The political talk of the day has focused on the issues of aging and how to insure our financial and health security as a growing number of people move toward retirement age and are living longer. One thing that is becoming clear is that everyone is going to have to take more personal responsibility for his or her own future. While working hard to build a stable financial future it is just as important to take steps now to maintain your health so that you can enjoy the fruits of all that hard work when the time comes.

One of the major health concerns as we live longer is maintaining bone health. One of the leading reasons for people losing their independence and requiring long-term care is bone fractures resulting from osteoporosis. It directly leads to fractures of the spine, wrists and hips, and hip fracture has a mortality rate of up to 20% and leads to nursing home care in 50% of survivors. Thus, preventing osteoporosis is very important for health as we age. While osteoporosis has traditionally been seen as a disease that effects woman and is associated with the hormonal changes at menopause, the growing life expectancy of men is showing that bone health is important for men too. Just as there are things you can do now to insure your financial future there are steps you can take to help build and maintain strong bones to last a lifetime.

Calcium supplements are very important for strong bones, along with vitamins D and K, and the minerals magnesium and boron. There are a number of good vitamin mineral supplements that are specific for supporting bone health. An isoflavone known as ipriflavone is now available as a supplement and has shown good results for increasing bone density in a number of studies. Be sure to avoid things that deplete calcium from your bones including caffeine, alcohol, excess sugar and salt intake, smoking, soft drinks and high protein diets. Of course exercise is also a key part of osteoporosis prevention. One hour of moderate exercise three times a week has been shown to prevent bone loss and increase bone mass in postmenopausal women.

Remember, bone health is like your savings, it is never to early to start building for the future.

Wishing you the best of health,

The Eclectic Physician
www.eclecticphysician.com

* The information presented in this web site is intended to inform and educate. It is not intended replace a qualified medical practitioner to diagnose or treat medical conditions.