About Osteoporosis
Os·te·o·po·ro·sis
A medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue,
typically as a result of hormonal changes or deficiency of calcium or vitamin D.
Os·te·o·pe·ni·a
Reduced bone mass of lesser severity than osteoporosis.
Os·te·o·clast
A large multinucleate bone cell that absorbs bone tissue during growth and healing.
Os·te·o·blast
A cell that secretes the matrix for bone formation.
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a chronic disease characterized by crucial bone mineral loss which causes the bones to become weak and brittle leading to a high risk of fracture. Osteoporosis effects 44 million Americans or 55% of people age 50 or older. It is estimated that 10 million more undiagnosed cases of osteoporosis may be present along with another estimated 34 million people who are likely to have a bone mineral deficiency of lesser severity called osteopenia. It is projected that 60% of individuals with osteopenia will eventually reach osteoporosis if their condition is left unattended. Osteoporosis comes in two types. Type 1 is commonly found in women with decreased estrogen production due to menopause and vertebral fractures become common. Type 2 affects both male and female with a direct relation to the result of aging, This is usually due to reduced activity which can cause an annual rate of reduction in bone mass of .3%.
Effects of Osteoporosis
A loss in bone health can occur all throughout the body but it most commonly occurs in the hips, wrists and lumbar spine (lower back). The annual injury rate due to osteoporotic fracture is almost 3 times that of heart attacks with 1.5 million fractures occurring nationally on average. Of those fractures, 20% were hip fractures, 46% were fractures of the vertebral column and 14% were wrist fractures while the other 20% were fractures that occurred somewhere else on the body. If you are someone who has had a fractured hip, wrist, vertebral fracture or has Dowagers Hump (hunch in the middle-upper back/rounding of the shoulders) then it is more likely that you have osteoporosis. Without any of these conditions you may not know if you have osteoporosis until it’s too late. Ask your doctor about getting a DEXA/DXA bone scan bone scan if you have any concerns.
What Can You Do to Correct or Prevent Osteoporosis?
You may have been told that with Osteoporosis or decreased bone mineral density, that there is no way to increase bone health and that the process can only be slowed or stopped. This is not the case. Bone is living tissue which is formed by a process called Ossification. Your bones are constantly being renewed as osteoclast cells breakdown bone tissue while osteoblast cells rebuild the bone stronger. It is important for you to keep these osteoblast cells working. Osteoblast Training® does this. It aids in building bone mineral density by creating a greater demand of osteoblast cells by placing a strain on the bones. Osteoblast Training® restarts your ossification and bone remodeling process by placing a weight bearing stimulus on your bone in order to cause atrophy to the bone. When there is more pressure imposed on your bone, osteoclast cells are recruited to begin breaking down the bone. When this occurs, dormant and new osteoblast cells are sent to repair your bones stronger than before.
Medical conditions associated with reduction in Bone Mineral Density
- AIDS/HIV
- Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
- Leukemia
- Malabsorption syndrome [Celiac disease, Lactose intolerance, Irritable Bowel, Crones]
- Hormonal Imbalance causing diseases [Cushing ’s syndrome, Hypothyroidism, Thyroid cancer, hypoestrogenism, estrogen deficiency, Low Androgen (Testosterone), Hypoandrogenism.]
- Amenorrhea [missed menstrual cycle]
- Stroke
- Thalassemia
- Eating disorders [Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, hypocaloric diet, inadequate diet.]
- Nutrient deficiencies [Vitamin D (sometimes considered a hormonal imbalance because Vitamin D is produced within the body and is often referred to as a hormone), Iron(anemia), Calcium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Magnesium, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Zinc, Protein.]
Risk Factors for Osteoporosis
- Personal history of fracture as an adult
- History of Fragility fracture in a first degree relative
- Low body weight (<127lb/57kg)
- Current Smoker
- Current Drinker (More than 2 drinks per day)
- Use of oral Corticosteroid therapy beyond 4 months.
- Estrogen Deficiency at an early age (<45 years)
- Poor health/Frailty
- Recent falls
- Low calcium intake (lifelong)
- Sedentary Lifestyle/Low Physical Activity
Medications that contribute to Osteoporosis
- Aromatase Inhibitors (Arimidex, Aromasin, Femara)
- Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone agonists (Lupron, Synarel, Zoladex etc.)
- Thyroid replacement therapy (Synthroid, Levoxyl and Tirosint.)
- Antiepileptic’s (Lorazepam, Diazepam, clobazam.)
- Anti-depressants (Zoloft, Prozac, Sarafem, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Pexeva, Brisdelle, Luvox)
- Antipsychotics (Abilify, Clozaril, Geodon, Latuda, Risperdal, Saphris, Seroquel, Zyprexa, Vraylar)
- Lithium (Prozac, Paxil, Sertraline, Zoloft, Elavil, Anafranil, Tofranil)
- Gastric acid lowering agents (Prilosec/Losec, Prevacid, Nexium, Protonix, Aciphex)
- Thiazolidinedione’s (Actoplus Met, Duetact, Avandamet)
- Loop diuretics (Bumex, Edecrin, Lasix, Demadex)
- Heparin
- Warfarin
- Cyclosporine