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Natural Homeopathic Remedies for Osteoporosis

homeopathic remedies for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition that results from reduced bone density. Bones become weak, brittle and are prone to fracture easily. Usually, this condition causes no pain or other symptoms and a person comes to know of it when a fracture occurs. Bones commonly affected in osteoporosis are hip bone, ribs, bones in the spine and wrist.

Homeopathic Management

Homeopathic medicines are natural remedies for treating weak bones and the complications resulting from it. Natural homeopathic remedies for osteoporosis are very helpful in absorbing calcium from the bones and also in treating fractured bones. Homeopathic medicines also offer help in managing bone pain. It is to be noted that these medicines are not a substitute for treatment given in conventional mode for osteoporosis. Homeopathic medicines render supportive help along with conventional treatment to enhance bone strength, reduce pain related to brittle bones and contribute to bone repair in case of a fracture.

Homeopathic Medicines For Osteoporosis

1. Calcarea Phos – An Excellent Medicine For Thin, Brittle Bones

It is a leading homeopathic medicine for treating osteoporosis. It is mainly given to those patients of osteoporosis who have weak, soft, brittle bones which become crooked. Here it improves bone strength. It is well indicated when a person experiences pain in the hip bone. The pain can be shooting, drawing, stitching or tearing in nature. Calcarea Phos is also beneficial for those experiencing pain in the back due to weak bones. The pain may get worse from the least movement. There may be curvature of spine to the left in cases needing it. At times the lower back may be bent forward. Lastly, it also promotes healing of fractured bones.

2. Symphytum Officinale – To Treat Fractures in Osteoporosis

Symphytum Officinale is the best natural remedy for treating fractures in osteoporosis. It is commonly known as ‘knit bone’ and as the name represents it helps in knitting/uniting the fractured bone. This remedy helps in joining fractured bones very efficiently by promoting the activity of fibroblast cells. Fractures, where patients complain of pricking type of pain at the fractured site, can be greatly relieved by taking this natural medicine. It can also help in reducing irritability at the site of fracture. This medicine can be taken once the fractured bone is set in cast.

3. Silicea – When Bones Are Very Tender To Touch

Spinal Curvature

Spinal Curvature

This medicine is suggested for cases in which the bones are sensitive and tender to touch. It can be especially considered for spinal curvatures mainly to the right side. It is accompanied with pain on touch and movement. In some cases, a burning sensation can be felt in the back. It gets worse in open air. Silicea can be taken when a person has pain in lower back on stooping and on rising from a seat. Silicea is also very helpful where pus or fistula formation has occurred at the site of fracture. Lastly, silicea is of considerable help in the efficient union of broken bone and also helps in removing bone splinters.

4. Calcarea Carb – For Weak Bones Of Spine And Long Bones That Become Curved

Calcarea Carb is yet another natural medicine having wide action on bones. It is found to be effective in improving bone health and strengthening bones that are soft and brittle. This medicine can be used when the bones mainly of spine and bones which are long begin to become curved due to reduced bone mass. Calcarea Carb is also useful to reduce pain in bones. The pain can be boring, pulsating or stinging type.

5. Merc Sol – To Manage Bone Pain At Night

Merc Sol is suitable medicine to manage bone pains that are worse at night. There is pain in the bones with a feeling as if these are broken. The pain intensifies with touch.

6. Phosphorus – For Treating Curvature Of Spine In Osteoporosis

Phosphorus can give best results for people suffering from curvature of spine along with burning sensation in the spine. This natural remedy is also useful for treating pain and weakness of spine. The patient feels intense pain in the spine as if the spine is broken.

7. Hypericum – For Back Pain From Nerve Pinching From Damaged Vertebra

Hypericum is another useful natural medicine that can be confidently used for excessive pain in the back due to crushing of nerves in between damaged vertebral bones. The excessive pain and sensitivity in the back after fracturing of vertebral bones that gets worse by the slightest motion of the neck or arms can be efficiently controlled by Hypericum.

6. Ruta – To Assist In Repair Of Tendon, Ligaments Along With Fractured Bone

Ruta is yet another wonderful natural remedy employed in the treatment of fractures in osteoporosis. Whenever a bone gets fractured, the surrounding tendons and ligaments of bones also get damaged. It is in this sphere medicine Ruta shows its wonderful effect. This natural medicine helps in healing torn tendons and ligaments. It also helps in repairing the damaged bone. This remedy helps in decreasing pain, soreness, and stiffness around the fractured area mainly wrist fracture.

