Osteoporosis
Treatment from Experienced Endocrinologists
Imbalances in your hormones impact your entire body, including your bones. Osteoporosis is a very common bone disease in which the cells in the bone do not reproduce fast enough, making them weak and brittle. The Salinas Valley Health houses cutting-edge technology and specially trained medical professionals to treat osteoporosis and return bones to their optimal condition.
Hormones & Your Bones
Bones stay strong thanks to calcium, which is regulated in the body’s four parathyroid glands. Hyperparathyroidism is a condition that affects one or more parathyroid glands, causing the gland to overproduce hormones. These excess hormones enter the bones and eat away at cells, resulting in osteoporosis. When this happens, treating osteoporosis alone only provides temporary relief, as the parathyroid glands will continually eat away at the bones as they attempt to recover. This is why osteoporosis treatment is often assigned to endocrinologists – doctors who treat hormone disorders.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is another common cause of osteoporosis. CKD typically occurs in patients with diabetes, again making it a condition frequently treated by endocrinologists. This condition weakens the body’s metabolism, hindering its hormone production, and making osteoporosis a common side effect.
Treatment
There is no complete cure for osteoporosis, but its effects can be mitigated. While doctors look for solutions to the root causes of the disease, they typically offer patients treatment that provides relief in the short term.
Treatment for osteoporosis may include:
- Bisphosphonate (mineral-building) medications
- Creating a diet rich in vitamin D
- Hormone therapy
- Physical therapy
Residents of the Monterey Peninsula, the Central Coast and the surrounding areas who suffer from osteoporosis can find local treatment at the Salinas Valley Health Clinics Diabetes & Endocrine Center.
