Since osteoporosis has becomee, international as well as national organizations developed useful and relevant osteoporosis screening guidelines. Among the organizations that develop these guidelines are National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) and National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG).These two organizations formulated osteoporosis screening guidelines that are compliant with criteria set by World Health Organization.

The tool often utilized for osteoporosis screening is FRAX Assessment Tool; it was created by WHO to help organizations.

Only this year,a more recent set of osteoporosis screening guidelines for the United States were suggested by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

This group is mainly tasked to revise and recommend osteoporosis screening guidelines that can be considered as more responsive by providing early detection and treatment. To illustrate an example, NOGG previously set osteoporosis screening guidelines, which should qualify women who are  at least 60 years old.

Lately, some guidelines have been modified, which includes early screening for women aged between 50-64 years old.

The reason for such updates is early determination of bone fracture risk  that can possibly occur in the next ten years. Also, screening a younger woman is important because there can be contributory factors that can lead to osteoporosis. For example, women who are too health conscious can resort to over exercise making them miss their monthly period. If such women always subject themselves to strenous work-outs, these fitness conscious women can be impaired by osteoporosis. It is also possible that women who consume too much alcohol or smoke heavily are exposing themselves to osteoporosis.

Nowadays, various tests are done for osteoporosis screening. Among these tests is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) which measures bone density on spine, hip and wrist because these are the areas often affected by osteoporosis. Certain tests like ultrasound, CT scanning and single photon absorptiometry are often part of the screening process suggested by doctors.

Nonetheless, people must also understand some risks concerning osteoporosis screening. Actually, some specialists do not suggest early screening for women who are at low-risk for osteoporosis. Why? The results can indicate a false positive which eventually leads to taking medications that can be harmful to women. Osteoporosis screening has its own advantages and disadvantages so it pays to be informed.

Tags: osteoporosis screening, frax assessment tool, national osteoporosis foundation, osteoporosis, nogg

If there is one medical condition that women would like to avoid when they get older, it would be osteoporosis. How come? Osteoporosis definitely weakens the bones which makes women more susceptible to injuries such as hip fractures. It is even disturbing to know that health statistics reported that thirty-five percent of women who suffer from hip fractures eventually die. Because of such consequences, preventing osteoporosis at an earlier stage is very important.

If you want  to start early in preventing osteoporosis from happening to you, check out the following advice.

Make calcium your daily supplement. Food products like dairy (especially milk) are very rich sources of calcium for the bones.Nowadays, a lot of milk companies often present their products as a solution to preventing osteoporosis. However, calcium must be taken as early as possible to help in the formation of strong bones that prevents the condition. The bones gradually loses collagen as people become older; thus, osteoporosis cannot be helped by compensating much calcium at a later age. Likewise, proper amount of Vitamin D should be present for calcium to be absorbed properly by the body. This means being exposed to the sunlight for as little as fifteen minutes on a daily basis.

Try resistance training exercises. If people are keen on preventing osteoporosis early, they should do regularly. Actually, older women who do resistance training can still gain bone density according to some studies. Plus, women who are physically active can balance their bodies which lessens the risk of injuries like slipping. There are various equipments which can be used for resistance training – dumb bells, elastic bands, and Swiss ball. Pilates can also complement resistance training because it improves flexibility.

Get sun exposure. Lately,people are so obsessed with shielding themselves from the sun all the time. If we avoid the sun, then we are also depriving ourselves of the much needed Vitamin D that boosts calcium absorption. People who reside in areas with warmer climates often absorb more vitamin D than those who live in cold regions. A good example would be the case of Canada where citizens are required to take higher Calcium supplementation. Soak in the sun early morning to avoid harmful UV rays.

Learning the steps in preventing osteoporosis early can make life more enjoyable as we get older.

Tags: preventing osteoporosis