Keeping Women Well – Preventing Osteoporosis

May 3, 2012

Photo Credit: DrWeisGerber

Aging is an intimidating time in any woman’s life; once again your body is changing and you often have no clear cut idea as to why. The month of May is dedicated to promoting wellness among women and conditions that affect millions in the US; conditions like osteoporosis. This disease in particular has had famous faces attached to it, but besides knowing that celebs like Sally Fields and Blythe Danner are affected by the disease and advocate in medication commercials, what do you really know about bone density? All of your questions are answered here:

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis (porous bone) is a disease found commonly in elderly and aging individuals. It is a bone weakening condition due to a loss of bone mass density. The loss of mass and tissue in the bone increases likelihood of fracture dramatically and can cause chronic pain. A bone affected by osteoporosis will be at risk of breaks with the slightest bump, nudge or fall.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Osteoporosis?

Obviously we cannot feel our bones deteriorating. As mentioned, a fracture can occur in something as simple as a bump or even a sneeze, and often it isn’t until that fracture occurs that the disease is detected and diagnosed. Back pain may be a subtle sign of vertebral fracture and could spark interest in getting chiropractic care that in turn could lead to the diagnosis of osteoporosis.

How common is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a common diagnosis found among older women. Due to the already thick nature of most men’s bones, a woman is more likely to be diagnosed with osteoporosis in her lifetime. In females, the lifetime risk of hip fracture is 1 in 6, compared with a 1 in 9 risk of a diagnosis of breast cancer. In males, the estimated lifetime risk of experiencing an osteoporosis fracture over 50 years is 30%, similar to the lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer. Women in particular can lose a large amount of bone density (20%+) during the first five years following menopause, which automatically makes them more likely to develop the bone disease.

Stay Tuned- Next week we will uncover a few stress free changes that can drastically decrease any woman’s chances of being diagnosed with osteoporosis in their lifetime.

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