Osteoporosis occurs when the bone density drops alarmingly with a resultant increase in the risk of bone fracture.
Since it is a silent, progressive disease, it invariably catches women by surprise. Not for a second did I suspect that I would get it, they cry; why didn't someone warn me about the causes of osteoporosis is the indignant sob?
However, they should have suspected, because every white woman particularly should presume she will in the future have osteopenia; lowered bone density which is quite normal in the older woman, but it often may progress to osteoporosis if you are blessed with a long life.
The controversial part is when and why does osteopenia, which is normal, progress to osteoporosis; that's definitely not normal, and a prelude to fracture. What can you do about it? Drug companies, and some doctors, would have it that every woman should take medication to prevent this serious brittle bone disease.
Not that we should become neurotic about our state of health but, when it comes to high risk disease, it’s worth being abreast of the facts.
So, these are five of the more common causes of osteoporosis. Give yourself a rating. In fact, I'll start hunting for a questionaire which will a better idea than this thumb suck.
Is this happening in your body? Osteoclasts are ever breaking down bone, and osteoblasts are at work building and creating new strong bone cells. The trick is never to allow the demolition guys to get the upper hand. Walking and good nutrition and plenty of vitamin D; that's what encourages the friendly construction workers.
Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.
1. Lifestyle causes of Osteoporosis
The causes of osteoporosis are mainly about lifestyle. Why is it so important? Because it will certainly affect your quality of life. Brittle bone disease means pain, and it means limited mobility. Ultimately, an early reliance on the walker and wheelchair, and Godforbid, loss of indepence.
Because every woman should assume she is going to have brittle bones to one degree or another, it's not something we should brush aside and ignore. Many do, of course.
Well, having said that, many women do ignore it, thinking that it's only when you reach 60 or 70 that you should be changing your way of life. By then, the worst of the damage is already done. We can brush it aside, but it may have awesome consequences.
Diabetics, both Type I and II, are prone to more broken bones. Diabetic Osteoporosis should be considered by every diabetic patient. It really is a manageable disease, but if you break the rules ....
2. Post menopausal causes of osteoporosis.
After menopause there is a drop in circulating estrogen, the major cause of osteopenia. However this should not be considered pathological. It's quite normal, and happens to every woman, and some men. And by no means does every woman fracture a hip.
May I say it again? Post menopausal osteopenia is quite normal. It is definitely not a time to start swallowing hormone tablets; we know that they are a major cause of cancer of the breast and uterus, and some forms of stroke.
But it is time to consider certain other changes that we will summarise at the end of this chiropractic webpage; simple things like a short walk in the sun every day and regularly enjoying fatty fish for a specific vitamin.
Ring in these changes in your forties and fifties because at seventy it's too late if you already have brittle bone disease.
Men can get it too. Can you see that he has a short leg, on the left, a tilted pelvis and a resultant curvature of the spine? It hurts, I promise you. He has either a
- Short leg from birth or leg fracture, also known as a leg length inequality.
- A total hip prosthesis, and possibly the surgeon didn't get the leg length right.
One of those eight cracked ribs was a man. I'm not proud of myself, but it does happen. If you look at the column on the left you'll see that half my patients are in their seventies and eighties; that's because I'm old and gray too.
I don't believe chiropractors break any other bones; certainly I've never heard of it. And one cracked rib every four years makes the chiropractic adjustment very safe, even for the very elderly.
3. Steroid medication
Cortisone treatment is known to be one of the causes of osteoporosis as it shuts down your own adrenal glands.
The problem however is that in certain auto-immune diseases, and allergic diseases such as asthma, it simply can't be avoided. Given the choice between dying in an asthmatic attack or taking cortisone, it's quite clear what the correct decision is.
Where we as chiropractors disagree profoundly with modern medicine is the free use of cortisone for joint pain. One or two injections probably will not have a serious affect on your bones (though they do weaken tendons that may rupture, as in a rotator cuff syndrome) but the prescription of glucocorticoids for long periods of time for joint pain we consider scandalous, especially if other conservative treatment for chronic joint pain has not been fully explored.
