For years I’ve had my own theory about osteoporosis but only voiced it to family and friends because I’m not a doctor – although, I did, during the period when women were being urged by the medical establishment to go on estrogen to avoid heart attacks, osteoporosis etc. etc., wonder why the doctors didn’t urge women to exercise and eat right instead. (Pressure from the drug companies, fear of malpractice suits, or just plain acceptance of the fact that many people find it easier to rely on pills than healthy habits?)
There are girls who, in youth, grow tall early, before most of their peers, or they become shy about developing breasts and start slumping in their posture. I can remember them as I was growing up, as well as other girls who started assuming various postural affectations that became habitual as they passed into adulthood. Interesting though, that you don’t usually see girls, or boys, who’ve been involved in athletics and dance with those postural affectations.
Everybody – male and female – starts losing bone mass before midlife, just as we get grey hair and wrinkles. Even people like me who’ve spent a life in dance and exercise, lose height through the spine. So, technically, you could say that everyone over a certain age probably has some degree of osteoporosis. Visualize, though, what happens to the people who grow up with poor posture, when THEY start losing bone mass. Right. They definitely have a problem.
Having been through grade school, high school, and maintained lifelong friendships with many of the same people, I can honestly say I only know of a few people who have “real” osteoporosis and suffer painful compression fractures, and they were all people who didn’t exercise and had bad posture.
These are just observations, but I think my theory has some merit. Think about it. Keep exercising and maintaining good posture. You’ll be glad you did when you reach my age.
P.S. No, I never did take estrogen. I just kept exercising.
P.S.S A body with good posture has an invisible straight line from the top of the head down through the upper body and lower body to the floor with bilateral symmetry at the shoulders and hipline.
