Osteoporosis Essay

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Recommended: Vitamin D functions as a hormone to help maintain bone integrity

To Medicate or Not
When we hear osteoporosis we think of some kind of rare disease. Except this is not true. Osteoporosis is a disease that is found commonly found in seniors above the age of fifty. While it is very rare, it is possible for children and adults to get osteoporosis because of a gene they inherited from one of their family members or because of medication they are taking such as cancer medications.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones in someones body start to become weakened and frail. There are two parts of the called the sponge and the outer part of the bone. The deterioration that is associated with osteoporosis happens in the sponge part of the bone. Since the sponge is the softer part of the bone and has tiny holes in it. During osteoporosis these holes become bigger and there are less bone structure supports.
When someone either has or has a family history of Osteoporosis they must decide whether to take one of the medications to either stop or prevent the effects of Osteoporosis. There is much doubt in this decision because there are many side effects to these medications as well as requirements that some people just are not capable of like …show more content…

These preventatives and treatments may include getting enough calcium to build and maintain strong bones, getting enough vitamin D, and limiting sodium intake. These methods should be tried first before resorting to risky medications. To diagnose Osteoporosis doctors use DEXA which stands for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. This program uses a computer to scan an image of the hip or spine. Doctors are unable to use a normal X-ray because in order for Osteoporosis to show up on an X-ray at least twenty five percent of bone loss has to occur and by that point in time at least a quarter of the original bone mass is gone which means an increased risk for

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