Via: http://fitgreengoddess.blogspot.com/2009/10/osteoporosis-in-3-d.html
Osteoporosis is a disease, more common in women, that causes bones to become fragile and more susceptible to breaking. It is a real condition with serious effects on women’s health and quality of life. Some women — most commonly those who don’t have good access to health care — experience fractures that could have been prevented if their osteoporosis had been treated. At the same time, not every woman who is warned about bone thinning needs to be worried. Companies that make drugs for osteoporosis have conducted advertising campaigns for women and health care providers that have created fear and led many women who don’t need the drugs to take them, despite serious side effects and risks.
In recent years, many new osteoporosis drugs have become available, creating a dilemma for women trying to decide which, if any, of these medications they need. Specifically, women want to know when it is appropriate to take a drug for osteoporosis, and which treatments are safest and most effective. The National Women’s Health Network believes that the focus of efforts to promote bone health should be on preventing fractures rather than preventing loss of bone mineral density in women who are otherwise at low risk of experiencing a fracture. As you’ll read below, drugs are not always the best approach.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis literally means porous bone. Throughout life, there are constant changes in the structure of bones. A natural process breaks down bones and builds them back up again at the microscopic level. Children and young adults build more bone than they break down. Pregnant women release bone to transfer needed minerals to the developing fetus and then build their own bone strength up again after giving birth. After age 35-40 all adults begin to lose bone as the breaking down process overwhelms the building process. For a few years around the time of menopause, women lose bone more quickly, possibly because they no longer need extra stores of minerals to support a developing fetus.
Osteoporosis occurs when the natural process of aging goes too far and bones become weak and fragile. Osteoporosis has several causes – age alone can be a cause of osteoporosis, especially in people who didn’t build up their bones to their fullest potential during childhood and young adulthood. Medicine can cause osteoporosis – taking high doses of steroids over a period of months can cause significant bone loss, for example. Removing women’s ovaries increases their risk of getting osteoporosis. Inactivity can cause osteoporosis, too – astronauts and people who are not able to walk briskly are more likely to develop fragile bones.
People who have osteoporosis are at greater risk for fracturing their bones, especially in the hip, vertebrae (spine) and wrist. Hip fractures lead to hospitalization, can take a long time to heal, and many women never fully recover from them. Individual vertebral fractures can be completely painless and cause no problems at all, but if multiple fractures develop in the spine it can be very painful and restrict women’s ability to move without serious discomfort.
Alternatives
Alternatives to drugs exist for making and keeping bones strong. The National Institutes of Health’s 2000 Consensus Statement on Osteoporosis reviewed the research on osteoporosis prevention and treatment and found strong scientific evidence that calcium and Vitamin D intake are crucial to develop and preserve strong bones.
Regular exercise (especially resistance and high-impact activities) contributes to the development of bone mass. Other promising interventions focus on preventing fractures: balance training reduces the risk of falling, which is often responsible for broken bones in older people. A few small studies have shown that hip protectors provided along with training on how to use them can help reduce the risk of fracture if a fall occurs. Large randomized trials didn’t find any benefit, though. Other practical ways to reduce the risk of falling include making sure that vision prescriptions are up-to-date, checking prescriptions for drug interactions that might cause dizziness, eliminating fall-causing hazards in the home (like slippery rugs), and wearing appropriate shoes.
The Bottom Line
Drug companies are clearly trying to expand the market for osteoporosis drugs; their latest efforts target “non-traditional” populations (like younger women and men) for screening. Many women under age 65 without critical risk factors are being screened for osteopenia and osteoporosis, despite the fact that early screening has not been shown to prevent most serious fractures. The NWHN encourages women under age 65 to reject bone density screening unless they have unusual circumstances that increase their risk.
In addition to thinking carefully about their own risk of experiencing a serious fracture, women need to consider safety issues when deciding whether to take osteoporosis drugs. Also, the treatment’s duration is critical in determining its effectiveness: when a woman stops taking certain osteoporosis prevention drugs, the preventive effects are quickly lost. Don’t hesitate to ask your health care provider about the safety and efficacy of any osteoporosis medication and whether non-drug alternatives might be just as effective, based on your personal history and current health status.
