Use it or lose it. Sound familiar? We’ve all heard it before, but today I’ll relate it to your bones and osteoporosis.Osteoporosis is something we get questions about all the time. I hope to be able to lend some clarity to the concerns voiced by our patients in our clinic. Just as muscles begin to atrophy (decrease in strength and size) within 72 hours of non-use, bone density decreases when there is a lack of demand on it. Moderate exercise and a good diet are the keys to preventing and reversing osteoporosis.The reason behind this is because bone is alive. Many people think that bone is a permanent, hard, calcium structure that stops growing after a certain age. This is far from the truth. Bone is actually alive your entire life. Two types of bone cells work day in and out to alter our bony structure.Bone is constantly being remodeled depending on the demands imposed on it. If there is more pressure to a specific area of bone, the osteoblasts (bone producing cells) become very active and produce more bone at the area of stress. This is similar to getting calluses on your hands or feet. Hard work makes the skin thicker to deal with the added stress. When there is no demand on bones, osteoclasts (bone removing cells) become active and begin to remove the “unneeded” bone. Over time, this is what we refer to as osteoporosis.In chiropractic, we apply these same principles to the spine. When there is a subluxation (a misalignment of a spinal bone) or a curvature of the spine (scoliosis), the stress on the vertebrae is not evenly distributed. In response to this abnormal stress on the spine, the body will place down extra bone in unwanted areas.In our practice, we have many people tell us in an off-handed way that they have arthritis in their neck, for example. Or we look at x-rays and actually see areas of bone spurs. Well, this is how that extra bone appears. Trauma, whether it is a macrotrauma like a car accident or traumatic birth or a microtrauma like poor posture over time or repetitive injuries from high impact activities like running, football or hockey all set the stage for degeneration and arthritic changes of the spine. Arthritic changes can take at least 10 to 15 years to show up on an x-ray. That means the spinal problems that show up on your x-rays when you are 45 years old may stem from an injury that occurred when you were in your late 20s or early 30s.As always with chiropractic, prevention is key. Why wait to try to reposition the bones in your spine after arthritis has already set in? I hear from women primarily about how their mothers or grandmothers have “that hump in their back.” They want to do whatever they can to not have that happen to them. This change doesn’t occur overnight.As we get older, our activity level tends to decrease or perhaps we were never very active to begin with and, as a result, bones become resorbed by the body. When enough bone has been resorbed, the vertebrae become thin and can collapse. With this collapse, they become wedge shaped. The more wedges there are, the bigger the hump in the spine. Other common problems associated with osteoporosis are fractures of hips, ribs wrists. Ribs and vertebrae can become so thin that even a cough or sneeze can fracture them. Individuals with hip fractures rarely gain normal mobility.There are lots of things people try to help slow the process of osteoporosis, and everyone must choose what they are ultimately comfortable with, but nothing beats the power that made the body. True health comes from within, not from an injection or pill. For the body to function at its best, you must supply it with all the necessary nutrients, have a moderate level of activity and we believe have a nervous system free from interference. If you demand a strong healthy skeleton from your body, it will supply you with the necessary bone.A healthy diet should consist of green, leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach, collard greens, legumes and soy products like tofu or soy milk. A healthy body needs some exposure to sunlight, which provides vitamin D. In turn, vitamin D is necessary for bone development.Add moderate weight lifting to your exercise routine. If you are unsure what to do or what you can do, consult with a health care provider. Do not eat too much protein; studies show that this is linked to an increased excretion of calcium in the urine. Stay away from sugar and fatty foods. Find better sources of calcium than dairy products, which are usually high in fat content and terrible sources of calcium. Quit smoking if you do, and keep alcohol intake to a minimum.Palmer Chiropractic494-1395www.palmer-chiropractic.com
