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Know Your Bones
In this article:
- You may think your bones are strong, but maybe not
- Are you a thin white female?
- Males get osteoporosis, too
- The DEXA Scan, the most accurate determination of bone density available to modern medicine
Women, particularly slender white females, have one of the highest risks for osteopenia, or, in its worst form, osteoporosis. Those terms simply mean that calcium is steadily and progressively lost from their bones, leaving them at much greater risk of bone fractures and skeletal deformities. The risk actually begins in the late 30s to mid 40s, and accelerates from there up through the menopausal/post-menopausal period and on through the rest of life, unless something is done to stop it. Slender white females who do a lot of cardiovascular exercises, and little or no resistance exercises, are particularly at risk.
Other women of all ethnic backgrounds are also at risk as they begin to age and their hormonal levels fall. Low levels of Estradiol and hGH (human growth hormone) play a major part in one's inability to utilize calcium, even when taken in therapeutic amounts as a supplement. If you do not have the right hormones in order to deposit the calcium in you bones, it does not help a lot to take calcium tablets.
Dietary habits are also important. Soft drinks, particularly the colas, are real culprits when it comes to taking calcium out of your bones.
Men also have a real problem with osteoporosis, which is an under-reported fact. About 30 percent of men will become osteoporotic, with a high risk for fractures.
Hormones, such as hGH, testosterone, and estrogen are important in the maintenance of optimal bone density and strength, and the reduction of fracture risk as we all grow older.
Screening exams, particularly in women, should begin after the age of 40 year old, and most certainly after menopause, when estrogen levels decrease so precipitously. They should be performed every two years if normal, and every one year if on medication for osteoporosis or osteopenia.
Here at the NeuroMedical Institute for Age Management, we have the latest, state-of-the-art DEXA Scan bone densitometer for the measurement of bone density in the critical areas mentioned above. It is a rapid scan, and is the most accurate determination of bone density available to modern medicine.
The DEXA scan measures bone density in the lumbar spine and in both of the hips, which are the weight-bearing areas and the ones most often affected by osteoporosis. Those are the areas most frequently fractured in falls, and are the areas which, when fractured, may lead to long periods of hospitalization and disability, and even death from the complications inherent from a long period of hospitalization and forced inactivity.
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Age Management Topics
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About the Institute
