We look at how natural remedies can help you to manage the pain associated with osteoporosis-related fractures.
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones gradually lose their strength due to a loss of bone mass. This in turn makes it more likely that you will suffer a break in your bones, which is referred to as a fracture.
Osteoporosis is quite common, especially in those over 50 years old and it’s estimated that half of all women over 50 will experience a fracture related to osteoporosis in their lifetime.
Preventing Osteoporosis naturally
Osteoporosis is not an inevitable part of ‘growing old’, and although some people are pre-disposed to the condition, there are lots of lifestyle choices that you can take to minimise the effects and improve your bones.
Calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones
Ensuring you get enough Calcium and Vitamin D is essential for building strong bones when you’re younger and maintaining them in top condition when you are older. Alive! Calcium Gummies combines Calcium with Vitamin D and phosphorus in a soft chewable format and is suitable for both adults and children from 3 years.
Eat a balanced diet
As in all aspects of your life, it’s important to eat a balanced diet. A well balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, fish and dairy products should help to ensure your body receives all that it needs.
There are certain foods that are recognised as being particularly good for your bones and these include dairy products such as low fat milk, yoghurt and cheese, fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel and fruits and vegetables.
Take regular exercise
Taking regular exercise is essential for a healthy lifestyle. However, there are two types of exercise which are particularly good for your bones.
Weight-bearing exercise helps to build strong bones and maintains that strength for longer. These types of exercise include running, aerobics and sports such as tennis.
Muscle strengthening exercises are based around resistance training and include lifting weights, using weight machines at the gym or lifting your own body weight, such as when you do press-ups.
Relieving pain after a fracture
Pain in itself is not a symptom of Osteoporosis, but pain can occur after a fracture has healed. Nerves can be pinched or irritated by a fracture, joints and ligaments are often put under strain as they adapt to the new shape of the healed fracture and muscle spasms can occur due to inflammation.
There are several ways to manage pain including over-the-counter pain relief drugs such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and TENS machines.
Complementary and herbal medicines can also help with managing pain. Devil’s Claw and Willow Bark are known to have anti-inflammatory properties which help relieve pain, and herbs including camomile, passion-flower and valerian can have an anti-spasmodic effect.
FlexiHerb Muscle & Joint Pain Relief Tablets is a traditional herbal medicine, containing 600 mg of Devil’s Claw root extract, used for the relief of aches and pains in muscles and joints exclusively based upon long-standing use as a traditional remedy.
Other herbal remedies that may help with Osteoporosis
Black Cohosh
A study in 2008 found that Black Cohosh promoted bone formation in mice. Although there has been no further research to explore whether this kind of effect also applies to humans. However, Black Cohosh has been used in Native American medicine for years. The herb contains phytoestrogens (estrogen-like substances) that may help prevent bone loss. Black Cohosh can be found in both MenoHerb Menopause Relief Tablets and MenoMood Menopause Mood Relief Tablets which are traditional herbal medicines used for the relief of symptoms of the menopause, exclusively based upon long-standing use as a traditional remedy.
Help with sleeping
People that suffer with pain resulting from osteoporosis often have trouble sleeping. There are herbal remedies that can help relieve sleep disturbances.
NiteHerb Valerian Tablets is a traditional herbal medicine used for the temporary relief of sleep disturbances due to symptoms of mild anxiety exclusively based on long-standing use as a traditional remedy.
Bonuit Sleep Aid is a traditional herbal medicine, uniquely combining Valerian and Passionflower herbs, used for the temporary relief of sleep disturbances due to symptoms of mild anxiety, exclusively based upon long-standing use as a traditional remedy.
Coping with low mood
Dealing with the effects of osteoporosis can lead to anxiety and low mood, which can also exasperate other issues such as being able to get to sleep. Many people prefer to use herbal remedies, such as “The Sunshine Herb”, St John’s Wort, than prescribed drugs to help relieve these symptoms.
KarmaMood St John’s Wort and KarmaMood Maximum Strength St John’s Wort are traditional herbal medicines used to relieve the symptoms of slightly low mood and mild anxiety, exclusively based upon long-standing use as a traditional remedy.
