Dexa Scan, Osteopenia and Perimenopause
During the first lockdown I had the joy of being hit pretty hard with Perimenopause and my son was also hitting puberty, I think we were both a bit intense to live with, other family members gave us a wide berth at times :)
I took TCM courses on Menopause and attended webnars held by local HRT experts, I did everything I could . It felt important to me to learn the difference between Perimenopause,Menopause and post menopause and to compare what Chinese Medicine had to say about it all versus what HRT was all about. I had been making sure that my son was getting the nutrition nd supplements that he needed and now it became time to really commit to looking after myself too. I knew I was going to try everything and leave self-judgement to one side.
I told my GP that my mother has Osteoporosis so my GP booked me in for a Dexa Scan. I was 48 at the time. Fast forward two whole years later - At age 50 I finally get a letter from the local hospital confirming a date for my Dexa Scan. Going public takes time so don’t hang about. While I was waiting for my results, I made sure to increase my intake of Dark Green Leavy Veg as they are packed with Calcium, alternated my soup to a spinach ometette a couple of times a week. Added more mackerel, sardines and tuna into my diet and stopped sitting around impatiently waiting for my kids or husband to be ready to go places and just headed out the door myself.. :) ‘Just move it ‘ became my mantra.
My Dexa Scan results were given to me verbally a week later by my GP. She said that I had Ostepenia with measures of -1.7 in my left Hip/Femur bone and would need to take calcium supplements with D3 and recommeded HRT and weight bearing exercises. I blame my years of childbearing, recent lack of movement and genetics !
Dexa results are given by a T-Score .
Normal bone density results in a marker of 1+1 to -1
A T-Score of -1.0 and -2.5 indicates that you have Osteopenia or low bone density.
A t-score is -2.5 or below is a diagnosis of Osteoporosis.
Osteopenis is a natural part of aging but being in the range of Osteopenia does mean that you are at a higher risk of fracture and that you need to do something about it.
what’s the advice?
on a daily basis those bones need plenty of :
Supplements
calcium,
Vit D and Protein
If you are over the age of 50 - like me - , on a daily basis you will require
1-1.5 grams of Protein per kilo of body weight per day(it is recommended that you eat Protein after exercising too)
8000iu of Vit D
1000mg of calcium
Beneficial Foods
Increase your intake of
Green, leafy vegetables like kale, bok choy or red cabbage
Citrus fruits
Onions
prunes
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Green beans
HRT can also help with bone density and muscle , Steroids and Oestrogen receptor modulators are other options.
Exercise
Weight Bearing Exercises really help this works for me - so Grab some weights - get yourself a trainer or a good programme that fits your needs , or join a local class and lift at least three times a week. Start small, the repetition will really help to increase your bone density and make you feel stronger. It doesn’t need to be a heavy load that you are lifting so be informed and get advice from a professional trainer or gym instructor, regularity is key.
I absolutely still do yoga, walking, qi gong, dancing, jogging and mix it all up, - ‘the best excercise that you can do to do is the one that you are actually doing’