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“I have been diagnosed with Osteopenia. My physician wants me to use Boniva, what insights can you give?” Osteopenia, like Osteoporosis, is not a “Disease” to me like many physicians refer to it. Instead, I look at these as “conditions,” because they are not viral, bacterial, or shared / passed around. These conditions are results of the way we live. Menopause is often blamed for this condition, but it is not the cause. Hormone changes can affect your bone health, but they do not “cause” thinning bones. It is in our power to make changes and even reverse these conditions. In our society today, we have developed habits that deplete our bones, robbing them of nutrients. In general, we do not follow healthy diets and good exercise/labor. Hard work, labor, and exercise actually help to keep our bodies health. Our diets need to support the body to build new bone as well as remove old bone cells. This is the function of Osteoclasts, your old bone removal system, and Osteoblasts, which build new bone. If your Osteoclasts are working harder than the Osteoblasts, you have bone thinning. With a good treatment plan, both of these processes work and you maintain healthy, strong bones. Bone grows slowly, but can regain its health over time. Megadosing on Calcium is not the answer. Boniva is also not the answer. You will need to take an active part in your bone health. Excellent results come from exercise. Concentrate on balance and coordination exercises to help maintain your stability and help prevent the chances of falling or injury. Research has shown that new bone growth is stimulated with weight-bearing exercise or “resistance” exercise. You should check with your healthcare provider, a trainer, therapist or your physician to see how to start your program if you have never exercised. I prefer swimming, walking, and cycling to the gym workouts, but I also do many hours of gardening. Gyms offer many forms of aerobics, resistance machines, gymnastics, dance, and weight training. Yoga and Ti Chi are wonderful forms of exercise and can be found at many levels from simple beginners, specialized for health concerns, and advanced. One of the best exercises to do everyday is to always get up from your chair without using your hands. This effort keeps your legs strong and this is VERY important. Think about the folks you see in assisted living – they have difficulty getting out of their chairs! Your foods are very important. You should consider avoiding excess caffeine, processed salts, tobacco, excess sugars, sodas, and alcohol. These deplete the body nutrients needed for strong bones. Taking good supplements is also helpful. 1200 mg of calcium daily is important and should be divided into three doses during the day so the body can absorb it. Vitamin D is necessary for the Calcium to work in the body and I prefer to get mine from the sun—a 20-minute daily exposure is great for most people. Vitamin K is also highly effective in helping the body absorb. These nutrients are very important to keep in your diet. Food is the best source and easiest for your body to understand. Any supplements should be whole food sources. You truly are what you eat! These are great starts for bone health. Great websites to visit: www.womentowomen.com/bonehealth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopenia — Joan © 2009 Joan Goodman
Joan Goodman,
CTN, MH 281-493-9473 All articles are copyrighted by Joan Goodman. They may only be reprinted with her express permission. |