Calling it an inescapable
condition of aging, doctors now define osteoporosis simply as loss of
bone mass, which means the body loses more bone cells than it can create,
causing the bones to grow weak and unstable and increasing the risk
of fractures. The problem with this definition is that studies indicate
every woman loses more bone than she builds by the time she reaches
her late thirties. The point is that it is never too early to start
paying attention to what you eat. Delaying or diminishing the impact
osteoporosis can have through diet is the topic I am addressing here.
In putting together
a Yoga program specific to osteoporosis & menopause I’ve discovered
what I consider excellent information. Food and the part it plays in
the osteoporosis experience is what I want to share this time around
in "YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT".
The key to maintaining
healthy bones and preventing the crippling effects of osteoporosis lies
in a balanced diet with adequate calcium, a good weight-bearing exercise
program, and a lifestyle that allows you time and space to deal with
the stresses that come your way.
Before we proceed
lets look at some of the risk factors for osteoporosis:
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Caucasian ancestry
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Family history of osteoporosis
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Consistent program of excessive exercise or no exercise
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Amenorrhea (delayed menses)
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Thin, small-boned frame
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Poor calcium absorption(determined by blood tests and bone scans)
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Hyperthyroidism
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Smoking
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Excessive intake of alcohol, red meat, and caffeine
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Exposure to environmental toxins
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Premature menopause or removal of ovaries before natural menopause
§
Use of prescription drugs such as anti-epileptic medicine, steroids,
and blood thinners
Looking at the list above we realize not one has control over some of
the risk factors, however, we can create a lifestyle that promotes preventive
care for our bones. These lifestyle choices should ideally
happen long before a woman enters perimenopause, preferably in her twenties
and thirties, but it’s never too late to start.
The food you eat
has an important effect on maintaining bone mass. Even if you’ve
been less that diligent in the past, it’s never too
late to improve your diet. Evaluate your present intake
against the following suggested guidelines.
Eat Less Animal-Derived
Protein Research shows that vegetarian women lose far less bone mass
than their meat-eating sisters. In fact, one study conducted in southwestern
Michigan reported that women who were vegetarians for twenty years had
only 18 percent bon mass loss, while their carnivorous counterparts
suffered 35 percent loss. One reason for that, according to Dr Dean
Ornish, director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito,
California, is that a diet high in animal protein can cause your body
to excrete too much calcium through urine. That means your body actually
gets rid of the calcium before you can benefit. Vegetarians, on the
other hand, excrete far less calcium and therefore profit from its bone-strengthening
capabilities.
Supplement Your
Diet with Calcium Adequate amounts of calcium (1,000 mg/day before and
during menopause, 1,500 mg/day after menopause) are critical to healthy
bones and a healthy heart. Remember, however, no amount of calcium supplementation
will do you any if your diet prevents your body from absorbing it. Whether
you ingest too little calcium or your body excretes too much your bones
will suffer. According to a 1998 article in Internal Medicine News,
taking calcium (1,200 to 1,500 mg/day) and vitamin D (700 to 800 IU/day)
supplements reduces fractures in postmenopausal women by 50 percent.
If you don’t drink much milk or you suffer from lactose intolerance,
don’t despair. You can get adequate calcium from a variety of
sources–dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, tofu, soy products,
miso, seaweed and salmon. Drink calcium-enriched orange juice–one
glass delivers as much calcium as a glass of milk. Good calcium-providing
herbs include nettles, horsetail, s! age, oatstraw, borage, raspberry
leaf and alfalfa.
If you use calcium
supplements, be sure to take them according to the directions on the
label for maximum absorption. (Note: Don’t try to
get your calcium from antacids that contain aluminum, which causes the
calcium to be excreted.) Some calcium, like calcium carbonate,
gets absorbed better with food; other types, like calcium citrate, work
better on an empty stomach. To use the calcium Yu do take in, your body
needs adequate amounts of not only vitamin D, but also magnesium, trace
minerals and hydrochloric (or stomach) acid–which postmenopausal
women often lack. Women need approximately 2.0 mg of copper, 3.0 mg
of manganese and 12 mg of zinc every day. Nuts, berries, tofu and tomatoes
give you enough manganese and copper; seafood and peas are good sources
of zinc. Trace minerals enhance calcium’s ability increase bone
density as well. You can purchase betaine hydrochloric acid at your
local health food store if you need it.
You also need to
beware or calcium robbers. Too much salt can leach calcium from your
bones, just as protein can. Watch out for hidden salt in processed foods,
soft drinks and canned goods. Phosphates in carbonated soft drinks can
also steal from your body’s calcium supply; so can caffeine, alcohol
and nicotine. Some researchers warn that consuming more than three or
four cups of caffeinated coffee a day can increase our risk factor for
bone loss by 80 percent. Cigarette smoking and even moderate alcohol
consumption can double your risk.
