OSTEOPOROSIS - A COMMON CONCERN

When I was 33 years old, I was operated on for ovarian cancer. At the time, I was understandably concerned about one thing: removing the cancer. What I didn't realize was that there would be unforeseen outcomes of the surgery unrelated to the cancer that would increase my risk of developing other serious illnesses.

When a woman has her ovaries and uterus removed before menopause, she is immediately thrown into a menopausal state. This is known as sur-gically-induced menopause and it is what happened to me. As a result, even though I was chronologically age 33, after my surgery I felt more like I was 53. As if someone flipped a switch, I quickly began developing all of the telltale signs of menopause: Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, etc. It seemed like even my skin tone and texture changed practically overnight.

Of course, I wanted to know exactly what was going on with my body. I researched surgically-induced menopause extensively. It was then that I discovered the menopausal symptoms were just the tip of the iceberg not just for women who have experienced surgically-induced menopause, but for many menopausal women in general. Because the key hormone-producing organs in my body were removed, I was at risk of developing all sorts of illnesses including heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis. I immediately began researching how I could help prevent such a trifecta of diseases. This booklet on osteoporosis is a reflection of that research.

Osteoporosis Defined

Even for women who are not at high risk, the thought of developing osteoporosis is upsetting. Have you ever broken a bone? Many of us have. For people with osteoporosis, a broken bone is often the first sign of trouble. Bones in the hip, spine, and wrist can continue to break because they have become thin and frail. In severe cases, the spine can become so porous and weak that the vertebrae can fracture spontaneously. This can lead to kyphosis, which is also referred to as a dowager's hump.

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by loss of bone mass severe enough to actually change the composition of the bone from dense and strong to porous, weak, and fragile. Over time if bone mass is not pro-tected or restored, osteoporotic bones can become extremely thin and brittle. Healthy bones are like a branch on the tree that will not break in turbulent winds. Osteoporotic bones are like the twig that snaps with only the slightest breeze. In advanced cases of osteoporosis, the bones actually become too weak to support the body.

The strength of our bones is measured by using a bone mineral density (BMD) test (more on that in the next chapter). If a person's BMD is lower than normal but not low enough to be classified as osteoporosis, the term used is osteopenia. Some people with osteopenia may never develop osteoporosis, they may just have a naturally lower bone mineral density; however, for most people with osteopenia BMD must be monitored care-fully to prevent significant bone loss and the development of osteopo-rosis. If you have been diagnosed as having osteopenia, you can prevent further bone loss through a combination of diet, lifestyle, and the dietary supplements featured in this booklet. In some cases, a prescription drug may be needed if bone loss progression appears to be increasing. Prescrip-tion medications will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.

Osteoporosis is one of the most commonly diagnosed bone diseases. Osteopenia, which can be a prelude to osteoporosis, is even more prevalent. Preventing and reversing bone loss should be a top priority, especially for people who have a higher risk. Before we can look at risk factors and con-ventional treatment, let's take a closer look at how bones actually form.

Did You Know?

According to the authors of The Bone-Building Solution, "At any given moment, you can have up to 8 million sites throughout your 206 bones where small patches of old bone or injured bone are being dissolved and new bone is being laid down." The process of rebuilding and repairing bone is never-ending and takes place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Understanding Bone Formation

Bones create the rigid frame of the human body and account for only about 20 percent of our overall body weight. Although our skeletal sys-tem is light weight, it is strong enough to carry out a variety of important functions including helping us move, as well as supporting and protecting our internal organs. Bones are living material and a flurry of activity con-stantly takes place inside the structure of our bones. Important immune and blood cells are formed and stored in our bones. In addition, bones store and release calcium and other minerals so our bodies can perform vital metabolic tasks. Calcium, magnesium and other minerals assist with clotting of the blood, beating of the heart, maintaining nerve responses, and transporting oxygen. In addition to being important to bone and tooth formation, minerals also help build and regulate soft tissues that connect, support or surround body organs. I'll discuss minerals in much more detail in chapter 2.
Because bones are living material, they are very dynamic and active. Bones consume nutrients, require blood and oxygen, and give off wastes. The 200-plus bones in the human body can also change shape. Bones must be stiff enough to hold us up but also flexible enough to handle impact and muscle contraction. Bone growth begins in the womb but continues even until early adulthood. While the length of our bones stops growing in our 30s, the diameter and thickness can change throughout our entire lives. Our most important bone-building years occur in our teens and last until we are about 20 years old. During those years, our
bones become denser and denser until we reach our peak bone mass. During that time, we are actually making more bone than we are losing. Bone material constantly turns over through a process of formation and breakdown (also known as modeling and remodeling).

Osteoblast cells help form bone while osteoclast cells help digest old bone. The balance of formation and breakdown between the osteoblast and osteoclast cells is important to maintaining bone strength and den-sity. A hormone produced in the parathyroid gland known as parathyroid hormone (PTH) binds to osteoclast cells to encourage their activity. PTH also helps enhance reabsorption of calcium and magnesium, and helps balance calcium and phosphorus in the bones.

In addition to PTH, bone health is partially influenced by sex hormones from the ovaries in women and testes in men, as well as from growth hor-mones secreted from the pituitary gland in the brain. One of the reasons removal of the ovaries before menopause causes an increased risk of osteo-porosis is because there is a reduction in hormone production and, there-fore, bone modeling and remodeling can be negatively affected. Bones naturally become thinner as we age because there is a natural reduction in hormone production as seen with natural menopause (versus surgically-induced menopause). After about age 30, existing bone cells are reabsorbed by the body at a faster pace. At the same time, the production of new bone is slowed and bones lose vital minerals to keep them strong. By the time the bones are weak enough to break; osteoporosis may have already set in.

The reason women are far more likely to develop osteoporosis than men is that we have a lower peak bone mineral density than men. In addition, hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause and meno-pause can accelerate the loss of bone mass in some women. It is estimated that in the five years following menopause, a woman will lose as much as 20 percent of her bone density. While this is a natural part of the aging process, osteoporosis occurs when the bone loss is extreme or when bone formation declines dramatically or both.

While reduced hormonal activity influences bone loss, one of the most overlooked areas that impacts bone health is diet. Our diet can either contribute to bone growth or bone loss. In Chapter 4 I will discuss how an alkalizing diet can help strengthen your bones. When combined with weight bearing exercise and appropriate dietary supplements, your diet is a powerful natural way to prevent and treat osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis can be devastating; however it is a condition that responds extremely well to aggressive prevention and early detection. The next chapter provides an overview of causes, risk factors, diagnosis, and con-ventional treatment.