Keeping your Bones Strong as you Age

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Keeping your Bones Strong as you Age

Written by Dr. Sandra Miranda, ND

November is Osteoporosis month. The International Osteoporosis Foundation states that approximately 1.4 million Canadians, mainly postmenopausal women and the elderly are affected by osteoporosis

A simple calculation can help you determine your chances of developing osteoporosis without the need of a bone density scan. The formula is as follows:

Age – weight (km) = ???

If your answer is >20 – your chances are 50 to 60%

If your answer is 0-20 – your chances are 15 – 20%

If your answer is <0 – your chances are 5%

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will decrease women’s incident of fractures. However, women would have to take HRT for 10 years to get its benefit and the meantime, they will increase their chances for other health problems such as: stroke, deep vein thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer.

The safest approach to decreasing risk fracture is prevention and education on diet, exercise and lifestyle factors that enhance bone density.

Exercise: There is no doubt that physical activity is associated with reduction in hip fractures in women and men. Two 45 minutes sessions per week of weight bearing exercises such as walking, bicycling, or weight training will help increase bone density.

Green Leafy Vegetables – such as kale, collard greens, parsley, and lettuce offers a significant protection. Not only are they rich sources of calcium, they are also alkalinizing vegetables. When our bodies are too acidic, calcium gets broken down from our bones to help neutralize the acidity.

Soft Drinks – This is a major factor for osteoporosis because they are high in phosphates which interferes with calcium absorption. In addition, they cause our body’s pH to lower making us more acidic.

Reduce smoking and cut back on alcohol – Cigarette smoking and consuming two or more alcoholic drinks daily will increase your risk for osteoporosis

Limit Caffeine – to 1 per day. Caffeine increases the rate at which calcium is lost in the urine

Eliminate refined sugar – Sugar increase the loss of calcium from the body and makes our bodies more acidic.

Please forward this email to all the women in your life who would love to find out how to keep their bones healthy.

Osteoporosis is a lot easier to prevent than to treat!

For more information on how to keep your bones healthy, call Miranda Naturopathic Clinic at 905-668-7987.

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