Treatment for Osteoporosis: Essential to Mobility
There are many options for the treatment for osteoporosis, a brittle bone disease that afflicts many women after menopause. Women can prevent this disease by habitually eating a balanced diet rich in calcium, and taking a calcium supplement starting early in their lives.
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes weak and brittle bones, leading to chronic pain and frequent fractures. The disease hampers a person’s ability to remain independent, so that he or she must rely on others to complete all the tasks necessary in daily life. Some of the options for the treatment for osteoporosis are the very same things that are used for prevention of this horrible disease.
Three Types of Treatment for Osteoporosis
Although the best form of treatment for osteoporosis is prevention, there are ways to mitigate the disease once it begins. There are three main categories of treatment: exercise, nutrition, and medication.
Calcium is the most important factor in preventing and treating osteoporosis. Calcium is available in many of the foods we eat every day, although with a recommended daily intake of 1200-1500 mg per day, many people are unable to consume a diet that is rich enough in calcium. It is recommended that all women take a calcium supplement to ensure adequate blood levels are maintained in order to prevent a reduction in bone density and other health problems.
Weight-bearing exercise is used both to prevent, and as a treatment for, osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercises, such as hiking, dancing, and aerobics, put strain on the bones, prompting the body to add bone tissue. For those already diagnosed with osteoporosis, great care must be taken to make certain that bones are not broken during exercise.
There are a number of medication options for a patient with osteoporosis. Bisphosphanates help stop bones from breaking down, Calcitonin is a hormone that stops the growth of cells that take bone away during remodeling, and Raloxifene and hormone replacement therapy can actually add bone mass after a woman reaches menopause.
Prevention of osteoporosis should be a high priority for every woman. However, if you are at risk for this disease, the best person to talk to about treatment for osteoporosis is your doctor.
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Osteoporosis is a condition that affects aging adults, especially women over fifty. The treatment of osteoporosis focuses on restoring bone density and strength. Osteoporosis is an abnormal reduction in bone density caused by loss of mineral content, mainly calcium. Osteoporosis causes brittleness in the bones, which can lead to back pain, stress fractures of the spine, and fracturing of other bones.
Osteoporosis medication is used, along with calcium supplements and exercise, to counteract the effects of brittle bone diseases. The medications and other treatments doctors prescribe can preserve bone mass and slow the weakening of bones, but no treatment is able to completely restore bones to their original condition.
Amgen's new drug for osteoporosis, Denosumab, may have difficulty getting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in its initial attempt due to a higher incidence of infections compared with placebos in some patients.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.