Saturday, July 19, 2008

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a potentially devastating disease that effects many older Americans, both women and men. Many activities done while in the teens and early 20's (like drinking carbonated beverages) can have an impact on whether a person will develop osteoporosis. It is important to live a healthy lifestyle throughout your lifespan. Of course, it is never to late to change your habits to improve your health.

Popping pills is not the answer to stronger bones. The body must be provided with the correct nutrients and specific stresses to build strong bones. As with almost everything in life, diet and exercise are key components to preventing and treating osteoporosis.

The naturopathically based FOOT Plan is focused on optimizing bone density, quality, and micro-architecture. We're discovering just how important proper micro-architecture can be. The convention use of bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Actonel, and Boniva) can cause weaknesses in the micro-architecture leading to bone fractures. This fracture risk is highest after 5 years of bisphosphonate therapy. For more information about this correlation read this article.

Prevention is the best course of action. Eat your vegetables- dark green leafy vegetables contain calcium; enjoy the outdoors- sunlight stimulates vitamin D production; and exercise- which promotes bone density!

Talk with your doctor about your risk factors. Together you can design a plan that will keep your bones healthy and allow you to maintain an active lifestyle.
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