Posts Tagged bones

Osteoporosis – Are You at Risk?

There is no doubt that osteoporosis is a disabling disease with one third of women and 8 percent of men having a lifetime risk of developing it. Osteoporosis is a gradual weakening of the bones caused by a reduction in bone density.

Unfortunately it has virtually no outward symptoms until it is well established, hence it’s nickname of the ’silent killer’. With osteoporosis your bones become fragile and brittle and so are easily broken. As more severe bone loss occurs, then even minor accidents can result in fractures, most frequently in the spine, wrist, hip and pelvis. If the condition becomes advanced, and is untreated, then the vertebrae of the spine are prone to compression fractures, which affect surrounding nerves and organs. This also results in a loss of height for which the old nickname was ‘the dowager’s hump’ as it was frequently seen in the bent over posture of old ladies. It is also accompanied by chronic pain.

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Osteoporosis and Osteopenia Explained

ARE YOU ENSURING THE HEALTH OF YOUR BONES?

It is easy to go through life, focusing on the “important” issues we face – taking care of the family, doing the shopping, working at our jobs, making sure our homes are clean. But how often do we really focus on ourselves? Especially on our health.

Oh yes, we may occasionally go to our doctor for a physical or perhaps we have a recurring health problem that brings us to doctors. But are we really doing everything we can to ensure the health of our bones? Probably not. It is all too common that we do not ask questions about our bone strength or about osteoporosis until a lot of damage is done.

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Osteoporosis – Soft Plums Harden Bones

Osteoporosis, or the softening of bones, is a major health problem amongst middle aged and elderly population groups in developed countries. The fundamental cause of this degenerative disease is still somewhat uncertain and the common preventive advice given by health professionals and dieticians is to eat plenty of calcium rich foods such as dairy products. Although hormonal changes in later life are known to have an influence on bone softening (as is the lack of gravity-resistance exercise such as walking, jogging or weight lifting) these factors alone cannot explain the increasing incidence of this serious disease.

Bone is an active, living tissue that is being formed, remodeled and shaped continuously in response to both physical and physiological influences on the body. Bone matrix consists primarily of calcium, magnesium and phosphate and is the material that makes up both the dense parts of the bone and the bone marrow framework. Many people still believe that if one eats foods rich in these minerals and sufficient vitamin D then they will avoid developing osteoporosis. Epidemiological data suggest that this is not the case.

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