Archive for the ‘Take Control Naturally’ Category
Take Control Naturally – Be A Stork
You can Prevent Fractures by being a stork for 5 minutes every day. How? you ask. Take Control Naturally with an exercise that improves balance and strength in your ankle and leg.
Falls are part of the reason for most fractures. As we age, our strength and balance begin to fade. This causes falls. Falls cause fractures. Yoga, Tai Chi, and formal Physical Therapy all increase leg and ankle strength and improve balance. If you do not have time for yoga or Tai Chi, do this simple exercise every day.
Fracture Risk – More Important than DXA, BMD, & t-Score
The International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) met last week. Our society has been dedicated to properly evaluating DXA to determine Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and t-score. Now ISCD is taking the next step.
The recurring theme at the 2014 ISCD joint meeting with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) was that DXA, BMD, and t-score are only tools to reach the real goal. The real goal is Preventing Fractures. DXA, BMD, and t-score alone do not get us to that goal. As health care providers, we can best prevent fractures by evaluating the reasons for Fracture Risk, and correcting those issues.
Control What You Can
Increasing numbers of patients are reluctant to consider pharmaceuticals for their Osteoporosis and Fracture Risk. You may agree with that. If you do you MUST be prepared to Take Control Naturally of those issues you can control: Calcium, Vitamin D, Protein, Vitamins and Minerals, and Exercises for Balance, Strengthening and Posture.
These Natural measures are things that everyone should do for best results, whether taking Osteoporosis Medications or not. For some individuals they can be enough by themselves.
You Are What You Eat
Does this mean that you have to eat bones to have strong bones? Well, sort of. While it is fun to envision people chewing on Flintstone-sized bones, the Flintstone characters did something right. They ate huge Brontosaurus steaks, which were PROTEIN. The content of our bones is, surprizingly, over 80% Protein. Therefore, we must eat enough Protein to maintain and strengthen our bones (and muscles).
The USDA recommends approximately 1 gram of Protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Eating that much Protein daily will maintain a healthy body, including bone and muscle. Persons over age 65 actually need MORE Protein rather than less, for the same sized body.
How much Protein do you need? This often asked question is answered based on how much you weigh. If you weigh: