9 Myths Of Osteoporosis :: Healthy Lifestyles and Natural Weight Loss Information

9 Myths Of Osteoporosis
by author Mark Stengler, ND

Sally, a 51-year-old teacher, came to my office for the first time after she had seen her regular physician. "I am concerned about my bones," she explained. "My doctor has me on 1,500 milligrams of calcium and wants me to start estrogen replacement right away." Her bone density report revealed she had mild bone loss.

"It’s a myth that you only need calcium for healthy bones," I said. "Did your mother or grandmother on her side have osteoporosis?"

"No, not that I know of," she replied. I also asked about risk factors related to osteoporosis such as smoking, diet and exercise. Because she had no other strong risk factors, I advisedthat hormone replacement really wasn’t necessary if she followed a comprehensive natural protocol that included diet, exercise and specific supplements. Being informed of the truth can make a big difference between developing osteoporosis or building strong bones to last you a lifetime.

Myth #1: Osteoporosis begins at menopause.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about osteoporosis. Bone loss often accelerates during menopause, but researchers have found that peak bone mass obtained during childhood and adolescence is one of the major determinants for the risk of developing osteoporosis as an adult. Except in rare situations (immobilization, certain medications), osteoporosis doesn’t develop in a matter of weeks or months but over many years. Although it’s never too late to treat osteoporosis, it makes sense to start prevention as young as possible.

Myth #2: Osteoporosis is a woman’s disease.

Osteoporosis is not gender-specific. Although more common in women, it’s actually quite prevalent in men: One in eight men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture. While not as severe as the statistic of one in two women over 50, it’s certainly a major health problem. Men should follow the same preventive measures as women. This includes hormone evaluation, but with a major focus on testosterone rather than estrogen.

Myth #3: Genetics is the biggest risk factor.

Just because your mother, sister or father had osteoporosis doesn’t mean you are doomed to the same fate. Modification in diet and lifestyle, along with proper supplementation, can overcome genetic risk. Other risk factors include:

being female
being postmenopausal
being Caucasian or Asian
never pregnant to full term
history of stress fractures
premature menopause
history of amenorrhea (no menstrual periods–not including when pregnant), anovulation (not ovulating regularly), menses started late in life, infrequent menses
thin or small body frame
medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, Cushing’s disease, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, kidney and liver disease,
homocysteinemia)
medications (e.g., anticonvulsants, prednisone, herapin, methotrexate, lithium, isoniazid, furosemide, antacids, chemotherapy, too much thyroid hormone)
diet high in caffeine, alcohol, sugar, phosphate (soda pop), sodium, animal protein
surgeries (complete thyroid removal, surgical resection of the stomach or small intestine)
malabsorption (inability to absorb nutrients)
lack of sun exposure (vitamin D from sun)
smoking
inactivity

Myth #4: Dairy products help prevent osteoporosis.

While cow’s milk does contain high amounts of elemental calcium (approximately 300 mg per eight-ounce/250-ml serving), it’s not well absorbed by the average individual. It’s also high in the mineral phosphorus, which is known to increase the urinary excretion of calcium. This is not to say you shouldn’t consume milk products. The key is to consume a variety of foods that provide calcium, minerals and essential fatty acids important for bone health.

Myth #5: Estrogen increases bone density.

1 2

Next Page >>>

Mark Stengler is a naturopathic doctor and co-author of a new book entitled Your Menotype, Your Menopause. Visit his website, thenaturalphysician.com.

Source: alive #241, November 2002

Bone Up on Bone Disease
In North America, osteoporosis continues to be the single most common bone disease, with 40 per cent of all white women developing it in their lifetime. Yet in several other countries throughout the world, almost no one develops it.

Bone Building 101
By the age of 50, the average Canadian woman has a 40 per cent chance of suffering at least one fracture caused by brittle bone.

