What
You Should Know And What You Can To Reduce Your Chances
Of Getting It
Introduction
I
am going to tell you what osteoporosis bone disease
is and the causes of it. You will learn about a state
of the art bone density test we have available in our
office which detects osteoporosis. You will also learn
about some preventive measures that combat osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis....the
silent opponent
Women
age 50 and older comprise 17% of the total population
of any country in the modern western world. These
women can expect to live one third of their lives
in a potential hormonal deficiency state and are greatly
at risk for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes approximately
1.2 million bone fractures each year. Tragically,
as many as one quarter of those who sustain a hip
fracture die within one year. The best treatment for
osteoporosis is prevention.
Often
called the "brittle bone disease", osteoporosis
is the softening and thinning of the bone that results
in loss of bone tissue and an increased risk of bone
fractures. This disease is characterized when bone minerals
(calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus) are gradually lost
from the inner cavity of the bone, weakening it significantly
and creating vulnerability to bone fractures.
Many
women feel that osteoporosis won't affect them since
they exercise, watch their diet, get enough calcium,
and have no symptoms. But osteoporosis is a "silent"
disease whereby women may have it for years and not
find out about it until they break a bone.
20
million American women have osteoporosis
Approximately
20 million older Americans, 80% of whom are women,
are at risk or already suffer from osteoporosis. It
is estimated that nearly one third of all American
women will develop osteoporosis severe enough to cause
a fracture during their lifetime.
Each
year 250,000 women will fracture their hip and as
many as one quarter of those who sustain a hip fracture
die within one year. Thousands will fracture their
wrist requiring casts and surgery. 500,000 vertebral
(back bone) fractures occur annually causing back
pain, shorter height, and curvature of the spine.
You
may be at risk of having osteoporosis if you are past
menopause
Bone
mass begins to decline at 35 years of age in women and
then accelerates declining quickly for the next eight
to ten years around the time of menopause. The reason
so many women get the disease is that hormonal changes
during menopause can lead to severe bone loss. If untreated,
women have a one in two chance during their lifetime
of breaking a deteriorated bone caused by osteoporosis.
Comparing those odds to the one in eight chance that
females have in developing breast cancer, there is an
urgency to detect this life threatening disease.
Other
causes of osteoporosis
Other
factors that may add to the risk of osteoporosis include: |
|
Remember:
Menopause is the single most important cause of osteoporosis.
Even if none of these factors apply to you, you may
still have or develop osteoporosis.
The
Bone Density Machine
Our
office has a machine that enables us to measure your
bone density. This is the only way you can know whether
or not you are susceptible to a low calcium deficiency
and how your bones are doing...in time to prevent a
fracture. This machine is called a Dual Energy X-ray
Absorptiometry (DEXA) and allows my technician to determine
your bone density measurements by generating a narrowly
focused x-ray beam across your wrist. You sit comfortably
on a chair in our office during this simple, painless
procedure that takes about 7 minutes. The x-ray beam
emits as little radiation as a dental x-ray.
The
machine prints out your bone density results in color.
At the conclusion of the test, you will be given an
interpretation of your results.
It
is particularly helpful to know the density of your
bones well in advance of a deteriorating state so that
you can focus on healthy bone maintenance.
Insurance
Coverage
Most
insurance companies reimburse for this procedure. Multiple
medical health plans are accepted (call the office for
a current, complete list).
Prevention...the
all natural way
Today,
more than ever, women are wanting natural products
for themeselves and their families. The foods they
eat, the lifestyles they enjoy, and the way they look
indicate an increased desire to consume and use all
natural products to promote good health. Dietary discipline
and all natural vitamins and minerlas are part of
the move in that direction. Preventive care in osteoporosis
is the best treatment and may be achieved through
dietary control and supplemental vitamins and minerals.
In
order for you to reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis,
the following are some guidelines for you to adhere
to during your lifetime. In my office, we have available
to our patients a series of all-natural, high quality
vitamins and minerals including calcium and vitamin
D.
