Current statistics state that osteoporosis affects 10 million Americans and 8 million women, or 55% of people over 50 are predicted to be affected by osteoporosis. 1 in 2 women are predicted to have an osteoporosis related fracture in their lifetime. This is a significant cause of morbidity as hip and spine fractures cause serious impairment of mobility and health concerns related to immobility. There is much in the news about medications and recommended supplements to take, as well as life style changes to help combat osteoporosis. Understanding the disease process helps to understand how these different treatments impact bone density, thereby enabling women to make informed decisions regarding their treatment of osteoporosis and osteopenia.

The majority of bone density, up to 90%, is formed by age 18 in women and age 20 in men. There are two types of cells which form and maintain healthy bone, osteoblasts are responsible for laying down healthy bone matrix which then undergoes mineralization with the aid of calcium, which adds strength. Osteoclasts are cells which are responsible for resorbing older bone, in so doing, the osteoclasts ensure that remaining bone is strong. In the early years of our lives, the activity of osteoblasts are balanced with osteoclasts. In osteoporosis, the osteoblasts have slowed in their formation of bone, however resorption of bone has continued at its usual rate. Because of this imbalance, bone slowly thins placing a woman at risk of a break or fracture. A number of factors can influence the balance and imbalance of this process:

Parathyroid hormone

Vitamin D metabolites

Prostaglandins

Cortisol

Sex hormones

Osteoporosis is a term referring to loss of bone density to the extent that a fracture is possible, osteopenia is a term reflecting a degree of bone loss not severe enough to place a person at risk for a fracture. A person’s bone density is determined most accurately by a test, Bone Mineral Density test. The most accurate of these types of tests is the Central DXA, or dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. In this test, the bone density is calculated, and then compared to women of same age and height to determine if there is a process besides aging causing increased bone loss. This calculated density is also compared to women of same height at 30 years of age, and then the calculated difference of bone density determines the degree of bone density loss.

Who is at risk for osteoporosis and osteopenia?

? Women with decreased estrogen ie. Postmenopausal women, premature ovarian failure

? Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, use of aromatase inhibitors

? Women who have been on prolonged use of depo-Provera

? Women and men who have been on steroids for long periods of time, anticonvulsants. lithium,heparin

? poor dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D

? inactive and sedentary people

? People of Caucasian, Asian and Latino more so than Aftrican American ethnicities

? Smokers

? People who use of alcohol excessively (>3/day)

? people with certain forms of arthritis and gastrointestinal illnesses

Treatment for osteoporosis is usually provided in the form of bisphosphonate therapy. These drugs, the bis-phosphonates (Fosomax and others) work by slowing the activity of osteoclasts in bone. Other treatment includes estrogen which attenuates the resorption of bone or the osteoclast activity. Calcitonin is a thyroid derived peptide which also inhibits osteoclast activity. This form of treatment has not been shown to be as effective in preventing vertebral fractures.

The bisphosphonates are a very effective treatment in helping to produce new bone, although it has been recently speculated that this bone may not be as healthy as natural bone. For women that have enough bone loss to place them at serious risk for a fracture however, this bis-phosphonate induced bone can be protective to some extent. In recent studies by Orthopedic Surgeons, it was noted that bone integrity was improved early on in therapy but that benefit was lost after more than 4 years of treatment. As with many things in medicine, there are risks and benefits to be weighed when considering osteoporosis medication. It is important to discuss this with you provider before stopping any medication.

Life style changes are equally important in preventing and treating osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Exercise and diet also play an important role in preventing and treating osteoporosis.

? Muscle building exercise helps to activate the osteoblasts to lay down new bone,

? Calcium in our diet helps to make that bone strong, and

? Vitamin D helps our body to absorb and process the calcium.

Muscle building exercise of 90 minutes a week is recommended for bone health. An increased exercise time of 150 minutes a week is recommended for heart health and to lower insulin resistance. This muscle building exercise does not have to be high impact; brisk walking is excellent but as far as we know now, swimming will not help your bones as it is not weight bearing.

