Here at Matthews Internal Medicine, one ailment we try to help our patients avoid is osteoporosis. This disease affects many older people, causing weaker bones and falls that can be far more painful and damaging. Some of our patients, once diagnosed with osteoporosis, have one question. Can it be cured?
What is Osteoporosis?
First, we should talk a bit about what osteoporosis is and how it affects you. Simply put, osteoporosis makes your bones more porous. This makes them weaker and cause them to break with less stress. This is why falls can be such a big problem for older patients with osteoporosis. A trip and fall that may have just resulted in a bruise before could now mean a broken bone and reduced mobility.
Unfortunately, osteoporosis doesn’t really make itself known until a bone breaks or fractured. That’s why one of our focuses is preventative medicine. We want to make sure that as many of our patients as possible can avoid this condition in the first place.
Osteoporosis Prevention
Preventing osteoporosis often comes back to your diet and lifestyle. One key to osteoporosis prevention is getting the nutrients that you need. The key ones are calcium and vitamin D. Having a diet rich in foods that contain either or both of these can go a long way towards preventing this ailment. Almonds, milk, and salmon are among the foods that should become staples in your diet.
Certain lifestyle choices and health backgrounds can also put you at risk of developing osteoporosis. Other health issues, like hyperthyroidism and diabetes, can increase your risk. A family history of breast cancer can also increase your chances of developing osteoporosis. Taking certain medications, a high caffeine intake, smoking, and alcohol consumption can all make you more likely to develop osteoporosis as well. Even your gender can affect your chances of developing osteoporosis, with women being more likely to be diagnosed with it later in life.
If you think that you have any of these risk factors or you’re worried about not getting the nutrients you need to prevent osteoporosis, talk to our medical professionals today. We’ll do what we can to get you back on the right track.
Can it be Cured?
Unfortunately, osteoporosis can’t really be cured completely. You can begin to stop it in its tracks and lower your risk of further breaks and fractures though. Usually this means taking medications that help with bone health, along with taking other steps that improve bone density. Taking in the right amount of aforementioned nutrients like vitamin D and calcium can really help. A more active lifestyle can also help with bone health, in addition to all of the other benefits it can provide.
The goal is to get your bones out of that “osteoporosis range.” While you can’t completely reverse the bone loss, you can slow it down. Even though osteoporosis can’t be cured entirely, it’s best to take what steps you can to fight back against this disease as early as possible. With some work and some help from Matthews Internal Medicine, you don’t have to live in fear of osteoporosis.