Osteoporosis (porous bones) is a condition that results in the progressive thinning of a persons bones and affects over 200 million people in the world, mostly women. We have often heard of high blood pressure as being the " Silent Killer". Well Osteoporosis is often referred to as the "Silent Disease" because during its slow development over long periods of time, an unsuspecting person will experience no tell-tale signs of it's development. The most problematic outcome of advanced Osteoporosis is bone fractures.

The latest estimates show this ailment causes somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.7 million hip fractures a year, and the majority of those cases are women. Osteoporosis is not a fatal condition but it makes ones bones more susceptible to fracture. It is important to realize that this condition is not a result of Calcium loss alone. Osteoporotic bone is the result of Calcium Mineral density plus organic bone matrix which is made up of Collagen and a select group of proteins.

Our bones are living and growing tissue. As we grow, our bones increase in size and complexity in proportion to the other organs and tissue in our bodies. During this process, a process called bone metabolism occurs which involves the removal of old bone from the skeletal system and the addition of new bone. This process continues until we reach our late teens. As we continue to age, the process begins to slow down but bone density still progresses. Bones achieve peak mass when we reach our 20's. This means our bones no longer build density, resulting in the start of natural bone loss. Around age 28, a woman achieves peak bone mass, after that she will lose approximately 0.4% of bone mass in the neck of her femur each year.

After menopause, a woman's risk of developing this ailment increases substantially because her production of Estrogen significantly drops off as she reaches her peak of maturity. In the first 5 to 10 years of menopause, the rate of bone loss is approximately 2%. Some of the common risk factors of Osteoporosis are eating disorders, a sedentary lifestyle, heavy alcohol use, never having been pregnant, tobacco use, and Crones Disease.

An area many mainstream practitioners seem to overlook is the digestive system. We need to make sure that enough stomach acid is produced. This allows the absorption of important vitamins and minerals to take place. As we age our stomach acid decreases and our absorption capabilities also decreases. This makes us extremely vulnerable to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. As a matter of fact, according to a recent study, 40% of menopausal women have shown a significant decline in stomach acid. When taking a Calcium supplement, try to avoid Calcium Carbonate because it is extremely difficult to absorb. And by all means avoid Tums because it will actually slow down the absorption of Calcium. Your best option is to choose Calcium Citrate plus Magnesium.

During the years of significant bone growth and the early stages of bone calcification, Silicon plays a critical role in its link with Collagen, which makes up 30% of our bone structure. The Collagen in our bones actually assists in attracting more Calcium deposits. This process is instrumental in creating healthy strong bones.