Osteoporosis is a very old disease but sad to say, not too many people pay particular attention to its prevention until it’s a tad late. Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones. A person with the condition has bones that are brittle and have lots of holes inside them – something like a sponge. As a result, people with osteoporosis are prone to fractures. Osteoporosis is most common in women who are above 60 although people outside these demographics are affected as well.

So how do you prevent osteoporosis?

The National Osteoporosis Foundation suggests these 5 steps:

• Get your daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D
• Engage in regular weight-bearing exercise
• Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol
• Talk to your healthcare provider about bone health
• When appropriate, have a bone density test and take medication

Pay particular attention to your calcium and vitamin D intake as young as possible. More info on these two:

According to NOF recommendations, adults under age 50 need 1,000 mg of calcium daily, and adults age 50 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium daily. If you have difficulty getting enough calcium from the foods you eat, you may take a calcium supplement to make up the difference.

According to NOF recommendations, adults under age 50 need 400-800 IU of vitamin D daily, and adults age 50 and over need 800-1,000 IU of vitamin D daily. There are two types of vitamin D supplements. They are vitamin D3 and vitamin D2. Previous research suggested that vitamin D3 was a better choice than vitamin D2. However, more recent studies show that vitamin D3 and vitamin D2 are equally good for bone health.

Our bones do not become strong overnight. Their strength is a result of years and years of proper nourishment and care. As such, the steps that are given above should not be delayed in implementation. There is in fact no cure for osteoporosis currently.

One such breakthrough is the discovery of the potential of vitamin B3 to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In lab trials, researchers infused mice with high doses of the vitamin and they found out that it had positive effects in retarding the disease. Now, they are ready to try the vitamin on humans. The Guardian has this report:

A vitamin pill that could slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is to enter human trials after scientists found it protected animals from memory loss associated with the condition.

High doses of vitamin B3 will be given to 70 people who have recently been diagnosed with the disease as part of the trial due to begin in the new year, which is open to volunteers over the age of 50.

If the six-month trial is a success it could have a dramatic impact on the treatment of an estimated 417,000 people in Britain who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s or any other type of dementia.

Delaying the onset of the disease by five years would halve the number of deaths from the condition, saving 30,000 lives a year, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.

Though this is by no means a cure to the disease, it does look like the researchers are headed toward the right direction.

I recently read a study about grape seeds having the potential to combat Alzheimer’s Disease. This study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Flinders University in Australia. The basic idea of the study was to use grape seed extract to see what it would do to help boost brain function. As in most studies, they used mice as the test subjects. What they found out was that the mice which were fed grape seed extract for 6 months had “better cognitive function” than those which were not.

Although mice are a long way off from being human, we all know that many effects of medication or substances on them are similar to what humans experience. As such, the researchers believe that grape seed just might hold a key to the puzzling condition called Alzheimer’s Disease.

Professor Xin-Fu Zhou says “Grape seed extract demonstrates a strong disease-modifying effect. As a dietary supplement, the effect of grape seeds is significant and beneficial. It is a safe, natural product which contains ‘goodies’ that we shouldn’t throw away.”

The next time you grab a handful of those juicy berries, maybe you should not spit out the seeds.

Age
This is the greatest known risk factor. As one ages, the risk for Alzheimer’s Disease increases as well. As I mentioned in my previous post, most people who have the condition are 65 years and above. In fact, the chances of a person getting Alzheimer’s doubles every 5 years after the age of 65.

Genetics and family history
The chances of getting Alzheimer’s are higher if there is someone in the family who has (or had) the condition. The genes also matter a lot – there are some genes that have been found to cause Alzheimer’s in certain families. However, more research is needed in this area.

You’ll notice, of course, that those two risk factors are things that we cannot control. There are also some risk factors that we can have control over.

Head injury
If the head suffers from serious trauma, one can have a higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. As such, you might want to always wear a protective helmet when engaging in activities that pose potential harm to your head.

Lifestyle with regard to aging
The human body needs to be taken care of. Abuse it and it will break down on you. As you get older, the body needs more care. If you do not engage in a healthy lifestyle, the chances of aging affecting you negatively are higher.

The bottom line? There is no way for sure that you can avoid the disease. However, living a healthy lifestyle can go a long way.