Calcium supplements will suffice to replace or augment dairy products. 1200-1500 mg of calcium daily is the recommended dose for post menopausal women. There are several different types of supplements and they are all good but are tolerated differently, experimentation will yield the best tolerated brand for any given person.

Vitamin D3 capsules or pills are recommended as it is difficult to get adequate Vitamin D in the diet. Vitamin D3, or ergocalciferol, is the recommended type as this last longer in the body. It is important to get a brand that does not contain Vitamin A as the body cannot regulate this easily and toxicity as well as overdose is possible.

Osteoporosis is a silent but serious disease which can be easily prevented and treated. Screening is painless and usually covered by insurance companies if medically indicated. It is important for women to approach their medical providers for screening and information for both themselves and for male partners who may also be at risk.

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Peyronie’s disease can be a painful condition of the penis. It’s normal to have a slight curve but if it looks like a J or a hook then you might have Peyronie’s disease.

There are two main ways of getting a bent penis, by genetics, being born with it or by injury. What happens is, there are three chambers within the penis, the two along the top are corpus cavernosa which bring blood into the penis. The chamber along the bottom of the penis shaft holds the urethra for urine to flow through. When injured the fine elastic tissue that covers these chambers become hard. This is scarring also called plaque can form hard fibrocystic tissue that pulls the erect penis in a different direction. This can be off putting to your partner and can strain the relationship. You may find that you feel pain during an erection along with the bend of the penis. If you are at all concerned please see your doctor.

As debilitating this disease can become for those with severe cases, there are Peyronie’s disease treatments that work.

Using a penis enlargement or traction device can naturally put strength back into your penis. Frequent use will actually help straighten a bent penis. This method has been backed medically and is a proven Peyronie’s disease treatment

The penis traction device slowly extends the penis held in a brace, pulling apart the cells within the penis causing them to divide and form new cells. This also extends the length and girth of the penis, giving you more control and strength while reducing the bend in your penis.

Another Peyronie’s disease treatment that is also kind to your wallet is specially designed exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home. Combine these exercises with the penis traction device for the ultimate Peyronie’s disease treatment and cut down the time to see positive results. You should see an improvement within a few months of daily workouts. With in a few months you could have a straighter, longer and thicker penis with extraordinary stamina. Your sex life will improve dramatically and ability to bring on a rock hard erection at your call.

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With the wide spread use of effective antibiotics, the incidence of this disease has been greatly reduced in recent times. Sadly enough, rheumatic fever that causes the rheumatic heart disease can damage the heart valves wherein they fail to open and close properly.

Types of Rheumatic heart disease treatments

Treatmentdepends on the exact type of the rheumatic heart disease condition. Most commonly blood thinners (coumadin and aspirin) are prescribed to prevent the blood clots.

As the sufferer may be prone to further attacks that cause more heart damage, the doctor may prescribe monthly or daily antibiotic treatment, perhaps for life. The other kind of rheumatic heart disease treatment may involve heart surgery depending upon the extent of valve damage due to rheumatic fever. Implantation of artificial valve or even the opening of an excessively narrowed valve are the more common surgical options involved in the treatment.

Yet another non surgical option is available to those patients who are poor candidates to surgical options and it is called as balloon valvuloplasty. This type of non surgical procedure in rheumatic heart disease treatment will involve snaking a balloon-tipped catheter through the arteries and into the valve, while the balloon is inflated, to let open the leaves of the valve.

Risks posed by lack of Treatment

With the failure to get rheumatic heart disease treatment done, a sufferer may further face the risk of congestive heart failure, abnormal heart rhythm or stroke. The heart valves damaged due to rheumatic fever can pose the problem of backflow and regurgitation of blood- preventing the valves from opening fully. Due to this, pumping of blood becomes less efficient and your heart has to work harder and faster.