Bones for Life
The word osteoporosis comes directly from Latin, meaning "porous bones." Not a desirable condition. Bones need to be dense and solid in order to support an active, healthy body. Porous bones are brittle, fragile, liable to break without warning, to shrink in size over time and create long-term pain and misery.

Battling Bone Loss
Yes, you can prevent bone loss! Contrary to popular belief, osteoporosis is not an unavoidable side-effect of menopause and aging. Bone is living tissue that continuously renews and regenerates itself. Old bone cells break down and new ones are built.

The Battle for Your Bones
As more and more North Americans are affected by osteoporosis, the disease has received increased attention by media and medical researcher.

Strong Bones for Life
If you’ve been watching the news, you’ve probably seen the grim statistics on osteoporosis, a heartbreaking condition that forces more people into nursing homes than almost any other.

Anti-Aging Tips for Women
For decades, use of equine and synthetic hormones has been the standard treatment for common menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, depre.

Osteoporosis Prevention
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, which had placed healthy post-menopausal women on long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT), was suddenly .

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a silent killer, a degenerative disease involving the slow degradation of bone mass and integrity. Nutrition is paramount, for it is from food that we acquire the nutrients necessary for building strong bones, maintaining them throughout the life cycle and preventing debilitating diseases.

Spring Into Your Autumn Years
People with a positive attitude toward aging can adjust very well when individual circumstances change. Their positive outlook allows them to adapt to the inevitable physical and biochemical changes of the body that are associated with the natural processes of aging. With a healthy outlook on the golden years, even unpredictable setbacks and disabilities can be managed successfully.

Stay Strong, Stay Young

Bone Health: Beyond Calcium
You probably don’t think much about the health of your bones until you see an older woman making her way slowly down the street, stooped nearly in half, gingerly tapping her cane ahead of each step.

Osteoporosis
Normally with age, renewal of bone structure slows and so the bones lose density. However, if this process intensifies, the cellular structure weakens, which causes the bones to become porous and brittle, causing osteoporosis. Bone loss is more common in women after *menopause..

Good to the Bone
The Osteoporosis Society of Canada estimates 1.4 million Canadians suffer from osteoporosis, and more women die every year as a result of osteoporotic fractures than from breast cancer and ovarian cancer combined.

Alkalinity
Your brain and body are extremely sensitive to the slightest change in the pH level of your body’s vital fluids. A pH of less than seven is considered acidic, and more than seven is considered alkaline.

Bones

Preventing Osteoporosis
While we think of a stooped-over old woman as symbolic of osteoporosis, this debilitating disease occurs over a lifetime. If either parent or any of your siblings have had an osteoporotic fracture, your risk for the disease is doubled, but that doesn’t mean it’s inevitable.

Breaking Bad Bone Habits
Preventing and treating osteoporosis involves more than simply taking a calcium supplement or having three servings of dairy per day. There are a number of risk factors that you can’t do anything about. The other risk factors for osteoporosis, however, can be modified through diet and lifestyle changes to significantly reduce their impact.

Breathe Easier With Better Air

BMD Tests

Mediterranean Diet Good for Heart Disease and Cancer

More Than Minerals
We need certain minerals to build and maintain bones. Calcium is the headliner, of course, while magnesium takes second billing. Silicon, boron, and selenium help boost bone mineral density while zinc, copper, and manganese work in tandem with enzymes to manufacture bone tissue.

Bending Eastward
Until we break a bone, suffer from bone pain, or experience other bone issues, we may not spend much time thinking about the important structure that supports us every day. Yet the bone disease, osteoporosis — thinning of the bones — affects one in four women and one in eight men over age 50.

Lycopene & Bone Health
Osteoporosis is known as the silent disease. This metabolic bone disease occurs primarily in women over the age of 50 due to estrogen loss at menopause. It not only affects one in two women–it also affects one in four men.

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis affects 1.4 million Canadians and is occurring at a younger age than ever before. Why? There is some preliminary evidence that one factor may lie in diet.