No matter how healthy your diet, sometimes you need an extra boost. Read about the top supplements and vitamins for bone health that you should…. Find out what it is, the benefits of getting it, and other things to think about here. To diagnose osteoporosis, doctors will perform physical exams, ask questions about your medical history and symptoms, and test your bone mineral….
Learn seven common myths about osteoporosis and bone health, dispelled by bone health expert Dr. Deborah Sellmeyer. Here's what you should know about osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis, plus diet and exercise tips for healthy bones. Osteoporosis and osteopenia are conditions that affect the strength and health of your bones. Learn about the primary differences between the two and….
If you have osteoporosis, diet plays a vital role in managing your condition. Osteomalacia and osteoporosis are two different conditions that affect the bones, and have different treatments. Yoga is an excellent way to manage symptoms of osteoporosis. A solid routine can help to strengthen your muscles and bones, which helps to lower your…. Osteoporosis is a chronic condition, but certain medications and lifestyle modifications can help you to prevent and treat bone loss.
Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Osteoporosis Alternative Treatments. Medically reviewed by Gerhard Whitworth, R. Red clover Soy Black cohosh Horsetail Acupuncture Tai chi Melatonin Traditional treatment Prevention Alternative treatments for osteoporosis The goal of any alternative treatment is to manage or heal the condition without the use of medication.
Red clover. Black cohosh. Tai chi. Traditional treatment options. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, Pharm. Medically reviewed by William Morrison, M. Osteoporosis Tests and Diagnosis. Ask your GP for advice about taking calcium supplements. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. All adults should have 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. But since it's difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone, everyone including pregnant and breastfeeding women should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter.
For more information, read about who should take vitamin D supplements. HRT is sometimes taken by women who are going through the menopause , as it can help control symptoms.
HRT has also been shown to keep bones strong and reduce the risk of breaking a bone during treatment. However, HRT is not specifically recommended for treating osteoporosis and is rarely used for this purpose.
This is because HRT slightly increases the risk of developing certain conditions — such as breast cancer , endometrial cancer , ovarian cancer , stroke and venous thromboembolism — more than it lowers the risk of osteoporosis. Read more about the risks of HRT. In men, testosterone treatment can be useful when osteoporosis is caused by low levels of male sex hormones.
The Strong Bones After 50 patient booklet from the Royal College of Physicians has advice for people who have broken a bone after a fall, and their families and carers. It explains what a fragility fracture is, and what type of treatment you can expect. Page last reviewed: 18 June Next review due: 18 June Although a diagnosis of osteoporosis is based on the results of your bone density scan , the decision about what treatment you need, if any, is based on a number of other factors including your: age sex risk of breaking a bone previous injury history If you've been diagnosed with osteoporosis because you've had a broken bone, you should still receive treatment to try to reduce your risk of further broken bones.
You may not need or want to take medicine to treat osteoporosis. Medicines for osteoporosis A number of different medicines are used to treat osteoporosis and sometimes osteopenia. Bisphosphonates Bisphosphonates slow the rate that bone is broken down in your body. There are a number of different bisphosphonates, including: alendronic acid ibandronic acid risedronic acid zoledronic acid They're given as a tablet or injection.
The main side effects associated with bisphosphonates include: irritation to the foodpipe swallowing problems stomach pain Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a rare side effect linked with the use of bisphosphonates, although most frequently with high-dose intravenous bisphosphonate treatment for cancer and not for osteoporosis. Denosumab is delivered by shallow injections, just under the skin, every six months. If you take denosumab, you might have to do so indefinitely unless your doctor transitions you to another medication.
Recent research indicates that there could be a high risk of spinal fractures after stopping the drug, so it's important that you take it consistently. The main side effects of bisphosphonate pills are stomach upset and heartburn. Don't lie down or bend over for 30 to 60 minutes to avoid the medicine washing back up into the esophagus. Most people who follow these tips don't have these side effects. Bisphosphonate pills aren't absorbed well by the stomach. It may help to take the medication with a tall glass of water on an empty stomach.
Don't put anything else into your stomach for 30 to 60 minutes, after which you can eat, drink other liquids and take other medications. Intravenous forms of bisphosphonates, such as ibandronate and zoledronic acid, don't cause stomach upset. And it may be easier for some people to schedule a quarterly or yearly infusion than to remember to take a weekly or monthly pill.
Intravenous bisphosphonates causes mild flu-like symptoms in some people, but usually only after the first infusion. You can lessen the effect by taking acetaminophen Tylenol, others before and after the infusion. A very rare complication of bisphosphonates and denosumab is a break or crack in the middle of the thighbone. This injury, known as atypical femoral fracture, can cause pain in the thigh or groin that begins subtly and may gradually worsen.
Bisphosphonates and denosumab can also cause osteonecrosis of the jaw, a rare condition in which a section of jawbone is slow to heal or fails to heal, typically after a tooth is pulled or other invasive dental work. This occurs more commonly in people with cancer that involves the bone — who take much larger doses of a bisphosphonate than those typically used for osteoporosis.
The risk of developing atypical femoral fracture or osteonecrosis of the jaw tends to increase the longer you take bisphosphonates. So your doctor might suggest that you temporarily stop taking this type of drug.
This practice is known as a drug holiday. However, even if you stop taking the medication, its positive effects can persist. That's because after taking a bisphosphonate for several years, the medicine remains in your bone. Because of this lingering effect, most experts believe that it's reasonable for people who are doing well during treatment — those who have not broken any bones and are maintaining bone density — to consider taking a holiday from their bisphosphonate after taking it for five years.
Estrogen, sometimes paired with progestin, was once commonly used to treat osteoporosis. This treatment can increase the risk of blood clots, endometrial cancer, breast cancer and possibly heart disease. It's now usually reserved for women at high risk of fracture who can't take other osteoporosis drugs. Women who are considering hormone replacement therapy to reduce menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, may factor in increased bone health when weighing the benefits and risks of estrogen treatment.
Current recommendations say to use the lowest dose of hormones for the shortest period of time. Raloxifene Evista mimics estrogen's beneficial effects on bone density in postmenopausal women, without some of the risks associated with estrogen. Taking this drug can reduce the risk of some types of breast cancer. Hot flashes are a common side effect. Raloxifene may also increase your risk of blood clots. Throughout your life, healthy bones continuously break down and rebuild.
As you age — especially after menopause — bones break down more quickly. Because bone rebuilding cannot keep pace, bones deteriorate and become weaker. Most osteoporosis medications work by reducing the rate at which your bones break down. Some work by speeding up the bone-building process. Either mechanism strengthens bone and reduces your risk of fractures.
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