Osteoporosis Has a Strong Enemy: Silica

After cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis is the second most spread health problem, in the world. Also called de-mineralized bone illness, osteoporosis affects 1 man in 8 and 1 woman in 3, being more spread in women. It occurs especially after the age of 50. This is because after it ages, the body looses its capacity to mineralize bones, and the transformations suffered by bone tissues lead to joint pain and even fractures. Osteoporosis is considered to be one of the most painful diseases.

Many pharmaceutical companies came up with all kinds of treatments against osteoporosis and the pain caused by it. Many of these treatments are based on a single herbal ingredient: horsetail extract. Due to its high content of silica, horsetail extract works extremely well in the re-mineralization of bones, being also an incredible physiological helper for the joints and bones. Besides these health advantages, silica plays a major role in helping the cardiovascular and respiratory system. It helps the important minerals needed by our bodies, such as calcium and magnesium to get deposited in the tissues that need them. Many scientific studies revealed that, as soon as our bodies are missing calcium, silica has the ability to fill in and transform into calcium. That's why silica is so recognized by many scientists and doctors, as being a precursor for calcium. When the calcium's missing, our bodies transform silica into calcium, providing the bone tissues the calcium content needed to develop.

In the process of healing or dealing with osteoporosis, other minerals besides silica, such as calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K, are needed. If you only want to prevent osteoporosis, you'll only have to take care of your diet and pay attention to obtain enough silica from what you consume day by day. In order to get that perfect diet, you'll need these daily minerals' values in your body: 1500 mg of calcium (for adults, and 1000 mg of calcium for kids). You can obtain the calcium from meals such as yogurt and other dairy products, soy and seafood.

Osteoporosis appears as soon as the calcium levels in our bodies start to go down. This is because of the aging process. When this happens, our bones start to get weaker and weaker. If you are using only calcium supplements, it is not enough at all. As said before, calcium needs to be putted in its place (in the bone tissues) and this is a task only silica can perform. And this is not the only way by which silica fights osteoporosis. It also performs another amazing task, balancing the hormonal levels. By setting up a balance between calcium and magnesium, the hormones get to be stabilized, these 2 being the most important substances of a perfect hormonal balance. We all know that one of the conventional treatments for osteoporosis is hormonal therapy. If you take care of your silica intake, this kind of treatment will never be necessary. This is also the reason why women at menopause start to feel pain in their joints, and get sick of osteoporosis.

Diet For Osteoporosis - Best Calcium For Osteoporosis

Diet for Osteoporosis

Getting the daily recommended amount of calcium, whether through diet, supplements, or combination, is essential to maintaining bone strength and can play a vital role in preventing osteoporosis-related fractures.

Calcium - Adults under age 50 need 1,000 mg of calcium daily, and adults age 50 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium daily.

Vitamin D - plays a major role in calcium absorption and bone health. Vitamin D3 is manufactured in the skin following direct exposure to sunlight; however, there are many different factors that affect a person's ability to make adequate amounts of vit. D.

Adults under age 50 need 400-800 IU of vitamin D3 daily, and adults age 50 and older need 800 - 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. Vitamin D3 is the form of vitamin D that best supports bone health. It can also be obtained from fortified milk, egg yolks, saltwater fish, liver and supplements.

Keep Up Your Calcium to Prevent Osteoporosis

Imagine tearing out your kitchen for remodeling while the walls of your house are still standing. Now you have a clear idea of what osteoporosis can do to your bones: When your bones don't contain enough minerals, they lose their internal support structure.

Although scientists are still studying the mechanisms of bone formation, your risk of developing osteoporosis later in life is greatly affected by how much bone mass you built up between age 25 and 35. You build bone mass by consuming adequate calcium and vitamin D and by engaging in weight-bearing activities such as running, jumping and strength training.

Later in life, the hormonal changes associated with menopause of ten cause a woman's bones to start thinning, in part because exposure to estrogen is associated with a reduced risk of osteoporosis.Some signs and symptoms of osteoporosis include back pain, loss of height over time, the development of a stooping posture and bone fractures-especially of the wrists, hips or spine.

Even if you already have osteoporosis, it's not too late to benefit from calcium. Continuing to consume adequate calcium can keep your bones from getting any thinner and evidence suggests that you may be able to replace some lost bone density. We can all drink (milk) to that!

Simple Treatment Options For Osteoporosis That Work

Osteoporosis is one of the most common types of arthritis. This condition results in too much loss of calcium in the bones. So what happens when your bones lose calcium, the density of your bones is going to be lower than it should be. The bones become brittle and fragile, substantially increasing the risk for bone fractures. Women are often more likely to experience loss of calcium and reduced bone density.

Common Thing Among all Types of Arthritis

One kind of arthritis is Osteoporosis, and is simply one of many different kinds, but they all have something very much in common. What can this commonality be? It is pain... One thing that you can do to subdue the pain is to reduce the inflammation and a means to do that is with Amazing Arthritis Relief. So the real question is, are you suffering from arthritis pain, and if the response is yes, then you have to learn more about this wonderful product named amazing arthritis relief, or the new product name amazing bone and joint.

One thing for sure is you have to talk with your doctor more about how to stop the osteoporosis if you sense that you currently have it or you could acquire it in the future.

Prevention is the Key

As with many things, prevention is the key. If you recognize that you are at risk for osteoporosis, consider eating a high calcium diet. 1500 mg is what most wellness professionals state a diet rich in calcium should be at.

Foods to Eat

There are foods that you can consume that are rich in calcium that are dairy products like milk, and fish is another and you can try sardines and salmon. Another thing that is possible is to add some vitamin's to your diet by eating calcium and vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D can also be absorbed naturally just by spending more time in the sun. Multivitamins can also give you the vitamin D and calcium that you need. Again, you will need to speak with your doctor to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you require to prevent osteoporosis, and to discuss whether you will need to supplement your diet with calcium and vitamin D.

If you are a tobacco user or drinker, your physician may also suggest you to limit these activities as much as possible. Research has shown that smoking can lower estrogen levels, leaving your bones more at risk for losing bone mass. Moderate to heavy alcohol use has also been linked to loss of bone density. We all know that daily exercise is very good for you and this is no exception when trying to prevent osteoporosis. When you are thinking of exercise, sports and lifting weights can improve your muscle mass and can also aid with bone mass. Another easy but forgotten exercise that can really help is just going out and walking.

Osteoporosis Treatment Options

Women who have already been diagnosed and have osteoporosis, can add estrogen treatment as an option. When trying to prevent osteoporosis, estrogen replacement therapy has worked really well. A lot of the time the hips and the spine can be the problem area's and the estrogen therapy can serve to increase the bone mass in these area's. However, some women have experienced side effects from the use of estrogen replacement therapy. One thing that has been noticed is the increase in jeopardy for breast cancer and the use of estrogen has been seen, so you must speak to your doctor about this. However, estrogen has also been proven to reduce the risk of heart failure and attacks.

There are other treatment alternatives for individuals suffering from osteoporosis. New drug therapies are currently being developed. Current alternatives include prescription medications that are used to help regenerate bone density and slow the progress of the condition. One thing that you have to do is to consult with your physician about what is better for you and your conditions. One thing that you can do to reduce the arthritis pain that is connected with most types is to try a all natural herbal pain relief. These can be used in conjunction with other things that you are currently doing right now and won't interfere. So learn more about arthritis herbal pain relief.

Would you Like More Information...

There are many websites online that provide you with the information you need on treating Osteoporosis. Be sure to do your due diligence and always consult with your doctor if you have any questions. Below you are going to learn more about how to treat the pain of osteoporosis.

Groundbreaking Research For Reversing Osteoporosis

Groundbreaking research reveals the missing link for reversing osteoporosis. The hormone dehydroepiandrosterone, better known as DHEA, is an innovation in bone restoration treatments.

Osteoporosis is defined as a reduction of bone mass, or bone density, which causes the bones to become brittle and fragile. People afflicted with osteoporosis are at increased risk of a range of fractures, including fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist.

Fractures associated with osteoporosis are very serious. Mortality rates one year after hip and spine fractures have been reported to be as high as 30 percent.

It is common knowledge that calcium and vitamin D work together to help prevent osteoporosis. But it's not enough. Many people, despite appropriate supplementation, still end up with a fracture. Something is missing! That something might be DHEA.

DHEA...The Missing Link?

Dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA, is a steroid hormone responsible for maintaining muscle mass, supporting metabolism, and strengthening the immune system. Many experts, myself included, consider it to be a true anti-aging hormone. Exciting groundbreaking research has revealed a new function for DHEA...preventing the lose of bone mineral density.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied DHEA replacement therapy in older adults to determine its effects on bone mineral density.

A randomized clinical trial was conducted in which elderly men and women took 50 mg/day of an oral DHEA supplements or placebo. Participants also supplemented with vitamin D and calcium. The researchers measured bone mineral density, DHEA levels, and markers of bone loss.

