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- What is osteoporosis?
- Symptoms of osteoporosis
- Causes of osteoporosis
- Prevention of osteoporosis
- Risk factors for osteoporosis
- Complications of osteoporosis
- When to see a doctor about osteoporosis
- Diagnosis of osteoporosis
- Conventional treatment of osteoporosis
- Alternative/complementary treatment of osteoporosis
- Living with osteoporosis
- Caring for someone with osteoporosis
Conventional treatment of osteoporosis
Conventional treatment aims to treat current bone loss and prevent further damage to the bones to limit progression of the condition. In milder cases, lifestyle and dietary changes, as well as supplements are recommended, whereas in more serious cases of bones loss, a combination of medication, lifestyle changes and supplements are advised.
Lifestyle and dietary changes
These are recommended to reduce further bone loss:
- Eat foods high in calcium - the foods rich in calcium will help the bones retain more of their calcium and this in turn will help to strengthen the bones and prevent further bone mineral loss. Even people with lactose intolerance can get adequate calcium from food that is not dairy
- Eat foods high in vitamin D - the foods rich in vitamin D are essential to help the body absorb more of the calcium and this will help to strengthens the bones and prevent further bone mineral loss
- Exercise more - regular exercise, especially weight bearing exercise such as resistance exercises (light weights), should be undertaken to help strengthen the bones. Aim to have at least three to four days of this type of exercise each week, even just 20 minutes and incorporate some walking each day and this all will greatly reduce risk of developing osteoporosis and progression of the condition in people who are already diagnosed
- Limit alcohol intake - excessive alcohol intake is a definite risk factor for osteoporosis and alcohol intake should be very limited to 1-2 standard drinks 3-4 nights a week only at the very most
- Stop smoking - this is a definite risk factor for osteoporosis and people who smoke are recommended that they should stop, especially if there has already been some bones loss
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Medications
Medications may be recommended to stop bone loss, to strengthen bones or to increase bone formation:
- Biphosphonates - the Biphosphonates are the most popular medication for preventing (or slowing) down bone tissue break-down and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Even though this medication has some serious side effects, the benefits generally outweigh the risks in people who already have severe osteoporosis
- Calcitonin - the hormone calcitonin is secreted by the parathyroid glands that stimulates increased bone tissue formation and is used to stimulate the formation of bone tissue, so that there is less bone loss. Scientists have produced a synthetic version of calcitonin as a medication for osteoporosis
- Eostrogen-like drugs - these types of medications mimic the effects of eostrogen in the body, so may be useful in post-menopausal or menopausal women to help reduce bone loss through the bone-protective effects of the eostrogen. These drugs are less commonly used in Australia today due to the side effects they can cause far outweighing the benefits
- Foreto - this is the synthetic version of the natural hormone calcitonin that is produced by the parathyroid glands and which stimulates more bone tissue to be formed (and this reduces the amount of bone loss). This synthetic version of calcitonin produces the same beneficial effect on the bones
Supplements
Doctors may recommend a supplement that contains the following nutrients for people who have only just started to experience some bone loss instead of the medications, as that may be all that is required (together with the lifestyle and dietary modifications):
Other nutrients can also be recommended in the supplements too.
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