Causes of Osteoporosis (OP)(Keywords: Causes of osteoporosis, symptoms of osteoporosis, what is osteoporosis, chiropractic, walking benefits) There is nothing mysterious about the causes of Osteoporosis. Mostly it is well known, and well researched. What is controversial is what to do about it. Why then, one may ask, is OP so prevalent and such a cause of misery? Could it be that in the Symptoms of Osteoporosis we may find the key to this brooding question? The answer is a big Yes! Like many serious diseases, there are few or no symptoms until it's too late. Only this one doesn't kill its victims. It just makes them supremely miserable.
- Robert Frost
CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENTYou needn't be unduly anxious about chiropractic treatment if you have OP. Your chiropractor will adjust his technique as you get older. Whilst a cracked rib from a chiropractic adjustment can and does happen (I confess to five in thirty years), it is a rare occurence, and should not deter you from the benefits of having a painful subluxated rib adjusted. I adjust elderly women every single day, always with the causes of osteoporosis in mind. Both by modifying my technique, and in encouraging women to make the right changes in lifestyle timeously. Because, by the time it's diagnosed, it is usually too late to do much about osteoporosis.
What is Osteoporosis?
- Longfellow.
Osteoporosis occurs when the bone density drops alarmingly with a resultant increase in the risk of bone fracture. Since it is a silent, progressive disease, it invariably catches women by surprise. “Not for a second did I suspect that I... why didn't someone warn me about the causes of osteoporosis?” cry many indignantly. However, they should have suspected, because every Caucasian woman particularly - Whites - should presume she is will in the future have osteopenia (lowered bone density which is quite normal in the older woman) which often may progress to osteoporosis. The controversial part is when and why does osteopenia (normal) progress to osteoporosis (definitely not normal, and a prelude to fracture), and what to do about it. Drug companies, and some doctors, would have it that every woman should take medication to prevent osteoporosis. Not that we should become neurotic about our state of health, but when it comes to high risk disease, it’s worth being abreast of the facts. There are four more common causes of Osteoporosis (OP).
"Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another. John Muir, Naturalist and explorer (1838-1914)
It happens in the body too. Osteoclasts are ever breaking down bone cells, and osteoblasts are at work building and creating new strong bone cells. The trick is never to allow the osteoclasts to get the upper hand. Walking and good nutrition, plenty of vitamin D, that's what encourages the friendly osteoblasts.
FROM THE COAL FACEMrs Hanisch is 84, a dear lady, one of my favourite patients. She has been coming in now for six months, and declares that the severe, and I mean severe, low back pain that she experienced for four years is at least 70% better.Osteoporosis is often used as a cop-out diagnosis. When the doctor no longer knows what to do, the patient is told that they have osteoporosis (or arthritis, or ...) and they have to learn to live with the pain. So it is with Mrs Hanisch. She has a scoliosis, she has arthritis, she has osteoporosis, but NONE OF THESE WERE THE CAUSE OF HER PAIN! She had a severely fixated sacrum, probably that started after a fall on the ice outside her home some four years ago. Since then she has unrelenting misery. She first consulted me, bent over, and in severe pain. Our critics complain bitterly that we make our patients come back again and again, make them dependent on us, so we can make more money. In effect, that we are screwing them. Try telling that to Mrs Hanisch! We are gradually tapering off the treatment. Her next appointment is in a month. Fraud, or just good sound health care? You be the judge. Question: Is the medical management of a severe case of diabetes, or emphysema, or heart disease, or schizophrenia any different? She does her exercises faithfully, and recognises that she cannot move furniture, or use the vacuum cleaner any longer. She hasn't since the fall in any case. Fortunately her husband is in good health! She walks daily, steadfastly refusing to use a stick, to my irritation. The elderly can be feisty! Common Chiropractic causes of Low Back Pain can be found in the slipped disk, sacroiliac joint anatomy, lumbar facet syndrome, lower back and leg pain, and Maignes syndrome:
1. Lifestyle causes of OsteoporosisThe causes of osteoporosis are mainly about lifestyle. Why is it so important? Because it will certainly affect your quality of life. Brittle bone disease means pain, and it means limited mobility. Ultimately, an early reliance on the walker and wheelchair, and Godforbid, loss of indepence.Because every woman should assume she is going to have brittle bones to one degree or another, it's not something we should brush aside and ignore. Many do, of course. Well, having said that, many women do ignore it, thinking that it's only when you reach 60 or 70 that you should be changing your way of life. By then, the worst of the damage is already done. We can brush it aside, but it may have awesome consequences. Diabetics, both Type I and II, are prone to more broken bones. Diabetic Osteoporosis should be considered by every diabetic patient. It really is a manageable disease, but if you break the rules ....
