| Youthful Aging
through Healthy Lifestyles | |
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This month we honor the special women in our lives; our mothers, wives and daughters. A mother's love is a special unconditional love that comforts us and inspires us throughout ouer lives. We experienced it from our mothers, see it in our wives and hope to see it in our daughters.
May is also osteoporosis prevention month. This disease plagues a significant number of women as they age; and more men than you may think. I provide a little background on this preventable disease and offer suggestions to determine your risks.
Finally, I reveal evidence from a study linking acohol consumption with potential health risks for women.
Happy Mothers' Day |
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Osteoporosis: a silent epidemic
Literally, the term osteoporosis means "porous bone". It is a very common condition, affecting more than 40 million people in the United States.
Osteoporosis is defined by a reduction in bone mass, bone quality or the presence of a fragility fracture. It contributes to nearly 1.5 million fractures per year in the US.
One out of every two women will experience an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime. For men, the number is one in four. Common fracture sites include the hip, spine, wrist and rib. For anyone with an osteoporotic fracture, the one year mortality approaches 20%
Bone is a living tissue balanced by the actions of osteoblasts that lay down new bone and osteoclasts responsible for bone resorption. Bone mineral density is a measure of the adequacy of mineralization of bone. Peak bone mass occurs before age 30. The gold standard test is a DEXA bone densitomitry scan.
Recent scientific information implicates chronic inflammation, oxidative cell damage and advanced glycosalated end products (AGE's) as contributors to the development of osteoporosis. Bone loss is also correlated with vasclar calcifications and the development of cardiovascular disease.
Risk factors for the development of osteoporosis include:
- low estrogen in women and low testosterone in men
- low body weight (<127 lbs)
- smoking
- lack of exercise
- excessive alcohol
- deficiency in calcium and/or vitamin D
- excess phosporous intake (soda)
- high protein diet (acidic)
- diabetes, thyroid disease, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis
To reduce your risk of osteoporosis be sure to eat a healthy diet that includes colorful fruits and vegetables, regularly engage in aerobic and resistance exercise, take adequate calcium, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplements.
Every woman over 40 and man over 50 should consider having their bone mineral density checked. Preventing osteoporosis is better than treating it; especially after an osteoporotic fracture.
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Your quest for longer life begins at Alternity Healthcare
Alternity Healthcare uses cutting edge science and a comprehensive evaluation process to identify and modulate your risks for degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke. In conjuction with the other members of his clinical team, Dr. Ebanks will outline a program of low-glycemic nutrition, high quality nutraceutical supplements, proper exercise and hormonal optimization. You will look better, feel better and perform better, longer.
CONTACT ALTERNITY HEALTHCARE TODAY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OPTIMIZING YOUR HEALTH
WWW.ALTERNITYHEALTHCARE.COM
860.748.4064
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Alcohol may increase cancer risk for women
According to a large scale British study, even low to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of several cancers.
The "Million Women Study" followed nearly 1.3 million women between age 50 and 64 starting in 1997, tracked the association between alcohol consumption and cancer incidence. As reported in the February 24, 2009 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute,
low to moderate alcohol consumption among women is associated with a statistically significant increase in cancer risk and may account for nearly 13 percent of the cancers of the breast,liver, rectum, and upper aero-digestive tract combined.
In the study, women who drank as little as one alcoholic beverage per day significantly increased their cancer risk. There was no difference between wine, beer or hard liquor.
An accompanying editorial from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute stated, "From a standpoint of cancer risk, the message of this report could not be clearer. There is no level of alcohol consumption that can be considered safe".
I recommend taking stock of your individual risk for cancer and discussing with your physician whether you should limit alcohol intake or avoid it all together. While total abstinence may be the safest choice and may work for some, as with all of our important healthcare decisions, it should be tempered with the reality of our life circumstances.
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| Free bone density scan |
Join us on Wednesday evening, May 27th from 6- 7:30pm for a seminar on Osteoporosis given by Dr. Ebanks. It will be held at Alternity Healthcare, 639 Park Rd, 2nd floor, West Hartford, CT. Light refreshments will be served. A raffle for a free DEXA bone density scan will be held that night (a $500 value). |
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Space is limited. Call 860.748.4064 to register | |
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