What is Osteoporosis and Who is at Risk?
Osteoporosis is a disease that breaks down the bones, making them too weak and fragile. It affects about 10 million people in the U.S., mostly women over 50 years old. The condition can lead to fractures, spinal deformities, and chronic pain.
Osteoporosis affects all people, but it is most common among women and the elderly. In fact, about one-third of 65-year olds have osteoporosis or low bone mass—and this number rises with age. Osteoporosis is not just a condition that affects older adults; it can also affect children and adolescents as well as men and women of any age group. It’s important to make sure you aren’t at risk of developing osteoporosis – or preventing it if you already have it – because if left untreated, the disease can make your life difficult for many years to come.
Typically, osteoporosis develops slowly over time as bones become less dense and more fragile. This means that it cannot be cured by taking a few simple steps or medications. Instead, treatment involves a lifelong commitment, which includes taking medication to treat the disease and doing exercises to keep bones strong.
Osteoporosis is not a disease but rather a symptom of another underlying condition. For example, osteoporosis may occur when someone has prolonged exposure to corticosteroid medicines or when they lack vitamin D.
The Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become too porous and brittle and can break easily.
The most common symptom of osteoporosis is easy fracturing, pain in the back and hips, and bone deformities. If you have any of these symptoms it is important to see your doctor as soon as possible because they might not be osteoporosis-related, but they could be one of the first signs of it.
It is important that you learn the symptoms of osteoporosis so that you are able to diagnose it early on. Osteoporosis symptoms are not always present in people with this condition. So if you have any of these symptoms, it’s best to visit your doctor for an examination.
The following are some of the most common symptoms of osteoporosis:
- bone pain or a feeling that your bones are very weak
- joint pain
- back pain
- tiredness – even after sleeping well
- decreased height due to spine curvature
How to Prevent Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis can lead to bone breakdown and painful joint diseases. This is because the bones are weaker and more likely to break.
To prevent osteoporosis, you need to make sure that you are eating the right nutrients and avoiding activities that put your bones at risk for trauma. This includes getting enough calcium, vitamin D, protein, and magnesium in your diet. It also includes avoiding any activity that puts stress on your bones like running or jogging with no support or wearing high heels all the time without breaks to let your feet rest.
One study found that calcium intake may be a significant factor in preventing osteoporosis. It found that people who had higher intakes of calcium were less likely to develop the condition than those with lower intakes. Calcium also plays an essential role in maintaining bone mineral density (BMD).
Having a healthy, balanced diet can be an important part of preventing osteoporosis because there are many vitamins and minerals which play a role in bone health. There are also many foods that contain these vitamins and minerals such as dairy products, meat products, vegetables, fruit, and nuts.
Osteoporosis Treatment
As osteoporosis is a serious condition that leads to bone fractures, it is important that the right treatment is sought out.
Testosterone is a hormone that is produced in both males and females. However, men have higher levels of it.
Females need a small amount of this hormone for various functions including normal sexual development, healthy bones and muscles. In women, testosterone is mostly produced by the adrenal glands and the ovaries.
In women with osteoporosis, testosterone may be recommended as a treatment to increase bone density.
In men with low testosterone level, hormone therapy is the most common treatment for restoring their natural levels of testosterone.
Osteoporosis is most common in postmenopausal women but it can also happen to men and children under 20 years old. In recent years, testosterone therapy has been used to increase bone density in postmenopausal women.
One medication for this type of therapy is Calcitonin salmon. It blocks receptors in bones which stops them from losing calcium.
Black cohosh has been used for over 2000 years as a remedy for menopausal symptoms, including osteoporosis. Black cohosh is a natural treatment.
Conclusion
The most important protective factors for osteoporosis are a healthy lifestyle and an adequate supply of the right nutrients. There is no single food or nutrient that will automatically protect against osteoporosis. In order to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, it is recommended that you eat a well-balanced diet, stay physically active, and avoid smoking.
Talk to your doctor and seek help to prevent osteoporosis from further becoming worse. You should be consistent with what you should do or do to stop osteoporosis. The only thing in our hands in be consistent with prevention tips.
Another important thing is that you should join support groups online like on Facebook. These groups are great at providing support. The members in these groups provide information that is legit and this is because they are also suffering or have suffered from osteoporosis and they provide the tips that helped them.
Treatment includes many medications and other clinical procedures. You can talk with your doctor about this topic. Online websites that provide legit and valid information include Mayo Clinic, Health Line, and WebMD. There are also some other websites which you can trust but these websites are on the web for around 20 years.