Although no significant difference was seen in the male subjects, the women taking DHEA experienced significant increases in bone mineral density when compared to those taking the placebo. Additionally, everyone taking DHEA showed improvements in blood levels of testosterone and estrogen.

Note: optimizing levels of all steroid hormones is believed by some aging specialists to provide many health benefits.

Discuss with your doctor about adding DHEA to your treatment strategy. It just might be your missing link to reversing osteoporosis. Take this seriously! Remember, fractures from osteoporosis can kill. Make sure your treatment strategy goes beyond the basic calcium and vitamin D supplements.

The next section highlights additional nutrients you should consider.

Beyond the Basics

Besides calcium, the following minerals are also needed to preserve and protect bone mineral density. In order to reverse osteoporosis, consider adding to your daily regimen:

1. Magnesium -- suggested dose is 500 mg/day or half the dose of calcium.

2. Silicon -- suggested dose is 5 mg/day.

3. Boron -- suggested dose is 3 mg/day.

4. Collagen -- increases bone strength, take 300 mg/day.

Health - What is Osteopenia?

Osteopenia is considered the first step along the road to osteoporosis, a serious condition in which bone density is extremely low. Osteopenia, if not treated, may result in osteoporosis. Osteopenia encompasses a wide range of fracture risks including age, bone mineral density, and clinical risk factors. Osteopenia, the milder bone-loss disease, is less well known but affects an estimated eighteen million young and middle-aged women, including those in their late teens and early twenties.

Some people who have Osteopenia may not have bone loss, but they may naturally have a lower bone density. It is diagnosed with a bone mineral density (BMD) test, usually done to see whether a person has osteoporosis. A standard X-ray is not useful in diagnosing Osteopenia because it is not sensitive enough to detect small amounts of bone loss or minor changes in bone density. Bones do not reach their greatest density until about 30 years of age. For children and people younger than 30, anything that helps increase bone density will have positive long-term benefits. A balanced diet and regular exercise will help slow the loss of bone density, delay Osteopenia, and delay or prevent osteoporosis.

Women are far more likely to develop Osteopenia and osteoporosis than men because they lose bone mass sooner and faster. Women who diet excessively to maintain a low body weight often eliminate dairy products from their diet. This puts them at an increased risk of bone loss because they may lose their primary source of calcium, a vital source of bone strength. Women should eat a healthy diet, maintain a sturdy weight, exercise, and avoid smoking. Low bone mass appears in about 50 percent of women in their 50's and more than 85 percent of women in their 70's. Approximately 90 percent of women over the age of seventy-five have experienced a bone fracture. Osteopenia affects an estimated eighteen million young and middle age women. That includes women in their late teens and early twenties. It is imperative that we teach our young girls that they must eat healthy and include foods that are high in calcium in their diet.

To maintain good bone health you should eat a balanced diet that includes adequate calcium and vitamin D, using supplements when necessary. You should also engage in regular physical activity, refrain from smoking, and avoid heavy alcohol use. While most doctors would recommend medication for women with osteoporosis to prevent fracture, doctors argue about whether medications are necessary for women with Osteopenia, the less severe form of bone density loss.

Calcium is the most critical mineral for bone mass. It is a vital source of bone strength. Women who eliminate dairy products from their diet, lose their primary source of calcium. That could contribute to low bone density. In addition, diuretics, antacids, chemotherapy, hormone therapy for cancer, lithium, and some medications for seizures can also deplete the bones of calcium. Skeletal mass is the highest in your 30s and depends on diet (calcium and vitamin D), physical activity, and genetics. It is important to consume enough calcium and vitamin D throughout your life, in order to achieve maximal peak bone density in early and middle years and to maintain bone in later years. For most adults, a daily intake between 1200 and 1500 mg of calcium and 400-800 IU of Vitamin D is both safe and effective. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and other minerals. It is added to milk and can be taken in calcium and vitamin supplements. Magnesium is also imperative for bone health. It works to keep the calcium in your bones and out of your soft tissues.

Osteopenia and Osteoporosis are not always problems of insufficient calcium intake, but rather of incorrect calcium utilization. Osteopenia may be the result of a wide variety of other conditions, disease processes, or treatments. In addition, diuretics, antacids, chemotherapy, hormone therapy for cancer, lithium, and some medications for seizures can deplete the bones of calcium. There are usually no symptoms with Osteopenia and the disease can go undiagnosed until a fracture occurs.

Treatment options for Osteopenia are often the same methods used for treating osteoporosis. Treatment depends on age and risk factors, but it often includes calcium and vitamin D supplementation along with a program of weight-bearing exercises. For some people medication is prescribed. Treatment is strongly recommended to stop further bone loss and minimize the risk of fractures.

Osteopenia usually occurs gradually over the course of many years. It is the term used for bones that have become less dense than normal. Osteopenia occurs either when the body fails to form enough new bone, when too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body, or when both occur. Remember to do everything you can to prevent Osteopenia and osteoporosis because both can lead to fractures.

Natural Osteoporosis Treatments

Osteoporosis affects both men and women. It is a degenerative disease where the bone density starts reducing over a period of time. There are many treatment options available that can help with the side effects of the disease but many people prefer to try natural osteoporosis treatments as they prefer them to taking drugs and medications.

Natural Osteoporosis Treatments:

One of the best natural treatments available for osteoporosis is changing your diet. If you are suffering from this degenerative disease, make sure you consume foods rich in calcium to supplement the loss that is taking place. Try to maintain a diet consisting of vegetables and fruits. In addition, eat minimum quantities of saturated fats and trans fats. This is will help you treat the condition and if you start early enough, you will prevent it from occurring.

Another natural method to prevent and treat osteoporosis is to exercise regularly. This will keep your bones healthy and strong. Make sure you combine exercising with a healthy diet and you can prevent osteoporosis from taking over your life.

You can also fight osteoporosis by taking supplements of calcium and Vitamin D. Both these supplements are known to prevent loss of bone density. You can also take multi-vitamins to combat osteoporosis, if you wish. However, it is advisable to include foods that are rich in calcium and Vitamin D in your diet so that you do not have to take supplements. But, if you are still interested in taking supplements, take only those that come from a reliable source.

It is not always necessary to treat osteoporosis with medications and drugs. There are natural treatment options available that can help you improve the quality of your life if you are suffering from osteoporosis.

What Is The Best Calcium To Take For Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis currently affects an estimated 10 million Americans over the age of 50 years old. Other reports say as many as 28 million people have the disease. Moreover, an additional 33 million people, mostly women, are afflicted with low bone density, placing them at an increased risk for developing this condition. A staggering 1.2 million bone fractures in the United States each year are related to osteoporosis. In addition, around 50,000 people die each year from post-fracture complications, and roughly one-fifth of people suffering from osteoporosis end up in a nursing home because of fractures. Women are particularly vulnerable to osteoporosis because at menopause, bone loss can range from 4% to 8%. Annually about 300,000 women suffer a hip fracture caused by the weakened bones of osteoporosis, and within a year approximately one-fifth will die. Unfortunately, half of the survivors will never fully recover and will require nursing care. The reason for this article is to shed light on what osteoporosis is and what form of calcium to take for it.

There are several things to eliminate in your diet to avoid your body leaching calcium from your bones. I'm not going into depth about this subject, but you can uncover more information on this at the website in the resource box. The first thing to avoid is soft drinks, which are highly acidic. Also, a diet high in meats is acidic, which causes the body to utilize more calcium. If you or someone close to you has osteoporosis please stop excess consumption of milk and milk products. The reason is because milk products have about 10 times more calcium than magnesium. When we lack magnesium, the balance between our body taking calcium from our bones and putting it on sways toward taking it off. When the body lacks magnesium, the body's balance of adding and removing calcium from the bones is disrupted, and it is shifted towards losing calcium. Increasing the intake of magnesium is the only way to balance the body's addition and subtraction of calcium from the bones. The best calcium to take for osteoporosis is in a master mineral form. An example of a master mineral is if calcium binds with an amino acid chelate. This is important because all minerals in order to be used by the body need to be chelated to an amino acid.

Disclaimer

The information provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/ patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well being other than to suggest that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The information and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of this publication based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on information in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher isn't responsible for errors or omissions. The Food and Drug Administration have not evaluated these statements. These products aren't intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease

Alkaline Diet Guidelines For Osteoporosis Treatment - Hold the Burger!

An alkaline diet that emphasizes lots of fruits and vegetables is generally considered the best diet for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Unfortunately, this is not the diet that is familiar to most North Americans.

THE NORTH AMERICAN DIET

There is growing consensus that a good diet for osteoporosis will avoid excessive acid-forming foods and beverages such as meat, soft drinks and coffee. In "Strategies for Osteoporosis", the National Osteoporosis Foundation warns that excessive protein consumption can be damaging to bone health. "Excessive protein and sodium intake can increase calcium loss through the kidneys. In fact, an individual's daily calcium requirement increases in direct proportion to the amount of protein and sodium in his/her diet."

