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Patient Education - Healthy Tips
Welcome to Healthy Tips! Every other month we will post useful health care tips for women. These will cover topics of interest to women of all ages. We hope you find the information helpful.
Well Woman Care
Build Better Bones & Beat Osteoporosis
Take steps towards improving your bone health. Healthy bones give us good posture, allow us to stay active, and contribute to our overall physical health. However, as we age, our bones can weaken. This condition is called osteoporosis.
Why do our bones change as we get older?
We build bones through childhood and into young adulthood. During our twenties, our bones are at their strongest. However, after age 30, a woman’s body starts making less bone. And, after menopause, hormonal changes cause our bodies to make less estrogen, which in turn, makes us start to lose bone. In fact, a woman can lose up to one-third of her spinal bone mass during the first six years of menopause. These weakened bones lead to a risk of fractures, reduce the ability to be active, and can give a woman a stooped appearance.
Can we prevent osteoporosis?
Yes, by remembering that our bones are alive and always changing. They are continually making and losing bone. New bone is formed from calcium and other minerals. This allows bones to repair themselves after injury. When the bone-making system is healthy, the same amount of bone is rebuilt as is lost. This way, bones stay strong and able to support the body.
With osteoporosis, the bone-making system is out of balance and the amount of bone lost is greater than the amount of bone rebuilt. However, by taking a few simple steps--changing our diet, exercising, and in some cases, using supplements--we can tip the bone-making system back into balance and keep osteoporosis at bay
Diet: A Key Tool
Make sure you get enough calcium. Women should start increasing their calcium intake in their thirties to help ward off the affects of menopause in later years. Children and teens should also be encouraged to get enough calcium. Strong bones in your youth will aid you when you get older.
Daily Calcium Needs Are:
- Age 14 to 18: 1,300 mg. per day
- Age 19 to 30: 1,000 mg. per day
- Age 31 to 50: 1,000 mg. per day
- Age 51 and up: 1,200 mg. per day
Note: These amounts are for PREVENTION not treatment of osteoporosis.
Good Sources of Calcium
- Low-fat milk
- Low-fat yogurt
- Low-fat cheese
- Ice cream
- Canned salmon with bones
- Canned sardines with bones
- Bok choy
- Collard greens
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Calcium-fortified breakfast bars
- Calcium-fortified cereal
- Calcium-fortified bread
- Calcium-fortified fruit juices
- Calcium-fortified soy milk
- Puddings made with milk
- Tofu made with calcium sulfate
- Tomato soup with soy milk
- Oranges
The Vitamin D Connection
Without adequate amounts of Vitamin D, our body’s capacity to retain calcium is compromised. The good news is that getting Vitamin D is very simple--when our skin is exposed to sunlight, our bodies make Vitamin D. The National Osteoporosis Foundation states that exposing your arms, hands, and face to sunlight for as little as 15 minutes per day, two to three times per week, is enough to provide the right amount of Vitamin D. However, some folks cannot tolerate sunlight, and others live in climates where outdoor exposure in the winter months might be difficult. Plus, we have to balance sunlight exposure with preventing skin cancer risks. For those reasons, ask your doctor or health care provider about taking a Vitamin D supplement.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation is recommending that adults take a Vitamin D supplement of from 400 to 800 IU per day. Your doctor can advise as to what is right for you. (It can be difficult to get Vitamin D through your diet. Although dairy products in general are good sources of calcium, only milk is Vitamin D fortified. Two 8-ounce glasses of skim milk daily will provide you with an adequate amount of Vitamin D, and about half of your daily calcium requirements.)
Add in Exercise
Being active is important because your bones need exercise. Activity places force on your bones, and they respond by growing stronger. When used as part of an overall prevention plan, exercise is even more effective.
Weight-bearing exercises work especially well. Some examples are walking, jogging, tennis, aerobics, dance, and in winter, cross-country skiing and skating. Chores such as gardening and yard work, and vacuuming also provide weight-bearing exercise.
Resistance exercises are also good. These might include archery, using free weights, rubber stretch bands, or weight machines. These activities apply force to bones by way of muscles. Both muscles and bones are strengthened by doing these exercises.
Non-weight bearing activities include swimming and bicycling. These don’t benefit your bones, but will help you reduce your weight, which is also important.
A good overall fitness plan should include weight-bearing activity, resistance activity, and a flexibility program such as yoga, pilates, or dance.
Bone Density Tests
If you are concerned about the health of your bones, you might ask your doctor to schedule a bone density test. These tests are quick, easy, and painless--much like an X-ray. In general, women of menopause age and older should definitely have a bone density test.