Lithium (for depression), Immunosuppression (for auto-immune diseases), some seizure medications and some forms of Chemotherapy increase your risk. In all probability, if you are taking these, it cannot be avoided. So look at the Lifestyle causes of OP for alternatives.
For some extremely interesting, controversial, coalface research on the diseases of the Immune System (like Rheumatoid arthritis and Ulcerative Colitis).
4. Parathyroid deficiency as a cause of osteoporosis
The Parathyroid gland regulates calcium concentrations in the fluids in the body. These calcium ions are are very tightly controlled by the body for normal muscle, nerve, kidney ... function and, in the absence of PTH, calcium ion concentration drops, and the body starts to rob the bones for calcium. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
5. Coeliac Disease and Causes of Osteoporosis
If you suffer from chronic diarrhoea, a malabsorption syndrome caused by an adverse reaction of the body to gluten, the protein in wheat, barley and rye, should be considered. It's called Coeliac Disease and is one of the causes of osteoporosis.
Exhaustive tests are not necessary. All that is required is to go off ALL gluten products for at least a month, and see what effect it has.
Researchers who placed patients with coeliac disease on a gluten-free diet found that it led to an improvement in both their diarrhoea and their bone density levels. This is because the inflammation of Coeliac Disease leads to atrophy of the villae, small finger-like projections responsible for absortion of nutrients like calcium, in the gut.
It is estimated that about 10% of the population suffer from Coeliac Disease, mostly undiagnosed.
If going on a Gluten Free diet doesn't help your chronic diarrhoea then you should should also be tested for Lactose Intolerance and Fructose Malabsorption. Routine medical tests.
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Early osteoporosis has absolutely no symptoms. It’s one of those silent diseases that creep up on us. Hence it’s best for women to assume that they will get it, without becoming overly neurotic. Chiropractic management of the disease is all about prevention and, except in extreme cases, without the use of drugs.
The first symptom is often when an older person bends over and lifts something like a bucket of water. Bingo, sharp, disabling pain in the lower-mid back. Your chiropractor will always start with an x-ray. Manipulation obviously is contra-indicated.
Another first sign is a minor fall which fractures a wrist or hip or even an ankle fracture. Instantly, the healthy, independent, pain-free person is faced with massive pain, loss of independence and a potentially bleak future. Whilst the fracture usually heals, perhaps with the help of pin or plate, further fractures are in the pipeline. This is especially true in smokers – the bone is less likely, and at the very least, will take longer to heal due to lack of oxygen.
Fractures in the spine result in an increased curve and, if it’s quite high in the back, a dowager’s hump. In the low back it is extremely disabling and painful. Unlike most fractures, your chiropractor will by reluctant to suggest the normal six weeks of rest that a fracture requires – this will further complicate the existing osteoporosis. You sit between the devil and the deep blue sea! A corset helps. Height loss is inevitable.
Whilst not wanting to over-emphasize the drama that occurs at thesudden loss of independence and severe pain in an otherwise healthy and fit person, this really does happen, and the time to do something about it is long before the drama starts. In fact, it starts with teaching your child about the causes of osteoporosis, to eat correctly and to exercise regularly. At the same time you will greatly decrease the likelihood of developing the dread disease yourself. That’s now! Today! Go for a walk!
Walking benefits
Exercise and Causes of Osteoporosis.
Probably the most important and effective thing you can do to ward off the causes of osteoporosis, is to take a daily walk. In the sunshine, with a hat!
The vibration and shocks that rock your bones are what create the demand for calcium. The usual recommendations are twenty EXTRA minutes every day.
Or could you do an hour, three times a week?
There is a simple little test, called the Kasch Pulse recovery Test (don't get put off by the name), that will give you a pretty shrewd idea of where you rate in terms of cardio-vascular fitness. It only takes three minutes, and a 12 inch step.
If you rate poorly, go for shorter walks more often, to begin with. If you rate well, you could go for longer, but less often. This may suit the lifestyle of many working women, and the sun doesn't shine every day. It also means you can visit more interesting places. Thinking about the causes of osteoporosis doens't have to be all bad. Turn it to your overall benefit.
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