How Will YOU Manage Osteoporosis?

written by Dr. Michael Kaye |

In 1993 I moved back to Pennsylvania from California. It was great to be with family and friends again. When I returned to my neighborhood, it was fun to visit with all the old neighbors. One of my neighbors was very much the “grandma type”. She greeted me at the door and said, “Oh my! Look how you’ve grown!” I thought to myself, either I have really have grown to a new height (and I knew I didn’t) or this woman is shrinking.

It was obvious she was suffering with osteoporosis. Awareness is the key in preventing osteoporosis . The fact is our bones are at their strongest when we are around 30 years old. After this point, bone naturally depletes and is no longer restored as quickly as it’s broken down. The more bone you place in your bone bank through proper nutrition and exercise, the longer your bone mass will remain strong.

Osteoporosis is truly one of those “after-thought” conditions. Many women are surprised to receive the results of their bone density test in their 40s and realize they are already losing bone and run the risk of developing osteoporosis. Women who have already gone through menopause may feel as though they have few options to stop a process that began a while ago. The fact is, there are many ways you can lower your risk of fractures and slow osteoporosis!

Osteoporosis is diagnosed when bone density reaches a T-score that deviates from the standard (average bone density of 30 year old) bone density more than 2.5 standard deviations. That’s a mouthful for saying your bone density has changed enough since you were 30 to increase your risk of fracture. However, this number isn’t entirely damning. Women who are overweight run a higher risk of fracture due to the stress the excess weight places on the body during a fall. Women who have a smaller frame have a higher risk than women with a larger bone frame. Women who take medications that can cause dizziness have a higher fracture risk due to increased falls.

In the past, women have relied on hormone or estrogen replacement therapy (HRT or ERT) to prevent bone loss after menopause . Unfortunately, the risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, heart disease, early dementia and more make this a choice for very few women. As well, many women believe taking a calcium supplement will help, but this isn’t entirely correct either.

Calcium is an important factor in bone health, but so are Vitamin D and many, many minerals. Optimal bone health relies on a balance of all of these in the body. In fact, when one mineral is overly abundant or deficient, the body works to return balance by taking mineral out of bone and excreting it through the urine. As well, calcium needs other nutrients in order for it to be absorbed properly, so taking a calcium supplement alone may not be the right answer. However, just to confuse you a bit, it’s not necessarily the wrong answer either.

Taking a calci...

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