Coffee and Osteoporosis (Foods You Should Avoid)!

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Some studies found that there are some foods that may increase your risk of developing health problems associated with bone. Is there a link between coffee (caffeine) and osteoporosis? What are foods that you should avoid if you seriously want to decrease your risk of developing this disease? You may also be interested to read about ‘can osteoporosis be reversed‘, before continuing!

As well we know that vitamin D and calcium (Ca) are the most essential nutrients to keep bones healthy. Both are also so essential to prevent osteoporosis and other health conditions associated with the bone. Getting adequate amounts of both calcium & vitamin D (particularly during teenage years) is closely associated with the high peak bone mass that you will attain! More peak bone mass that you attained -- the less likely you are to get osteoporosis as you age.

Osteoporosis of the Spine (Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment)

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In people with osteoporosis, vertebrae (or also familiar called as spines) are one of the most common areas affected by the disease. And there are some complications that are generated by osteoporosis of the spine - such as back pain, hunched forward posture, lost height, etc. Even there is also a chance for patient to experience multiple vertebral fractures (a serious condition that may interfere with other internal organs of patient). You may also be interested to know about ‘can osteoporosis be reversed?’!

Since osteoporosis can generate extremely immobility and disfigurement, most of the treatments are usually focused on how to maintain and improve bone mass which then eventually intended to reduce the risk of developing consequences of the disease (particularly such as hip and spine fractures).

Can Osteoporosis be Reversed and Prevented?

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Osteoporosis is a kind of health problem in which bones are more likely to break and be fragile. According to a report released by the National Osteoporosis Foundation in 2010, there is currently about 10 million people in the U.S who suffer from this disease. And did you know that most of them are dominated by women -- that’s why gender is one of the unchangeable risk factors of osteoporosis (women is more likely to develop this disease than men). The big question is “can osteoporosis be reversed?’

Furthermore, there are about 34 million people in the U.S that may have low/poor bone mass, which can put them at higher risk of developing osteoporosis! 

Understanding Osteopenia vs. Osteoporosis!

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Osteopenia and osteoporosis are health problems associated with the strength of the bones. Osteopenia is often associated with lower BMD (bone mineral density), but this condition is not low enough to be categorized into osteoporosis. As the name implies, BMD is a measurement of the level or volume of mineral in the bones (how dense the bones are). In other words, the level of BMD can be used to describe how strong of the bones! -- You may also like to read about osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and best foods for healthy bone!

If you are diagnosed with osteopenia then it can be a warning sign that you are at higher risk of developing osteoporosis (a condition of very low level of BMD if compared to the normal peak BMD). In other words, it is the forerunner of osteoporosis -- if you have it and left untreated, there is a chance for you to also experience osteoporosis. 

Signs and Symptoms of Arthritis in Knees

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Knee pain can affect individuals of all ages, and there are many causes and factors that can lead to this problem. Some of these causes are arthritis, mechanical problems, injuries, etc. Overall, if you experience pain in your knee, it may be a warning sign that there is something wrong in the joint of the knee. Let’s focus to arthritis in knees, especially for the common signs and symptoms! You may also like to read home remedies for arthritis!

For the arthritis itself, there are also some types of arthritis that can affect the knees. These types include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis, pseudogout, and gout!

Dog Arthritis Treatment | Home Remedy

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If your dog experience inflammation in the joints, your pet may has a health condition what we call as arthritis. This disease doesn’t discriminate, and therefore it also occurs in pet. What are the current dog arthritis treatments and home remedies? What are the causes and symptoms of this disease? And what else you need to know?!

Well, arthritis is one of the most common chronic pains in pet that veterinarians treat. And did you know that about 1 in 5 dogs in the US may have this degenerative joint inflammation disease (according to the Arthritis Foundation)?! You may also like to read home remedies and treatment for arthritis in human, and Lyme disease in dog!

Home Remedies for Arthritis!

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What are current home remedies for arthritis? Arthritis is a common term used to describe the inflammation in joints. Pain, warmth, redness, and swelling within the joint are some common characteristics of a joint inflammation -- which hands, fingers, knees and hips are some common areas of joints that affected by arthritis. You may also like to read treatment for dogs with arthritis! 

