Osteoporosis

The loss of bone tissue can be detrimental to your health. With weak, brittle bone tissue, bumping into a table, or tripping and falling can be life threatening.
While most people associate osteoporosis with women, its important to remember that men are susceptible too.  Women are more likely to break a hip from a fall, but men are more likely to die from complications if they do break a hip.

There are two things you can do now to help prevent the disease.
1. Getting enough vitamin D and Calcium.  Bone tissue is alive and constantly being broken down and built up depending on your blood calcium levels. Talk to you doctor about supplements
2. Exercise. Weight bearing exercise - such as weight lifting, or running because of the impact puts stress on the cells in your muscle and bones.  We know this helps build up muscle, but did you know it also helps to build up bone. The stress causes a response in your bones to get stronger, and therefore your body builds more dense bone tissue.

Exercise guidelines:
under 18 - 1hr x day
19-50+ - 1hr x 3 days a week

Women over 50 should get a  bone density test and younger women should be tested if they have 1 major risk factor, or 2 minor risk factors ( listed below)

Major:
• A family history of the disease
• Long-term use of steroids
• Loss of menstrual periods in younger women
• Having had a low-trauma fracture (a fracture that results from a fall from standing height or less—usually the wrist, arm or hip)
Minor:
• Body weight of less than 125 pounds
• Low calcium intake
• Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day
• Drinking more than two alcoholic drinks a day
• Smoking