When was the last time you had milk? Not milk on milk tea or coffee, but a regular glass of warm milk? When we were children, our parents reminded us to drink a warm glass of milk before bedtime to aid our good night’s sleep and keep bones and teeth strong. But as we grow older, we also forget about our osteo health in Singapore.
We develop habits and continue to perform activities that harm our bone health. The result? We often get injured, from sprains to fractures due to weak bones. Our backs hunch and our knees and hips hurt when getting out of the bed.
There are also signs of osteoporosis. Learn more about your bone health and how city osteopathy in Singapore can help you improve your osteo health.
Habits That Speed Up Bone Density Loss
Did you know that our bones repair and renew themselves every day? Our bones are composed of tons of minerals, including calcium. As a child grows older, our cells break down old bones to make newer bones. This process will continue until we reach the age of 30.
As people hit the age of late 30s and early 40s, the bone renewal will begin to slow down until it can’t keep up with the bone break down; hence, resulting in gradual bone density loss. This condition is called osteoporosis.
Everyone will eventually develop osteoporosis, even those who consult with an osteopath in Singapore at a high price. The unfortunate part is that osteoporosis is irreversible. You can also speed up its onset by having unhealthy habits and lifestyles.
Here are the things that speed up bone density loss:
1. Unhealthy Diet
As mentioned, our bones are composed of minerals. The bones need calcium; therefore, people must eat food high in calcium. But calcium is not enough; vitamin D improves the absorption of calcium in the body.
Some types of food need to be cut back, including food high in sodium. Besides calcium, the bones store salt as well. When a person eats salty food, the body needs to remove excess salt. The body excretes sodium from the bones, but it also brings along calcium to it.
If vitamin D promotes calcium absorption, spinach, wheat bran, and beans do otherwise. The oxalates in spinach and phytates in beans and wheat bran prevents calcium absorption. What you can do is take a calcium supplement or consume calcium-rich food and drinks hours before eating these food groups.
You can ask your physio clinic in Singapore for more bone health tips.
2. Sedentary lifestyle
Believe it or not, physical activity is our bones’ stimulus to regenerate more bone minerals. Besides muscle mass, people lose bone density if they lack physical activity because it triggers the breakdown of bones.
It can happen even at an adult age, even if they still don’t reach their bone mass peak. When you have weak bones at a young age, you are prone to injuries, such as sprains, strains, and bone fractures, which may need physical therapy in Singapore to heal.
3. Cigarette smoking
As mentioned, our bones have the ability to repair and renew bones. Oestrogen hormones are crucial for this bone’s ability. The lack of adequate oestrogen becomes a leeway for the bones to break down.
Nicotine, a chemical found in cigarettes, impedes the bone’s ability to renew and repair. Additionally, it breaks down oestrogen hormones. Combining these two adverse effects will result in rapid bone density loss.
Smokers are prone to bone injuries which may require them to visit a physiotherapy clinic in Singapore.
4. Heavy alcohol consumption
Alcohol can affect your bones in two very different ways.
The first is interference with bone’s ability to renew, repair, and increase density. Alcohol prevents the body from absorbing vitamin D. It was mentioned earlier that vitamin D is crucial in absorbing calcium.
Moreover, alcohol also reduces oestrogen hormones, which are crucial for bone repair and renewal.
The second is injuries. An inebriated person loses their sense of balance, hence, more prone to accidents, including slipping and tripping. These accidents could lead to injuries and bone fractures.
These injuries may need physical and stretch therapy in Singapore to heal and regain mobility.
Now that you know the habits that speed up osteoporosis, it is time to learn how to delay the onset of bone density loss.
4 Tips For Delaying Bone Density Loss And Keeping Bones Strong And Healthy
Although bone density loss is inevitable, there are ways to delay its onset!
1. Have a healthy diet
Your diet must have calcium and vitamin D if you want strong bones.
What are the primary sources of calcium? Dairy products, such as milk and cheese, fish such as sardines, and leafy green vegetables, including cabbage and kale, nuts and dried fruits, are excellent sources of calcium.
The primary source of vitamin D is sunlight, but if you are afraid of getting sun damage and skin damage, you can eat fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna, beef liver, fortified milk and orange juice.
You can also get calcium and vitamin D from supplements, but you must consult your city osteopathy in Singapore first.
2. Exercise
Weight-bearing exercises help stimulate bone repair and regeneration. Engaging in simple weight-bearing and high-impact activities, including walking, running, and jumping, is a good start.
You can also do sports, including tennis and badminton. Besides bone growth, physical activity can also increase your muscle mass.
Ask yourphysio clinic in Singapore for gentle exercises if you are still recovering from an injury.
3. Avoid substance abuse
As much as possible, quit smoking and cut back on alcohol. Many diseases have been linked to cigarette smoking and chronic alcohol consumption.
Seek medical attention and a support group to help you withdraw from these substances.
4. Prevent accidents
You can avoid injuries and bone fractures by simply mopping the wet and slippery floor and removing obstacles from the pathway.
It is an additional physical activity as well! You can also avoid paying an osteopath in Singapore with a pricefor checkups and treatment.
Takeaway
Even as we grow old, we should still pay attention to our osteo health in Singapore. Avoid the habits that affect the bones and start taking care of them.
Edge Healthcare
Edge Healthcare provides osteopathy and stretch and physical therapy in Singapore. Visit Edge Healthcare today.