Causes And Risk Factors

Our bones are constantly undergoing remodeling which means the old bone is being removed by osteoclast cells and new bone is getting formed in its place by activity of osteoblast cells. When due to any reason the amount of old bone removed exceeds the amount of new bone formed the bones become weak, brittle. This may happen from many reasons as follows:

1. Age: The risk of osteoporosis increases with age for everyone. People above mid- 30s are at risk of osteoporosis and above 50 yrs age are at the highest risk of fracture due to osteoporosis. In young persons, new bone is produced more quickly in comparison to the old damaged bone that is breaking. As age advances, around age of mid 30s, what happens is that more bone is being lost than is being formed. So age plays a major role in osteoporosis.

2. Being a female: Females are more at risk of developing osteoporosis as compared to males. Women of menopausal age (45 yrs to 55 yrs) are more at risk due to increased loss of bone mass under the influence of changed hormones (lowered estrogen level).

3.Family history: Persons having someone in the family who have osteoporosis are at high risk to develop the same.

4. Sedentary lifestyle: Inactive lifestyle with prolonged sitting hours constantly with little or no physical activity

5. Low body weight and thin people who have small body frame

6. Low calcium and low vitamin D levels (vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium)

7. Low levels of sex hormones: Decrease in hormone estrogen in women as occurring during menopause stands as major risk factor. Lowered testosterone levels also speed up bone loss.

8. Overactive thyroid gland (means hyperthyroidism) and overactive parathyroid gland are also linked with it

9. Certain medicines like prolonged steroid use, anti-seizure medicines, blood thinners are associated with it

10. Use of alcohol or tobacco in excess also contributes to osteoporosis

11. Having certain medical health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), cancer, kidney/liver disease

What Are Its Signs And Symptoms?

Osteoporosis usually causes no symptoms in the initial phase. With the progression of the condition when bones get intensely weak, some signs and symptoms may become evident.  These are as follows:

Pain in back or neck

Loss of height

Posture changes (stooping)

Easy fracture of bones (mainly in hip and spine), fracture may occur from a fall or even from a very light pressure when walking, standing and from strong coughing in some cases

Call Dr. Sharma's Clinic - From United States and Canada call 703-659-0873. Patients From rest of the world and India call +91-6283487321

Top 5 Homeopathic Remedies for Healing Fractures Fast

Homeopathic Remedies For Fractures

Broken bones are more common than they seem. An average person is expected to have at least two fractures in a lifetime. A fracture is any crack or breaks in the bone that disrupts the continuity of the bone. Human bones are by nature strong and rigid and do not break easily due to external pressure. A fracture happens when a physical force (that is greater than the bone itself) is exerted on the bone. It can lead to a complete or partial breaking of the bone. The most common fractures are fractures of the clavicle (collarbone), ankle, hip, ulna, and radius. Homeopathic remedies for fractures boosts the proliferation (rapid increase) of osteoblast cells (bone forming cells) and helps speed up the bone-healing process.

Heal Broken Bones Fast with Homeopathy

Homeopathy helps in the formation of healthy callus, and they also boost the activity of proliferation of the osteoblast cells (bone forming cells). Certain medicines also help speed up the process of laying a new bone. These medicines are made of natural substances and can treat fractures effectively, without any side effects. These are usually used once the broken bone has been set in proper alignment. They then work to optimize the natural healing process of the body for a quicker, stronger bone healing.
Some of the best medicines for fractures include Symphytum Officinale, Arnica Montana, Calcarea Phos, Silicea, and Calendula Officinalis. These are natural remedies for the pain of broken bones.
Homeopathy for fracture help in reducing the pain and swelling at the site of the fracture. In fractures where there is slow bone healing, remedies like a dosage of Symphytum works well.

Homeopathic Remedies for Fractures

1. Symphytum Officinale – Top Remedy for Bone Healing

One of the best medicines for fractures is Symphytum Officinale. Also known as knit-bone, it is widely recommended as the first line of treatment of fractures. Symphytum Officinale is a natural and highly effective medicine that boosts the activity of fibroblasts cells and helps in healing the fractured bone. It also helps with the production of callous and treats irritability and pricking pains at the point of the fracture site. It is also a suitable medicine for hairline fractures.
Symphytum is a healing herb that is used in different potencies to help accelerate the healing of a broken bone. As a natural substance, it causes no side-effects and is used to treat fractures that cause immense pain.

2. For Fractures where there is Excessive Pain

Arnica Montana is a medicine for fractures which cause immense swelling and pain at the site of the fracture. The affected site is sore to touch and bruised. Fractures that occur from a fall or those caused as a result of an injury by a blunt instrument are treated with Arnica. This medicine is also used to treat old bone injuries.