Can arthritis be cured?

There are many types of arthritis, but osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (chronic disorder) are the most common types. Although arthritis usually cannot be completely cured (especially for ‘RA’ rheumatoid arthritis), but with the right treatment the pain & other symptoms of the affected joint can be reduced or relieved!

Rheumatoid Arthritis in Fingers and Hands | Symptoms - Treatments

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Arthritis is a health condition that often associated with the inflammation of joints, with joint pain & stiffness are the major symptoms that usually occur. The symptoms can develop quickly or gradually, but usually often worsen as you get older or worsen with the age. There are a lot of types of arthritis, and arthritis in fingers and hands is usually associated with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis (both are the most common arthritis types)! You might also like to read about trigger finger and home remedies for arthritis!

Trigger Finger | Treatment Options | Causes

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Painful conditions that can lead to the thumb or fingers to lock or catch in a bent position are familiar known as trigger finger or stenosing tenosynovitis! The inflammation of tendon sheath is usually one of the most common areas where these problems occur for the first time. Tendon sheath is tendons located/positioned within a protective covering.

You might also be interested to know more about carpal tunnel syndrome, before continuing!

The trigger finger treatment options vary which are usually closely dependent on the severity. For mild cases, you can do home remedies with/without some additional treatments. And for severe cases, you may need more advanced treatments!

Causes and Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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What are causes and symptoms of carpel tunnel syndrome? The wrist has a narrow space that we call as ‘carpal tunnel’ which has bones & transverse carpal ligament. This space is the area where the forearm and palm meet, and also has important function to accommodate median nerve and tendons that connected with the hand.

You might also like to know more about trigger finger treatment and causes of back pain, before continuing!

And there are some problems or certain illness that can lead to ‘too-small space of carpal tunnel’ or also often associated what we call as ‘carpal tunnel syndrome’!

Some common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are tingling, pain, or other uncomfortable conditions in the hand due to unfriendly pressure on the wrist’s median nerve! Median nerve is closely associated with the feeling & movement control of 3 major fingers and thumb!

In several cases, the cause of this syndrome cannot be diagnosed! Generally, this syndrome is relatively more common in workplaces that need repetitive/forceful hand-arm vibration, hand movements, or other conditions with awkward positions. The risk of carpal tunnel syndrome can significantly increase in combination between these conditions and other certain health conditions that affect the median nerve in the wrist.

What Causes Lower Back Pain | Symptoms?

The common areas of the body that have higher risk of low back pain may include from above the legs to below the ribs! This health problem is one of universal human experiences. In other words, almost everybody experience it at some points in their life. Luckily, if you experience this pain, don’t worry -- it will often be better on its own way! But if it doesn't  fortunately there are also some effective therapies and treatments to relieve it! And the next question, what are common causes of lower back pain?

You might also like to read the previous posts about can constipation cause back pain and best mattress for back pain, before continuing?

And before discussing about some common causes of low back pain, you may also be interested to know more about some common symptoms of this health problem!

Can Constipation Cause Back Pain?

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There are some people with constipation that also experience back pain! The big question, is there any correlation between constipation and back pain? Unfortunately, there is less information about this issue on internet. What else you need to know? Keep reading!

You might also to know more detailed information about appropriately exercises for back pain and best mattress for back pain, before continuing!

Though there may be no directly link that constipation can cause back pain, but there is an opinion that back pain may occur when your body keep producing waste materials but on the other hand you have difficult in bowel movements, which then eventually may lead to more pressure in the lower back.

Exercises for Lower Back Pain | Helpful Ideas

If you experience back pain, you need to get more physical activity (exercise) to speed up your recovery! Your leg, stomach, and back muscles can be less susceptible to injury by having regularly strengthening & stretching to them. Your risk of having disc injury also decreases if you have strong muscles in the legs, back, and stomach. These strong muscles also can be so helpful to support your spine! What else you need to know about exercises for lower back pain?!

What are crucial points you should know?

