|
Bone Health, Part 1
Crazy how drugs get marketed directly to the public. Who has not heard of Sally Fields hawking Boniva. Good or bad, media advertising brings attention to a condition. In Boniva's case, it's osteoporosis--weakening of the bones. Osteoporosis is a disease where bones become fragile. There is no pain, so it is often only diagnosed when there is a fracture. The most common breaks are the spine, then the hip and wrist. Forty-four million Americans, more than half of everyone over 50, have it. Obviously, It is not rare. The risk of a hip fracture is equal to the combined risks of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer. You're more likely to have a hip fracture than prostate cancer. With a hip fracture, 25% of people die and 25% enter a nursing home never to leave.
Loren Fischman, M.D. and Ellen Saltonstall(1) talk about the science of osteoporosis and promotes the practice of yoga for bone health. The structural support of bones follows the lines of force to which a bone is exposed. Physical stress builds bones. That's key. But not only the stress of pounding (like walking or running), but compression (pushing) and tensile (pulling) strain on the bone. Both compression and tensile strain benefits bones. So, building muscle pulls more effectively on bones. Also, a stronger, muscular body has less tendency to fall (a very good thing if you've got brittle bones).
Besides the calcium, D3, and drugs et al., there is something that we can actively do. To name a few: Tai Chi, Pilates, Alexander technique, weighlifting and golf. Golf, who knew? And, yes, of course, yoga. Yoga gives us the compression and tensile strain. Great! I knew yoga was good for something beside a great "yoga butt" or checking out women (or men) at Rusty Well's heat seeking 6:00 class. Not only does yoga provide the compression and tensile factor, it improves balance and reduces the chance of falling (the largest risk factor).
There are different yoga pose recommendations for those with osteoporosis and those of us working to keep our bones strong and healthy. If you've been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you want to avoid some poses- sit-ups, forward bends with a curved spine, fast passed vinyasa, and inversions(2). What poses do you want to do? Poses that improve balance are super important and so are poses where the bones are holding you up, like side angle pose and chair pose. Most of the standing poses that are requiring pressure on the bones and important. Backbends are beneficial, like camel pose or wheel. Navasana is good for balance and stimulating the bones of the spine (this can be done with a chair or against a wall). Twists give symmetrical stimulus for the vertebral body, but some doctors say no (avoid twists with a herniated disk).
Keep in mind that Dr. Fischman reports that studies have shown that yoga poses must be held for at least 10 seconds for the most benefit and the benefit goes away at 72 seconds. So, consider a yoga practice where you can hold poses for at least 10 seconds. This may not happen in faster paced vinyasa class.
Because osteoporosis does not cause pain or outward symptoms the first sign of the disease is with a fracture. You can check your individual bone health by having a DEXA scan run and getting recommendations from your doctor or health care practitioner. Regardless of whether you know the status of your bones or not, it behooves us to take precautions engaging in activities that promote bone health and as always keeping a good diet.
(1) Listen to their podcast via Yoga Spirit (http://www.yogatherapyweb.com/yogaspirit/)
or see their book Yoga for Osteoporosis.
(2) These recommendations vary, of course, depending on your physical condition, quality of bone health, etc.
|
