Prevention of Osteoporosis - Saugerties Wellness Center

Saugerties Wellness Center

PREVENTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS
Osteoporosis is a condition where calcium in the bone is absorbed resulting in the bones becoming weak and brittle. The most serious complications of osteoporosis are fractures, especially in the hip, wrist and back. In fact, approximately 33% of those who reach age 90 will have had a broken hip. 20% of individuals over age 65 who break their hips die as a result of the injury. Apart from falls, osteoporosis is a major contributor to hip fractures. The thinning of the bone makes it more breakable. An injury that would normally not break a bone, would do so in osteoporotic conditions.
People that are at higher risk for osteoporosis include thin individuals, cigarette smokers, alcohol abusers, people that do not exercise and those that have a poor calcium intake. Women, especially, are more vulnerable to osteoporosis because of hormonal changes that occur at menopause. Osteoporosis begins quite early in life, perhaps, during the early 30's. Most people take calcium below the recommended dosage (1,000mg per day). It is not surprising, therefore, that the incidents of osteoporosis is quite high in the general population.
Osteoporosis can be prevented by increasing calcium in the diet. In general, one glass of milk a day or an equivalent of another dairy product is adequate. Those that cannot tolerate this should take approximately 1,000mg of a calcium supplement daily. A calcium based antacid pill, such as Tums™, is an inexpensive source of calcium. (However, too much calcium can cause kidney stones and other health problems). Weight bearing exercise, such as a daily 20 minute walk, or aerobic and weight lifting activities, have been shown to prevent bone loss. Stopping smoking and limiting alcohol consumption to 1 oz. per day can prevent osteoporosis as well. Women going through menopause have another option: hormone therapy with estrogen pills. Many gynecologists now routinely put many post menopausal women on estrogen supplements.
Osteoporosis is preventable and if adequate steps are not taken to do so, it can lead to serious injury and disability. The simplest way to prevent osteoporosis would be to start early in life by adequate calcium intake.
There have been three recent developments in the treatment/prevention of osteoporosis. The first is a re-emergence of an old drug: estrogen. It has been proven by multiple studies that estrogen is the best medication for the prevention of osteoporosis in post menopausal women. The dreaded side effects which were feared by many in the past are no longer considered a serious threat. The other two medications are a nasal spray containing calcitonin and a pill which is made from a chemical group called bisphosphonates. Both of these prevent resorption of bone.
Non medical preventive methods can be summarized as: exercise (especially resistance or weight training), avoiding smoking/alcohol and a balanced diet enriched with calcium.
Osteoporosis can be detected by a test called bone mineral density measurement. This is a simple and painless test and is done at the Saugerties Wellness Center. Please call 845-247-WELL for more info.
At the Saugerties Wellness Center we measure bone desity by a well accepted but simple test called the Peripheral Dexa Scan. This is a reliable screening tool for bone density. The bone density is measured by inserting the hand in the bone density unit. The machine measures peripheral bone density. This inexpensive test takes under two minutes to perform, and results are available within five minutes. People with abnormal tests may then be referred for more specific bone density measurement of specific areas such as the hip and back-- two common areas that can fracture due to osteoporosis.

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