-
Adhere
to a calcium enriched diet and disciplined diet.
The appropriate diet consists of at least
1000 milligrams of calcium per day from food,
supplements, or a combination of the two. If a
woman has reached the age of the menopause, her
intake should increase up to 1500 milligrams per
day. However, the average American woman 45 years
of age typically takes only 450 milligrams of
calcium daily. Foods such as milk, cheeses, (hard
cheeses have more calcium than do soft cheeses),
leafy green vegetables sardines, red salmon, and
nuts are a rich source of calcium.
-
Calcium
Supplements. If a woman cannot reach the amount
of calcium needed through her diet, calcium supplements
are important . There are numerous calcium supplements
on the market, so choosing the product that is
most effective is imperative. New research shows
that the nutrient boron may play a key role in
the retention of calcium. This is highly significant
because most of the supplemental calcium that
is taken is wasted through urine. A recent study
by the U.S Department of Agriculture showed that
within eight days of supplementing 3 mg. of boron
to a group of post menopausal women, all retained
much greater percentages of calcium, magnesium,
and phosphorus (the main minerals of comprising
bone) that normally would have been wasted through
urine. Boron has also been recognized as increasing
and protecting the estrogen levels in menopausal
women. Fruits and vegetables are rich in boron,
particularly pears, apples, raisins, grapes, dates,
peaches, nuts, honey, legumes, and leafy vegetables.
We have boron enriched calcium capsules in our
office available for purchase.
-
Vitamin
D. Vitamin D is an essential component of
a woman's diet in combating osteoporosis. All
American women should have 400 international units
of vitamin D per day from food, supplements, or
the combination of the two. A distinguished researcher
at the University of California at San Diego says
that older women who skimp on foods rich in vitamin
D are more likely to develop breast cancer. This
researcher also finds that dietary vitamin D wards
off post menopausal cancer in women over 50 but
not who get cancer at younger ages. The best sources
of Vitamin D are fatty fish such as salmon, sardines,
eel, mackerel, herring, tuna, and vitamin D fortified
milk. We have available in our office an all purpose
multimineral-multivitamin called Mini One Daily
which contains 400 I.U. of vitamin D and is taken
once daily.
-
Exercise
regularly. Exercises that stress your bones
and muscles (like walking, jogging, or lifting
weight) can help strengthen bones. Strong muscles
can reduce your chance of falling.
-
Abstaining
from smoking. If you smoke, stop! If you don't
smoke, don't start. Smoking weakens bones and
is bad for your heart and lungs.
-
Limit
your alcohol intake. Alcohol can slow down
bone building.
-
Estrogen
replacement therapy. Osteoporosis results
from calcium deficiency. The body's absorption
of calcium, essential for healthy bones and joints,
requires the female hormone estrogen. After the
menopause, the production of estrogen decreases
or ceases altogether. It is well established that
accelerated bone loss occurs in association with
estrogen deprivation. The reduction in estrogen
also helps explain the increased frequency of
bone fractures in women. Taking estrogen prevents
the rapid bone loss that happens at menopause,
taking estrogen can help prevent bone fractures.
Reduce
your chances of getting osteoporosis by scheduling a
bone density test
The
acquisition of a DEXA Bone Density machine has been
exciting to our office as we are now able to provide
you with the only known way to find out the status
of your bones. This simple, harmless test can help
prevent through early detection, the debilitating
process of osteoporosis. Our office is one of only
a few practices in Houston that has this innovative
bone density machine.
We
look forward to your next office visit
It
it has been a year since your last pap smear, if you
feel you may be at risk for osteoporosis, or if you
would simply like to know the current status of your
bones, call our office today at (713) 827-1500 to make
an appointment to schedule the bone density test.
Sincerely
Yours,
Pat Solis, M.D.
P.S.
We look forward to seeing you on your next office visit
and we would be delighted to offer our Bone Density
services to any of your family, friends, and co-workers. |
