Osteoporosis

Most, if not all, osteopororis drugs have nasty side effects.  Adding calcium  to your diet is also not effective, although it was once thought to be.  There’s only one choice left: exercise.

Osteoporosis means that the calcium content of your bones is too low.  This is usually shown by a bone scan.  It’s calcium that gives strength to your bones.  Low calcium means that your bones are too weak.  They break too easily.

Doctors used to advice you to increase the amount of calcium in your diet, usually in the form of dairy products.  They reasoned that your bones would take up more calcium if you had more in your diet.  This idea has proven to be wrong.  Only exercise will strengthen your bones by having them absorb more calcium.  Of course, you do need to maintain adequate calcium in your diet at the same time.

You see, bones have a built-in regulation mechanism.  They only incorporate calcium into their structure when it’s needed to strengthen your bones to meet the needs of your daily life.  Your bones will even release calcium when they don’t need it.  The bones of astronauts living in zero gravity become depleted of calcium.  The same thing happens if your lead a sedentary life style.  This loss of calcium is not normally a problem because the bones maintain a large safety factor, keeping adequate strength to prevent breakage.  Likewise, increased stress on the bones will cause them to incorporate more calcium.

First of all, f0llow your doctor’s advice.  Your doctor will schedule bone scans and prescribe treatment.  It’s usually diet and exercise.  Do the exercise.  Any exercise that puts stress on your bones will work.  Walking or running is good.  It is critical that you do the exercise in an upright position.  Curiously the same exercise lying down has no effect on the calcium content of bones.