Health tips - How to take care of your bones?

How To Take Care Of Your Bone Health?

 Explains:

As we age, our bones are affected by genetics, nutrition, exercise, and hormonal loss. Bones can definitely get stronger or weaker over time depending on how we take care of it.

Each year, approximately 1.5 million older Americans suffer fractures because of weak bones, leading to temporary or permanent disability, and even death.

Tips for Bone Health

The following steps can help you improve your bone health:

- Eat a well-balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D: A diet low in calcium contributes to diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk of fractures.Good sources of calcium include low-fat dairy products, and foods and drinks with added calcium. Good sources of vitamin D include egg yolks, saltwater fish, liver, and milk with vitamin D.

- Physical activity: Like muscles, bones become stronger with exercise. People who are physically inactive have a higher risk of osteoporosis than do their more-active counterparts. The best exercises for healthy bones are strength-building and weight-bearing like walking, climbing stairs, lifting weights, and dancing. Try to get 30 minutes of exercise each day.

- Live a healthy lifestyle: Don’t smoke and if you choose to drink alcohol, don’t drink too much.

- Understand your individual risk for fracture: This is based on any risk factors you have for fracture and your bone density. Ask your doctor if you need a bone density test.

- Try oil massages: An oil massage followed by a hot water bath (abhyanga snana) is said to have a beneficial effect on the health of the bones.

- Include sesame in your diet: Ayurveda considers sesame seeds to be useful against osteoporosis and these can be roasted, powdered and added to milk and consumed.

The herbs in Ayurveda such as Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) for bone and arthritic diseases help complete the body deficiency in a natural, herbal way.