Osteoporosis is a disease which affects the density of the human skeletal structure, causing bones to become frail and more prone to breaks and fractures, medical experts say. Our bones naturally become weaker as we age due to the body’s natural cycles slowing down; however osteoporosis speeds up the process of losing bone density. To fight this, many people opt to use osteoporosis medication, such as Fosamax, often on the advice from their doctor. But we should also consider a holistic approach in treating osteoporosis.
Doctors will usually advise that prevention of any disease is better than treatment. If you already have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, however, you should know that there are alternative treatments to having to take osteoporosis medication. A health care professional may put you on a regiment of alternative treatments to help with your symptoms of osteoporosis. The following are some common alternatives to fight osteoporosis:
- Take more vitamin D. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for a healthy skeleton and calcium absorption. It is available from certain foods (fish oil, fortified milk, eggs and liver), but the best source is sunlight. You can get the recommended dose of vitamin D through 15 minutes of sunlight exposure.
- Get more vitamin K per day. It has been recently found that vitamin K is an essential factor in bone metabolism. When comparing those with a vitamin K deficiency to those who do not have one, those with the deficiency are more prone to bone density loss and bone fractures There have been studies which show that after three years, patients who have been taking both vitamins D and K had less bone loss than those taking a placebo or vitamin D alone.
- Eat less salt, sugar and caffeine, as these additives can cause the calcium to get flushed out through your urine.
- Be careful of the amount of saturated fat, zinc, iron and fiber you eat as they can hinder the amount of calcium that the digestive tract absorbs.
- Acupuncture. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing technique which uses needles and has been known to help the body heal faster and be more responsive to other healing techniques.
Once you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis it is only natural to be cautious. This is especially so with the information of the number of Fosamax lawsuits which have been steadily increasing recently. To find out which alternative treatments are best for you, consult with your doctor as soon as possible.
References:
tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/alternative-medicines-for-osteoporosis.htm
umm.edu/altmed/articles/osteoporosis-000120.htm
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