Derek L. Hill, D.O.

Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Surgeon and Specialist

Tips For Healthy Bones

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group of women working out in gymKeeping and maintain healthy bones as we age is a very important part of keeping ourselves healthy. Here are some tips we found on http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/ about how to keep your bones healthy and strong.

Each year, approximately 1.5 million older Americans suffer fractures because of weak bones, leading to temporary or permanent disability, and even death.

There are things you can do to maintain and even improve your bone strength:

Understand your individual risk for fracture

This is based on any risk factors you have for fractures and your bone density. Ask your doctor if you need a bone density test.

Understand your individual risk for bone loss

Genetics plays a role in bone health, and some people have genetically determined high rates of bone turnover after menopause or with aging. Talk to your doctor about bone metabolism testing. Bone metabolism testing can provide additional information about your risk for fracture.

Be active every day

Strength-building and weight-bearing activities help build strong bones. Children should exercise at least an hour each day, and adults should total 30 minutes of daily activity.

Maintain a healthy weight

Older adults who are overweight have a higher risk for falling. Being underweight raises the risk of bone loss. Also, get enough calcium and Vitamin D in your daily diet.

Do not smoke

Smoking can reduce bone mass and increase your risk for a broken bone.

Limit alcohol use

Heavy alcohol use reduces bone mass and increases your risk for broken bones.

Reduce your risk of falling

There are many changes your can make in your home to help prevent a fall. Remove obstacles and add safety features — such as grab bars and non-slip mats — where needed.

Consider bone-boosting medications

In addition to calcium and Vitamin D supplements, there are many drug options that slow bone loss and increase bone strength. Talk to your doctor about these methods for protecting your bones.

For more information about bones and the complete article click here: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00578

Maintaining Healthy Bones & Strong Joints As You Get Older

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orange juiceAs you get older your joints and bones can remind you of the Rice Crispy cartoon mascots, because they tend to SNAP, CRACKLE and POP a lot more! There are several factors that can affect the health of bones, including age, family history of osteoporosis, medications that affect bone health, smoking and even consuming too much alcohol. If you take medications, talk to your doctor to make sure they are not bone-sappers. Some of the worst offenders include corticosteroids like Prednisone and diabetes drugs such as Pioglitazone (Actos) and Rosiglitazone (Avandia).

Aches and pains may also plague your body, however achieving and maintaining optimum healthy bones and strong joints is possible. According to Consumer Reports, “Studies have found that people with heart disease have a higher risk of breaking a hip. Researchers think that’s partly because people who have suffered a severe cardiovascular event such as a stroke might be more prone to falls.” Implementing at least 30 minutes of physical activity into your day can be the start of making them stronger and denser. Performing weight-bearing exercises (i.e. walking, jogging, tennis and dancing) puts pressure on bones to make this happen. So make sure to add weight-bearing exercises a few times a week to achieve this.

Diet is another essential way to help promote strong bones, and you can start by consuming calcium and vitamin D. The recommended daily intake for women 50 and younger, and men younger than 71 is 1,000 milligrams; men older than 71 will need 1,200 milligrams. Calcium can be consumed in vitamin form or with at least three daily servings of dairy or calcium-fortified foods, such as orange juice or soy milk. Vitamin D, a key nutrient in protecting bones can be consumed in vitamin form, food and even sunlight. You only need 600 milligrams daily, or 800 if you are older than 70. Consuming lots of fatty fish like salmon, tuna or mackerel, mushrooms, milk and some cereals fortified with Vitamin D are also great sources.

Take care of yourself and work a little harder to maintain good health through exercise, a diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, and supplements. Your body will work for you if you work for it.

Reference:
Consumer Reports (2014, March 31). 7 steps to keeping your bones strong and healthy as you grow older. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/7-steps-to-keeping-your-bones-strong-and-healthy-as-you-grow-older/2014/03/31/8423683e-61cf-11e3-8beb-3f9a9942850f_story.html

Written by: Jamacia Magee, FizzNiche Staff Writer

6 Foods To Keep Bones Strong

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ddddWe don’t usually concern ourselves with having strong bones until we hit middle age, when bone loss becomes a health-related issue. When our bones do begin to lose density, brittleness and osteoporosis can become dangerous risks.

