Bone LossDoes Menopause cause bone loss...?Both men and women lose bone as they grow older. But dropping estrogen levels around the time of menopause also leads to a loss of bone in women. Estrogen helps to build and maintain bone. After menopause, the loss speeds up for several years as estrogen levels rapidly decrease. The loss can cause bones to weaken. Weak bones can break more easily. When bones weaken a lot, the condition is called osteoporosis (OSS-tee-oh-puh-ROH-suhss). OsteoporosisOsteoporosis or "porous bone" is a disease of the skeletal system characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue. Osteoporosis leads to an increase risk of bone fractures typically in the wrist, hip, and spine.
While men and women of all ages and ethnicities can develop bone loss or osteoporosis, some of the risk factors for osteoporosis include those who are:
To find out more about the prevalence and risk factors associated with osteoporosis, please visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Calcium and Bone Health...Bones play many roles in the body. They provide structure, protect organs, anchor muscles, and store calcium. Adequate calcium consumption and weight bearing physical activity build strong bones, optimizes bone mass, and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Peak bone mass refers to the genetic potential for bone density. By the age of 20, the average woman has acquired most of her skeletal mass. A large decline in bone mass occurs in older adults, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. For women this occurs around the time of menopause. It is important for young girls to reach their peak bone mass in order to maintain bone health throughout life. A person with high bone mass as a young adult will be more likely to have a higher bone mass later in life. Inadequate calcium consumption and physical activity early on could result in a failure to achieve peak bone mass in adulthood. CalciumCalcium is a mineral needed by the body for healthy bones, teeth, and proper function of the heart, muscles, and nerves. The body cannot produce calcium; therefore, it must be absorbed through food. Good sources of calcium include:
Testimonials...Author: Jean Funada 2005-04-28 "My 90-year-young mother just had a bone density scan because she has had severe loss of bone mass. Her rheumatologist was astounded because he said that she no longer has severe bone loss. He couldn't believe that her bone density improved so much in 1 year. Now what did she do differently? She has been taking BLM (Bones/Ligaments/Muscles)for around 8 months, just 1 level scoop a day. She can't take more because BLM is too high (for her) in potassium. I put the BLM in a 'jigger' of Berry Young Juice with a dash (about 1/2 tsp.) of Coral Sea. I don't know if it's the combination or the BLM which did it." Author: Mary Davis 2008-09-22 "My 89 year young mother-in-law was on 9 meds. One was Fosamax. She was frightened by all the potential side effects of the Rx's and wanted off. She began a program of ICP, Comfortone, 6 oz. NingXia Red daily, Omega Blue, Super Cal., Polyzyme + bouncing on a rebounder 10 minutes 3x daily. After 30 days she had a bone density done and it showed no signs of osteoporosis or other bone loss and she was able to discontinue the Fosamax. Was the Fosamax doing it's job, or did the exceptionally high quality nutritional support put her over the top? We gave her M.D. a list of everything above + plus a catalog to show we were using nutritional support to cover the bases. This helped educate him so he could make an informed decision about her medications. One down, eight to go." Blessings, Mary
|
