Osteoporosis is a disease that attacks bones by altering their mass and making them more fragile . Let’s find out better.
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Causes
Diagnosis
Nutrition
Exercise
Herbal remedies
Supplements against pain
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Bach Flowers and Homeopathy

Symptoms of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that attacks the bones and their solidity. The bone mass is altered and all the bone becomes thinner and, consequently, more fragile and more prone to fractures.

It is a very common pathology in elderly people and in menopausal women which manifests itself with a demineralization of the bones with generalized or localized reduction of bone tissue. 

Osteoporosis – or bone decalcification – can in fact affect the entire skeleton or mainly affect certain areas of the body including the femur, vertebrae, shoulders and ribs. 
Osteoporosis is a condition that progresses slowly , often with no visible symptoms until the first fractures due to weakening of the bones occur. 

Osteoporosis is sometimes associated with lumbar and pelvis pain and stiffness, curvature of the back or other deformations of the skeleton.
Lower back pain tends to get worse when you spend a lot of time standing or sitting, or walking, while it improves with rest. 

Although a certain degree of osteoporosis is natural with age, the disease worsens if you do not exercise regularly: the skeleton, in fact, is not an inert structure, but constantly remodels itself through movement.

Furthermore , bone demineralization is aggravated in the case of nutritional deficiencies , particularly if the diet is low in calcium , magnesium and vitamin D.

Prevention it is fundamental since by keeping the bone capital high, it is possible to slow down the disease. 

Causes

The causes of osteoporosis are different . First of all, the passage of time and therefore age greatly affect the strength of the bones.

Other causes are:

• Genetic and hereditary factors;
• menopause;
• strong hormonal changes;
• poor physical activity;
• incorrect nutrition;
• abuse of alcohol, smoking and medicines.

Osteoporosis in women can be linked to menopause , as the protective action of estrogen hormones is lost following the loss of ovarian function. Amenorrhea and premature menopause also put you at greater risk.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is made through a specific examination to evaluate the patient’s bone density to compare it to that of a healthy young man.

The difference between these two measures gives a value known as the T score.
When T is greater than -2.5 then osteoporosis is overt.

Nutrition in case of osteoporosis

To prevent osteoporosis or relieve its symptoms, it is important to follow a healthy and balanced diet, capable of providing the body with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals through the intake of fruit and vegetables.

In particular, the osteoporosis diet should include foods rich in calcium, a mineral found in milk and its derivatives, but also in nuts , artichokes , beans and water .

Beware of foods rich in phytic acid and oxalic acid, anti-nutritional factors that bind to calcium forming insoluble salts and decreasing their absorption.

Excessive amounts of tea, coffee, cocoa , antibiotic intake and cigarette smoking also reduce calcium absorption .

In any case, one must not exceed with the intake of calcium, as this could negatively affect the absorption of two other minerals essential for bone health, namely magnesium and phosphorus , widely contained in many foods of plant origin.  

The absorption of magnesium and phosphorus decreases when the diet has excess calcium , but also when high amounts of proteins, sugars and long-chain fatty acids, alcohol and drugs and laxatives are consumed. 

Finally, we must not neglect the supply of vitamin D, which is essential for the absorption of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. This vitamin is mainly present in foods of animal origin , but can also be synthesized by our body following sun exposure.

Exercise

Regular exercise is the first and most important preventative procedure. To produce its effects on the bones, physical exercise must be carried out regularly, even if light:
30-40 minutes of bodyweight gymnastics 2 or 3 times a week and 30 minutes of walking a day. 

In the subject suffering from osteoporosis, physical exercise, in addition to increasing bone mass, reduces pain associated with osteoarticular pathologies, improves balance and muscle endurance , not to mention humoral tone.

Herbal remedies for osteoporosis

In phytotherapy, plants rich in mineral salts such as calcium, magnesium, fluorine and silicon are often used to promote bone remineralization . 

This is the case, for example, of the horsetail , also known as horsetail (Equisetum arvense), rich in mineral salts and in particular in silicon. Silicon plays an essential role in ensuring the integrity of the skeleton and supporting connective tissue and the plasticity of the joints.

Other plants rich in mineral salts useful for the treatment of osteoporosis are fucus , alfalfa , nettle , and bindweed .

Forcombat bone demineralization during menopause , these are associated with plants with estrogenic activity such as black cohosh and sage . 

Supplements for pain associated with osteoporosis

As we have seen, osteoporosis is sometimes associated with painful symptoms and lumbar stiffness that can impair body motility or cause severe discomfort when standing or sitting too much, for example at work. 

In this case it is possible to resort to herbal remedies with anti-inflammatory and analgesic action, able to relieve pain. Among these, boswellia (Boswellia serrata), devil’s claw (Harpagophytoum procumbens), tansy (Tanacetum parthenium), turmeric (Curcuma longa) and willow (Salix alba) are effective.

Often these plants are included in theformulation of supplements prepared with glucosamine, chondroitin and MethylSulfonylMethane ( MSM ), and enriched with hyaluronic acid, collagen and elastin , essential for bone, cartilage and joint health.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Osteoporosis

In traditional Chinese medicine , bones are in a hard-soft relationship with the medulla , they make up their structure. In Chinese symbolism, bones are the perfect expression of purified matter, the vital impulse of the Jing that takes on a tangible concreteness.

In the Taoist tradition it is stated that, at the moment of death, the Po who offer resistance to the idea of ​​abandoning the body , take refuge in the bone.

In Chinese “moral integrity” is said PoGu Qi (or Gu Ch’i) or Qi of the Bones . In the bones rests the profound essence of an individual. Acupuncture

reports excellent results in the field of microfracture treatmentthat are created in the osteoporotic process. The action of the treatment is very painkilling and is combined with a general slowing down of the process. Excellent association with physiokinesitherapy . However, the whole body benefits from it at an anti-contractual and analgesic level.

Bach flowers and homeopathy for osteoporosis

Although there is no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of Bach flowers and homeopathy , many people resort to these remedies to benefit even in case of osteoporosis.

Among the Bach flowers, Rock water and Oak are used to combat stiffness and physical pain on different levels. They can assist therapy, in the sense of awareness of the person, less in the real direction of the benefit to the bones.

Cycles of homeopathic medicines are instead carried out in order to slow down the loss of bone mass and the risk of fractures. Complexes such as Calcarea fluorica and Calcarea phoshorica are commercially available for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. 

In the homeopathic treatment for osteoporosis, the expert can also recommend Gelsemium sempervirens , specific for the fear of falling, excellent against insecurity in case of impaired mobility.