Risk Factors for Osteoporosis

Although there are many ways to build stronger bones, those who are most prone to osteoporosis also must be aware of what behaviors and other factors can contribute to bone loss. The following are some bone robbers that you will want to avoid or limit for the health of your bones.

Alcohol. It's been suggested that small amounts of alcohol, say three to six drinks per week, may actually help your body to retain calcium and prevent osteoporosis by raising estrogen levels. But too much alcohol clearly weakens bones and damages your overall health. And the flip side to the estrogen coin is that the higher estrogen levels that are associated with moderate alcohol intake may be linked to an increased risk for breast cancer. So if you imbibe at all, go easy.

Smoking. Women who smoke tend to reach menopause earlier than nonsmokers, and this may be what increases their risk for osteoporosis. Smoking may also encourage bone loss in other ways that have yet to be identified. Ask your doctor for help in quitting.

Estrogen replacement therapy. After a woman experiences menopause, estrogen therapy can help forestall bone loss. The amount of estrogen required to both prevent bone loss and alleviate the symptoms of menopause is small, actually less than that in a typical birth control pill. Still, there are risks and possible side effects. So be sure to thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of estrogen replacement with your doctor.

Being overweight. This may be one of the few conditions where being overweight actually offer some protection. It's not known exactly why. It could be because the extra weight strengthens bone, or it could be that overweight women produce more estrogen than slender women. Considering the potential negative health effects that are associated with being overweight, such as the increased risks of high blood pressure and diabetes, it is not recommended that you purposely gain excess weight or stay overweight to prevent osteoporosis. However, it certainly highlights one of the many potential negative side effects of the waif-like, model-thin figure that is often glorified in the fashion industry and that is generally attainable only through disordered, unhealthy eating behaviors.

Pregnancy. Your risk of developing osteoporosis is greater if you have never been pregnant. Though being pregnant lowers your risk, it's not known if multiple pregnancies lower your risk further or whether, in fact, they might actually increase it.

Caffeine. Excessive caffeine intake, whether from coffee or other caffeinated drinks, can cause your body to lose calcium, but the effects are not quite as extreme as once thought. The amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee cancels the calcium in only about one tablespoon of milk.Still, it's probably a good idea to keep your daily caffeine intake to no more than about three cups of brewed coffee or four cups of brewed tea. Keep in mind that other food products, including caffeinated soft drinks, can add to your caffeine intake.

Inactivity. It has been proven beyond a doubt that regular physical activity is absolutely crucial to maintaining bone health throughout your life, so being sedentary means you're missing a simple, inexpensive, low-risk way to prevent calcium from leaching out of your bones -- perhaps the simplest way to keep your bones healthy and strong. Indeed, it's like letting calcium simply slip through your fingers.

Protein. In the United States, we generally eat far more protein than we need for good health. And it's believed that a high protein intake causes calcium to be excreted. Over time, this calcium loss, if not compensated for with dietary calcium, will come from the bones.

Long-term use of certain medications. People suffering from asthma or rheumatoid arthritis who take cortisone (a steroid) for long periods may diminish the strength of their bones.

Being Female. Women are several times more likely to develop osteoporosis than are men.

Race. Caucasians are at greater risk for developing osteoporosis than darker-skinned people are. Far fewer black women develop osteoporosis than do whites. People of Asian descent are also at higher risk for osteoporosis.

Bone structure. Small or petite women are at greater risk because of their small bones. If they experience the same rate of bone loss as larger women, they will develop osteoporosis sooner, simply because they have less bone to start with.

Early menopause:The earlier a woman experiences menopause, the greater her risk of osteoporosis. Risk also increases if a woman has a surgical menopause -- a hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus, or a double oophorectomy, or removal of both ovaries -- at an early age and is not put on hormone replacement therapy. If only the uterus is removed but the ovaries are left intact, the woman will likely experience normal menopausal symptoms in her early 50s, on average, and her risk will not be increased.

Family history: Many women with osteoporosis have at least one family member who has the disease. Still, a lack of family history doesn't rule out the possibility that a woman will develop osteoporosis.The fight against osteoporosis is a lifelong one. It is never too early to start the proper behavior that will help protect your bones in the long run. In the next section, we'll provide several home remedies in the form of lifestyle choices that you can make to prevent or hinder osteoporosis.

Menstrual Problems problems, symptoms & causes

The two major female sex hormones in the body are estrogen and progesterone. They are produced in a pair of organs in the abdomen, known as the ovaries. The ovaries start producing large quantities of estrogen when a girl reaches about 12 years of age. This enables her to grow rapidly and develop into a normal young woman. The commencement of menstruation at this time heralds the reproductive phase of her life, when she can have children. The main problems relating to menstrual flow are pre-menstrual tension, painful menstruation, stoppage of menstruation, and excessive menstruation. These disorders are not uncommon.

Menstrual Problems symptoms & causes

Premenstrual Tension and Menstrual Cramps
A few days before menstruation, some women become nervous and irritable. They suffer from depression, headaches, and fullness in the breasts, insomnia, and swelling in the lower extremities. This may be due to a hormonal imbalance. These problems cease within twenty-four hours of the start of the menstrual flow.
Dysmenorrheal
Painful menstruation, as it is called in medical parlance, is a common condition. The pain may be felt either two or three days before or immediately before or during the flow. This may also be due to a hormonal imbalance.
Amenorrhea or Stoppage of Menstrual Flow
This is natural during pregnancy and at the menopause, but abnormal at any other time. It denotes a debilitated and devitalized condition of the body. The main causes contributing towards this condition are anemia, worry, grief, fright, or other serious emotional disturbances; malformation of the womb; tuberculosis; displacement of the womb; and debility, especially after a serious illness.
Excessive Menstrual Flow
This is common in some women. A variety of causes may be responsible for this trouble, including fibroids.

