{"id":1360,"date":"2017-09-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-03T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osteogoodhealth.com\/dem-bones-dem-bones-dem-dry-bones-your-bone-health\/"},"modified":"2022-04-11T15:54:40","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T13:54:40","slug":"dem-bones-dem-bones-dem-dry-bones-your-bone-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osteogoodhealth.com\/dem-bones-dem-bones-dem-dry-bones-your-bone-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones: your bone health"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Sophy Kohler had her first, and as it turned out last, ju-jitsu lesson, the martial arts instructor fractured her sternum. Kohler, who is now 29 and works in publishing, felt \u201cstrangely thankful\u201d towards him, because it led to her diagnosis of osteopenia \u2013 pre-osteoporosis \u2013 and then later osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become less dense and more likely to fracture. Kohler had also suffered a knee injury the previous year. There was no known cause to her illness, although both her mother and her grandmother suffer from osteoporosis.<\/p>\n

Guy Ashburner, an osteopath who practises from Constantia (osteopathy is a drug- free non-invasive manual therapy that emphasises the role of the musculoskeletal system), explains that bones play a \u201cmajor role in our wellbeing\u201d. Bones provide structure, protect organs, provide an attachment for muscles, and store calcium within the body. It\u2019s vital to consider bone health as we age, because low bone mass can result in weak bones and potentially bone illnesses such as osteoporosis and osteopenia.<\/p>\n

After Kohler\u2019s diagnosis, she was told that had until she was 25 to reverse the effects of the disease. \u201cI was given a combination of things to take: calcium and vitamin D supplements, and a drug called Protos, the only drug at the time that was able to prevent the loss of bone and to build bone. I was also told not to smoke, to drink minimal alcohol and no fizzy drinks. But most of all, my doctor stressed the importance of weight-bearing exercise, like running, to stimulate bone formation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashburner confirms the importance of exercise. Physical activity and weight-bearing exercises are important in childhood as we\u2019re developing, because it stimulates the formation of bone and strengthens muscles. Peak bone development occurs between the ages of 12 and 18; by age 18, 90% of bone structure will already have been developed. Says Ashburner: \u201cThis is the time to lay down the foundations for good bone health which reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis as we age\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s worth bearing in mind that \u201cbones are in a constant state of renewal,\u201d reports the Mayo Clinic website \u2013 \u201cnew bone is made and old bone is broken down\u201d. It\u2019s just that when you\u2019re younger, your body can make new bone faster than the rate at which old bone is broken down, which results in your bone mass increasing.<\/p>\n

Even if one knows the advice one should be following, human nature being what it is, this doesn\u2019t always happen. This was certainly Kohler\u2019s experience. She says about her osteoporosis: \u201cI found it difficult to take seriously \u2013 there was no \u2018reward\u2019 for taking the medication or doing the exercise, no sense of feeling better afterwards because there was nothing to feel better from. Other than the annual BMDs (bone mineral density tests), a common way to diagnose the condition, there was no way of telling if things were working. Moreover, Protos is not a great thing to have to take; in fact, they even run a support group: you must starve yourself for an hour either side and taking it is like drinking vanilla-flavoured liquid chalk. The problem with osteoporosis is that it\u2019s a silent disease, with no real outward manifestation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, though, it\u2019s a disease that affects many people. The South Africa National Osteoporosis Foundation notes that men are also risk, though women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. Worldwide, reports the International Osteoporosis Foundation, 1 in 3 women over age 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures \u2013 and the disease is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide: one-tenth of women aged 60, one-fifth of women aged 70, two-fifths of women aged 80 and two-thirds of women aged 90.<\/p>\n

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) website lists the following risk factors for increasing one\u2019s chances of developing osteoporosis:<\/p>\n