Young women with osteopenia or osteoporosis

Young women with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Low bone density is becoming more common in young women. There may be many reasons for this. For some young women, osteopenia or osteoporosis is the result of a medical condition such as celiac disease or anorexia.  For others is may be the result of taking certain prescription drugs...or a lack of exercise...or repeated dieting... or nutritional choices that make for low bone density.  (If you want to read more about any of these potential causes of Osteopenia or Osteoporosis, there is information about them on the CAUSES page. And if you are concerned about any prescription you might be taking, scroll down to Prescription drugs for drugs that can cause bone loss.

No matter what the cause of your bone loss, it is important...very important...for any young women with osteopenia, including yourself, to take steps to increase bone density as soon as possible. These are your main bone building years. If you do not build strong bones now, you can develop Osteoporosis when you are older. You really need to develop some new habits so you can acquire greater bone mass during these, your peak bone building years.

Things young women with Osteopenia can do to increase bone density

First, if you are a young woman diagnosed with low bone mass, you want to find out WHY this has happened. It is not normal to have low bone density when you are young. So do check the Causes of Osteopenia page on this web site and make a list of every cause of Osteopenia or Osteoporosis that might be applicable to your life.  Then return to this page for more suggestions.  Go to: Causes of Osteopenia, Osteoporosis.

Second, it is worth reading about effective Natural treatments for low bone mass.  Why? Few medical providers prescribe pharmaceutical drugs  for young women with Osteopenia.  (Most prescription drugs were never approved for young people) Still it is important to increase bone density now. It takes a long time for bones to increase in density. You want to build strong bones long before you enter menopause at mid-life because that is when most people lose bone density...often developing Osteoporois because of hormonal changes.  So, why not take a look at things you can do now to increase your bone density over the next few years.  Many involve simple changes in life style. See: Natural treatments to improve bone density.

Back to Causes. Of course it can help if you can address each of your own particular causes of bone loss. For example: If you drink caffeinated sodas, you can switch to water, orange juice or orange juice added to water.  If your diet has little by way of alkaline foods, that IS something you want to remedy or you will continue to lose bone and you would be at greater risk of fractures.

Low bone density can also be the result of physical inactivity. If you do little weight bearing exercise, starting a program of jogging or jumping rope might be in order. (As with all exercise, it is important to get the OK of your health care provider. NOTE: If your bone loss is significant, sudden weight bearing might NOT be good - it could even lead to a fracture.

Doing balance exercises. One kind of exercise that will NOT cause a fracture but yet may be beneficial are exercises for  improving balance . And there are some exercises that not only improve balance but can even lead to greater bone density such as  Tai Chi. And Tai Chi has an added benefit for Young women with Osteopenia because  Tai Chi also increases graceful mobility and endurance in its practitioners. Want to learn more.  Just click on:  Young women with Osteopenia: Tai Chi

AND what is especially important is for you to educated yourself. You will want to study the CAUSES of Bone Loss page and make a list of every cause that could be active in your life.  Then you need to eliminate those causes - and if you do not know how, consult your health care provider for suggestions. See: Causes of Bone Loss

Meantime, you may can of some simple food remedies that can help you build strong bones eg. choosing more alkaline foods as well as the page about Tai Chi and the other NATURAL WAYS TO TREAT OSTEOPENIA.

I wish you much luck.  You are smart to be researching this topic now, before you suffer a  fracture.  If you want ongoing encouragement and information about Osteopenia, do subscribe to our Newsletter. It is a free service. Just click on: Osteopenia Updates Newsletter. 

If you wish to read more about young women with Osteopenia, click on young women Osteopenia