Osteoporosis has no symptoms and is a concern for all mature adults. Brittle bones can break during what might seem to be a “little” fall. But the lack of mobility causes other health problems. It’s best to prevent by eating the best vitamin-packed foods.

Eating foods rich in vitamins, such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, and magnesium, build and maintain strong, dense bones. Here are seven foods containing these bone-building vitamins, that we can incorporate into our daily diet easily, to ensure that our bones keep us strong at any age.

  • Fish, salmon, tuna and sardines
  • Eggs
  • Almonds
  • Dark green leafy vegetables, kale and spinach
  • Soybeans, soybean milk and tofu
  • Lowfat milk, yogurt and cheese

In addition, avoid carbonated drinks and reduce salt and caffeine. Bone up and be strong!

Written by: Ruby Moseley, FizzNiche Staff Writer

12 Ways to Break-Proof Your Bones

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??????????????????????According to the article “12 Ways to Break-Proof Your Bones” (Prevention.com), one of two women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. These breaks may take a long time to heal, which can lead to financial difficulties and long term disabilities. Osteoporosis is a thinning of the bones that occurs over time, and is a real problem for post-menopausal women. But according to the article, there are 12 things we can do to be that one out of two who doesn’t experience a broken bone:

  1. Make sure we’re getting 1200 mg. a day of calcium. Low-fat dairy, leafy greens, sardines, fortified cereals and juices are good sources and 500 mg. supplements can help if our diet doesn’t cover it.
  2. Get outside. Healthy post-menopausal women need 800 IUs of vitamin D daily, and women with bone issues need 1000 – 2000. Our bodies will produce it when sunlight hits our skin, but we can also provide what our bodies need through diet. Good sources of vitamin D include fish (cod liver oil, salmon, tuna), vitamin D fortified milk, and egg yokes.
  3. Limit caffeine to two to three 8oz. cups of coffee a day. The recommended limit on caffeine is 300 mgs. daily, and we should be aware of the caffeine in energy drinks and sodas as well.
  4. Start a yoga routine. This can improve muscle tone and balance, thus lessening the chance of a bone break due to a fall.
  5. Be aware of how alcohol impacts bone strength, and limit intake to a glass or two of wine a night.
  6. Prevent falls as much as possible; use night lights to light the path to the bathroom, clear clutter that could cause a trip, and be aware and mindful of our surroundings.
  7. Speak to your doctor about the effect any meds we’re taking (or may be going to take), might have on bone density. Certain common prescriptions such as steroids used for asthma and arthritis, SSRIs taken for depression, and proton pump inhibitors prescribed for digestive issues can all contribute to bone density loss.
  8. Have our bone density tested. A woman who has had no bone density related issues should have one at 65, and a woman over the age of 50 should have one if a fall has caused a broken bone.
  9. Avoid excessive weight loss. Bone loss can occur due to the protein deprivation that may accompany extreme dieting.
  10. Eat a diet high in Omega 3’s and monosaturated fats; the Mediterranean diet (high in olive oil and fish and low in red meat) is not only good for our hearts, but appears to impact bone density in a very positive way.
  11. Quit smoking. Nicotine and free radicals may damage our bone making cells.
  12. Exercise. Not only does moderate exercise such as lifting weights or brisk walking strengthen our bones and keep excessive weight off, if also helps with balance by strengthening our muscles. So 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise can help prevent broken bones due to falls.

Written by: Tricia Doane, FizzNiche Staff Writer

Menopause-Related Bone Loss

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Happy senior womanMenopause is the transition between two important phases of a woman’s life: from the child-bearing years to their end, the cessation of menstruation. Complex hormonal changes occur during these 5 to 10 years.  Understanding the many potentially-dangerous changes in your body chemistry will help you eliminate bone loss during menopause.

Menopause brings a drastic reduction in the vital hormone estrogen. Estrogen affects the absorption of calcium into the bones. Bones can become less dense, brittle and prone to breakage. This makes a woman more susceptible to fractures and broken bones.