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) repeats this warning: "Although a balanced diet aids calcium absorption, high levels of protein and sodium (salt) in the diet are thought to increase calcium excretion through the kidneys. Excessive amounts of these substances should be avoided, especially in those with low calcium intake." North American consumption of meat and soda beverages may be a partial cause of the high incidence of osteoporosis relative to other countries.

Meat The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of protein for men is 56 grams/day and for women 46 grams/day from all food sources including meat, tofu, eggs, grains, legumes and dairy products.

Statistics Canada reports that Canadian consumption of red meat (including beef, pork, mutton and veal) and chicken has been slowly declining since 1999 to approximately 77 pounds (35 kg) per person in 2007 or 25 grams of protein a day. (This calculation is for meat only and does not include other protein rich foods such as dairy products.) Meat consumption may be declining in Canada but it is steadily increasing in the U.S. to an extraordinary 101 kg (223 pounds) per capita in 2007-or 72 grams of protein a day from meat alone...not including eggs, dairy, grain or legumes. As this includes every man, woman and child, adults are clearly consuming far more than the recommended level of animal-protein.

Soft Drinks & Coffee

Medical research has also identified a clear link between cola and osteoporosis -but again in the United States, soft drink consumption continues to increase along with the demand for more meat. A study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, showed that energy intake from soft drinks in the United States increased 135 percent between about 1977 and 2001. Young adults ages 19 to 39 drank the most soft drinks, increasing their intake from 4.1 percent to 9.8 percent of total daily calorie consumption during that period. Among coffee drinkers (i.e. not per capita) the average coffee consumption in the United States is 3.1 cups of coffee per day (National Coffee Association) and consumption is also increasing.

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, per capita consumption of soft drinks in Canada has declined during the past decade but was still almost 110 liters per capita in 2006. Soft drinks still hold the largest market share of all beverages that are sold (15%) although coffee consumption is increasing and was over 14% of the beverage market in 2006. Together these two acid producing drinks comprise almost 30% of beverages consumed by Canadians. Research now suggests that people who are trying to follow alkaline diet guidelines for osteoporosis prevention or treatment should avoid cola drinks and drink decaffeinated coffee if they can't live without their java. An even healthier choice would be to reduce meat consumption in favor of fruits and vegetables and drink non-caffeinated drinks such as green tea.

CONCLUSION

We do not have to become vegetarians to comply with alkaline diet guidelines for osteoporosis treatment. But reducing our soda and meat consumption and increasing vegetables and fruit in our diet is definitely indicated. A general rule-of-thumb is to have a diet consisting of 20% acid-forming foods (grains and protein) and 80% alkaline-forming foods (fruits and vegetables). A healthy goal would be to include at least two vegetable or fruit servings at every meal and to eat no more than two daily servings of carbs such as bread, cereal and pasta.

With mad cow disease, swine flu, avian flu, extensive use of antibiotics and hormones and unacceptable environmental damage from factory farms threatening us...eating more yummy leafy greens and fresh fruit is a great alternative.

The Complications Of Osteoporosis Are Severe

Osteoporosis is a global health problem. Over the age of 50 years, 1 in 2 women and one in every 5 men sustains an osteoporotic fracture during life. If you add up all cases of cancer of the uterus, cervix and ovaries, it still doesn't add up to the deaths relating to the aftereffects of osteoporotic fractures.

There are two critical times in life that have been shown apply to the formation of osteoporosis. One is failing to achieve adequate bone mass during adolescence. The other is when a high rate of bone loss occurs during menopause or advancing age. Along with the uncontrollable factor of age is the lifestyle choices such as smoking, nutrition, exercise, and medications such as steroids which can result in bone density losses.

The definition of osteoporosis was established back in 1994 by the World Health Organization. Bone mineral density measurements are compared to what is known as "young normals" in the female population. If a person's bone mineral density falls within 1 to 2 standard deviations of these "young normal" the condition is referred to as osteopenia. If it is over 2.5 standard deviations below the norm, it is referred to as osteoporosis.

Based on the 2000 Census, over 50 million American men and women suffer from either osteopenia or osteoporosis. Over 1.5 million fractures from osteoporosis occur in the US each year. Half of those occur in the spine, twenty percent at the hip, and 30% at the wrist. There is a decade differential with regards to the types of fractures seen. People in their 50's most commonly sustain wrist fractures. Once individuals reach their 60's, the spine is the most common location, and in the 70's the hip becomes the most common site. Amazingly, the death rate after a hip fracture is 20% in the first year afterwards. Over half of male patients with hip fractures do not regain their walking status within one year after sustaining a hip fracture, and unfortunately less than half ever recover their pre-fracture ability to perform activities of daily living such as eating, grooming, dressing, or bathing.

In vertebral fractures, repeated occurrence may produce an unnatural spinal curvature along with height loss. The rib cage tends to move downward and may rest against the iliac crest. Organs may become compressed, and an protuberance may be evident in the abdomen. Height loss, inhibited breathing, back pain, and abdominal fullness may be seen. The spinal fractures may result in a patient having decreased appetite due to this compression with subsequent weight loss. The forward resulting kyphosis may lead to shallow respiration's, which can affect future anesthesia. Chronic lung disease may result.

With the complications from hip and spine fractures being so significant, the best method of treatment is actually to try and prevent them from occurring in the first place.

Treatment of Osteoporosis - Naturally & Effectively

It's not uncommon for people to get osteoporosis these days. Especially frail and prone to it are the elderly. Before I start discussing the treatment of osteoporosis, I want to take you back to how you evolved.

Take a look at your teeth. Do they look more like cats teeth or horses teeth? You may not know what their teeth look like, so I'll tell you. Cats teeth are sharp and spiky. Horses teeth are flat and blunt. Which do yours resemble?

Cats are carnivores and rely heavily on meat to have a healthy life. Horses are herbivores and they need an exclusive diet of plant material to live in a healthy way. You are an omnivore. But, judging by your teeth, you are at the herbivore end. Unlike dogs, also omnivores, whose teeth are very similar to cats, putting them at the carnivore end.

Those animals who digest plant material need long intestines, and sometimes multiple stomachs, as plant material can take a while to digest. Raw meat, on the other hand, digests quite quickly (as opposed to cooked meat). So exclusive meat eaters tend to have short intestines. Your intestines are longer than the equivalent of cats and shorter than the equivalent of horses.

These two factors mean that you evolved on a diet of mostly plant material, but with meat occasionally. Chimpanzees, our closest relatives, eat meat occasionally - from anywhere between once a week to once a month. Where did the idea of eating meat two, even three times a day come from? Probably because it was a symbol of wealth. I believe that this is one of the most important contributors to the prevalence of osteoporosis.

With this firmly in mind, the treatment of osteoporosis is suddenly crystal clear. Cut back on your meat consumption and increase your fresh fruit and veggies. Putting it another way, meat makes you acid. Fruit and veggies make you alkaline. Your body pH should be slightly alkaline, for optimum health.

Natural treatment of osteoporosis can be as simple as changing your diet. Reduce your animal protein and up your fresh fruit and veggie intake. Green leafy veggies are especially dense in calcium in an easily absorbable and balanced form.

Supplements can be a good idea to ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need. But there are the good, the bad and the ugly supplements. How do you know which is good value for money and won't harm?

Supplements should be in the form of a naturally occurring food, in perfect balance with all the other nutrients you need. Not in an isolated or synthetic mineral supplement which at best is a waste of money, and at worst can cause harm.

Menopause and Treatment For Osteoporosis

It has been seen that osteoporosis is quite common in menopausal and postmenopausal women. Most women who enter menopause may not even realize that their bone density is substantially reduced until they suffer from a fracture which will necessitate a trip to the doctor.

There are many treatment options available for menopausal women who suffer from osteoporosis. Their doctors can put them on medications like Risedronate, Alendronate or Calcitonin. Or, they can opt for a diet that is rich in calcium and Vitamin D. No matter what treatment regimen you choose to help with osteoporosis, make sure you combine it with exercise. In addition, if you smoke, you should stop immediately as smoking is one of the factors for causing osteoporosis. The other treatments offered to menopausal women are estrogen therapy, Biphosphonate, weight bearing exercises and Teriparatide in the form of injections.

There are certain medical conditions that can cause osteoporosis. Therefore, doctors may perform a series to tests to rule out these underlying medical conditions. In case, anything is found, it will be treated and you will notice an immediate improvement in your osteoporosis.

Along with the treatment offered for osteoporosis, doctors also recommend that you bring about changes to your lifestyle. This includes stopping alcohol and cigarettes completely, doing regular exercise. You should also seek different medications incase the medications you are on are known triggers of osteoporosis. For instance, long and sustained use of steroids can cause osteoporosis.