Dutch proverb. Read more about Diabetes Osteoporosis ... ChildrenPeak bone mass is reached around twenty years of age. If your child does not reach an adequate peak, she is already pre-programmed for OP. In the United Kingdom now, women are breaking their hips before fifty years of age!Since the arrival of junk food, teen alcohol and smoking, and so-called progressive governments who thought that limiting school exercise programs would save money and reduce taxes, or worse still enable them to divert more money to their armaments programs, the incidence of osteoporosis has increased alarmingly. Guns before butter, lower taxes before a proper education, which should include a manditory sports program for every single child. Rather, challenge your MP to think about the causes of osteoporosis.
It's always nice to get a testimonial! "Thank you so much for helping humanity become healthier, happier and to smile more, much more." Lydia Calcium supplements and DrugsWhat remains controversial is how much calcium we should be taking and in what form, and the part played by drugs such as Fosamax which may have serious side-effects. If the calcium in your tablets is not absorbable, then it will pass straight through the gut. Moreover, if there is no demand from the bones for more calcium then it's also not utilized. Cells are rebuilt every three months so, with good material to build from (good diet) and a healthy exercise program, you can build stronger bones.
So first and foremost the calcium must be in an absorbable form (talk to your pharmacist, often hypoxyapetite and citrates are used) and secondly women should exercise regularly so that their bones will demand more calcium. Calcium is required to support bone growth, bone healing and maintain bone strength and is one aspect of the treatment of osteopenia. It is known that some groups of people with very low calcium intake still have very strong bones, and that others on high calcium (and high protein) diets, especially from dairy products still have brittle bone disease. So the whole subject of the causes of osteoporosis remains difficult and controversial, but what is known is that a twenty minute walk in the sun at lunch time, apple in hand rather than a high protein sandwich, with a hat! on your head to keep the skin cancer at bay, will go a long way in preventing brittle bone disease. It's also known that people who walk have much better balance, and don't fall nearly as much. Falls mean broken bones. However, the attempts by certain unscrupulous drug companies, at the stroke of a pen, to turn nearly half the female population into fearful drug takers, should be fiercely resisted. Such sleight of hand to grossly increase their profits is obscene. For more authoritative information on this subject,
click here: OSTEOPENIA ... 
So, in ages hence, what will your child be saying with a sigh? "Thank God, Mom taught me good eating habits, and Dad introduced me to the joy of walking, or ...?" More about Lifestyle.Secondly, considering lifestyle, it's now been adequately proved that both alcoholism (more than two (women) and three (men) drinks a day, every day) and smoking are serious causes of osteoporosis that will turn normal osteopenia into pathological OP.Like all diseases these factors are additive. Smoking means less oxygen for the tissues, so most smokers are unable to walk as far. They tire quickly and consequently don't like walking. If it's combined with alcohol abuse and oft associated poor diet, then you are programmed for misery. For more about the walking benefits,
click here: WALKING BENEFITS ... 2. Post-menopausal causes of osteoporosis.After menopause there is a drop in circulating estrogen, the major cause of osteopenia. However this should not be considered pathological. It's quite normal, and happens to every woman, and some men. And by no means does every woman fracture a hip!May I say it again: Post-menopausal osteopenia is quite normal. It is definitely not a time to start swallowing hormone tablets - we know that they are a major cause of cancer of the breast and uterus, and some forms of stroke. But it is time to consider certain other changes that we will summarise at the end of this chiropractic webpage. Men can get it too! Can you see that he has a short leg (on the left), a tilted pelvis and a resultant curvature of the spine? It hurts, I promise you. He has either a
3. Steroid medicationCortisone treatment is known to be one of the causes of osteoporosis as it shuts down your own adrenal glands.The problem however is that in certain auto-immune diseases, and allergic diseases such as asthma, it simply can't be avoided. Given the choice between dying in an asthmatic attack or taking cortisone, it's quite clear what the correct decision is. Where we as chiropractors disagree profoundly with modern medicine is the free use of cortisone for joint pain. One or two injections probably will not have a serious affect on your bones (though they do weaken tendons that may rupture, as in a rotator cuff syndrome) but the prescription of glucocorticoids for long periods of time for joint pain we consider scandalous, especially if other conservative treatment for chronic joint pain has not been fully explored. Lithium (for depression), Immunosuppression (for auto-immune diseases), some seizure medications and some forms of Chemotherapy increase your risk. In all probability, if you are taking these, it cannot be avoided. So look at the Lifestyle causes of OP for alternatives. For some extremely interesting, controversial, coalface research on the diseases of the Immune System (like Rheumatoid arthritis and Ulcerative Colitis)
follow this link. DISEASES OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ...
- Ray Bradbury
4. Parathyroid deficiency as a causes of osteoporosisThe Parathyroid gland regulates calcium concentrations in the fluids in the body. These calcium ions are are very tightly controlled by the body for normal muscle, nerve, kidney ... function and, in the absence of PTH, calcium ion concentration drops, and the body starts to rob the bones for calcium. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.For more information about this complex condition,
click here … emedicine/topic1131 5. Coeliac Disease and Causes of OsteoporosisIf you suffer from chronic diarrhoea, a malabsorption syndrome caused by an adverse reaction of the body to gluten, the protein in wheat, barley and rye, should be considered. It's called Coeliac Disease and is one of the causes of osteoporosis.Exhaustive tests are not necessary. All that is required is to go off ALL gluten products for at least a month, and see what effect it has. Researchers who placed patients with coeliac disease on a gluten-free diet found that it led to an improvement in both their diarrhoea and their bone density levels. This is because the inflammation of Coeliac Disease leads to atrophy of the villae, small finger-like projections responsible for absortion of nutrients like calcium, in the gut. It is estimated that about 10% of the population suffer from Coeliac Disease, mostly undiagnosed.
