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Articles
Preventing Osteoporosis
by Dennis Buckley
THE PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGE January 2008 volume 2
PREVENTING OSTEOPOROSIS by Dennis R. Buckley, DC
Osteoporosis is a condition that negatively affects many people, mostly women, and can lead to a variety of clinical and functional problems. It is the loss of bone density and quality of bone in the body that weakens it making one more susceptible to fractures and restricted motions of the body.
The good news is that the majority of osteoporosis cases can be prevented. Bone is living tissue and is constantly breaking down and being rebuilt. The health of the bone is dependent on activities such as weight bearing exercises, healthy habits (no smoking, limiting alcohol, caffeine, and sugar) and providing proper nutrients to the body through the foods we eat.
It has been shown in research that osteoporosis is a lifetime disease, which means that the chance of developing it is related to habits over a lifetime. Many women today in their 50's and 60's have a higher incidence of osteoporosis than before based on the fact that when they were children, adolescents, and teenagers, it was the 1950's and 1960's. Many cultural changes took place during that time. Fast food, increase in cigarette smoking, an increase in the use of legal and illegal drugs, birth control pills, increased sugar consumption, snack foods, and stress, all contributed to the weakening of the bones.
Currently children in the US, consuming a typical nutrient deficient Western diet, are setting the stage for an onset of osteoporosis (along with diabetes) earlier in life. Most twelve to nineteen year olds do not consume the minimum daily recommended allowances of calcium, vitamin A and magnesium. Soft drinks make up one-third of an adolescents daily beverage intake. This depletes bone calcium.
The average teenager is getting twenty teaspoons of sugar a day from soft drinks alone. Excess sugar consumption upsets the natural balance of calcium and phosphorus in the bone. High fructose corn syrup, the predominate sugar in soft drinks, inhibits your normal metabolism by altering the magnesium balance (which is important for calcium absorption) which in turn accelerates bone loss.
Other factors that affect bone loss are the aging process itself, taking stomach acid reducing drugs, corticosteroid drugs and diuretics which deplete calcium.
Luckily there are many things we can do as individuals to prevent osteoporosis especially in our children.
Individuals who wish to avoid osteoporosis would be wise to eat more fruits and vegetables, especially dark green leafy vegetables, maintain a consistent weight bearing exercise program, avoid soda's, avoid bad habits such as smoking, excess alcohol or sugar, take a great multivitamin supplement and extra calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D.
Structural integrity of the body also creates less wear and tear so keeping your body in proper alignment by regular check ups and adjustments, proper posture and stretching will reduce the stress on your bones and joints, reducing the chance of injury, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
You hold the key to health and/or illness in the choices you make each and every day. Make the right choice and you will reap the benefits of a healthy body.
In life we are guaranteed two pains, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. One weighs ounces, the other tons. The choice is yours.
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Dr. Buckley is a health care provider on the cutting edge of strategies and information to help you preserve and protect your health. To be successful in health you need to "Get Real & Get Going." This requires self responsibility and the courage to face up to where you are really at and where you may be headed. His information is straightforward and to the point with actions you can take immediately. His patients love him and now he is making his information available to everyone. Go to www.performance-advantage.net to sign up for his free e-zine.
Contact the author, Dennis Buckley
, at TriDocD@aol.com
.