Remember, menopause does not necessarily result into osteoporosis. There are certain risk factors involved. If you can do away with them, you can lead a normal and healthy life like anyone else.

Osteoporosis in Elderly Women - How to Mange This Common Illness in Women

Though osteoporosis can affect anyone it is more prevalent in older people and women are especially very prone to it. One in every two woman and one in every three men over the age of sixty are affected, in some way, by osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a disease associated with the weakening of the bones caused by the loss of bone density. Around the age of 35 both males and females start losing calcium, but women loose more during the menopausal years and are therefore more affected by the disease then men.

Many times when older people fall and break a hip it is not because of the fall that the hip broke but it is because the hip broke that they fell. The broken hip is, most of the time, because of brittle bones caused by osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is also referred to as the "silent disease". It doesn't show any real symptoms until it is nearly too late. Medical doctors and gynecologists can test their patients for osteoporosis with a bone density test.

There are a few situations in which people will be more susceptible to osteoporosis and it might be good to have a bone density test if you fit any of the criteria.

Calcium and vitamin D are very important for strong bones so if you always had a low intake of these, you might be at risk. Asian and Caucasian woman are more prone than others. Women with a low body weight and small build tend to be more at risk than larger women. A family history of osteoporosis and early menopause are also risk factors.

In older people certain symptoms and occurrences can be an indication of osteoporosis. Losing height and a hunch-back like postures are many times because of osteoporosis. Other symptoms that might indicate osteoporosis are cramps in the legs at night, pain in the lower back or spine, loss of teeth and abdominal pains.

The best defense against osteoporosis should start in childhood and early adult years. Enough vitamin D and calcium are essential, as well as, regular exercise.

Because it is so difficult to rebuild bone, treatment for osteoporosis is never a cure. There is medication available that will strengthen the bones and prevent any further loss. This should be prescribed by a doctor after the necessary tests were done.

Lifestyle changes will also assist, but older people that already suffering from osteoporosis should be careful with the type of exercises they do and it would be better to seek the help of professionals before attempting new exercise routines.

Natural Osteoporosis Treatment - In Three Easy Steps

Natural osteoporosis treatment is highly effective, because in most cases the cause is simply a case of a bad diet.

The western diet of high protein in the form of meat, of high dairy consumption, of high processed foods and of little raw fruit and vegetables is basically the cause of most osteoporosis.

Couple that with some of the medications used to treat osteoporosis, most of which do more harm than good, and you have a recipe for poor bone density.

Let me explain.

When you look at wild animals eating meat, it is always accompanied by bones. Meat needs calcium to digest. So if you have a high meat intake, your body has to take the calcium from somewhere, in order to digest the meat. Your bones have the highest source.

Dairy is high in calcium, but it is in a form which is only available for baby cows who have not been weaned. Those of us who have been weaned and who aren't bovine have a hard time digesting this. And it does you little good, making your body pH acid.

Any gardener will tell you that an acid soil needs calcium. So do you. But in a form that is in natural balance, that you can absorb easily. The best source of this is food. Such as green leafy vegetables. These are high in calcium, in a form that is easily absorbed by your body.

Processed food is food which has been denatured, either by the removal of key nutrients that help digest it (such as wheat germ in flour and molasses in sugar) or has been cooked so much, there is little goodness left.

So avoid processed food.

For natural osteoporosis treatment, first change your diet. Make it high in fresh fruit and veggies, especially green leafy veggies. Eat as much of it raw as you can. Eliminate or cut down on animal protein (meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy). Green leafy veggies are high in protein as are nuts and seeds.

Cut out processed food. This can be a tough one, so be creative in your alternatives. Sugar can be replaced with honey. Milk can be replaced with oat or nut milk. Use wholemeal, stone ground biodynamic flour. Avoid soy and artificial sweeteners. They are probably worse than what they are replacing, for different reasons.

The second most important thing to do is to take a supplement. But the supplement should be a superfood, rather than the common isolated and synthetic supplements. Synthetic and isolated supplements are very hard for your body to utilise. At best they go straight through (expensive poo). At worst, they hang up in parts of your body to create problems later on.

Blue green algae is a wonderful superfood, high in easily absorbable calcium and all its related nutrients.

And finally, to complete your natural osteoporosis treatment at home, take the tissue salt Calc phos 6x. Suggested dosage frequency is two to four times a day. This is available from health food stores, homeopaths, naturopaths, homeopathic pharmacies and online.

If your osteoporosis is quite severe, then I suggest you seek the services of a professional homeopath, in addition to the above life changes.

Osteoporosis Treatment - 7 Ways on How to Prevent Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis treatment is difficult when it already emerges in the body. Thus, while you are still young, be vigilant and start doing some habits to prevent from having it. These are the precautionary actions that you need to do on how to prevent Osteoporosis.

1. Hold back from smoking and drinking.

2. Eat healthy.

3. Drink milk habitually.

4. Regular calcium intake.

5. Exercise.

6. Regular checkup.

7. Evade from eating junk food as much as possible.

If you begin to feel lower back ache and neck pain, meet with your doctor for check up. Untreated Osteoporosis can lead to bone deformation which is usually your backbone. This will hinder you from doing a lot of things even regular tasks because you might break your bone. Adopt the adage, "prevention is much better than cure", because there is a sense to that saying. In fact, finding out how to prevent Osteoporosis before it occurs is the best thing you can do.

Consequently, if parents teach their kids to love milk and drink a good amount while they are young, this will strengthen their bone and safeguard it from Osteoporosis in the later part of their lives. There are varied calcium products in the market such as milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, salmon fish, green and leafy vegetables, sardines, squash, almonds and juices.

Women in particular have to be cognizant with their health. They have to guard their body because genetically women are susceptible to a lot of diseases. Prepare your bone to engage with stress through exercising your body. A well fit body becomes tough in facing particular sickness that will strike your body. Follow the tips on how to prevent Osteoporosis while you still have time.

Algae Plant - A Cure For Osteoporosis ?

Osteoporosis is a disease that everyone could have. Most people when they are old, they got osteoporosis. When people are old enough, their bone density will gradually losing, but when they are losing it faster than normally, it is called osteoporosis disease. In logic, you will need enough calcium to overcome the bone loss, but you need to have the right amount of calcium.

And now, people have made a breakthrough. They manage to found out that a plant called Algae, have the calcium needed for our body. And by using it, we could treat osteoporosis. By consuming the right supplement that contain Algae and another supplement that help us absorb the calcium more faster, we could even make our Bone Growth.

Algae are an organism, a photosynthetic organism. Algae occurs in most habitats. There are a lot of Algae type, small ones, single celled forms or complex multicellular forms (ex: giant kelp that grow to 65 meters). Algae are important, because they are the primary producers of organic matters in the base of the food chain. Algae contribute in a lot of sector, such as a food, or a medicine and many more.

Algae are absorbing calcium from the sea water, and digest it first. Because of that, our body will be more effective when absorbing the calcium from algae. Not only that, Algae also contains a high natural magnesium, beside that it also contains a lot of other trace minerals and nutrients. So, with a single Algae, you can already have the calcium and mineral supply that your body needed.

Now we know that Algae is a plant that our body need to war Osteoporosis. So choose the right supplement to help your Bone Growth.

Chinese Herbal Medicine Prevents And Reverses Osteoporosis

Western Bisphosphonate Drug Treatments for Osteoporosis Linked To Weakened Bones

Osteoporosis (meaning "porous bones") is a condition where bone tissue loses its density, over a period of time, resulting in weakness and an increased risk of fracture. These risks can be reduced with lifestyle changes, nutritional supplementation and exercise programs designed to strengthen bone, improve equilibrium and prevent falls. But if your osteoporosis is advanced and you are currently under the care of a western physician, more than likely you have been given a prescription for a bisphosphonate drug such as Fosamax® or Boniva® to artificially increase the density of your bones. These drugs have been the treatment of choice since the mid 1990's. However, as with all apparently good things, it pays to follow the latest research studies that actually test the effectiveness and safety of the drugs you use over the long term.

Recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine have exposed a significant link between the long-term use of Fosamax® and unusual transverse fractures of the thigh bone, indicating that prolonged therapy with these drugs tends to weaken bone integrity rather than strengthening it. (1)

In April of this year, Dr. Pauline Camacho, from Loyola University Medical Center told Reuters Health that the current AACE (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists) guidelines recommend patients take a 3-year hiatus from bisphosphonate therapy after 4 or 5 years of treatment. (2)

Here in the West, there is no pharmaceutical alternative to bisphosphonate therapy other than the usual recommendations for mineral supplements such as Calcium citrate, Vit. D-3, Magnesium, Potassium, Boron, Vit K-2 and Strontium ranelate. Traditional Chinese medicine, however, has been helping people successfully deal with all aspects of aging for a few thousand years!

The Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) Approach:

Traditional Chinese medical theory approaches a disease state such as osteoporosis from a multi-faceted point of view, taking into consideration the relative balance between all aspects of your body and its environment. If we use the metaphor of a tree to describe a particular medical condition, the Chinese physician will commence his investigation by inspecting the leaves, stems and branches as well as the tree's trunk and root system. He will also assess the local earthly environment and the sources of air and water before arriving at a diagnosis of what has become out of balance. Even if a set of symptoms describes a disharmony in the trunk and branches, such as "osteoporosis", the physician will devise a treatment plan that replenishes resources for the tree's use and rebalances all the systems that are responsible for sustaining the tree's vitality.

According to the Chinese ancients, the health and vitality of bone matrix is dependent on the amount and quality of Kidney Jing (literally "essence resource"). Jing is a useful metaphor to describe the "water" source for bone growth and remodeling activities during the tree's life span. In simple human terms, along with many other activities, Jing tells the osteoblasts to get to work making new bone and supplies the osteoclasts with energy to break down old bone.

During her lifetime, a woman can deplete her Kidney Jing, especially during pregnancy and delivery, overworking, stress or excess sexual activity. As a result, she will lose bone density. Fragile bones, however, are not the only symptom she will suffer. Other signs of Jing loss include premature graying of hair, balding, loose teeth, poor hearing, low back and knee pain. These symptoms can also be found in men, although less frequently and usually later in life.

In TCM theory, the liver system stores blood and controls the vigor of sinews and tendons. If the patient's liver resources are depleted, he or she may also experience dizziness, dryness, blurred vision, tinnitus, thirst, night sweating and arthritic tendons and joints.

These same patients may also complain of muscle aches and weakness, poor digestion and fatigue. In TCM theory, spleen/pancreatic Qi (literally "energy") is responsible for transforming and transporting food resources to all parts of the body, including the bones. Spleen energy also recycles blood and maintains the health of vessels and muscles.

Chinese Herbs Treat Osteoporosis

Given this larger picture of possible signs and symptoms, Chinese medicine aims to re-supply each of the organ systems that are responsible for healthy bone - the liver, spleen, pancreas and especially kidney Jing. Chinese herbal formulas have been used with great success for over two thousand years to achieve this end. Herbal specialists know precisely which roots, plants, fruits and natural substances replenish these resources. When these substances are simmered in water, they release their therapeutic nutrients into the water, turning the resulting broth into a medicine of great value.

Soup Broth: An Essential Form of Food Therapy For Osteoporosis

Most Chinese hospitals deliver herbal prescriptions to their patients in thermos bottles of warmed broth. Patients using soup broth therapy recover their health more quickly and are able to maintain a higher level of vitality for a longer period of time. Tablets and capsules, although useful, are more slowly absorbed into the body and take longer to achieve their intended effect.

"Chinese Soup Broth to Make Healthy Bone and Prevent Osteoporosis®"

This broth recipe has been handed down from one Chinese doctor to another for centuries. In many of my osteoporosis patients, it has entirely replaced the need for bisphosphonate medications. You prepare it yourself by simmering pork neck bones and carefully selected herbs in a crock pot for 6 -12 hours Each batch lasts 16 days and can be stored in your refrigerator or freezer until you need it. The herbal ingredients for the broth can be obtained through my clinic in convenient kitchen-ready packets accompanied by very simple cooking directions and can be mailed anywhere in the country.

Although the exact formula is proprietary, ingredients in the basic broth include Chinese wolfberry, longan fruit, red jujube date, codonopsis root, astragalus root, angelica sinensis root, American ginseng root, glehnia root, fresh ginger root and deer antler gelatin. Adjustments can be made to the recipe for patients who also suffer from arthritis or hip/joint disease.

In my 11+ years of clinical experience, every patient who has continued with the therapy for more than nine months has increased his/her bone density by 15 - 30%. All patients also committed themselves to 30 minutes a day of exercise, a garden-fresh food diet and some basic vitamin/mineral supplementation. The use of this broth recipe has thus far produced no side effects, and appears to maintain bone health for as long as you incorporate it in your lifestyle.

Sources:

(1) "Atypical Fractures of the Femoral Diaphysis in Postmenopausal Women Taking Alendronate" The New England Journal of Medicine, March 20, 2008; vol 358: pp 1304-1306. Joseph M. Lane, M.D. and Dean G. Lorisch, M.D.

(2) Osteoporosis: A Guide for Clinicians by Pauline M. Camacho, M.D. and Paul D. Miller, M.D. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; April 2007

Osteoporosis - Detection, Prevention and Treatment

Detection

There are no obvious physical signs of osteoporosis. It can therefore go unnoticed for years. Quite often the first indication is when a person breaks one of their bones in what might have been normally a minor accident.

If a doctor suspects osteoporosis, he or she can order a bone scan to test the strength or density of the bones. This scan is now available at many hospitals throughout the country. The results will tell how much risk there is of fractures. It takes about fifteen minutes while the bones are X-rayed. The dose of radiation is tiny - about the same as spending a day out in the sun. The technique is called Dual Energy X-ray Apsorptiometry and is known as DEXA.

Prevention

There is a great deal that can be done throughout life to guard against the condition.

• Healthy diet. Children and adults need a diet which contains the right amount of calcium. The best sources of this are milk, cheese and yoghurt, and foods such as tinned sardines. Skimmed milk actually contains more calcium per pint than full fat milk. The recommended daily intake of calcium is 1,000 milligrams (mg) or 1500mg if over 60 years. A pint of milk a day, plus a normal amount of other foods which contain calcium will do the trick.


• Children's exercise. Children should actively participate in sports of other forms of exercise to help strengthen their bones.


• Adult exercise. For the same reason, adults should keep physically active all the way into retirement. Choose 'weight-bearing' exercises - any activity which involves walking or running.


• Smoking. Avoid smoking


• Drinking. Avoid drinking too much alcohol. The recommended daily maximum for a woman is 2 - 3 units. For a man it is 3 - 4 units. A unit is a single measure of spirits, or half a pint of normal strength beer of lager, or a standard size glass of 8% alcohol by volume wine.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Women who have been through the menopause may want to consider HRT, since this can be a very good way of preventing osteoporosis, but all treatments have risks and HRT does not suit everyone. The main advantages of HRT are that the loss of bone is slowed down and it also helps prevent heart disease. The main disadvantages are that monthly periods return and that there can be a temporary tenderness around the breasts and some temporary nausea. There is a very slight increase in the risk of breast cancer.

Treatment

Apart from the preventative measures already mentioned, there are some drugs and treatments available if you are suffering from osteoporosis. These may arrest the loss of bone or reduce the risk of fractures.

• Calcium and Vitamin D. If people with osteoporosis take small daily amounts of vitamin D, along with 1000mg of calcium, their bones seem to be less likely to break.


• Etidronate (Didronel). This drug slows the normal process of bone loss and has been used effectively a treatment for osteoporosis. The treatment is not continuous, but takes place in cycles. Once every three months, the patient takes sodium etidronate (also known under the trade names Didronel or Didronel PMO) for a period of two weeks. This takes place for three years. Daily doses of calcium are taken as well, but not on the days etidronate is taken.


• Alendronate (Phosomax). Alendronate is a similar drug to etidronate, but is taken as a daily dose.


• Calcitonin. This is a substance which the body produces naturally and helps keep the bones healthy. In certain cases, when used as a treatment, it has enabled the bones of people with osteoporosis to grow stronger. Calcitonin is not often prescribed because it can only be given in injection form.

Keys to a Natural Osteoporosis Treatment

Keys to a Natural Osteoporosis Treatment

Osteoporosis, "porous bones", is a disease that causes bones to become fragile and brittle and very susceptible to fractures. These fractures occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist. A fracture or broken bone can have a huge affect on your life, causing disability, pain, or loss of independence. Fractures can make it very difficult to do daily activities without help.

In the past osteoporosis was thought of as a women's disease. Now we know that men also have to worry about weak bones and are at risk of osteoporosis. In fact, one in four men over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture caused by osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Diagnosis

The best method to diagnose osteoporosis is a bone mineral density test, called a DEXA test. It is recommended to get a bone density test if you're a woman aged 65 or older or if you are 60 years old and at increased risk of osteoporosis. The results of your bone density test will give you a T-score. The T-score compares your bone density with that of an average healthy young adult of the same sex.

What is The Best Osteoporosis Treatment?

It is never too late, or too early to treat or prevent osteoporosis. Building strong bones when you are young is the best defense against getting osteoporosis later on in life. To improve your bone health, try the following advice:

1. Calcium

The best way to treat and prevent osteoporosis is to get adequate amounts of calcium along with magnesium, trace minerals, vitamins D3 and vitamin K2 in your diet. Osteoporosis is not only due to insufficient calcium intake but rather because we do not get sufficient amounts of bone building nutrients in our diet.

