† Ask Dr. Helen's Healthy Living Shownotes †

" Softening of the Bones - Osteoporosis"

Most of us think of osteoporosis as a natural function of aging or a "nuisance" sort of disease. But in fact more people will die every year of osteoporosis related conditions than from the two top killers, heart disease and breast cancer put together!

In the younger part of the population, five out of six people with osteoporosis are women. But as we age, the playing field equals. By the age of 75, the number of women and men with osteoporosis is approximately equal. Each year 1.3 million bone fractures, so debilitating to many older adults, are attributed to the condition.

Bones serve several important functions in the body other than just giving us a skeleton to hang our skin on! Bones comprise 10% of our bodies; their living tissue is composed of minerals, the levels of which fluctuate under other bodily functions.

A body's living tissue is composed of three parts: the outside is hard, dense bone; the second layer is soft and spongy; and the third layer is like the sap of a tree, it contains marrow, which manufactures the red blood cells that carry life giving oxygen to every other cell in the body. The marrow also manufactures white blood cells or antibodies, integral parts of the body's immune system.

Bones serve an additional health function crucial to the entire body, they store vital minerals needed to produce the enzymes on which every cell of the body depends.

Osteoporosis weakens the bones and therefore affects all these other important functions the bones provide. There are many external indicators of possible osteoporosis progression in the bones:

• Creeping exhaustion
• Depression
• Regularly consuming white flour, sugar or soft drinks
• Soft teeth
• Receding gums
• Tooth plaque
• Bone pain
• Joint tenderness
• Heart palpitations
• Premature gray hair
• A diet high in salt
• History of anorexia or bulimia
• Early (before age 45) menopause
• Testosterone or estrogen deficiency
• Cigarette smoking
• Lack of exercise
• Excessive alcohol or caffeine.

If you think you are at risk or already have symptoms of osteoporosis, you need to pay particular attention to enriching your diet with essential vitamins and mineral to provide nutritional enrichment to build bone.

For more detailed information on particular strategies to fight osteoporosis, we recommend the book "Perfect Bones" by Pamela Levin. Wishing you Better Health,

Helen Pensanti M.D.

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