Natural Ways to Prevent Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a progressive condition characterized by decreased bone density. As the bones lose their mineralization, they become porous. The weakened bones can cause pain, deformation of the skeletal system, and susceptibility to fracture. Osteoporosis can lead to other conditions caused by a lack of minerals normally supplied by the bones.

Osteoporosis affects one in six women and one in eight men over the age of fifty. It is most commonly seen in post-menopausal women. A person's peak bone mass is reached in his or her 20s or 30s. At this age, bones are at their strongest and most dense. Bones are continually being rebuilt, but after this age the body absorbs more minerals from bone than are being replaced. The strategies for avoiding osteoporosis focus on making certain the diet contains sufficient minerals, so that the body won't need to draw on the reserves kept in bones. Another aspect of prevention is to keep stimulating the bones to remineralize themselves.

What Are Osteoporosis Risk Factors?

The more risk factors you have, the greater your tendency to develop osteoporosis. Even if you have many of the risk factors, there are steps you can take to strengthen your bones and minimize loss.

Female

Age 50 or older

Past menopause

History of hormonal imbalances

Use of certain medications, such as steroids

Insufficient calcium in the diet

Insufficient vitamin D, either from the diet or processing of sunlight

Lack of exercise

Very thin

'Small-boned' body frame

Caucasian

History of fracture

Family history of osteoporosis

Smoking

Caffeine consumption (e.g., coffee, colas)

Alcohol consumption

Prevention of Osteoporosis

The best weapons against development of osteoporosis are a healthy diet and exercise:

• Exercise

  
  Weight-bearing exercise induces the bones to rebuild. Examples of weight-bearing excersises include walking, running, dancing, and weight training. Exercises that rely on the body's own natural resistance also help strengthen bones, such as yoga and tai chi. In general, strong muscles require stong bones. Another advantage of exercise is that it helps to promote balance and coordination, which reduces the risk of falling.

• Calcium

  The body uses calcium in bones for many of its processes, so it's important to make certain that reserves are available. The recommended intake of calcium ranges from1000-1500 mg per day, depending on age, sex, and other factors. Foods that contain calcium include dairy products, such as yogurt; green vegetables; soy products; seafood such as salmon; and sesame seeds.

• Vitamin D

  Vitamin D is also important for building bone mass, as it aids in the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D is produced within our skin upon exposure to sunlight and it is also found in foods such as egg yolks, liver, ocean fish, and fortified milk. Daily intake should be approximately 400-800 IU per day, although the amount varies according to sun exposure.

• Vitamin K

  Vitamin K is also important for healthy bones. Vitamin K is found in green, leafy vegetables (e.g., broccoli, collards, brussels sprouts, spinach). Vitamin K plays an important role in blood coagulation, so persons taking blood thinners should check with their physician before attempting to increase vitamin K levels.

• Avoiding Risk-Increasing Substances

  You can help to reduce your risk for osteoporosis by avoiding substances that interfere with calcium absorption or demineralize bones directly. Use of carbonated soft drinks, caffeinated beverages, and alcohol all may increase the risk of osteoporosis. Smoking also increases the risk of osteoporosis.

Additional Reading:

• Bonaiuti, D et al. Exercise for Preventing and treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (3):CD000333, 2002.
• Brown, Susan, PhD. and Russell Jaffe, Russell Jaffe, MD. Better Bones, Better Body : Beyond Estrogen and Calcium. McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books; 2nd edition (April 1, 2000).
• Colbin, Annemarie. Food and Our Bones: The Natural Way to Prevent Osteoporosis. Plume; (July 1998).
• Cosman, Felicia M.D. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Osteoporosis: Help Prevent--and Even Reverse--the Disease that Burdens Millions of Women. Warner Books; (May 1, 2003).
• Daniels, Dianne and Peter Field Peck.Exercises for Osteoporosis. Hatherleigh Pr; (July 2000).
• Ellert, Gwen and Wade, John. The Osteoporosis Book: Prevention and Treatment for Men and Women. Vancouver: Trelle Enterprises, 1993.
• Gaby, Alan, M.D. Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis : What You Can Do About Bone Loss--A Leading Expert's Natural Approach to Increasing Bone Mass. Prima Lifestyles; Reissue edition (April 19, 1995).
• Knapen, M.H.J, Hamulyak, K, Vermeer, C. The effect of Vitamin K Supplementation on Circulating Osteocalcin (Bone Gla Protein) and Urinary Calcium Excretion. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1989;111:1001-1005.
• Nelson, Miriam E. and Sarah Wernick. Strong Women, Strong Bones: Everything You Need to Know to Prevent, Treat, and Beat Osteoporosis. Perigee; Reissue edition (July 10, 2001).
• NIH Consensus Development Panel on Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy. Osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. [Consensus Development Conference. Consensus Development Conference, NIH.] JAMA. 285(6):785-95, 2001.
• Rodriguez-Martinez, M.A and Garcia-Cohen, E.C. The Role of Calcium and Vitamin D in Osteoporosis. Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Jan 2002;93(1):37-49.
• Shiraki M. Shiraki Y. Aoki C. Miura M. Vitamin K2 (menatetrenone) effectively prevents fractures and sustains lumbar bone mineral density in osteoporosis. [Randomized Controlled Trial] Journal of Bone & Mineral Research. 15(3):515-21, 2000 Mar.