Symptoms of OsteoporosisEarly osteoporosis has absolutely no symptoms. It’s one of those silent diseases that creep up on us. Hence it’s best for women to assume that they will get it, without becoming overly neurotic. Chiropractic management of the disease is all about prevention, and except in extreme cases without the use of drugs.The first symptom is often when an older person bends over and lifts something like a bucket of water. Bingo, sharp, disabling pain in the lower-mid back. Your chiropractor will always start with an x-ray. Manipulation obviously is contra-indicated. Another first sign is a minor fall which fractures a wrist or hip. Instantly, the healthy, independent, pain-free person is faced with massive pain, loss of independence and a potentially bleak future. Whilst the fracture usually heals, perhaps with the help of pin or plate, further fractures are in the pipeline. This is especially true in smokers – the bone is less likely, and at the very least, will take longer to heal due to lack of oxygen. Fractures in the spine result in an increased curve and, if it’s quite high in the back, a dowager’s hump. In the low back it is extremely disabling and painful. Unlike most fractures, your chiropractor will by reluctant to suggest the normal six weeks of rest that a fracture requires – this will further complicate the existing osteoporosis. You sit between the devil and the deep blue sea! A corset helps. Height loss is inevitable. Whilst not wanting to over-emphasize the drama that occurs at the sudden loss of independence and severe pain in an otherwise healthy and fit person, this really does happen, and the time to do something about it is long before the drama starts. In fact, it starts with teaching your child about the causes of osteoporosis, to eat correctly and to exercise regularly. At the same time you will greatly decrease the likelihood of developing the dread disease yourself. That’s now! Today! Go for a walk!
Probably the most important and effective thing you can do to ward off the causes of osteoporosis, is to take a daily walk. In the sunshine, with a hat!The vibration and shocks that rock your bones are what create the demand for calcium. The usual recommendations are twenty EXTRA minutes every day. Or could you do an hour, three times a week? There is a simple little test, called the Kasch Pulse recovery Test (don't get put off by the name), that will give you a pretty shrewd idea of where you rate in terms of cardio-vascular fitness. It only takes three minutes, and a 12 inch step. If you rate poorly, go for shorter walks more often, to begin with. If you rate well, you could go for longer, but less often. This may suit the lifestyle of many working women, and the sun doesn't shine every day. It also means you can visit more interesting places. Thinking about the causes of osteoporosis doens't have to be all bad. Turn it to your overall benefit. Take the Kasch pulse recovery test .... It's very simple. Every tried Geo-caching? A wonderful way to see new places and stop one of the main causes of osteoporosis!
Which road will you take? You can be sure it will make all the difference.
Yes, is would seem the cause of the horrid mouth/lip swelling must have been the Osteobon. It is not entirely better-- still on luke-warm tea (urgh) -- but eating much more normally. I wonder if I'll ever recover those lost kilos! Might have another bone-density test? The Fosomax did not seem to bother me, but at this stage not keen to have anything ! Unwise? Hello B, Sorry about the side-effects of your supposed osteoporosis medication. Frankly the six months of severe mouth pain, quite marked weight loss have totally outweighed any possible benefit from these medications. Whilst not against medication for osteoporosis, let's recognise that all medications have side-effects and because you are so active, are a non-smoker, have not had a hysterectomy, I question the necessity at 85 for taking this medication. Is the treatment worse than the disease? Always be careful with generics. Arthritis and Causes of Osteoporosis.CAUSES OF OSTEOPOROSIS and arthritis go hand in hand, though the causes, and the results are quite different. Many people have been told their pain is a result of osteoporosis whilst in actual fact it comes from wear and tear in their joints. Cold water fish has proven anti-inflammatory properities. For a delicious way to enjoy your fish, and get some pain relief perhaps,
click here: FISH SOUP ... INDEPENDENCE and the SENIOR CITIZEN.Whilst old-age homes certainly have a place, to my mind staying in your own home, with a little help makes a lot more sense. Someone to help with the shopping, and perhaps take your arm when you're going for a walk. Even a live-in companion or nurse.So what is that SENIORCITIZENSWANT? Hope you can read the hieroglyphics. This website will give some excellent insights...
What do senior citizens want? SENIORCITIZENSWANT ... IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONSGo from Causes of Osteoporosis to CHIROPRACTIC HELP home page … Monthly newsletterSigned up for our once a month newsletter yet? We keep it that way to save you from information overload. Lots of pithy stuff about chiropractic, diet, exercise and much more.
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