What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis actually derives from the term "porous bones." When you have osteoporosis, your bones become weak and brittle. These porous bones can be so brittle that even a mild bang or stress like bending over can cause a fracture. A major cause of this weakness in the bone structure has lack of calcium, phosphorus or other minerals in the bones.

When someone suffers from osteoporosis, it is usually just a matter of time before they fracture a bone. Common areas for these fractures to occur include the spine, hip or wrist. We tend to think of osteoporosis as being an affliction of women but a surprising number of men also suffer.

But hope is at hand. There are many things one can do to both prevent a reduction in bone density as well as improve the condition and health of your bones.

SYMPTOMS

One challenge with osteoporosis, and a possible reason that so many people suffer from this affliction, is that there is no pain in the early stages. As your bones deteriorate and become brittle, you may be totally unaware. But once the bones weaken to the point where you have osteoporosis the following symptoms become common:

• Stooped posture
• Getting shorter or loosing height
• Fractures - especially of the wrists, hips, vertebrae and other bones
• Back pain which can be especially severe once you fracture a vertebra or have a collapsed vertebra

RISK FACTORS

Many factors can influence the likelihood of you developing osteoporosis. These include:

Your gender. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to fracture bones due to osteoporosis. One reason is that women tend to have lower bone mass than men in general. Another reason is that women outlive men. Another factor is the sudden drop in estrogen at menopause that can accelerate bone loss. Women who are thin or have small frames are particularly at risk. Likewise, men who have low levels of testosterone also tend to be at greater risk. The onset of osteoporosis in men is typically after age 75.

Race. If you are Caucasian or Southeast Asian, you have a greater likelihood of developing osteoporosis. Blacks and Hispanics have a somewhat lower risk.

Family history. Genetics matters a lot and we find that osteoporosis tends to run in families.

Frame size. If you are very thin, or have a small body stature, you will have a higher likelihood of developing osteoporosis. This is because you have small bones to begin with and as they loose mass with age, there is less left.

SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Both men and women who use SSRIs show lower bone mineral density. SSRIs are common in antidepressants. However, the research is not conclusive on why this is the case. Doctors do not recommend stopping taking SSRIs due to a fear of bone loss.

Use of medications containing corticosteroid. Certain medications which use corticosteroid can be damaging to bone. These medications are often prescribed for such common conditions as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or even asthma. Those who must take steroid medications should have their bone density monitored and possibly take other medications instead, in order to prevent bone loss.

Thyroid hormone. Bone loss can also be caused by excessive thyroid hormone. An over active thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or excess amounts of thyroid hormone medication to treat an under active thyroid are common reasons why you may have higher than average exposure to thyroid hormone.

Other drugs. The cancer treatment drug methotrexate, the blood-thinning drug heparin, some anti-seizure medications, aluminum containing antacids and diuretics can also cause porous bones and bone mass loss.  We will talk extensively about antacids in later chapters.

Lifetime exposure to estrogen. A woman with a higher lifetime exposure to estrogen will have a lower risk of osteoporosis. As an example, women who have a later menopause or began menstruating earlier are at lower risk. A woman who has a lower exposure to estrogen (from more infrequent menstrual periods or menopause before age 45) will often develop osteoporosis earlier.

Smoking. If you use tobacco, you also have a higher likelihood of developing osteoporosis, although it is not entirely clear why this is the case.

But there is hope!

This does not mean it is all bad. Through proper nutrition, diet and exercise you can reverse and rebuild lost bone mass and regain your health and vitality. My book, Freedom from Osteoporosis and Osteopenia explains, in a step-by-step fashion how to naturally relieve the trauma and pain of brittle bones.

Click here for information on my book