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Article Series: Menopause
Menopause Symptoms and Relief
Menopause
Osteoporosis Threat
When women reach menopause, they have to deal with a host of
new physical challenges. One of the most important menopause
related issues that woman should recognize is the threat
of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease
causes bones to degenerate and decrease in mass. Over ten million
people in the United States alone grapple with osteoporosis.
Nearly 50% of women and 12% of men will be afflicted by osteoporosis
at some point in their life. The bad news is that, as of
now, there is no cure for osteoporosis. But several treatment
options are available that can aid in increasing bone density
and prevent potentially debilitating hip and spinal fractures.
It is extremely important for older woman going through menopause
to be aware of the potential treatments available for osteoporosis,
as women during this part of their life find themselves at
a much higher risk.
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes your bones to lose a
percentage of their mineral density, thus weakening them. This
puts you at risk of severe fractures, mostly in the hip and
spine area. These fractures are extremely painful and will
most likely inhibit your ability to move around unassisted.
Osteoporosis is an incurable disease that lasts a lifetime,
but its devastating effects can be reversed and even prevented
if proper treatment is sought.
The
bones are made of healthy, living tissue, and this tissue
has two functions: first, the breakdown of bone tissue, and
then the concurrent formation of new bone tissue. These two
processes are obviously very closely linked. If the breakdown
of tissue surpasses the growth of new tissue, then the bone
tissue that is lost is never regained, causing our bones to
become thin and brittle. This is a gradual process that causes
little or no discomfort until the bones break. Continued bone
tissue loss will inevitably lead to a weak skeleton that is
incapable of withstand such routine daily activities such as
walking down the stairs. This year an estimated 300,000 American
women will fracture a hip. Another 500,000 will fracture vertebrae.
Vertebral
fractures should not be taken lightly. They may
lead to a decrease in height, deforming curvature of the spine
and constant, severe pain. Hip fractures are no better. They
are extremely painful and if and when they occur, you will
find yourself confined to your bed for longer than you care
to imagine. Even more frightening is that between 12 and 20
percent of women who suffer a hip fracture will not survive
longer than 6 months after the injury. Half of those who do
survive require a nurse or family member to help them complete
daily activities. Some women may even need to enter a long-term
care facility. Unfortunately, elderly patients are given less
of a chance to rehabilitate due to the sheer pain simple movement
causes.
A common term osteoporosis researchers use is that “an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The condition of a
woman's skeleton depends on two factors: the peak quantity
of bone produced before menopause and the rate of the bone
loss after menopause. In determining peak bone mass, heredity
factors become quite important.
Other factors that will increase bone mass include sufficient
intake of vitamin D and dietary calcium, particularly in younger
woman prior to puberty; exposure to sunlight; and routine physical
exercise. These elements also will help slow the rate of bone
loss. Alternately, certain other physiological stresses can
accelerate bone loss, such as pregnancy, nursing, and not having
the ability to exercise; however, estrogen deficiency is the
most prominent culprit in the process of bone loss.
The
best strategy for osteoporosis is prevention. The currently
available treatments only stop bone loss--they do not rebuild
the bone. But researchers are hopeful that in the future, bone
loss will be reversible. The most important thing that you
can do is to build up a stockpile of bone before you enter
into perimenopause. This will help you bank against future
losses. Estrogen is also an effective therapy that is available
for postmenopausal women. This is because estrogen saves more
bone tissue than even very large daily doses of calcium. Keep
in mind; the best way to fight osteoporosis is to take preemptive,
preventative measures.
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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