Osteoporosis - Preventing Bone Disease

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that can be stopped in its tracks. No matter your age, changes that you make in your life will be able to turn the disease around.

Exercise
Exercise is important if you want to maintain stronger bones. Exercise makes your bones denser and thus prevent osteoporosis. According to the experts, the best bone-building exercise is resistance training. This can be accomplished with lifting weights or using the resistance machines at the gym or yoga. However, any weight-bearing exercise would be beneficial - those where your legs support your body. Dancing and jogging count but swimming and cycling on stationary bicycles do not.

Calcium
Calcium is needed to maintain strong healthy bones. A daily intake of 1000 miligrams of calcium a day is the requirement for women under 51 and after menopause, the intake is to be increased a further 200 miligrams. To figure out how you're doing, add up the servings of yogurt, cheese, milk and calcium-fortified orange juice or cereal you tend to get every day. One serving is an average of 300 milligrams. Dairy foods are confirmed as a good source of calcium.

Drugs
Medication is an option for postmenopausal women with osteopenia, on the fringe of osteoporosis, although even then, there's no need to rush into it. No one goes from osteopenia to osteoporosis in a year. The good news is that the osteoporosis drugs have dramatically helped women who already have the disease, reducing their fracture risk by as much as half.

When to Get Tested
Many experts think it makes sense to get tested at menopause or even earlier so you have a baseline score to compare later scans. The peripheral heel or wrist scan has been shown to be an accurate initial screening tool; if you get a low score, you should follow up with a DXA scan.

It's suggested that all women at menopause be tested or at the least those with risk factors including having a small frame, a family history of osteoporosis or history of fracture after age 50 or a smoking habit. Otherwise, to wait until age 65 or adhere to the new medical guideline of screenings at least every two years.

Finally, do not worry too much about the results. Take charge of your health by taking the necessary precautions to keep your bones strong right now.

Source: health.msn.com