subject: Osteoporosis: Signs, Medications and Alternative Treatments [print this page] Osteoporosis: Signs, Medications and Alternative Treatments
Osteoporosis is a skeletal system disease which means brittle or porous bones. There are millions of sufferers of this type of affliction. When you have this condition, you are prone to fractures of the bones particularly in the hips, spine, knee and forearm. If you suffer a hip fracture, there is a chance to have another one within a year. You can be afflicted no matter what your age is. Most often, the older people are the ones experiencing this disease.
Important risk factors to consider for osteoporosis are sedentary lifestyle, menopausal status, glucocortisoid, past history of fracture, advanced age, inflammatory arthritis, too much alcohol and other medical conditions leading to secondary loss of bone density. When you have osteoporosis, some of the signs are height loss, stooped posture and curved back due to collapsed vertebrae. There is too much discomfort and back pain.
As of now, there is no available cure for osteoporosis. However, there are some prescriptive drugs which include bisphosphonates, estrogens, parathyroid hormones, anti-resorptives or bone forming agents. One of them is Alendronate which is an approved medicine. It reduces bone loss, increases bone density and lowers the risk of spine, hip and wrist fractures. Another drug is Fosamax. It is approved for treatment of corticosteroid osteoporosis.
If you prefer some alternative treatments, you should be aware of the effective herbs, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and nutrients to enhance bone metabolism. Some of these are Vitamin K and Vitamin D. Patients taking these vitamins had less bone loss after three years of monitoring. You can get Vitamin K1 in vegetable oils and soybeans while K2 is available in meat, cheese and fermented products like natto from soybeans. But it is not advisable to take Vitamin K with warfarin. A trace mineral effective in treating osteoporosis is Strontium which is a component of human bone. It is found in whole grains, parsley, fish and Brazil nuts to name a few.
You can prevent osteoporosis by building strong bones thru a healthy and balanced lifestyle, bone density examination, weight training, Calcium and Vitamin D rich diet.
When it comes to hormone therapy to treat osteoporosis, estrogens without progestin is used to treat women in menopausal stage who do not have a uterus anymore. In some cases, estrogens and progestin are combined for treatment. Estrogens replacement therapy can reduce bone loss. On the other hand, testosterone shots, gel or patches are used to treat men.
