Often called the silent killer, because of its insidious attack on the bones,
Osteoporosis affects as many as one woman in three, usually after the Menopause,
and one in twelve men, again usually as they get older.
In most cases it’s a preventable disease, but prevention starts early, in your
early teens, when much of the bone mass is formed. Adopting good lifestyle and
eating habits at that age can dramatically reduce the risk of developing brittle
bones later in life.
|
500mg to 1,500mg per day |
|
250mg to 750mg per day |
|
1mg to 3mg per day |
|
1gm to 3gm per day |
|
3gm to 6gm per day |
|
50mg to 100mg per day |
|
50mg to 100mg per day |
|
400iu to 2,000iu per day |
Other nutrients which are essential for bone health include:
Vitamin K, Copper, Zinc, Silicon, Manganese and Strontium.
|
500mg 3 times per day |
|
500mg 3 times per day |
|
500mg 3 times per day |
|
500mg 3 times per day |
|
500mg 3 times per day |
Tinctures made with vinegar dissolve the minerals from plants much better than alcohol. Nettle and Alfalfa are very rich in minerals.
Homoeopaths often use the following remedies to help his condition, but it is advisable to seek qualified advice in order to find the remedy, which suits your needs as an individual.
The most important guidelines, particularly for women, are:
Keeping to a sensible weight. Constant dieting puts you at risk, especially if it leads to anorexia. In fact, any condition - apart from pregnancy, of course - which leads to the monthly periods stopping is a danger factor
Getting enough Vitamin D. It’s easy to think that this isn’t a problem as the body manufactures its own when sunlight falls on the skin. But so many brands of quite innocuous make-up now contain high sun protection factors - and so many women are over-concerned about protecting themselves from skin cancer that they use these products all year round, depriving themselves of the means of making this important bone-building vitamin. Without it the body can’t absorb Calcium, but very few people get as much as 20 per cent of their daily requirement
Oily fish are a must as an excellent source of Vitamin D- you can get it from margarine to which by law it’s added, but who wants to eat that. Tinned sardines are the perfect bone food as you can mash them up with the bones and get both Calcium and Vitamin D. Eat plenty of low-fat Dairy products, chickpeas, wholegrains, pulses and vegetables
Not smoking or drinking too much alcohol and not eating very large amounts of animal protein
Avoiding salt and too many fizzy drinks
As well as the guidelines above, there’s increasing evidence that eating more soya-based foods could be protective. It’s worth noting that in the Far East, where the consumption of soya is high, Osteoporosis - and, in fact, many other menopausal symptoms in women - is a very rare condition. High protein slimming diets and eating too much sugar and sweet food are also now believed to lead to loss of Calcium.
If you are on thyroid medication or steroids or inhalers, this will increase the need for bone support supplements.
Getting sensible amounts of weight-bearing exercise. That means any activity in which your body is carrying your own weight. So tennis, golf, even going for a brisk walk will help, but swimming won’t - it’s still an excellent form of exercise for muscles, but as your body is supported by the water, it’s not weight bearing
Not doing too much exercise. Ballet dancers, gymnasts and elite runners are all at risk of Osteoporosis, possibly because their sport means they’re normally underweight
There are several groups of both women and men who need to be especially careful about taking preventative measures against this condition. These include women who’ve had an early Menopause- whether due to hysterectomy or other medical reasons - those who’ve had an illness which has lead to a prolonged spell of bed rest.
Back | This information is licensed for use by Wellbeing Information Systems Ltd ("WIS"), and protected by international copyright law. All rights are reserved. (email info@wisinfo.co.uk). |