Rheumatic heart disease treatment can range from almost nothing to surgery. Dietary changes have a profound impact on many of the prevailing heart diseases.

Role of Omega 3 fatty acids in Heart disease

In addition to following a strict medication program, a rheumatic heart-disease sufferer has to eat a well balanced heart healthy diet that is low in fat, salt and cholesterol. Fish oil fats are good promoters of optimal wellness in us. As our body is incapable of making these fats, we need to get them through our diet. Research studies have shown that the omega 3 fatty acid in fish oil is significant in promoting our heart health.

In fact the fatty acid reduces the occurrence of heart-disease by arresting many risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It helps to eliminate the plaque build up in the arteries that can cause heart attack and stroke. Consuming more of these oily fish or taking a refined fish oil supplement should do its bit for our heart fitness.

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I have mentioned before that, in my desire to find treatment for Crohn’s, I have previously turned to Western medicine, but high dose steroids were the only thing that had any sort of effect. When I would hear about natural ways to help Crohn’s, I would immediately disallow the idea and state that it would not help me the slightest bit, and therefore I would not consider them as a possibility.

Besides, if Western medicine was not working very well, no matter how many drugs that my medical practitioner used on me in order to attempt to help my Crohn’s and send it into remission, how would I get any better results from just reducing stress, changing my diet and may be some supplements?

To be honest, I did not think anything would work.

Looking back on it, the drugs I was taking would have left me with worse side effects than anything I experienced with the Crohn’s, so that was a bad decision. As a result, I did start looking for natural methods in order to give myself the help I needed, due to the fact that Western medicine was starting to yield smaller and smaller dividends for me, and I wanted something that would not leave me with those side effects.

For the next few years, I looked in to natural treatments, not really gaining a whole lot of ground; keep in mind that this was not due to the lack of effectiveness of the therapies, I simply had to find the right way to help myself. In order to get my health to the place I wanted it to be, I had to spend a lot of time and do a lot of searching.

Since my doctor could do little to provide me assistance besides give me drugs that would put me at higher risk for osteoporosis, mess up my blood sugar, and thin my bones, I decided to seek other, more natural and effective answers for natural treatment for Crohn’s, just to see if that would help me more. As I continued my quest to find the natural answer, I would get disheartened when I thought I had all the pieces put together only to find myself wrong.

I had to go through this a lot, but since the drugs were starting to give me a few problems, I pressed on, hoping to find some combination of natural methods that would work for me. Eventually, I started going for a natural diet of uncooked, unprocessed foods, and that seemed to start helping me immensely, giving me the results I was looking for. As I kept on this regimen, I could remain in remission without having to stay on medication.

Following this diet even returned me to a state of well-being that I hadn’t experienced since before my time with Crohn’s Disease. Despite my successes with this diet, I wanted to find more ways to help Crohn’s naturally, perhaps out of obsession or a further need to feel better; either way, I found out a lot more about how to help this disease naturally, and I learned a lot.

Ever since I found success with natural treatment for Crohn’s Disease, I started looking for other people who had found something that worked naturally, in order to learn all the possible methods that may work. What’s more, I was able to gain a bit of information on the reasons why the therapies I was trying before did not work, allowing me to tell people what to avoid.

Perhaps you are in a similar situation, stumbling from method to method praying for something that works; I have the experience and the knowledge to help you find that perfect regimen. Those of you who want to begin your natural treatment for Crohn’s should do your best to start the right regimen as soon as possible, to avoid all of that expensive and disheartening looking around for the best treatment.

If your Crohn’s Disease is particularly affecting you, it is necessary to learn how to get into remission quickly, so you are not diminishing your quality of life any longer than necessary. It was not a joyride when I did it, and you should not have to experience that! With natural treatment for Crohn’s, you will have a far easier time of it if you learn the most effective regimens right away, thus saving you time, money and discomfort; otherwise,you will be stumbling in the dark like I did for years on end.

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