I suppose that the last two points can come as a relief to some people but the others do not really give much information as to the nature of the disease. As such, researchers have been continuously stepping up their efforts in order to gain more understanding of Alzheimer’s. Some areas that they have been delving deep into are:

-Family history: so far, they have seen a clear relationship between family history and Alzheimer’s disease. This does not mean that the relationship is fully understood, however. For some people, the risk is higher while for some it is lower.

-External environment: researchers are trying to ascertain whether the cause may lie in one’s surroundings. Perhaps there is something in the natural environment that causes the diseases.

-Internal environment: it might be that the cause of the disease is a virus (albeit a slow acting one) or a change in chemical levels inside the body.

As you can see, there is no definite answer as to what causes Alzheimer’s. We can talk about risk factors, though, which may help give a better understanding of the disease. Let’s do that in the next post.

I tried asking different people what they know about Alzheimer’s and I got different answers. Most of them – from young to old – have an idea of what Alzheimer’s is all about and the general consensus is that is has something to do with the brain and memory. This is true but let’s go into the details a little more.

Alzheimer’s Disease is described by MSN Health as:

Alzheimer’s disease damages the brain. It causes a steady loss of memory and how well you can speak, think, and carry on daily activities.

Alzheimer’s disease always gets worse over time, but how quickly this happens varies. Some people lose the ability to do daily activities early on. Others may still do fairly well until much later in the disease.

Mild memory loss is common in people older than 60. It may not mean that you have Alzheimer’s disease. But if your memory is getting worse, see your doctor. If it is Alzheimer’s, treatment may help.

The disease is attributed to changes in the brain, specifically the decrease of neurotransmitters.
These are chemicals which transmit messages or signals. As to why these changes occur, the medical community has no specific answer yet. Studies are ongoing and it may just be a matter of time till we find out more about Alzheimer’s Disease.

According to the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), however, there is more to heat than what we normally know. They have highlighted some factors that we should pay particular attention to if we are elderly or we have someone elderly in the home:

• Age-related changes to the skin such as poor blood circulation and inefficient sweat glands.
• Heart, lung and kidney diseases, as well as any illness that causes general weakness or fever.
• High blood pressure or other conditions that require dietary changes. For example, people on salt-restricted diets may be at increased risk for heat-related illnesses. However, salt pills shouldn’t be used without first consulting a doctor.
• The ability to sweat can be impaired by medications such as diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers and by certain heart and blood pressure drugs.
• Taking several drugs for various conditions. However, it’s important to continue taking prescribed medications and discuss possible problems with a doctor.
• Being substantially overweight or underweight.
• Drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Being dehydrated.

These may seem common sense for other people BUT it never hurts to be reminded. Though the summer is almost over, it is still HOT in some areas and we can never be too careful when it comes to the elderly and heat-related incidents.

While people cannot help such need to embark on body abuses relating to work and pressure stemming from their duties, it is best to adjust the whole body clock to adapt to change temporarily. Everyone will come to a point where they would have to slow down and realize that bodily abuse will catch up with them.

Vitamins and supplements may help in providing preventive maintenance, but this alone cannot help cure such illnesses. It will also need the cooperation of a person for it to work, otherwise, it is just like burning money for nothing at all.

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Tooth extractions are only one of the many things that the dentists offer among their services. Regular application of prophylaxis is another service, so with application of tooth fillings. In some scenarios, each service is interconnected with the other. Tooth fillings can show the real story of why extractions are a necessity. Sometimes, impacted teeth may make it hard to apply fillings since the positions may not be ideal for smiling and even biting.

While people are afraid of having to have their teeth extracted, they will not be pulled out without some form of pain reliever and application of anesthesia. No person is that brave enough to withstand the pain of tooth extractions today. Hence, one anesthesia is injected; people would not even notice that the problematic tooth has already been taken out already.

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Leg cramps is usually seen in sports where running is a primary key towards playing the game. Basketball, swimming, and track and field events would normally be the common sports that would see players encountering cramps. The use of the legs would be the main part of the body that needs to be used in able to play the sport the way it should be.

Muscles would reach a point of hardening when the salt levels of the body would start to deteriorate from excessive sweating. Hence the proper amount of salt intake is important. It should be taken into account that the perspiration or fluids produced include the body minerals and nutrients. To treat cramps, people must keep their legs straight and be sure not to bend them. Doing so will only add to the pain that they will be experiencing.

Technorati Tags: cramps, stretching, exercises, salt, bananas