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Do You Have Perfect Bones?
How Healthy Are Your Bones?

84 Warning Signs of Osteoporosis

Excerpted from Perfect Bones,A Six Point Plan to Promote Healthy Bones
By Pamela Levin,
All Rights Reserved © Copyright 2000

Printable version

 

WARNING SIGNS:

___

Feel depressed

___

Regularly consume amounts of white flour and/or sugar

___

Consume soft drinks

___

Soft teeth

___

Habitually overeat

___

Tight jaw, clenched teeth and/or teeth grinding

___

Receding gums

___

Periodontal disease

___

Teeth loosening in sockets of jawbone

___

Jaw bone eroding

___

Shifting dental plates (indicating further jawbone erosion)

___

Tooth shattering

___

Plaque on the teeth

___

Wake up stiff in the morning

___

Feel as if your body lacks solidity, substance

___

Weak muscles

___

Lack of fitness

___

Feel physically fragile, fear of getting bumped or jostled

___

Pain in bones, especially in lower back

___

Joint tenderness or inflammation

___

Tendency to cramps in legs, feet or toes, especially at night

___

Extreme fatigue

___

Heart palpitations

___

Experience hot flashes

___

Brittle or soft fingernails

___

Premature gray hair

___

Diet high in salt

___

Unusually lean, low body fat

___

Immoderate exercise (with second-degree amenorrhea, called athletic amenorrhea)

___

Being Over 50

___

Nulliparity (no children, for women)

___

History of anorexia nervosa, overdieting, bulimia or simply being thin

___

Early (before age 45) menopause

___

Stooped posture, forward bending of spine (Dowager's hump)

___

Transparent skin

___

Declining height (averages 1.5 inches every 10 years after menopause; loss of .5 to 1 inch
in a year is considered diagnostic)

___

Low peak bone mass in early adulthood, or small, fine bones

___

Prolonged immobility due to paralysis or illness

___

Fractures, especially vertebral crush, wrists or forearms and hips

___

High-protein diet, especially meat-based rather than vegetable- and whole grain-based

___

Drinking fluoridated water

___

Genetic predisposition, especially: fair skinned, small boned, family history
(especially of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a rare condition), northern European or Asian extraction,
female gender

 


DISEASES SUCH AS:

___

Chronic renal (kidney) disease, including kidney stones 

___

Chronic liver disease 

___

Hypogonadism (male or female sex organs do not produce high enough sex hormone levels) 

___

Hyperthyroidism (thyrotoxicosis) 

___

Adrenal overactivity (Cushing's syndrome) 

___

Parathyroid overactivity (called hyperparathyroidism) 

___

Other endocrine disease, including thyrotoxicosis 

___

Rheumatoid arthritis 

___

Chronic lung disease 

___

Some forms of cancer, especially myeloma 

___

Rickets

 


HAVE HAD SURGICAL PROCEDURES SUCH AS:

___

Removal of ovaries 

___

Removal of part or all of stomach or intestine 

___

Hysterectomy 

___

Prostatectomy 

___

Gall bladder dysfunction or removal

 


TAKING PARICULAR DRUGS, ESPECIALLY:

___

Anticonvulsants 

___

Corticosteroids (used for asthma or rheumatoid arthritis) 

___

Anticholinergics 

___

Certain diuretics (loop diuretics, i.e., furosemide; Lasix and thiazides) 

___

Anticoagulants (such as heparin or coumadin) 

___

Antibiotics, especially tetracycline 

___

Too high a dose of thyroid hormone replacement 

___

Antacids containing aluminum 

___

Phenothiazine derivatives 

___

Lithium 

___

Certain cancer chemotherapy medications 

___

Radiation exposure, including from medical treatment

 


OTHER FACTORS INCLUDE:

___

Estrogen deficient (postmenopausal or surgical menopause) 

___

Testosterone deficient (for men) 

___

Inadequate dietary calcium 

___

Insufficient exposure to sunshine, resulting in inadequate levels of Vitamin D 

___

Smoke cigarettes 

___

Lack exercise, a sedentary lifestyle 

___

Ingest caffeine, especially excessive caffeine intake 

___

Ingest alcohol

 


EXPERIENCE RELATED CONDITIONS SUCH AS:

___

Allergies 

___

Frequent colds and infections 

___

Gallstones or kidney stones 

___

Cold sores or Herpes 

___

Mitral valve insufficiency or prolapse 

___

Arthritic or bony spurs

Count one point for each item you checked, then enter your total here
_______TOTAL

(Any one of the above factors is sufficient to signal risk of osteoporosis;
the higher your score, the greater your risk.)