Additional Supplements
Besides taking enough calcium, magnesium and trace minerals, increasing
you vitamin K intake may help your bones stay less breakable, according
to researchers at Tufts University. If you’re not on blood-thinning
medication, you may want to ask your doctor whether increasing your
daily intake of vitamin K makes sense. It’s actually pretty easy
to get all you need from the food you eat. Just one-half cup of collard
greens, for example, can give you over 400 mcg of vitamin K; the same
amount of spinach yields 360 mcg; and broccoli pack 113 mcg into that
little half cup. Essential fatty acids, vitamins B6 and C, and folic
acid also contribute to good healthy bone structure.
HOW CAN YOGA HELP
Yoga helps your
body in several ways. Many health practitioners see its usefulness in
combating the stress that can compromise your neuroendocrine and immune
systems. But yoga does more than that. In a 1988 article in Yoga
Journal, author Mary Schatz, M.D., says yoga can stimulate your
bones to retain calcium, provided your body gets enough calcium in the
first place. The secret? Yoga emphasizes weight-bearing poses (like
arm balances, inversions and standing poses) that affect your whole
spine, arms, shoulders, elbows, legs, knees, ankles and feet, while
encouraging full range of motion. In a small, as yet unpublished study
conducted at California State University at Los Angeles in 2000, researchers
discovered what therapeutic yoga teachers have known all along: Yoga
actually increases bone density. Nine female subjects practiced yoga
and the other nine did not. Bone density tests were given at the beginning
of the study and again after six months. The yoga practi! tioners saw
an increase in bone density in their vertebrae, but the non practitioners
saw no change at all. Interestingly enough, the yoga practitioners also
had a decrease in density of the hip bone. Ironically, doctors believe
this decrease actually signals a subsequent rise in bone density.
B.K.S. Iyengar
contends that through the process of squeezing out the old, stale blood
or lymphatic fluids, and soaking the area with freshly oxygenated blood
or fluids, yoga helps your body use the nutrients it needs. Inversions,
particularly Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) and Plough Pose (Halasana),
work particularly well. These poses, according to Iyengar, regulate
your thyroid and parathyroid glands (critical for metabolism) by creating
a chin lock that squeezes stale blood from the area. As you come out
of the pose, and release the lock, the neck region is bathed in fresh
blood. In other words, inversions aid circulation in and around your
head and neck, which can rejuvenate the glands.
Forward bends quiet
the adrenal glands, mitigating the effects of the fight-or-flight response,
and backbends energize them. Twists are equally effective for regulating
the adrenals, which provide adequate amounts of estrogen and androgen
for healthy bones.
Many older people
fall because they lose confidence in their ability to move properly;
others suffer from poor eyesight, weakened muscles (often from lack
of use), poor posture or arthritis. Yoga can help improve your posture
and coordination, strengthen your muscles, increase your flexibility
and promote better balance.
You may do the
Yoga poses in the following sequence. If you already suffer from the
effects of osteoporosis or you’re at high risk for the disease,
check with your health practitioner before you begin. You’ll find
a few asanas that are good if you have limited mobility, but talk with
your doctor first. It’s clear that osteoporosis presents a real
catch-22 for those who suffer. If you do too much–or the wrong
kind of exercise–not only do you experience more pain, you run
the risk of breaking more bones. If you don’t exercise, your muscles
will grow stiffer and weaker and you’ll lose the vital calcium
you need to prevent additional fractures. So it’s imperative that
you seek advice from a therapeutic Yoga instructor and a knowledgeable
health practitioner.
A
SEQUENCE FOR OSTEOPOROSIS
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TADASANA (Mountain Pose) with different arm positions
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UTTANASANA (Standing Forward Bend)
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ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
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VIRABHADRASANA I (Warrior I Pose)
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VIRABHADRASANA II (Warrior II Pose)
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UTTHITA TRIKONASANA (Extended Triangle Pose)
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PARIVRTTA TRIKONASANA (Revolved Triangle Pose)
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UTTHITA MARICHYASANA (Standing Spinal Twist Pose)
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USTRASANA (Camel Pose)
§
URDHVA DHANURASANA (Upward-Facing Bow Pose)*
§
BALASANA (Pose of the Child)
§
VIPARITA KARNI (Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose)**
§
SAVASANA (Final Relaxation or Corpse Pose)
*CAUTION: Do this
pose only if it is already part of your Yoga practice. Do not do this
pose if you have a migraine or tension headache, or suffer from heart
trouble or any serious illness.
**CAUTION: Do not
do this pose if you have a migrane or tension headache, or if you suffer
from hypertension.
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