What is Menopause ?

What is Menopause ?

The female reproductive time of life begins at adolescence in the early teens and continues until the end of the menopause in the mid or late forties. Most women during their reproductive period have a regular monthly cycle, usually occurring every four weeks except during pregnancy.

In the middle or late forties, many women suddenly become aware of increased nervous tension, menstrual disturbances, hot flashes, chilly feelings, excitability, easy fatigue, depression, crying spells, sleeplessness, palpitation, dizziness, headaches, numbness and tingling and other annoying symptoms. A woman experiencing these symptoms feels miserable through no fault of her own. This entire problem arises due to the non-production of the estrogen hormone from the ovaries.

This natural phenomenon in life starts many years before menopause symptoms actually begin to show. Hormone levels can fluctuate for several years before eventually becoming so low that the endometrium becomes thin and does not bleed. Normally the ovaries start to slow the production of hormones like estrogen, testosterone and progesterone.

Low estrogen levels may also lead to changes in collagen production, affecting hair, nails, skin and tendons. The skin may become dryer, thinner; less elastic; more prone to bruising and skin itching may occur.

Anything that interferes with the normal functions of the ovaries may bring on these problems. If the ovaries have to be removed by surgery because of some disease, the same thing will occur soon after the operation. Menopause is not a disease. It is a natural process in a woman's life. It depends on a woman how she views this time of her life. This can have a lot to do with how frequent and severe her symptoms are. If menopause is viewed, as the end of youth and sexuality, this time will be much more difficult than if it is viewed as the next, natural phase of life. With a proper diet, nutritional supplements, and exercise, most of the unpleasant side effects of menopause can be minimized, if not eliminated.

The average age of the natural menopause is 51 years, but can occur much earlier or later. Menopause occurring before the age of 45 is called early menopause and before the age of 40 is premature menopause. Per menopause is the stage from the beginning of menopausal symptoms to the post menopause.

Post menopause is the time following the last period, and is usually defined as more than 12 months with no periods in someone with intact ovaries, or immediately following surgery if the ovaries have been removed.

Female infertility treatment

Female infertility treatment

Female infertility treatment using Banyan Roots

The tender roots of the banyan tree are one of the valuable remedies found beneficial in the treatment of female sterility where there are no organic defects or congenital deformities. These roots should be dried in the shade and finely powdered. About twenty grams of this powder should be mixed with milk, which should be five times the weight of this powder, and taken at night for three consecutive nights after the monthly periods are over. When this remedy is administered, no other food should be eaten for a short while thereafter. This remedy should be repeated after the completion of the menstrual cycle every month till conception takes place.

Female sterility treatment using Jambul Leaves

An infusion of the fresh tender leaves of jambul fruit is an excellent remedy for sterility or miscarriage due to an ovarian or endometrium functional disorder. The infusion can be prepared by pouring 250 ml of boiling water over 20 gm of fresh jambul leaves, and allowing it to steep for two hours. The infusion may be taken with either two teaspoons of honey or 200 ml of buttermilk.

Female infertility treatment using Winter Cherry

The herb winter cherry is another valuable remedy found helpful in sterility. The herb should be powdered and six grams of this powder should be taken with one cup of milk for five to six nights after menstruation.

Female sterility treatment using Nutrients

Certain nutrients, especially vitamins C and E, and zinc, have been found helpful in some cases of sterility. A

woman who is unable to conceive should take 1000 mg of vitamin C, 100 I.U. of vitamin E and 30 mg of zinc daily.

Diet - Seeds, nuts, curd and cottage cheese.

Physical debility and functional faults of organic nature can be cured by simple and effective methods of natural treatment, of which optimum nutrition is an essential part. Fasting is the best remedy for the treatment of disorders resulting from toxins in the system. A short fast of two or three day should be undertaken at regular intervals by women who are unable to bear children. Diet is an important factor in the treatment of infertility. It should contain seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits. These foods should be supplemented with milk, vegetable oils, and honey. Curd and cottage cheese are also recommended. About seventy to eighty per cent of the diet should consist of foods in their natural uncooked state, because cooking destroys much of the nutritional value of most foods. Sprouting is an excellent way of consuming seeds, beans, and grains in their raw form, as in the process of sprouting, the nutritional value is multiplied, new vitamins are created and the protein quality is improved.

Food to be avoided

Excessive fat, spicy foods, strong tea, coffee, white sugar, white flour, refined cereals, flesh foods, greasy or fried foods should all be avoided.

Warm-water enema

The bowels should be cleansed by a warm-water enema during the period of fasting and afterwards when necessary. This will have a beneficial effect not only on the digestive system but also on the surrounding organs of the urinary and genital system.

Yoga

Certain Yoga which are said to tone up the gonads or ovaries should also be practiced regularly for overcoming female sterility. These asanas are Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, ardhamatsyendrasana , paschimottanasana and shalabhasana. All these measures, along with clean habits, proper rest, and relaxation will go a long way in overcoming female sterility.

Mud packs and cold-water treatments

Other helpful measures in overcoming female sterility are mud packs and cold-water treatments like a hip bath and wet girdle pack. These treatments greatly improve internal circulation in the genital organs and relieve them of all kinds of inflammation and other abnormalities. Mud packs may be applied to the abdomen and sexual organs. The cold hip bath should be taken for ten minutes at a water temperature of 10degree C-18.3 degree C. For a wet girdle pack, thin underwear wrung in cold water should be worn. Over this, a thick, dry cotton or woolen underwear should be worn. All cold treatments should be suspended during menstruation.