CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
By Judith Ashton
Exactly a year ago I had a routine DEXA scan to check the density of my bones. I have always had a good diet, am extremely active, have always danced, neither drink nor smoke and was shocked to learn that I had severe Osteoporosis.
Big shock! However, there is a genetic component, both my mother and grandmother got smaller in old age due to loss of bone mass! I am tall and wish to stay that way.
My GP offered medication but I decided to hold off. I started researching and sure enough there are many things that I could do to help myself.
Osteoporosis is a problem generally considered a female issue, especially post menopause when women start to lose the protective factor of oestrogen, which is crucial for bone health. Its decline leads to increased bone breakdown, reduced ability to repair and loss of density which makes women more susceptible to fractures and complications. It is very challenging to recover from falls and breaks in old age. Many elderly patients can die within a year of a bad fracture.
Sedentary lifestyles, lack of exercise, poor mobility all add up as we age and according to TILDA (The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging) the nation is heading towards a fivefold increase in disability by 2040 because of our rapidly aging population. More pressure on the HSE staff, services, beds etc. NOT GREAT NEWS!
One of the lead researchers, Prof. Rose Anne Kenny of Trinity College said recently, “We need to shine a strong lens on this to get on top of it before it’s too late to do something about it.” It was also noted that although Irish people are living longer, many suffer from poor health for over a decade before death. Healthy lifespan is not keeping pace with lifespan, so, people are spending more years in ill health, with thousands of folks, taking lots of prescription drugs long term … on average the last 14 years are unhealthy. NOT GREAT NEWS!
Major problems include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory illnesses and those impacting mobility and cognition; not to mention hearing loss and cataracts…As Mae West said, “Old age is not for the faint hearted!
Getting older creeps up on us all and we cannot do anything about that, but we can all try to stay flexible and mobile. HERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS!
In the old days, if one got a diagnosis of severe osteoporosis the advice was: avoid falling, take it easy and probably start to knit! However, these are no longer the only options, there are many beneficial “green prescriptions” ; exercise, good nutrition, cutting down on alcohol etc. Of course, if you have a medical diagnosis, always ask your doctor’s advice but also check out if there are things you can do for yourself.
What did I do when I got the DEXA results? When the shock subsided, I started to check out my (non-pharmaceutical) options on YouTube and found Dr. Belinda Beck, Professor at The Menzies Health Institute Australia and world expert on bone health for over 20 years.
The old adage, “If you don’t use it… you lose it!” is true and as Dr. Beck has proven, bone mass can be increased by using weights and the severity of osteoporosis can be reduced. Dr. Beck’s research programme has women in their 80s lifting weights and increasing their bone density. So…this shows that it’s never too late to start which is FANTASTIC NEWS!
My research led me to “Nano Physio” in The Watershed, Kilkenny; brainchild of Michael Bowler and Paul Bolger and supported by their amazing team of highly qualified physical therapists.
Most of the people who attend these inspiring classes are of a “certain” age and we are all working hard to ensure that our bodies stay strong, flexible and as healthy as possible.
I have attended 2x one-hour sessions per week for exactly a year and decided to get another DEXA scan to check my progress.
I am delighted to say that I no longer have severe osteoporosis but am now in the osteopenia range which is an improvement, so, I will keep at it. Nano physio has shown me that I can shift the dial and make a positive impact on the condition. So not only am I still able to dance till dawn but I can now lift weights! GREAT NEWS!
