About 54 million Americans have Osteoporosis or low bone density. Osteoporosis related fractures are responsible for more hospitalizations than heart attacks, strokes, and breast cancer combined. One in 2 women over 50 and 1 in 4 men over 50 will break a bone due to Osteoporosis.

What is Osteoporosis anyway and why is it bad?

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become more and more likely to break due to low bone mineral density. Osteoporosis typically causes fractures in the spine, hip, femur, or wrist. You may not know you have it until you break a bone.

• On average a woman’s bones stop getting stronger and start weakening quite dramatically between age 30 and 40.
• Studies suggest approximately one in two women and one in four men age 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
• Twenty-five percent of the people that have hip fractures die. Another 25 percent enter a nursing home never to leave.

Are you at risk?

• If you are a caucasian or Asian woman over the age of 40, you are at greater risk. African American and Hispanic women have a lower but significant risk.
• If you are a petite thin boned woman, you are at greater risk.
• If you have family history of Osteoporosis or fractures, you may be at greater risk.

We can't control these things. Here's what we can control:

• What you consume, food, beverages medication and drugs. See my blog post on Micronutrients and the do's and don't of Osteoporosis.
• Lifestyle.
• Mindset

You may have heard that some medications for Osteoporosis such as Fosamax actually cause spontaneous fractures after long term use. Most clients I have spoken to have told me that the first thing their doctors do is put them on some sort of medication whether they have Osteopenia or Osteoporosis- no matter how mild or how severe. I don't know about you but I don't want to take medication can cause fractures. I don't want to take medication that can cause other issues in the body. It is a slippery slope.

As a 49 year old female at risk for osteoporosis, I want another way. And there is another way. The research has shown the right exercise, nutrition and mindset can help reverse osteoporosis and osteopenia.

How does yoga improve bone health?

Put simply, we have osteoblasts (the construction workers) that build bone and osteoclasts (the janitors) that reabsorb or clean up the bone. As we age, the janitors dominate so less bone is being produced. In order to increase osteoblasts, we have to stimulate the bones.

Here’s where yoga thrives! Yoga stimulates the bone with isometric contraction at almost every conceivable angle for long periods of time. Yoga stresses the bones, in turn stimulating them. Here’s how:

• Yoga leverages your own body weight for an ideal amount of time at many different angles. Holding poses for 20-30 seconds activates bone growth. The angles of the poses provide needed stress to various parts of the bone. All of this makes those little construction workers get to work.
• Wolff’s Law explains it well. It says the structural support of bone follows the lines of force to which that bone is exposed. The bone cells get stimulated through being compressed or twisted or elongated. Then they produce more bone mass until that bone gets strong enough to resist the pressure.

Now that the construction workers are back on the job, let’s focus on the other factors affecting osteoporosis . . . weak muscles, poor balance, and limited mobility. These issues all increase the risk of falling, the biggest concern people face with osteoporosis.

News Flash . . Practicing yoga makes you stronger, increases balance and expands mobility. These are most important in staying upright, reducing the risk of falling. Running is great but it’s not helping with your balance. Tai Chi is wonderful, but not building much bone. Any exercise is good but yoga stands apart. Yoga provides an all-in-one solution for bone health. It is low impact and safe on the joints. It makes us stronger, more balanced, more flexible human beings. Further, yoga eases anxiety, improving mental health and overall quality of life.

Here’s What the Research Says . . Taking just 30 minutes a day to practice yoga can bring you so many benefits. I don’t know about you but I want to continue to do the activities I love well into the future. I want to get on the floor one day with grandkids. I’ve chosen yoga to support my bone health. I hope you will consider yoga too. Remember to use a certified yoga instructor who understands alignment and the modification necessary for ant to take medication that can cause other issues in the body. It is a slippery slope.

His study published in Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation concluded that there is qualitative evidence suggesting improved bone quality as a result of the practice of yoga. The participants were taught 12 specific yoga poses with modifications for safety. They practiced these poses once a day. He found that 80 percent of older participants, most of whom had osteoporosis or osteopenia, showed improved bone density in their spine and femurs.

The Better News . . . Yoga is not just an exercise program. It is a practice of connecting body, mind, and spirit. It has many positive benefits on top of stimulating bone growth.

• Protection from injury
• Relieves chronic pain
• Improved cardiovascular function
• Reduced risk of metabolic dysfunction
• Enhanced flexibility and joint function
• Weight reduction
• Better mental health

Taking just 30 minutes a day to practice yoga can bring you so many benefits. I don’t know about you but I want to continue to do the activities I love well into the future. I want to get on the floor one day with my future grandkids. I’ve chosen yoga to support my bone health. I hope you will consider yoga too. Remember to use a certified yoga instructor who understands alignment and the modification necessary for yoga for osteoporosis. If you would like more info or a one on one session, please book a free consultation or email me directly at coach@aimeeshantilarue.com.

Aimee Rist

Certified Yoga Teacher

Yoga for Bone Health Coach

Alignment & Love Yoga

References

1. National Osteoporosis Foundation. “Osteoporosis Fast Facts.” https://cdn.nof.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Osteoporosis-Fast-Facts.pdf. Accessed June 16, 2020.
2. Lu YH, Rosner B, Chang G, Fishman LM. Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. https://journals.lww.com/topicsingeriatricrehabilitation/fulltext/2016/04000/twelve_minute_daily_yoga_regimen_reverses.3.aspx.
3. Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease. "Osteoporosis Risk Factors" https://dhhr.wv.gov/hpcd/FocusAreas/osteoporosis/Pages/Osteo-Risk-Factors.aspx