3. For Fractures that Heal Slowly

Calcarea Phos is a medicine for fractures that are slow to heal. It is used to treat remote fractures and helps hasten the bone repair process in cases where the bone has not joined for a long time. Calcarea Phos provides calcium and phosphate, two elements required for quick union of the bone. It also promotes the formation of callus.

4. For Bone Fractures and Brittle Bones

Silicea is a medicine for fractures of brittle bones that get fractured often. Silicea strengthens weak bones and prevents them from getting fractured frequently. It is commonly used to treat and manage osteoporosis and other bone problems such as caries, necrosis, and exostosis.

5. For Compound and Suppurating Fractures

Calendula Officinalis is a medicine for fractures where the skin covering the fractured site becomes raw, red and inflamed. There may be a copious discharge of pus along with stinging pains. This medicine is used to treat compound fractures (where the broken bone pierces the skin) and also to prevent gangrene.

Causes of Fractures

Most of the fractures result from trauma, falls and accidents. In the case of athletes, fractures are caused by repeated stress and strains on the bones. These are known as stress factors. Children and older adults are also prone to fractures due to their age. There are growth plates (epiphyseal plates) present in a child’s bones located at the ends of long bones. These help with the length-wise growth of bones. Furthermore, a child’s bones are surrounded by the periosteum (thick fibrous sheath) which helps increase the thickness of the bones. These components make a child’s bones more ‘bendable,’ meaning that a bone bends a lot before breaking.
In adults, the periosteum is much thinner, and so the bones don’t bend under pressure and tend to break.
Older adults get fractures more often than young people because, with age, their bones become weak and brittle. Joint problems also lead to a high risk of falling and breaking bones. Apart from this, some medical conditions predispose a person to recurrent fractures. Certain types of cancers, osteoporosis, endocrine disorders, osteogenesis imperfecta (a genetic disorder where the bones are brittle, fragile and break easily).

Fractures: Risk Factors

Lifestyle factors like consuming excessive alcohol, smoking, and taking steroids also tend to make the bones brittle and are prominent risk factors that predispose a person towards fractures.

Link between Smoking and Fractures

Due to the impact it has on the hormonal levels, smoking is a risk factor for fractures. Research conducted decades ago still stands; smoking is a risk factor for bone loss.

Link between Alcohol and Fractures

Consuming excessive alcohol is known to influence the bone mass and bone structure and mass. Research indicates that chronic drinking can increase the risk of bone loss and fractures, even after the person quits drinking. Excessive alcohol also affects the metabolism of vitamin D in the body.

Link between Steroids and Fractures

Chronic disorders like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and ulcerative colitis are linked to bone loss since they need frequent doses of steroids for management. People with chronic inflammatory bowel disease also have low bone density, since such issues reduce the ability of the GIT to absorb calcium.

Corticosteroids are commonly prescribed to treat chronic inflammatory conditions like IBS (inflammatory bowel disease), rheumatoid arthritis, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Frequent doses of these steroids lead to side effects like hindering the absorption of calcium in the GIT (gastrointestinal tract) and increasing the loss of calcium through urine. It is a research-based fact that corticosteroids induce accelerated bone loss.

Recurring Fractures

Low-impact fractures in the past can double the risk of another fracture. Vertebral fractures in the spine can accurately predict future fractures and need to be monitored carefully.

Chronic Conditions and Fractures

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the cells and tissues around the joints, causing severe bone loss and damage to the joints. Certain steroids used for pain relief again trigger bone loss, and reduced physical activity as a consequence of the disease can further accelerate the risk of fractures.

Diabetes is another risk factor for fractures, although the exact causes behind this are not known. It is thought that high blood sugar levels can adversely affect bone quality due to metabolic changes.

Types of Fractures

Fractures are of different types. They are classified according to the severity, and whether the bone fragments are separated or joined together.

1. Open or Compound Fracture – A compound fracture is the one in which the bone breaks apart entirely and the ends of the fractured bones tear the skin, creating a wound. Open fractures are serious because they carry a risk of infection.

2. Closed or Simple Fracture – A simple fracture is a fracture in which the overlying skin remains intact and the broken bone does not tear through the skin.

3. Pathological Fracture – A pathological fracture arises from a weak bone, and there is an underlying disease or medical condition that causes the bones to be weak.

4. Complete Fracture – A fracture where the fragments of the broken bone separate completely is known as a compound fracture.