It is best to get as much calcium from foods in your diet as possible, and then make up the shortfall using a calcium supplement with the proper bone building ingredients included in the formula.

2. Vitamin D

To help your body absorb calcium It is also important to get enough vitamin D. You can get vitamin D through sunlight and foods. You need 10-15 minutes of sunlight to the hands, arms, and face, two to three times a week to get enough vitamin D. Recent studies show you need much more vitamin D than was previously recommended.

3. Magnesium

Magnesium and calcium work together to keep calcium in your bones and out of your soft tissues. It is always best to get minerals from your diet by eating legumes, and vegetables (especially dark-green, leafy vegetables with chlorophyll).

4. Vitamin K2

There are many recent studies finding vitamin K2 to be very important for healthy bones. Vitamin K is not made naturally by the body so it must come from your diet.

5. Exercise

Weight-bearing exercise, which is any activity in which your body works against gravity helps your bones in many ways. Exercise slows bone loss, improves muscle strength and helps limit bone-damaging falls. Walking, dancing, running, climbing stairs, gardening, doing yoga, tai chi, hiking, playing tennis, or lifting weights will all help with treating and preventing osteoporosis.

Natural Progesterone and Osteoporosis Treatment Success

Using natural progesterone and osteoporosis was successfully treated? Is it possible? After all, natural progesterone is safe to use with virtually no side effects when used correctly. It is one of the two primary hormones produced in a healthy woman during the menstrual cycle, the other hormone being estrogen. In perhaps the only study of natural progesterone and osteoporosis treatment of its kind, the success obtained by a leading Harvard-trained physician for reversing osteoporosis in women is explained.

What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a progressive disease where the bones become more porous and weaker over time. Untreated, osteoporosis will weaken, disable and kill both women and men. Almost half of the women in the United States will fracture a hip, forearm or spine sometime in their lifetime. 20% of women who fracture their hip will die within one year. And it is not just a disease of the elderly. Osteoporosis regularly begins its destructive process for women in their 30's. Becoming slightly shorter in height is the most noticeable of the osteoporosis symptoms. Osteoporosis causes postural changes, and it makes one more likely to have a bone fracture as one ages.

There are two kinds of bone cells that one should understand. Osteoclasts are the cells that travel through bone tissue, finding bone tissue that needs replacing, removing old bone by dissolving it and leaving small cavities or pores where there once was bone. Osteoblasts are the cells that form new bone cells in the cavities left by the dissolving tissue. This continuous process of bone resorption and new bone formation is how bones are kept strong in the healthy body. Bone strength is the result of the balance of these two processes. Osteoporosis happens when more bone tissue is being dissolved than is being rebuilt.

When are the bones the strongest in women? Bone strength is greatest at around age 30 for women. Bone loss typically begins in women 5-20 years before menopause. Osteoporosis occurs regularly in both women and men. Even though a man begins to lose bone mass considerably later in life than a woman, bone loss happens in men. Women often begin losing bone mass as early as in their 30's, whereas bone loss begins in the 50's for a man. By the time men reach their 70's, their bone weakness equals that of women.

Harvard-trained Dr. John R. Lee is the author of the best-selling womens health book What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Menopause. Dr. Lee studied 100 of his women patients that were in various stages of osteoporosis. The women in his study ranged in ages from 38 to 83 with 62.5 being the average age. By adding supplementation with natural progesterone to an existing natural osteoporosis treatment program, Dr. Lee found that bone density was increased every year by 3-5% until it stabilized at the bone density levels expected for a 35-year old woman! All 100 women using the natural progesterone and osteoporosis treatment reversed their bone loss and grew new bone cells. These results are astounding!

Dr. Lee also observed that the women who had experienced the most bone loss were the ones that increased bone density the fastest when using this natural progesterone and osteoporosis reversal treatment! Dr. Lee makes it very clear that natural progesterone and osteoporosis treatment must include the osteoporosis treatment elements of proper diet, nutrients and exercise. And for women approaching the age of menopause (late 40's to early 50's) and older, he felt that natural progesterone supplementation would greatly benefit women that had already experienced considerable bone loss, and that natural progesterone would rebuild new bone cells.

Anyone can easily make lifestyle changes that will include weight-bearing exercise, proper diet, nutritional supplements and natural progesterone and osteoporosis treatment. Stopping bone loss, rebuilding and strengthening your bones is entirely possible, according to Dr. Lee. If you or someone you know is at risk for osteoporosis, learn more and benefit from the successes of Dr. Lee and other physicians in safely and effectively treating osteoporosis, a debilitating disease.

Simple and Effective Natural Remedies for Osteoporosis That Work

Osteoporosis needs long and regular treatment as this disease is mostly realized when it starts causing serious damage to the health therefore natural remedies are preferred over other medication. Osteoporosis is thinning and weakening of bones which lead to minor fractures and breaking of bones to cause reduction in mobility and even complete immobility. Hip, spine and wrist are the most affected parts but any bone part of the body can get damaged due to this disease. People even suffer from decrease in height, hump at the lower back and severe pain and deformity.

Natural remedies for osteoporosis are focused at providing nourishment to bones to remove deficiencies and help in regaining strength and mass. Black cohosh is an excellent natural remedy to prevent osteoporosis. This disease can be inherited genetically too hence people having any family member suffering with this disease can take 30-40 mg of black cohosh in order to remove any chances of this problem. Almond with milk is a rich source of calcium which is very useful in preventing osteoporosis as well as relieving its symptoms by strengthening bones. 5-10 almonds can be soaked overnight in water and peeled off in the morning, crush these almonds and boil them with cow's, goat's or buffalo's milk and consume it when hot. Drinking dandelion tea is another natural remedy which is very effective in increasing bone density, two teaspoons of dandelion mixed with a one and a half cup of water and boiled for at least 25-30 minutes, later this mixture can be strained and consumed.

Dong qui and chaste berry are also used for treating osteoporosis as these herbs are good hormonal balancers and imbalance of hormone can weaken bones. Increased intake of soy products is also beneficial for alleviating osteoporosis. Fruits like apples, banana, figs, orange juice and pineapple juice are very helpful in providing necessary nourishment to the bones for preventing and treating osteoporosis. Half cup of broccoli can supplement the body with necessary vitamin K whose deficiency can promote bone weakening. Beans, peanut butter, spinach, pineapples, nuts, whole wheat and vinegar included in the diet help immensely in treating osteoporosis. Chewing handful of sesame seeds in the morning and taking yoghurt in the diet also helps in treating osteoporosis.

Healthy habits and life style changes also work as natural remedies for osteoporosis. It is believed that effects of osteoporosis cannot be reversed but these changes can help in coping with it. Mild exercises which are tolerable to the body will help the body in supplementing bones with vital nutrients and vitamins for strength and flexibility. Avoid smoking, alcohol, caffeine, and junk food as these cause adverse effects on bone health. If one is over weight and has history of osteoporosis in the family, losing weight is primary remedy. Drinking sufficient amount of water during the day is good for health in many ways and also for treating osteoporosis. Walking in chest deep water is a good exercise, water takes away weight and pressure off the joints and bones to relieve them, this exercise shall be done at least three times a week and for minimum thirty minutes.

Osteoporosis - Causes and Symptoms

Osteoporosis is a disorder where the bones become fragile and the risk of breaking the bones increases substantially. This is a disease that is normally seen in older women, especially in women who enter menopause or after menopause. However, even men can be afflicted with osteoporosis. It is estimated that in the United States, 10 million people have osteoporosis, while another 18 million people have low bone density, putting them at a high risk of developing the disease.

When a man or woman has osteoporosis, there are no symptoms and it is quite hard to diagnose. Usually the condition is discovered when the person fractures a bone. In osteoporosis, the bones basically become porous and this leads to weakening of the skeleton. And, the bones at the highest risk of breaking are those of the hip, spine and wrists.

Breaking a bone can really affect the quality of your life. When you sustain a fracture because of osteoporosis, you will be disabled until the fracture heals. In addition, you will have endure pain, lose your independence and find difficulty in performing day to day activities like walking, bathing or shopping. Remember, when you have osteoporosis, even a minor injury or fall can cause a fracture.

What are the causes of osteoporosis?

