Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is the progressive thinning of the bones that takes place when new bone formation does not keep up with bone removal, leaving the bone progressively brittle. As bone is lost, the skeleton continues to have a normal composition, but it becomes porous, hyper-mineralized and more fragile, leading to spinal deformities and painful fractures of the wrist, hip and spine.
Osteoporosis is a complex metabolic disease. Adequate hormone balance, exercise, diet, vitamins and minerals, stomach acidity, stress avoidance all contribute to the health of bones.
The following functional tests can offer important information for creating an individualized program for the person suffering from osteoporosis :
Bone Resorption Test: If bone loss is detected early enough, interventions can arrest loss and protect against future osteopororis and bone fractures. Bone Resorption Assessment focuses on two collagen crosslinks with greater specificity for bone resorption, pyridinium (PYD) and deoxypyridinium (DPYD). PYD and D-PYD are excellent, sensitive and specific indicators of bone loss due to osteoporosis.
Hormone(saliva) Test: The female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone have been shown to exert a powerful effect on reducing bone loss and the incidence of osteoporotic fractures. Progesterone directly and beneficially effects cells called osteoblasts which lay down new bone. Estrogen slows down the activity of osteoclasts that have an affect on bone breakdown. 1
Adrenal Stress Test: Increased salivary cortisol level may contribute to osteoporosis since this hormone inhibits progesterone receptors.
Test of Organic Acid Metabolites: By measuring different metabolites in the urine we are looking at the important metabolic pathways: fatty acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism (Kreb’s cycle), vitamin B complex markers, methylation markers, neurotransmitter markers, antioxidant markers, toxicity and de-tox markers, gastrointestinal bacteria and yeast markers.
Reference:
1 Wren B. Reproductive endocrinology. In: Hacker N and Moore J, eds. Essentials of obstetrics and gynecology. Philadelphia: W.B. Sanders Co., 1992.
 Top
|
