Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis literally means `porous bones’, where there is thinning of the bones due to depletion of calcium and bone protein. Reduction in bone mass affects the bone strength. Thus osteoporosis predisposes a person to fractures, which are often slow to heal or heals poorly. It is more common in older adults, particularly postmenopausal women, and in patients who take steroids or steroidal drugs. Unchecked osteoporosis can lead to changes in posture, physical abnormality and decreased mobility.

Bone is made of tough, elastic fibres (collagen fibres) and gritty, hard material (minerals). It contains cells that make, mould and take back up (resorb) bone. Initially, bone forms faster than it is resorbed. But, when getting older, this reverses. As a result, from about the age of 35, there is loss of a certain amount of bone material. Bones become less dense and less strong. The amount of bone loss can vary. If there is considerable bone loss, it results in osteoporosis.

The food we eat has to be converted to body and the body has to go back to nature as various waste products called malas . This is an eternal cyclic process. According to Ayurveda, many factors affect this transformation from food to bone. The food is first converted to rasa dhatus. The rasa dhatu or chyle is transformed to blood then to mamsa (muscular tissues), meda (adipose), asthi (bone) and majja. Many factors negatively affect this conversion. Improper supplies of food, loss of digestive fire in stomach or intestine due to a variety of reasons are a few. Inability to metabolise the initial dhatus thus formed to the next phase using dhatwagnis or enzymes is another problem. The presence of mind is a factor and so is absence of exercise. Any deviation of these factors can cause a malformation of bone leading to osteoporosis. In short, osteoporosis is a multi-factorial condition according to Ayurveda and we provide the best treatment for osteoporosis.

Treatment

Foods rich in calcium - leafy vegetables, fish with bones, shell fish, milk, etc. –help counter osteoporosis. When digestion is not proper, controlled food with intake of medicines like pepper, ginger, cumin, guduchi are useful. These are prescribed as medicines according to the condition. When transformation of dhatus (tissues) is impaired, the condition called ama is generated. This leads to symptoms like pain, swelling, rise in temperature, loss of appetite. A careful history-taking and examination is needed to trace the cause of ama and to break the etiology.

The drugs used commonly in osteoporosis

• Laksha
• Moringa oleifera
• Terminalia arjuna
• Cissus quandragularis
• Clamiphora mukul
• Boerrhavia diffusa
• Corallium rubram etc