Here are some of the most common causes and risk factors that are the source of the disease.

o Having a family history of osteoporosis put you at a high risk of developing the disease

o Smoking as it tends to leach the calcium from the bones

o Anorexia nervosa

o Taking certain drugs like steroid for a long period of time

o Consuming too much alcohol

o Low levels of testosterone

o Lack of calcium in the diet

o Inactive lifestyle

Symptoms of Osteoporosis:

The most common symptoms of osteoporosis are as follows:

o Severe back ache

o Fractures

o Dull ache in the bones and/or muscles

o Losing height over a period of time and developing a hunch

Osteoporosis - Natural Solutions to Bone Loss

44 Million People in the US over the age of 50 have bone problems. 1.5 million Americans suffer fractures due to weak bones. Half of all women over 50 years old will have an osteoporosis related bone fracture. If you are over 50 years old you are at risk. Some other risk factors are:

o Older than 65

o Experienced a bone fracture after 50

o A close relative has osteoporosis or has broken a bone.

o Health is poor

o Smoke

o Underweight

o Started menopause before 45

o Not physically active

o Suffer from Hyperthyroidism

o Cancer

o Inflammatory Bowel Disease

o Multiple Sclerosis

o Rheumatoid Arthritis

So what are the drugs that are being prescribed for millions of people worldwide to treat Osteoporosis? Primarily there are three: Fosamax, Boniva and Actonel. There are others that are administered intravenously but let's concentrate on the three most popular.

These drugs are classified as bisphosphonates which is an ingredient used for many years in fertilizers, soaps, laundry detergents and industrial lubricants. Fosamax, the best selling of the three bisphosphonates, is Merck's second best selling drug. It has topped $4 billion in sales and millions of prescriptions are written every year. Incidentally, Consumers Affairs in 2007 reported that Merck set aside 48 million for a defense fund against lawsuits related to the side effects which for many people are very debilitating.

Actonel is the second most successful drugs in this category and coincidentally Proctor and Gamble who makes Actonel also makes laundry detergent and toothpaste.

Boniva is a taken once a month - I am sure you have seen the commercials with Sally Field.

The bisphosphonates in these drugs work by slowing the rate at which our bones lose their density. Our bones break down and then build back up, it their natural cycle of growth. When we are younger our bones build faster than they break down and of course as we age this process slows down. So these bisphosphonates appear to be doing the job - not really since slowing down bone loss also inhibits new bone growth. Old bones are more susceptible to fracture, the very condition they are trying to avoid. Dr. Susan M. Ott states "Many people believe that these drugs are 'bone builders', but the evidence shows they are actually bone hardeners". She goes on to say "bones could become brittle with long-term accumulation.

Can bisphosphonates that are used in laundry detergent, fertilizers and industrial lubricants be safe for human consumption?

Side Effects:

The most common side effects of the bisphosphonates are gastrointestinal. They include systems such as:

o Cramping

o Nausea

o Diarrhea

o Constipation

o Inflammation of the esophagus

o Ulceration of the esophagus

o Heartburn

o Difficulty swallowing

The list goes on with a whole host of other symptoms such as dental problems, blood clotting problems, irritability, anemia, joint problems, muscle pain, vision loss. The absolute worse side effect is irreversible and is called Osteonecrosis which is the inability of the jaw to heal after dental surgery or tooth extraction. This condition is very painful and can cause ulcers, infection, exposed bone and sores.

The problem with all these side effects is that other drugs are then prescribed to deal with them. So then we start taking an acid reducer to deal with the gastrointestinal symptoms, an anti-inflammatory to deal with the inflammation symptoms, and a pain reliever to deal with our joint and muscle symptoms.

Is this really the best way to deal with an issue that until a view years ago wasn't even classified as a disease? Mayo Clinic in 2006 stated that 37% of women older than 50 do not meet the true criteria of Osteoporosis and are wrongfully diagnosed. Why then, the rush to get millions of women taking drugs that are so dangerous.

Conclusion:

Osteoporosis is not inevitable. Regardless of genetic risks, most of us can maintain strong, healthy, fracture-resistant bones throughout our lifetimes. While a certain amount of bone loss may occur with aging, developing dietary and lifestyle habits that lead to bone loss, exercising regularly, getting enough calcium and vitamin D and other supportive nutrients.

It is important to speak to your doctor about your bone health since there are so many factors involved. Hormones play a big part in this disease so bio-available hormone replacement may be an option for you.

Ultimately, the decision about what to do about your bone health rests with you. It is your responsibility to get educated and there are many, many resources available.

o Talk to your doctor and get prevention tips as well as treatment options.

o Thoroughly investigate the drugs, their claims of success, and their side effects.

o Learn about which food you should be eating that will increase your calcium intake.

o Learn about how much calcium and vitamin D you need

o Develop an exercise program that is right for you..

Pros and Cons of Osteoporosis Medications

When you are diagnosed with osteoporosis or at high risk, your doctor will prescribe medication for treatment or prevention. Are you getting the right medication for you?

Factors you will want to consider are:

1. Your doctor's advice


2. Side effects


3. Does the drug have a good success record?


4. How you prefer taking medication (pills, liquid, injections, or spray etc.)


5. Cost


6. How the drug works for you.

To help you with this process, the pros and cons of well-known osteoporosis medications are summarized below:

Teriparatide (Forteo)

Pros: activates bone- building cells, increases bone density, and reduces spinal fractures for patients with severe osteoporosis

Cons: requires a daily injection into the leg or stomach; more expensive than other options; may cause dizziness, nausea and leg cramps; cannot be taken for more than 18 to 24 months

Ralozifene (Evista)

Pros: for postmenopausal women not taking hormone therapy; decreases rate of bone loss; prevents spinal fractures; provides benefits of estrogen without other estrogen effects; may reduce breast cancer risk

Cons: may increase hot flashes and increase risk of blood clots

Bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Bonival, Actonel, Reclast)

Pros: these drugs slow bone breakdown and prevent spinal fractures; are prescribed to men and women for prevention and treatment; tablets or injections are available; variety of dosing schedules (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly). Reclast® is an exception in that it is only available to postmenopausal women as a yearly injection. Fosamax® and Actonel® have been effective in preventing hip fractures as well as spinal fractures.

Cons: Common side effects are nausea, stomach pain, and loose bowel movements. With Fosamax® and Actonel® there is a low risk of ulcers in the esophagus and a rare risk of jaw breakdown after dental work.

Calcitonin (Fortical, Miacalcin)

Pros: slows bone breakdown; prevents spinal fractures; helps control pain; available to men and women with osteoporosis; choice of synthetic or natural hormone

Cons: taken as an injection or nasal spray; studies show that it may not be as effective as some drugs in increasing bone density; side effects can include nasal dryness and swelling.

Hormone Therapy (HT)

Pros: for postmenopausal women; used for prevention and treatment; also relieves symptoms of menopause; increases bone density and prevents spine fractures

Cons: long-term use can increase risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke; alternatives are explored before this option is chosen for osteoporosis; other side effects include depression, headaches, breast tenderness, and weight gain.

Careful Medication Choice is an Important Part of Osteoporosis Management

Your choice of medication is a personal decision in consultation with your doctor. Medication is an important part of osteoporosis management. There are four other very important ways to manage osteoporosis, which work with medication to strengthen bones and prevent fractures. They are:

• Regular exercise


• Balanced diet with calcium and vitamin D supplements


• Avoiding or reducing smoking, caffeine and alcohol


• Taking steps to prevent falls and fractures

Osteoporosis Symptoms and Treatment

One of the dangers of recognizing the symptoms of osteoporosis is that this disease can go undetected for years before any tangible signs are detected.

The gradual onset of osteoporosis will mean that while the bones are slowly being weakened, it's not until something slightly out of the ordinary may occur to your health, that people may explore the possibility that they may have this bone crippling disease.

Signs to look out for:

• Dull pains around the muscles or bones especially in the lower back.


• Gradual loss of height or a slight stoop and change in posture.


• Early stages of the menopause.


• Taking corticosteroids over long period of time.


• An innocuous bone fracture.


• Family history.

If you feel that any of these signs are applicable to you then you should contact your local doctor.

There are two types of osteoporosis, type I and type II:

Type I is much more prevalent in women and often occurs after the menopause as the bones resorption increases - i.e they lose their substance and symptoms tend to occur from the age of 50 upwards with a loss of strength in the spine and wrists.

Type II is more common after 70 and effects women more than men although less so than type I, and is typically the result of the decline in the bones outer hard shell and the spongy tissue inside.

The most likely place type II osteoporosis will develop is in the spine, neck, wrist, hand, hip or foot, where fractures that occur at a young age without detection like a stress fracture in the foot from stepping of a bus or bruising your hip from a fall in the snow - injuries we take to be part and parcel of everyday life - are often the precursor for this ailment.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis:

When you've been diagnosed with this disease, depending on where it's present in your body, the symptoms and treatment will vary.

Osteoporosis Back & Neck Symptoms:

Dull pains may lead to sudden sharp jolts of pain in the lower back or neck as it spreads, lasting from only a few days to a few months.

Spinal osteoporosis will often lead to "dowager's hump" - a stoop. This curvature of the spine is due to the compression placed on the vertebrae and is slightly more common in women.

Osteoporosis Foot Symptoms:

When it occurs in the foot, the patient often finds the pain hard to locate as this disease can radiate quite fast at times, where most of the bones in the foot become slowly demineralized, which can cause multiple arthritic pain in the joints.

