Osteoporosis: a serious disease

OSTEOPOROSIS a serious disease juicygreenmom

Did you know that over 10.2 million adults have Osteoporosis and another 43.4 million have low bone mass? And this disease accounts for more time spent in the hospital than diseases like diabetes, heart attacks and breast cancer. Yikes – I did not know this until I was contacted by American Recall Center who are dedicating July to spreading awareness about Osteoporosis. I’ve always thought of osteoporosis as a disease of elderly women who didn’t drink enough milk or get enough calcium. It’s a pretty serious disease though – what shocked me in this infographic is that 1 in 2 women over 50 will fracture a bone because of it! I don’t know about you, but I certainly do not look forward to fracturing a hip and needing to get serious hip replacement surgery.

For those of you who don’t know, Osteoporosis is a condition that causes your bones to become weak and brittle; increasing your chance of fracturing a bone (1 in 2 women over 50). The continued degeneration of your bones could further your risk of suffering from a condition called scoliosis. Scoliosis can cause an unnatural curve to the spine, making your shoulders look uneven. These conditions can then cause chronic pain as well as various other side effects.

Bone conditions do not only affect the elderly; many conditions in children, if caught earlier, can have their impact in adulthood reduced.

OSTEO

3 Key Factors for healthy bones (according to Mayo Clinic online):

  • adequate amounts of calcium
  • adequate amounts of vitamin D
  • regular exercise

There’s a lot of milk and yogurt consumption in my house (great sources of calcium), and I am thrilled to be able to harvest calcium-rich kale from my garden this summer. If you’re in a place where you don’t get a lot of vitamin D naturally from the sun (like me in Edmonton), consider vitamin D drops for your family – this is what was recommended to me by my naturopath and my whole family takes it. And with regards to exercise – I find that scheduling it into my day so that it’s part of my routine is the best way to keep it regular.

How do you ensure you’re getting enough calcium, vitamin D and exercise?

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