Osteoporosis
This is a dangerous condition that drains away bone – the hardest, most durable substance in the body. It happens slowly, over years, so that often neither doctor nor patient is aware of weakening bones until one will snap unexpectedly. Unfortunately, this isn’t science fiction. It’s why osteoporosis is called the silent thief of bones.
And it steals more than bone. It’s the primary cause of hip fracture, which can lead to permanent disability, loss of independence, and sometimes even death. Collapsing spinal vertebrae can produce stooped posture and a “dowager’s hump.” Lives collapse too. The chronic pain and anxiety that accompany a frail frame make people curtail meaningful activities because, in extreme cases, the simplest things can cause broken bones: Stepping off a curb, a sneeze, bending to pick up something, a hug or more. “Don’t touch Mom, she might break” is the sad joke in many families.
Osteoporosis leads to 1.5 million fractures, or breaks, per year, mostly in the hip, spine and wrist, with the cost of treatment estimated at $17 billion and rising, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It threatens 34 million Americans, mostly older women, but older men get it too. One in 2 women and 1 in 4 men older than 50 will suffer a vertebral fracture, according to the NIH. These numbers are predicted to rise as the population ages.
Osteoporosis, which means “porous bones,” is a condition of excessive skeletal fragility resulting in bones that break easily. A combination of genetic, dietary, hormonal, age-related, and lifestyle factors all contribute to this condition. The osteoporosis seen in postmenopausal women is the most common and best-studied, but there are other causes that may be treated differently.
Changing attitudes and improving technology are brightening the outlook for people with osteoporosis. Nowadays, many women live 30 years or more–perhaps a quarter to a third of their lives–after menopause. Improving the quality of those years has become an important health-care goal. Although some bone loss is expected as people age, osteoporosis is no longer viewed as an inevitable consequence of aging. Diagnosis and treatment need no longer wait until bones break. There is no cure or proven preventive treatment for osteoporosis, but the onset can be delayed and the severity diminished. Most important, early intervention can prevent devastating fractures.
The Food and Drug Administration has revised labeling on foods and supplements to provide valuable information about the level of nutrients that help build and maintain strong bones. The FDA has also approved a wide variety of products to help diagnose and treat osteoporosis, including several in the last few years. Osteoporosis has been described as a geriatric disease with an adolescent onset, highlighting the importance of beginning to take steps–in exercise and diet–early in life to reduce its disabling impact in later years.
Medical Tourism – How you can benefit
Medical Tourism India (a.k.a. Health Tourism India) is a developing concept whereby people from world over visit India for their medical and relaxation needs. Most common treatments are heart surgery, knee transplant, cosmetic surgery and dental care. The reason India is a favorable destination is because of its infrastructure and technology in which is in par with those in USA, UK and Europe. India has some of the best hospitals and treatment centers in the world with the best facilities.
India, over the decades has attracted tourists from world over to its rich culture, breathtaking wonders in form of buildings and scenic beauty. The blend which India offers to any tourist is incomparable and awesome. Now India is promoting the “high-tech healing” of its private healthcare sector as a tourist attraction.
Why India is a solution for medical tourism?
“The cost of treatment in India also falls to as good as the one fourth parts as compared to the western countries.”
“The reason for choosing India for medical treatment is that has very well qualified specialists in various fields of medicine and the expenditure is remarkably low.”
Cardiac care has become a specialty in India with the latest innovations in medical electronics with unmatched expertise in leading cardiologists and cardio-thoracic surgeons.
The Institutions like Escorts Heart Institute, Indraprastha and Apollo Hospital are equipped to handle all phases of heart diseases from the elementary to the latest clinical procedures like interventional cardiac cauterization and surgical cardiac transplants. Cardiology is a field in which has India has earned expertise with its doctors and state of the art heart institutions.
They combine the latest innovations in medical electronics with unmatched expertise in leading cardiologists and cardio-thoracic surgeons as well as specialists for non – invasive ECP Treatment in India. Cardio Vascular risks are prevented here by keeping the patient under examination and on time treatment which at time is life threatening.
Medical Tourism offers all treatments related to orthopedics including osteoporosis. Please visit the below mentioned website for more details on orthopedic treatments: http://www.indian-medical-tourism.com/orthopedic-surgery-india.html
References: The article on osteoporosis originally appeared in the September 1996 FDA Consumer and contains revisions made in August 1997, September 2001, and September 2003.
