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Preventing Disease
According to the National Institute of Health, more than 8 million American women have osteoporosis. They state, "Osteoporosis can happen at any age but the risk grows as you get older. The first noticeable sign of osteoporosis is often losing height or having a bone break easily. Other signs can be changes in the shape of the spine, prolonged severe pain in the middle of the back, and tooth loss."
The most important thing to remember is this: YOU CAN PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS. Here are some recommendations to help you prevent osteoporosis and lead a healthier life:
1. Follow a diet that is rich in calcium and vitamin D.
2. Exercise regularly with weight bearing exercises such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, weight training, tennis and dancing.
According to the NIH, good sources of calcium include low fat dairy foods, canned fish with bones, such as salmon and sardines, dark-green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, and collards, calcium-fortified orange juice, and breads made with calcium-fortified flour.
Your body makes Vitamin D. According to the NIH, being in the sun 20 minutes a day helps most women make enough. Food sources for vitamin D (as recommended on the NIH website) are eggs, fatty fish (such as sardines, mackerel, and salmon), and cereal and milk fortified with vitamin D.
For more information about osteoporosis, check the NIH
website,
call HPT Physical Therapy Specialists, or contact your doctor.
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