BONE DENSITY SCANS

This is the time to begin having bone density scans every two years after the full cessation of your menstrual period. This diagnostic scan tracks the bone loss and may signal the need for bone density treatment medications that your doctor can prescribe.

CALCIUM

You should begin to add a calcium supplement to your diet to avoid menopause-related bone loss.   Above all, be sure to drink calcium-rich low-fat skim milk, and eat low-fat cheese and yogurt. Non-dairy drinks such as soymilk and almond milk are great for those whose digestive systems can’t tolerate lactose and are high in calcium. Dark green, leafy vegetables and broccoli are high in calcium as well.  To guard against rapid loss of bone, avoid drinking sodas and carbonated beverages. These leach calcium from your bones, which heightens the loss of density when your body is most at risk.

EXERCISE

Exercise can build bones and counteract menopause-related bone loss. Strength training—i.e., weight lifting, lunges, and push-ups— puts anti-gravity stress on bones. Recent research says that this increases the denseness of bone. Exercises such as walking, jogging, running and jumping also put that same type of “positive” stress on the bones to make them thicker and stronger.

Menopause is a time for change. But that doesn’t have to include menopause-related bone loss. Taking care of your bones after menopause will give your body a youthful posture and the ability to do what you want, regardless of your age.

Written by: Ruby Holder Moseley, FizzNiche Staff Writer

Improve Bone Density Without Milk

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Banana and dumbbellsBone health is a growing problem in today’s toxic society. Some are diagnosed with osteoporosis. Some with osteopenia, which is considered a “pre” osteoporosis. The vast majority of patients with these diagnosis are given a prescription for Fosomax or Boniva or Actonel.

Up until the past few years, bone has been thought of as an inert tissue that is basically used to anchor muscles on to so we can move around and stay upright. This view has changed dramatically in the past few years.

Bone is incredibly connected to many other organ systems and even regulates your risk for diabetes and obesity. To further complicate the picture, when the gut becomes stressed (psychological stress, poor diet, drugs to treat acid reflux or heartburn, etc..) special cells lining the gut produce more serotonin. Yes–serotonin, that “feel good” hormone that we think of when we think depression and Prosac and Paxil and Zoloft. Many do not realize that over 2/3 of the body’s serotonin is actually derived from the gut.

Because of this, more stress on the gut produces more serotonin. This serotonin then affects the activity of the osteoblasts in bone, slowing their activity and slowing bone building.

So what do you need to do now to improve your bone health?

  1. To truly have an impact on bone health, a comprehensive approach that slows bone breakdown and improves bone formation is needed. Anything else falls short.
  2. Recent studies have confirmed that supplementation with calcium does not affect bone density when the diet is already high in calcium
  3. Weight bearing exercise is crucial to send the signal to the bone to build
  4. Vitamin D suplements should usually start at 2,000 IU / day. Blood levels should be maintained between 60-100 ng/ml
  5. A plant based diet with lots of fruits and vegetables is the best option for good bone health. Despite the hype, dairy has not been shown to help with bone health and, being an animal protein, may actually harm your bones.

Overall, it should be clear that our current approach to osteoporosis has little to do with true bone health and more to do with stopping the normal process occurring in bone turnover. A true approach to bone health goes hand in hand with an anti-diabetic, an anti-cancer and an anti-heart disease lifestyle. This makes it pretty easy. Follow one lifestyle and lower your risk for all.

Dr. James Bogash is a Chiropractic Physician at “LifeCare Chiropractic”

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About The Author: Since acquiring a passion for how the body works in chiropractic school, I have continued to indulge this desire by reading some 120 peer reviewed medical journals per month. I’m always learning more about how to help people avoid chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, dementia, osteoporosis, obesity and cancer, and pass along this information in my blog. There are currently almost 2,000 posts cataloged on almost every health topic imaginable!

The stories I hear back from readers of the blog who have made changes to their lifestyles is the most rewarding experience that I know of. If you find that these blog entries have helped give you insight into your health challenges, I would encourage you to share them with me.

Photo Credit: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8q–EWbomYU/Tgxr4ixe1PI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/uHWA0KUwXhE/s200/milk.png