another effective food in preventing osteoporosis, it helps improve absorption of calcium and other essential nutrients to ensure bones are formed and maintain health. It also has natural oils, potassium, and vitamins A and C in good quantity.
Almonds: It forms an integral part of preventing osteoporosis by increasing bone density and promoting bone health. It also has good oil content, which is also essential for bone health.
Legumes: Beans and other legumes are rich source of proteins and minerals and therefore prevent onset of osteoporosis.
Chickpeas: Another great source of various minerals and vitamins, it is very low in calories and sugar and is great to lose weight. It also improves bone health by increasing density.

Osteoporosis - How A Healthy Diet Can Reduce Its Risk?

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones of its sufferers. This is most commonly found in women, especially in those who are close to, or going through, menopause. Hormonal changes around this period in a woman's life usually lead to various changes in her body. One of these changes includes loss of bone tissue which can leave the patient with brittle and weak bones, a condition that is also known as osteoporosis. This condition literally imbibes the word porous, meaning hollow bones. It is born from an acute deficiency of calcium and vitamin d. The dexa scan or bone density test, also known as the dual energy x ray absorptiometry scan, is one of the most effective tests that can help you in detecting this kind of damage or thinning bones. Here's why.

- fractures: the dexa scan is an important one because it sends low energy beams to areas like your joints and tissues to show how susceptible you are to fractures. It does so by measuring the strength of the tissues as well as the bones to see how brittle they may be.&nbsp;

- other ailments: measuring the thinning of your bones can also point to the presence of other ailments that may have gone unnoticed or undetected, earlier. These can include kidney disease, hyperparathyroidism which happens due to overactive secretions of the said gland, as well as liver disease due a malfunctioning liver, intestinal disease and various disorders in the intestinal tract, and a serious vitamin d deficiency. With this scan, you can get an insight into the other parts of the body affected by the bone density, and whether or not they are functioning properly.&nbsp;

- estrogen: simply checking the estrogen levels cannot ascertain whether or not you have osteoporosis, as a high estrogen level can be credited to a particularly heavy period cycle. It does not show the bone health the way a dexa scan does.&nbsp;

- easy and standardised: this method of scanning usually happens with the help of a mounted x ray machine type, hand held gadget which can be extended to conduct the scan. This is an easy and standardised method that releases low levels of radiation which also makes it a healthier option.

- bone density scores: the t scores and z scores point towards the bone density and help in diagnosing the condition efficiently. With a systematic scoring system, it is a sure shot test for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a serious condition. The first step in treating the same is to get a detailed scan like the dexa scan done, so as to test the extent of the bone thinning to ensure that proper and timely treatment takes place.&nbsp;


Why Is The DEXA Scan Important For Osteoporosis Patients

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!

Osteoporosis is a condition which usually results due to a decrease in bone density. In this condition, the bones become weak and brittle. Fractures are a common result of osteoporosis. Usually, symptoms or signs do not show up until the condition progresses to its advanced stages.

Since osteoporosis is usually irreversible and incurable, preventing the fractures is considered to be extremely important.

Who is at risk of osteoporosis?
All men and women have some risk of developing 'thinning' of the bones (osteoporosis) as they become older, particularly over the age of 60. As mentioned above, women are more at risk than men. The following situations may also lead to excessive bone loss and so increase your risk of developing osteoporosis. If you:

Are a woman who had the menopause before 45 years of age
Have already had a bone fracture after a minor fall or bump
Have a strong family history of osteoporosis.
Have a body mass index (BMI) of 19 or less (that is, you are very underweight)
Have irregular periods
Have taken, or are taking, a steroid medicine (such as prednisolone) for three months or more
Are a smoker
Have an alcohol intake of more than four units per day
Lack calcium and/or vitamin D (due to a poor diet and/or little exposure to sunlight).
Are mostly inactive
Ways To Treat Osteporosis

Osteoporosis in women can be treated using Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The therapy makes use of either a combination of progestin and oestrogen or simply, oestrogen. However, it is possible that certain combinations have side-effects that might give rise to other medical conditions. Therefore, proper consultation with an orthopedist is an essential pre-requisite so that the condition of osteoporosis as well the side effects may be addressed before proceeding with Hormone Replacement Therapy.

There are a number of medications that can be used which have long-term effects on osteoporosis. However, the schedule for intake of these medicines should be followed diligently. Failing to adhere to the schedule could lead to serious complications. For example, the intake of Risedronate medications (prevent bone loss) should be scheduled once every month, failing which can cause ulcers in the food pipe. Raloxifene has effects which are similar to oestrogen but does not exhibit any serious side effects. Teriparatide can be used to treat osteoporosis in people who have a high risk of suffering from bone fractures.

Don't rely entirely on medication as the only treatment for your osteoporosis. These practices also are important:

Exercise. Weight-bearing physical activity and exercises that improve balance and posture can strengthen bones and reduce the chance of a fracture. The more active and fit you are as you age, the less likely you are to fall and break a bone.
Good nutrition. Eat a healthy diet and make certain that you're getting enough calcium and vitamin D. Being underweight or losing a lot of weight unintentionally is associated with poorer bone health and a higher risk of fracture   even if you're taking a bisphosphonate.
Quit smoking. Smoking cigarettes speed up bone loss.
Limit alcohol. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.

How To Cure Osteoporosis?

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