The following are some important checklists you should remember:

1. There are some causes of lower back pain, but overuse muscle or muscle injury (muscle strain) are the most common causes. And this problem is relatively more common in adults!
2. Some common helpful ideas to relieve low back pain are by limiting activities or positions that may increase your risk of back pain, keeping active in your daily activities, using ice treatment, or you may also need to take the right pain relievers if necessary.
3. When there is no acute pain, your body may be ready to do a strengthening & stretching exercise (particularly for your legs, back, and stomach)! Having regular exercise for your legs, back, and stomach is not only helpful to lower your risk of developing low back pain but also can promote better recovery or speed up your recovery. This is also helpful to prevent recurrence of back pain!
4. And fortunately, exercises for lower back pain is not too difficult and can be done on your own or at home without needing or using any special equipment!
5. After noticing a back pain, you may be fear to do some exercises! But this is not good for your recovery. You need to do the appropriately exercises to speed your recovery, and your exercise should be done gradually. Having too little activity or lack of physical activity may cause loss of endurance, strength, and flexibility -- as a result you will be at risk of having more pain!

Dos and don'ts of exercises for lower back pain! 

There are many exercises for lower back pain. The right one of them is closely dependent on the condition of your low back pain. Some people can do their exercise more easily by lying down or standing, while others are more comfortable by sitting down. Even there are several types of exercises that are purposed for those who don’t have any comfort position to do their exercise!

In general, some exercises that should be temporarily avoided when having back pain may include:

1. Toe touches when you are standing.
2. ‘Leg lifts’ or you lift both your legs when you are lying on the back.
3. Sit-ups.
4. Biceps curls or lifting weights ‘heavy weights’ above the waist! This exercise should be avoided, especially if you have acute back pain. But there are also some types of lifting weights that may be helpful for chronic back pain.

And some common types of exercises for lower back pain include:

1. Aerobic exercise, which may include walking and swimming. This exercise can be helpful to promote good performance of your muscle and heart to be more efficiently in using O2. Muscles that get adequate frequently O2 are more likely to stay healthier.
2. Strengthening that is focused on muscles of leg, stomach, and back. But when it comes to relieving back pain, your strengthening exercise should not give a lot of pressure (too over pressure) to the muscles in the hips and discs in the spine!
3. Stretching exercise that is purposed to keep flexible of your muscles & other tissues.

If you in doubt what you should do, talk with a physical therapist or doctor for more advices! You can also visit ‘www.aaos.org’ (official site of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) to get more tips.

You may also like to read best mattress for back pain!
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Best Mattress for Back Pain | Buying Guide

In fact, we can spend a lot of time in bed every day! Therefore, if you seriously concern to your health (especially for your back), you should choose the best one of mattresses that can properly support your body when you sleep at night. And there are now a lot of mattress products that claimed to be able to give the most comfort zone when you sleep, but which is one that actually works with your body? Furthermore, there are also many mattresses for back pain, but how to find and choose the best one?

You might also like to read causes of lower back pain and best exercise for lower back pain, before continuing!

According to a study in Spain that involved about 313 patients, most of participants who slept on firm mattresses told that they got poor improvement than others who slept on medium mattresses. The Spanish scientists said, though the participants didn’t know the type of their mattress in this research, but the result of this study is still questionable because the participants could know whether they had a medium mattress or firm mattress.

Best Foods to Get Healthy Bones!

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Are you looking for best foods to get healthy bones? Well, there are two major nutrients when we are talking about how to build and get strong bones that are vitamin D and calcium. The quality of structure of teeth and bones of your body is so influenced by the intake of calcium. And vitamin D has function to improve the absorption of calcium and also important for bone growth.

So, either vitamin D intake or calcium intake is important, particularly when you were a child, but both nutrients are also still important for adults. -- You may also like to read best foods for fat burning!

One of common diseases if you get lack intake of vitamin D or calcium is osteoporosis. This disease is also so influenced by your age. Older age usually will have higher risk to get osteoporosis attack. Therefore, over than 50 years old should get more intakes of vitamin D and calcium (400-600 IUs (international units) of vitamin D and 1,200 mg of calcium). And if you are categorized for adult up to age 50, you should get 200 IUs of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium -- according to a published article on Health.com.