Osteoporosis and Fibromyalgia

974 Words2 Pages

The age-related change that I am most concerned about developing is osteoporosis. The bones in our bodies are living tissue, and there is an ongoing process of replacement and reabsorption. When this process is interrupted in a way that the new bone doesn’t keep up with removing the old bone, osteoporosis can happen. Studies tell us that men and women are affected, but Caucasian and Asian women who are post menopause are at a higher risk of developing this bone disease. It causes bones to be brittle and weak so that even a small fall will cause a fracture. In more serious cases, this breaking can sometimes occur by a cough, or in bending over the wrong way.
Osteoporosis is associated with repeated fractures, tender bones, neck and back pain, a decrease in height as well as poor posture. There is a variety of factors that contribute to the development of osteoporosis. These include a calcium deficiency, possibly due to a poor diet, aging and old age, the loss of estrogen that comes with the onset of menopause in women, as well as genetics. There are several other diseases that contribute to osteoporosis such as Cushing’s Disease and rheumatoid arthritis. There are 40 million Americans who struggle with this disease, men as well as women although women are more likely to develop it due to the loss of estrogen during and post-menopause. The estrogen loss is a major factor in bone formation. Other factors include family members who have had the disease, smoking, and being on certain medications such as prednisone.
There is no known treatment for fibromyalgia, but in realizing the susceptibility I have in developing osteoporosis because of it, I have started to take the steps necessary to avoid this from happening as much as ...

... middle of paper ...

...fined by this chronic condition. I do not take any medication, choosing instead to use supplements and non-invasive therapies. The information on the internet and in journal reviews continues to grow and I continue to learn about treatments and living a positive life. The steps I mentioned above are changes I have already made, and plan to make in the very near future.

Works Cited

Buyukbese, M. A., Pamuk, O. N., Yurekli, O. A., & Yesil, N. N. (2013). Effect of fibromyalgia on bone mineral density in patients with fibromylagia and rheumatoid arthritis. Journal Of Postgraduate Medicine, 59(2), 106-109. doi:10.4103/0022-3859.113825
Osteoporosis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nihseniorhealth.gov/osteoporosis/whatisosteoporosis/01.html
Osteoporosis. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/basics/definition/con-20019924

Open Document