Unfortunately when this occurs, to date it's irreversible as the lattice network of the bones has become completely eroded, so treating the symptoms as opposed to instructing remission is the only option. Wearing good arched thick comfy soles with tight laces will help as a practical measure.

Osteoporosis Hip Symptoms:

Until you fracture your hip they may be few if any signs or symptoms except slight aches in the joint. Once the disease is in advanced stages then deformity of the spine, back ache and stooping are common.

Not all osteoporosis of the hip is the same though. Transient osteoporosis of the hip occurs in middle-aged women and men and is normally brought on by obesity, but it is treatable and normally only lasts 6 months to a year.

Osteoporosis Hand and Wrist Symptoms:

Once again it's the lack of bone density that should be the tale-tale signs as to whether this disease is beginning to radiate through the hand, where movement of joints in the wrist and fingers are hindered and often painful on colder days.

It's not too common for this disease to become too degenerative in the fingers, but symptoms may include dislocating your thumb or fracturing a finger. It's damage to the wrist which is more disabling.

* With regards to all forms of osteoporosis, getting a bone density test is the easiest way to assess how bad the disease is.

Below you will find what doctors in the West will and won't prescribe to treat the symptoms of osteoporosis, but your own research should be the judge of this.

Treatment of Osteoporosis:

1. Take 800 units of vitamin D per day.


2. A rich calcium daily intake if your on a high acid diet, although there is much debate today as to whether this might contribute to the spread of the disease and that it has little effect on rebuilding the bone.


3. Rich vitamin K intake through diet and supplements.


4. Magnesium supplements.


5. Change from a high acid diet to a high alkaline one which include foods like boc choy, broccoli and romaine lettuce.


6. Stop, dramatically curb drinking and smoking habits.


7. Natural joint supplements that include omega 3, 6, 9 proteins plus additional anti-inflammatory ingredients like tongkat ali and reishi.


8. HRT's: Now this is considered a highly controversial treatment. Undergo estrogen therapy, or hormone replacement therapy at your own peril as the risks to your health are high.


9. Natural progesterone: As opposed to HRT's which don't build the bone but just slow the rate of the diseases progression, natural progesterone is argued to increase your bones strength and density by stimulating the osteoblasts, cells which build bone.


10. Exercise is key - period, especially swimming, yoga and low impact sports.

Bottom line:

What doctors will often not recommend are magnesium supplements, however in the Journal of Nutritional Medicine, 1991; 2:165-178, women who took these for 9 months were able to increase their bone density by some 11%, something calcium has not been medically proven to do.

Take for example cows. How do cows grow such large strong bones to support their frame when all they eat is grass each day?

High in magnesium which is the chlorophyll of the plant and low in calcium, you put that fact up against the dietary culture of Eskimos, who consume 2000 mg on average of calcium a day, but hold the record for the highest hip fracture rate among a community globally, it would suggest that even today what doctors in the West offer as the mandatory supplemental treatment for osteoporosis is somewhat questionable.

Yes, calcium supplements are beneficial if you consume a high acid diet as this is known to strip the calcium from the bones to counter the acid content, but there's little proof that calcium instructs remission and helps rebuild the bone, rather it just most likely dampens the damage your diet is inflicting.

Either way, the above recommendations should have some if not a marked impact on dulling the joint and muscle pain and restoring fluidity to movement, while potentially repairing damage to the bone.

However if it's the arthritis and joint pain from the osteoporosis that you want relief from, then fortunately unlike the disease itself, there are supplements that can treat this.

Human Growth Hormone - Osteoporosis Treatment

The human growth hormone is a natural substance that is secreted by the pituitary glands at the base of the brain. This hormone helps in the development of bone and muscle tissues - a necessary element in normal human growth. However, as people age, the level of hormonal secretion diminishes, and then it takes a long time for bones to repair itself when unfortunate incidents happen. Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone that is usually brought on by the onset of maturity or by other medically related bone dysfunctions. Having osteoporosis increases a person's risk of bone fracture or "bone break."

In osteoporosis, the bone mineral density or BMD is reduced. This causes the disruption of bone microarchitecture and the amount plus variety of non-collageneous proteins in the bone is altered. Simply put, the bone structure slows down the process of reinforcing itself with new protein materials, which makes bones less porous but more susceptible to breakage. Osteoporosis is often detected in women who have undergone menopause: a condition called post-menopausal osteoporosis.

However, men also acquire osteoporosis, as well as women who are years ahead of their menopausal stage. This medical condition can also be seen in individuals who have hormonal disorders or hormonal imbalance; individuals with chronic diseases; chronic smokers; and individuals who take certain medications particularly steroids which leads to steroid-induced osteoporosis (SIOP) or glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP.)

Introducing, or rather reintroducing human growth hormones into the body can work both as a preventive measure against and as an aid for slowing down osteoporosis. Bone degeneration is a likely occurrence in all humans, and there is no known cure yet to halt the erosion of bone tissue. The process can nonetheless, be slowed down in such a way that the patients can cope with less or little pain.

Coupled with a change in lifestyle (and even a change in medication-intake,) taking human growth hormones can help a person build up its bone mineral density or BMD again. Once BMD is stable, the production of bone proteins also stabilizes, reinforcing the porous part of the bones or bone marrow, and thereby making the skeletal frame harder yet more flexible. This flexibility is the key to help keep bone fractures at bay. Bones break because they become very brittle or too rigid.

Needless to say, (but we'll say it anyway) breaking your bones is not a pleasant experience. Even a hairline fracture in the bone structure can cause debilitating pain and worse, immobility. Healing bones will take weeks and even months, depending on the many variables like the extent of bone break, the way in which the bone is broken, the age of the person and if there are medical complications such as the onset of bone related diseases.

Unfortunately, for those who already have osteoporosis, broken bones take longer to mend. This is due to the fact that this medical condition forces slows down further the devlopment of the human growth hormone. Taken in prescribed dosages, this hormone can help speed up the production of BMD again, and may aid in strengthening bones against simple "accidents" which may lead to bone break or fractures.

Best and Alternative Treatments for Osteoporosis

Since osteoporosis is extremely hard to reverse, prevention still remains the best of all osteoporosis treatments. The major impediment towards prevention is limited knowledge and ability to do it. The best obvious way to keep fit and maintain it is through exercises and a change in lifestyle.

Regular exercises enhance the bone strength and keep you healthy and well. As well, the risks of heart diseases ig significantly lowered. Ceasing smoking is the next best way, and change of lifestyle.

Additionally, reduce the level of alcohol intake to reasonable limits, and you will keep away the orthopedic wards. For diet, make sure your meals are rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium. The medics recommend a daily 800mg intake of calcium.

Natural Osteoporosis Treatments

The next best alternative for osteoporosis treatments is to go natural. The natural treatments of osteoporosis are usually sought after by those adults who want to keep off side effects of medication. The commonest natural treatment method is through use of foods and foods supplements instead of using the chemically produced drugs. All medical studies have shown strong positive correlation between bone health and intake of foods and vegetables.

Thus, have a regular intake of them. The other natural way to deal with osteoporosis is reduction of alcohol and caffeine intake. Also reduce cola intake as its phosphorous contents adversely affect bone mineral density especially in women, this one of the most important osteoporosis guidelines.

Soy isoflavones are very ideal too. They contain some components and amino acids that are good for the bone health. The ultimate way is to take your daily recommended intakes of calcium and vitamin D. bask in the sun, especially in the twilights and consume the milk products regularly: they are rich in nutrients.

Apart from the natural ways, there are alternative treatments for osteoporosis.

Among them is the hormone and physical therapies.

For the hormone therapy as a way of osteoporosis treatments, involves working on the estrogen receptor modulators. The hormone replacement therapy of estrogen, especially after menopause helps maintain and boost the bone density. Caution should however be taken as regular use of this can cause blood clots, breast cancer and probably heart diseases.

The physical therapy on the other hand, is the exercises and procedures undertaken to build and boost your bone strength, enhance your posture and generally increase the muscle strength and body balance.

The other form of treatment is medication. These drugs are available to slow down bone mass loss and maintain it at safe levels. The first is biphosphonates. They work in similar manner like the estrogen: reducing bone breakdown, preserve the bone mass and keep chances of fractures low. They are specifically designed for men especially, who are the main victims of steroid-induced osteoporosis. However, they have adverse side effects.

The other one is Raloxifene. This type is a kind of the selective receptor estrogen modulators (SERMs). This is specifically made for women; however, those with a history of blood clots are advised to desist from using it.

The last of the medications is the Calcitonin. This is equivalent of the hormone produced by the thyroid gland, and works similarly as estrogen. It's administered through injection or nasal spray, and normally reserved for those who cannot take other drugs in osteoporosis treatments.