Fracture risk. It’s a risk no one wants to take. Those of us
older La Grande folks are more susceptible to the risk just by being
older. It’s not fair. It’s not fun. Fracture risk is serious and can be
minimized for some by taking a few extra steps to build our
spinal bones and bodies.
New research comes out daily pointing to some prevention strategies we all
might want to consider trying. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC encourages our
La Grande chiropractic patients and their families to minimize the
risk of fracture as best they can.
One of the newest findings is that combining calcium with
vitamin D reduces fracture risk for middle aged and older adults. (1) Great
finding! Why? Because it comes from a meta-analysis, a review of many
randomized controlled trials that show similar results. When many studies point
to the same outcome, that’s power and gets the attention of your
La Grande chiropractor.
Now, some reality checks Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC wants to share. The
10 year risk tripled for hip fracture and doubled for osteoporotic fractures in
women between 80 and 90 years of age whose vitamin D levels were low over a 5
year period. (2) Another study of 752
women reveals that the longer a woman breastfed, the higher her risk for
vertebral osteoporotic fractures. Breastfeeding for more than 18 months doubled
the risk of vertebral fractures. Now these researchers clearly state that
breastfeeding offers many benefits, so they suggest that pregnant and
breastfeeding mothers must be sure their intake of calcium and vitamin D is
adequate. (3) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC appreciates the balance that such researchers
offer when discussing their findings and the real-life ramifications of those
findings.
Therefore, while we’re on the subject of fracture risk
reduction, making sure you are getting enough calcium and vitamin D is
important. Adding some weight bearing exercise helps, too, especially through
puberty when bone mass is building. (4). So calcium and vitamin D and exercise
may be the winning combination for La Grande young women wanting to
reduce their risk of fracture when they are older!
So Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC invites women of all ages (and men!) who
have any concern about bone health and fracture risk reduction strategies.
Working with La Grande chiropractic clients to keep them from
experiencing fractures and to enhance their health is important to
Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC. Your La Grande back pain specialist looks forward to seeing you! Contact Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC today.