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Osteoporosis and Menopause
Osteoporosis is one of the most common symptoms of menopause. Doctors say almost all women will have certain level of osteoporosis in their lifetime. This symptom can be very complicated and dangerous if it is not given the right attention. So please take your time to read this page which provides important and useful information, to learn how to manage osteoporosis in a clever way.
What is Osteoporosis and Menopause?
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Normally, a human being loses 1% of his bone mass every year. But, if you are a woman with menopause, you will probably lose between 2% and 7% of your bone mass.
Osteoporosis can cause great health risks indeed, as your bones are susceptible to breaks and fractures.
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Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone disorder which consists on the bone getting thinner and weaker (a general decrease in the bone mass and density).
Our bones are composed of two major elements: minerals (including calcium and phosphorous) and bone cells (consisting of osteoblasts and osteoclasts).
Osteoclasts eat away our bones, while the osteoblasts help to recreate them. In order to stay strong and healthy, both the Osteoclasts and the Osteoblasts must work properly so that our bones constantly regenerate themselves.
Osteoporosis makes bones more susceptible to breaks and fractures. Bone loss itself does not cause any symptoms until a fracture occurs, often as a result of a simple fall. Wrist, spine and hip are the most affected places. Such injuries can significantly reduce quality of life, independence and, in the case of hip fracture, can shorten your life. |
What causes Osteoporosis and Menopause?
The leading cause of osteoporosis is hormone imbalance, particularly estrogen which maintains the osteoclasts (the bone cell breaker) at a controlled amount. Therefore, when estrogen level drops; the body's ability to regenerate the bones is reduced because the bone cell breakers are uncontrolled. The osteoclasts overrun the osteoblasts (the bone cell producer), making women lose more bone mass than normally. This imbalance leads to bone density and mass diminution. |
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Menopause does affect your bones. For the Osteoclasts (bone cell breaker) not to outnumber the bone cell producer, a balanced level of estrogen hormones is needed. This estrogen imbalance, produced mainly by menopause, is the most common cause of Osteoporosis.
Other less frequent factors that could contribute to bone loss include inadequate intake of calcium and vitamin D, poor weight-bearing, muscle exercise and the use of certain medications. Even though, these osteoporosis causes are not as frequent as the hormonal imbalance factor.
Osteoporosis can turn into a difficult symptom to face up if women don't deal with it appropriately. So, better inform yourself more about what to do for preventing and dealing osteoporosis.
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| Women should have their doctor check them for osteoporosis once they enter menopause. In order to do this, he will perform a bone density scan, which measures the amount
of minerals in their bones. This determines in which stage of osteoporosis you are. |
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What to do about Osteoporosis and Menopause?
First, we must have in mind that preventing osteoporosis is much easier than treating it. So the first step should be to control the estrogen and calcium levels in your body that are the main components for a healthy bone. In this way, either stopping osteoporosis development or not even letting osteoporosis appear depends on how early and smart we take care of our estrogen and calcium levels.
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Therefore, healthy nutrition is important since calcium and vitamin D are absorbed from everyday food. So, for preventing osteoporosis we should think on having a healthy body and this can be accomplished by following a healthy diet and some kind of exercise program. Nonetheless, because balancing estrogen levels is the most important and effective way to deal with osteoporosis, you should have in mind that just a healthy nutrition and exercise program maybe is not enough nor easy to accomplish. |
Even though there are several ways to manage osteoporosis, one of the best ways is combining a healthy nutrition and exercise with some kind of alternative medicine. You can click on one of the links in the article below to learn more about the osteoporosis treatment that most suits you.
Which are the best ways to cope with osteoporosis and menopause?
Three levels of approaches can be considered for treating Osteoporosis:
(1)lifestyle changes, (2)alternative approaches and (3)drugs and surgery. The safest way is to start with the least risky approach for osteoporosis and menopause and go on to the next level only if it is necessary. Click on treatments for osteoporosis and menopause and learn much more about these three excellent approaches. |
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