15 to 20 million people affected by Osteoporosis - a crippling and painful disease that is almost entirely preventable and reversible. Every year, 300,000 adults in the US suffer an osteoporosis-related hip fracture. One-third of all women and one-sixth of all men will fracture a hip in their lifetime, and 12 to 20 percent of these fractures will end in death. Of those who survive, half will require long-term nursing home care.

Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among American women, osteoporosis is the disease they are most likely to develop as they age. Four out of ten white women in the U.S. will fracture a hip, spine, or forearm due to osteoporosis. As many as five out of ten will develop small fractures in their spine, causing great pain and a shrinking in height. Like hypertension, osteoporosis can progress without obvious symptoms until after a disabling or life-threatening accident. Some early Signs of Osteoporosis include: Sudden insomnia and restlessness. Nightly leg and foot cramps. Persistent low back pain. Gum disease, loose teeth and Gradual loss of heigh.

Bones are living dynamic tissues that's always changing. New bone is constantly being added, and old bone is constantly being dissolved and reabsorbed. Specialized cells called osteoclasts break down old and weak bones, and Specialized cells called osteoblasts replace it with new, strong bones. Our bones need a good supply of nutrients and regular exercise. Our larger long bones, such as our arm bones and leg bones, are very dense, and they are completely replaced about every 10-12 years. Our less dense bones, such as our spine and the ends of our long bones, are less dense and turn over every 2-3 years. Normally, the processes of bone breakdown and bone rebuilding are balanced. But problems can arise when internal or environmental factors speed mineral loss from bone or impede natural bone repair and rebuilding. These factors include nutritional deficiencies, inadequate exercise, hormonal and dietary factors, drugs (steroids, antacids, anticonvulsants and thyroid drugs) and diseases of the thyroid, kidney, liver or pancreas.

Risk factors of osteoporosis are: Woman, family history of osteoporosis, white, thin, short, early menopause, low calcium intake, lack of exercise, cigarettes smoking, drink more than two alcohol drinks daily, drink more than two cups of coffee daily, chronic steroid therapy (e.g. Prednisone), chronic anticonvulsant therapy, hyperthyroidism, too much animal protein intake, regular antacids users.

The most important element of bones is minerals - calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous and fluoride. Equally important is the balance between the minerals. Too much phosphorous or fluoride will create poor bone structure. Without enough magnesium, the calcium can't be absorbed onto the bone. Vitamins such as vitamin B6 works with magnesium to get calcium onto your bones. The hormones - testosterone, estrogen and progesterone are also actively involved in the making and unmaking of bone. Testosterone and progesterone build bone, while estrogen appears to indirectly slow bone loss. In osteoporosis, the old bone is being reabsorbed faster than new bone is being made, causing the bones to lose density and become thinner and more porous. The integrity and strength of our bones is related to bone mass and density. The bones of a woman with osteoporosis gradually become thinner and fragile. As bones become more fragile, falls or bumps that would not have hurt us before, can cause a fracture. A progressive loss of bone mass may continue until the skeleton is no longer strong enough to support itself. When that happens, bones can spontaneously fracture. Bone loss seems to be most severe in the spine, wrists and hips.

Osteoporosis is a gradual decrease in bone mass and density that can begin as early as the teen years. Bone mass should be at its peak in our late 20s or early 30s, but many women eating a poor diet and lack of exercise, are already losing bone in their 20s. Bone loss occurs more rapidly in women than in men, especially around the time of menopause, when an abrupt drop in estrogen and progesterone accelerates bone loss. Osteoporosis is not a calcium deficiency disease, it is a disease of excessive calcium loss. You can take all the calcium supplements you want, but if your diet and lifestyle choices are unhealthy, or you're taking drugs that cause you to lose calcium, you will still lose more calcium from Your bones than you can take in through diet.

The key to preventing an osteoporosis-related tragedy is to diagnose the condition in its earliest stages with Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Testing - The safest and most accurate ways to measure bone are with Photon Absorptiometry, and Dual Energy X-ray Absorbtiometry (DEXA), which is 96-98% accurate and uses very low-dose x-rays. This technique measures the bone density of the hip and spine and can detect as little as one percent of bone loss.

• Those who regularly use drugs that can promote bone loss, such as steroids, heparin, thyroxine, epilepsy medications or alcohol
• Those who have a condition associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, type I diabetes, chronic liver or kidney disease
• Women who experience menopause before age 45
• Those with a family history of osteoporosis

Estrogen can slow bone loss around the time of menopause, but the scientific evidence is very clear that after 5-6 years, bone loss continues at the same rate, with or without estrogen. A very large study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1995, studying risk factors for hip fractures in white women, which followed over 9500 women for eight years, found no benefit in estrogen supplementation in women over the age of 65. Dr. John R. Lee said, "It is clear that progesterone, combined with proper diet and exercise, steadily increases bone density regardless of age, , there are very few women who should ever need to take estrogen for osteoporosis." Women who need estrogen tend to be petite, slim and small-boned. After menopause, a woman's fat cells make estrogen, but a slim woman may not be making enough to keep up with bone loss. Those women may need a very low dose of estradiol despite all the risks and side effects from estrogen replacement therapy.

Exercise your way to stronger bones
Stress or strain on bones stimulates the formation of new bone. Weight-bearing exercise is the only thing besides progesterone found to actually increase bone density in older women. Minimum of 20 minutes of weight bearing exercise three to four times a week. An hour is even better. Brisk walking with hand-held weights counts as weight-bearing exercise. Those women who don't exercise continue to lose bone, regardless of what else they are doing. Exercise can help increase flexibility, strength, and coordination as well. A weight lifting program of just half an hour three to four times a week can significantly improve bone density.

1) Avoid soda pop and carbonated beverages and high protein Diet. One of the leading contributors to osteoporosis in the U.S. is carbonated soft drinks containing phosphorous. Research has shown a direct link between too much phosphorous and calcium loss. Our other source of excessive phosphorous in the U.S. is eating too much meat. Keep meat consumption to no more than once a day.

2) Avoid Coffee, Alcohol, and Cigarette Smoking. Each of these substances creates a negative calcium balance in the body. Substances called phytates and oxylates bind with calcium in the large intestine and form insoluble salts, rendering the calcium useless. The bone mineral content of smokers is 15-30% lower in women and 10-20% lower in men. Cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor for osteoporosis. Twice as many women with osteoporosis smoke as compared with women who do not have osteoporosis. So no more than one cup of coffee and one alcohol drink per day. If you are at a high risk I advise elimination. You should also restrict your consumption of refined sugar, sugary drinks and salt. All of these promote calcium loss. For a healthy beverage, drink green tea. Famous for its cancer-fighting properties, green tea is also a good source of vitamin K, which improves bone mineralization.

3) Avoid dairy products. Milk and other dairy products are not the best source of dietary calcium. That's because milk, cheese, and all animal products are high in protein. The more protein you eat, the more calcium you need to neutralize the acidic byproducts of protein. Don't depend on milk to get your calcium. Milk has a poor calcium to magnesium ratio. Your body needs a certain amount of magnesium in order to get the calcium into your bones -- without magnesium, calcium can't build strong bones. In fact, magnesium deficiency may be more common in women with osteoporosis than calcium deficiency.

4) Eat plenty of fresh, green vegetables and whole grains. leafy green vegetables, beans, broccoli, sesame seeds, oats, and tofu -- are especially rich sources of calcium and should be a regular part of your diet. Eat foods high in flavonoids, which help stabilize collagen structures, such as blueberries, raspberries and hawthorne berries. Lower protein vegetarian diets are associated with significantly higher bone mineral density -- not to mention improved overall health. Trace minerals are also important in helping your body absorb calcium. Eating plenty of green leafy vegetables gives you calcium along with these helpful trace minerals. Boron and manganese are especially important. Foods that contain boron include apples, legumes, almonds, pears and green, leafy vegetables. Foods that include manganese include ginger, buckwheat and oats. The organic matter in our bones consists mainly of collagen, the "glue" that holds together skin, ligaments, tendons and bones. Zinc, copper, beta carotene and vitamin C are all important to the formation and maintenance of collagen in the body.

1) Antacids with Aluminum and don't use aluminum cooking pots

It has been shown that small amounts of aluminum-containing antacids increase the urinary and fecal excretion of calcium, inhibit absorption of fluoride, and inhibit absorption of phosphorus, creating a negative calcium balance. The calcium is excreted instead of being utilized.

2) H2 blockers such as Tagamet, Zantac and Pepcid.

As we age, we tend to produce less stomach acid. To be absorbed, calcium requires vitamin D and stomach acid. For this reason, it's important to avoid antacids and the H2 blockers which block or suppress the secretion of stomach acid.

3) Diuretics

Diuretics cause water loss in the body. Along with the water you lose minerals, most notably calcium, magnesium and potassium. They are commonly used to treat high blood pressure, swelling of the lower leg, and congestive heart failure. People who use diuretics have a higher risk of fracture. If you need to use a diuretic, try a gentle herbal one such as dandelion root.

4) Fluoride

There is good, solid scientific evidence that fluoridated drinking water increases your risk of hip fractures by 20-40%. So much fluoride has been put into our water and toothpaste over the past 30 years that levels in our water, food and drink are very high. While eating a normal diet the average person exceeds the recommended dose. There is also evidence that ingesting high levels of fluoride can cause abnormal bone growth. Please avoid fluoride, in all forms including toothpastes and mouthwashes. If you are at a high risk for osteoporosis, I recommend a water filter that removes fluoride.

5) High Dose Cortisone

A well known risk for osteoporosis is long term treatment with the synthetic cortisones such as Prednisone. While progesterone gives bones the message to grow, the cortisones give bones the message to stop growing. If you must be on a cortisone, talk to your doctor about using a low dose natural cortisone called hydrocortisone rather than the synthetic cortisones.

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