Prevent Lyme Disease

If you don't get bitten by a tick, you won't contract Lyme disease. Therefore, the best protection from the disease is to avoid the disease carrier, the deer tick.

• Avoid Ticks
  
  Deer ticks are most commonly found in wooded areas, bushy areas, tall grass, and areas with leaf litter. However, they can also be found in lawns and gardens, more commonly at edges of wooded areas and near walls. If you must enter an area that could harbor ticks, stay toward the center of trails. Try to avoid contact with grass, bushes, and leaf litter. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease are most active May through July, though they may be found at other times as well.
  
  
• Dress Appropriately
  
  
  • Wear long pants, long-sleeve shirts, shoes, and socks to help keep ticks off of your skin.
    
  • Wear light-colored clothing to make it easier to spot ticks.
    
  • Tie back long hair; consider wearing a hat.
    
  • Tuck pant legs into socks or boots. Tuck shirts into pants. This will help keep ticks away from skin.
    
  • Consider taping the area where pants and socks meet to prevent ticks from crawling under clothes.
    
  
  
• Consider Tick Repellent
  
  You can spray tick repellent on clothes and shoes before entering tick-infested areas. Two common choices are products containing the repellent DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) and those containing the repellent/insecticide permethrin. DEET-based repellents may also be applied directly to the skin, to help prevent tick bites. Permethrin should not be applied directly onto skin.
  
  
• Check for Ticks
  
  Check for ticks at least daily. You should also inspect your pets. The following body areas are common sites of tick bites:
  
  
  
  • armpits
    
  • back of the knee
    
  • inside of elbow
    
  • nape of the neck
    
  • navel
    
  • scalp
    
  • groin
  
  
• Check your Clothes
  
  Even if your body is free of ticks, your clothes may have acquired them. Ticks can survive quite a long time, waiting for a host, but you can kill them by running clothes through the dryer on high heat for a normal cycle. Normal washing of clothes will not kill ticks.

Minimizing Risk if you are Bitten

If you find a tick embedded in your skin, there are steps you can take to minimize your risk of contracting Lyme disease. Infected ticks normally cannot begin transmitting the spirochete (the bacterium that causes Lyme disease) until the tick has been attached for about 36-48 hours. If you find a deer tick attached to your skin that has not yet become engorged (swollen with blood), chances are good it hasn't had sufficient time to transmit Lyme disease.

• Don't Panic
  
  Only specific types of ticks can carry Lyme disease. Also, not all ticks that can carry the disease actually do carry it.
  
  
• Remove the Tick

  Remove a tick from your skin as soon as you notice it. Use tweezers to grasp the tick very close to where it is attached to the skin. Avoid crushing the tick’s body (if you do, just be sure to clean your skin with soapy water or swab it with alcohol after removal). With a smooth and steady motion, pull the tick’s body away from your skin. Once the tick is removed, clean the skin with warm, soapy water. If you are very concerned that the tick could carry the disease, you could keep it for later inspection. Don't be concerned if the tick’s mouthparts remain in the skin. Once the mouthparts are separated from the tick's body, it can no longer transmit the Lyme disease bacteria. Don’t use petroleum jelly, a hot match, nail polish, or other products to remove a tick. These removal methods could actually make the situation worse, causing the tick to excrete or regurgitate bacteria.

Tick-Proofing your Surroundings

• Consider Pesticides around your Home

  A pesticide designed to kill ticks called an "acaricide" can reduce tick populations around your home. A single application at the end of May or beginning of June (possibly reapplied in September to control adult ticks) can reduce tick populations as much as 68% to 100%. Timing is important, so check with local health officials about the best time to apply acaricide in your area. If you choose to apply pesticide yourself as opposed to hiring a professional, you will need to check into the regulations regarding pesticide application on residential properties.
  

• Landscape to Deter Ticks

  Consider the habits of ticks when planning the landscaping of your yard. Ticks thrive in humid, wooded areas. They tend to avoid sunny, dry areas. There are several steps you can take to make your property less attractive to ticks:
  

  
  
  • Keep your yard free of leaf litter.
    
  • Clear brush and mow grass.
    
  • Separate lawns and wooded areas with wood chips or gravel to restrict tick migration.
    
  • Mow the lawn and clear brush and leaf litter frequently.
    
  • Keep the ground under bird feeders clean.
    
  • Stack wood in dry areas.
    
  • Keep recreational yard equipment away from yard edges and trees.
    
  
  
• Discourage Deer

  Deer ticks aren't found exclusively on deer, but reducing deer populations around your home may reduce their prevalance. To discourage deer from your property:
  

  
  
  • Do not feed deer on your property.
    
  • Construct barriers such as fencing to discourage deer from entering your property.
    
  • Plant "deer-resistant" or deer-proof plants.
    
  
  
• Consider Additional Measures
  
  
  
  • You can install bait boxes that treat wild rodents with acaricide. These devices can reduce the incidence of ticks around homes by more than 50%. The bait boxes do not harm the rodents.
    
  • If you wish to keep deer near your home, but live in a high-risk area, devices exist for applying topical acaricides to deer.
    
  • Fungal agents are available for biological control of ticks.
    
  • There are plants you can include in your landscaping and natural extracts that could be applied around the home or on clothes that safely repel ticks.