Twenty five million Americans suffer from osteoporosis. Eighty percent of its victims are women. Most men do not consider themselves susceptible to it. But osteoporosis may strike regardless of gender, age or ethnic group. As many as six percent of men older than age 50 have osteoporosis, and almost half of men in that age group have significant bone loss.

The science:
Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by micro architectural deterioration of the bone causing its fragility. It is not a calcium deficiency, but rather a mineral imbalance. Therefore, the tons of calcium tablets taken by many every day are not really helpful.

Many minerals have been shown to be effective in reducing bone loss. Calcium is a major one, but not the only one.

Ninety-nine percent of all body calcium is in bone tissue. But the 1% that's left in blood is the most important to us because it alone regulates our calcium range. Calcium is very important to every cell, controlling heart and muscle contraction, nerve impulses, hormonal synthesis, etc. If there is insufficient calcium for these physiological needs, it will be leached out from the bone depot.

Usually, we have more or less the right amount of calcium in our food during the day, holding blood calcium within acceptable range, but a deficiency state at night becomes dangerous. That’s why one could say that osteoporosis comes at night. So, if you have to take a calcium supplement take it in the afternoon and at bedtime. Indeed, it might help more to get a better night’s sleep.

We are a sedentary nation, moving from the couch to the car seat. But the human skeleton was created for movement, so the first approach to healing is physical exercise. Jogging, tennis, and swimming are the best because they put our legs to work.

The stronger and thicker our bones are at a young age, the longer we can stave off osteoporosis. That’s why short, thin women develop osteoporosis earlier and more often.

Chronic stress with its continuous steroid production by the adrenal glands is a strong osteoporosis trigger in men, and especially in women. In the latter, the adrenals metabolize the sex hormone progesterone into cortisol, causing a higher risk for bone loss. If your adrenals are not in balance, osteoporosis may be waiting around the corner. A good regime with “early to bed and early to rise” is a wise thing to do.

Bone is a living tissue. It needs enough protein from your diet to build a matrix that later will be mineralized into a firm structure. It needs numerous minerals and vitamins. All these nutrients work together.

Diet and digestion play an essential role in preventing and healing osteoporosis. The absorption of all nutrients and calcium depends on proper stomach acid secretion. Almost 95% of people older age of 50 have low digestive enzyme secretion. Caffeine, sugar, red meat, alcohol and smoking are first on the list of things to avoid. Soft drinks and canned juices wash out bone calcium because of phosphoric acid. Some drugs may put you at risk of osteoporosis with prolonged use.

Thyroid gland dysfunction and celiac disease may be also serious risk factors of osteoporosis.

Let us discover your risks and causes of osteoporosis with our comprehensive medical tools.