5. Incomplete fracture – A fracture where bone fragments remain partially joined is an incomplete fracture.

6. Hairline Fracture – A hairline fracture is the one where a thin crack appears on the bone, but it is not broken into fragments. The pain of a hairline fracture tends to intensify when the injured bone is strained. This restricts the amount of weight a person can put on the area around the hairline fracture.
Some common symptoms of a hairline fracture are tenderness, swelling and bruising.

7. Greenstick Fracture – A greenstick fracture is a fracture where the bone gets cracked and bent, but it does not break into separate pieces.

8. Single Fracture – A fracture where the bone breaks into two pieces at one place is known as a single fracture

9. Comminuted fracture – A fracture where the bone breaks into three or more pieces is known as a comminuted fracture.

10. Compression or Crush fracture – A fracture that occurs in the bones of the spine, often caused by osteoporosis, is known as a compression fracture.

11. Stress fracture – A stress fracture is common in athletes, and the bone breaks due to repeated stress and strains. Stress fractures are essentially tiny cracks in a bone caused by a repetitive force. Conditions like osteoporosis also can also cause stress fractures due to the weakening of the bones.

12. Transverse Fracture – When the line of the fracture line is perpendicular to the shaft of bone, it is known as a transverse fracture.

13. Longitudinal Fracture – A fracture where the bone breaks along its length is known as a longitudinal fracture

14. Oblique Fracture – An oblique fracture is a slanted break that occurs diagonally along the long axis of the bone.

Symptoms of a Fracture

Fractures are painful, and they usually come with swelling around the site where the bone is broken.
The main symptoms of a fracture include:

  • intense pain and swelling at the site of the fractured bone.
  • worsening of pain upon touching and moving the injured area.
  • redness and bruising at the injured site.
  • inability to move the affected area.
  • inability to put weight on the affected area.
  • bleeding in a case of an open fracture.
  • dizziness, nausea, paleness in case of a long bone fracture.

How do fractures heal?

A broken bone starts repairing soon after a fracture. Immediately after a fracture, a blood clot (hematoma) forms around the broken bone. It acts as a temporary plug that fills the gap between the broken ends of the bone. Inside this clot, phagocytes (cells that protect the body) begin to clean the bone fragments and kill any germs that may have entered from the point of the bone breakage. This is followed by a proliferation of the chondroblast and fibroblast cells that transform the hematoma into a fibrocartilaginous tissue known as a soft callus. The soft-callus stage of the healing tissue lasts from the fourth day of the fracture to approximately three weeks. In the next step of the healing process, osteoblast cells begin to increase and create new bone cells that convert the soft callus into a hard bone callus. This stage of hard callus formation starts around weeks after the fracture and lasts for 6 – 12 weeks.
Following this, the process of bone remodeling begins, and the osteoclast cells break and absorb the extra bone. The bone remodeling process is long and can vary from 3 years to 9 years duration.

Tips to Manage a Healing Fracture

Broken bones tend to take a long time to heal, and treatment for fracture can help speed up the healing process. Some precautions that should be taken to help heal a fracture quickly include:

  • Avoiding direct heat on the site of the fracture for pain relief till the cast has been set properly.
  • Managing everyday movements carefully to prevent further injury. For example, crutches should be used carefully.
  • The broken limb should not be moved too much, and adequate rest should be taken.
  • Lifting heavy objects or driving should be avoided till the fracture has healed completely.
  • Usually, the skin under a cast gets itchy, and it is a very common tendency to poke blunt objects inside it for relief. This should be prevented, as it can accidentally cause damage.
  • The cast should not be allowed to get wet, as a damp cast tends to soften and does not provide adequate support. Damp plaster can also irritate the skin. While bathing or showering, the area can be kept watertight by wrapping the limb in a plastic bag.
  • In case of swelling, loss of movement in toes or fingers, blueness, feeling of pins and needles, or increased pain, a doctor should be consulted.

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Call Dr. Sharma's Clinic - From United States and Canada call 703-659-0873. Patients From rest of the world and India call +91-6283487321

Fractures and Osteoporosis

Fractures and osteoporosis

image As the gap between the various medical systems narrows down, the term ‘alternative medicine’ is slowly dying a well deserved death. It is being replaced by a more holistic term ‘integrated medicine’ where the best of all the system integrate to serve the humanity at its best. Slowly a lot many medicines from different disciplines are being accepted into the mainstream medicine because of their high efficacy in treating a particular illness. One such medicine from the homoeopathic system of medicine is Symphytum Officinale. Its extreme effectiveness in treating osteoporosis and healing fractures is what puts it into this category.

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