Osteoporosis Myths

Osteoporosis is an insidious, initially totally painless disease. Therefore, the first signs in advance of the disease are often not taken seriously enough. Furthermore, circulating the false idea that osteoporosis is not treatable.

Myth 1: Osteoporosis is a rare disease.

The opposite is true: In developed countries, osteoporosis has become an endemic disease. Almost eight million people in Germany alone that, but only a minority is treated. The number of osteoporotic hip fractures in Germany amounted to about 100,000 per year. Approximately 30% of all women suffer once in their lives caused by osteoporosis vertebral fracture.

Myth 2: I'm too young to me to worry about osteoporosis.

Wrong! Prevention begins at a young age, because even at this time, the foundation for future disease can be determined. Especially with young people play an adequate calcium intake, adequate supply of the body with vitamin D and regular exercise is an important role to build an optimum bone mass. Also, a healthy lifestyle is useful: For successful prevention of osteoporosis, it is recommended not to smoke, consume less alcohol and avoid phosphate-rich foods (such as cola drinks, sweets, fast food), since they prevent the absorption of calcium in the bones.

Myth 3: Osteoporosis is a women's disease.

Wrong! Also, the "stronger sex" may suffer from osteoporosis. About 20% of osteoporosis patients in Germany are men. Although omitted in men, estrogen deficiency in menopause as an important risk factor that are otherwise in the risk factors - physical inactivity and poor diets included, barely. Often appears in men of testosterone decrease in old age or long-term use of cortisone for the disease outbreak to be responsible, but also a high alcohol and nicotine consumption may play a role.

Myth 4: If osteoporosis is detected, you can do nothing against the disease.

But! To bone and spinal fractures, excruciating pain and permanent disability must not happen. If the bone loss observed in the early stages, it can be stopped frequently by drug treatment. Even at an advanced stage bone fractures can often be prevented by drugs and the quality of life improved significantly. In addition, it is never too late to counter with an individual exercise program and healthy diet rich in calcium for osteoporosis.

Myth 5: Osteoporosis is not so serious that they should worry about.

Osteoporosis is a serious disease because it causes a progressive weakening of the bones. This goes so far that even a slight shock may or innocuous case to cause painful fractures, especially in the hip or the spine, but also at other skeletal sites.
One in four patients with femoral neck fracture die within the first twelve months after the fracture. Half is now walking dependent on foreign aid and a further quarter of the patients is nursing care.

Myth 6: I'm healthy, so I'm not at risk.

Unfortunately we have no indication of how strong your bones are. Unbeknownst to lose the body's natural bone density, although it is believed to live healthy. Especially when there are family preloads, you should be talking to his doctor about a possible osteoporosis and make a bone density test. This method allows the inference of osteoporotic fracture susceptibility of the bone. However, take the public health insurance costs for a bone density measurement is not often, but still there is no fracture.




I Suggest you read "The Myth of Osteoporosis"