Archive for February, 2013
Toxic and Addictive – Sugar
Obesity is becoming a BIG issue in the US and around the world. Countries which struggled to find enough food only decades ago now have growing numbers of overweight and obese citizens. Along with increased weight, we are seing huge increases in diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. Who or what is to blame?
Sugar is one obvious suspect. About 80% of all prepared foods in the US contain sugar, high fructose corn-syrup, and other calorie rich sweeteners. Some health policy activists are pushing for government regulation of sugar as a toxic and addictive substance – like tobacco and alcohol.
What is Clinical Osteoporosis?
Increased Fracture Risk is Clinical Osteoporosis. Clinical Osteoporosis is a diagnosis. It is a chronic medical condition that you have for the rest of your life, like high blood pressure. It can never be fully “cured”, but it can be fully controlled. That is what we do. We help you to Take Control.
Confusion arises because”osteoporosis” is also a Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test result, as measured by DXA. Persons with “osteoporosis” for a test result are at high risk, but so are many with “osteopenia”. In fact 6 times as many people with “osteopenia” have Fragility Fractures as people with “osteoporosis” test scores. Fractures and fracture risk matter more than test scores.
Chronic Pain
This week I spoke to doctors and nurses who run Pain Clinics. The obvious connection is Vertebral Fractures requiring Kyphoplasty or Vertebroplasty. If you only do the procedure, you have not solved the problem. You must treat the Osteoporosis too, preferably with the Anabolic, Forteo, if you want to avoid further fractures.
Vitamin D is the other connection. Successful treatment of chronic pain often requires enough Vitamin D3 to bring the 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level to at least 40ng/ml. This is not yet widely known. Not all clinics are testing for Vitamin D levels. They should be!