Osteoporosis

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a bone disease characterized by a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) that leads to weakened bones and increased risk of fractures. It develops when bone resorption by cells called osteoclasts exceeds bone formation by osteoblasts.

There are a few key things to understand about osteoporosis:

• It often has no symptoms until a fracture occurs. This is why it's called a "silent disease."


• It affects both men and women, but women especially after menopause due to declining estrogen levels.


• Key risk factors include aging, family history, smoking, low calcium intake, vitamin D deficiency, and use of certain medications like corticosteroids.

Diagnosis is made using a DXA scan to measure BMD. The lower the BMD, the higher the osteoporosis risk. T-scores from the scan indicate normal vs. low BMD vs. osteoporosis.

In terms of treatment, key options aim to build bone or slow/stop bone loss:

• Weight-bearing exercise


• Calcium and vitamin D supplements


• Medications like bisphosphonates or PTH analogs


• Hormone therapy with estrogen for postmenopausal women

The specialized physicians at Hormone Health Clinic also treat osteoporosis through customized bioidentical hormone therapy to help balance estrogen, testosterone, and other hormones involved in bone remodeling. Their integrative approach combines hormone optimization, lifestyle changes, and evidence-based natural supplements to improve bone health.

I hope this overview gives you a good foundation for understanding the mechanisms, diagnosis, risk factors and treatment approaches for osteoporosis! Let me know if you have any other questions.