Content Sources:
[1] Wang Yingqiu, Liu Weiwei, Li Bo, et al. Investigation and influencing factors of knowledge, belief and practice of osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly inpatients[J].Journal of Medical Forum,2024,45(17):1846-1850+1855.
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Osteoporosis, a metabolic bone disease known as the "silent disease", is increasingly becoming a public health concern around the world. As the population ages, more and more people are facing the threat of the disease. Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by osteopenia and deterioration of the microstructure of bone tissue, resulting in increased bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. Put simply, bones become fragile and more prone to fractures, especially in the hips, spine and forearms.
Osteoporosis is mainly divided into primary and secondary, among which primary osteoporosis is more common in postmenopausal women, because after menopause, the estrogen in the body declines rapidly, so that the intestinal absorption of calcium from food is reduced. Most women will take sun exposure to prevent and slow down osteoporosis, because vitamin D in sunlight has an irreplaceable impact on the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the body and the growth and development of bones. However, many people's lack of awareness of sun exposure not only does not work, but also causes undesirable consequences.
62-year-old Zhou Chuntao is a retired worker from Henan, and his daily activities are to chat and play cards with his old sisters, and help pick up his granddaughter if he has nothing to do. On June 4, 2006, Zhou Chuntao was playing cards at her sister's house as usual, and when the card table was in a tense and anxious state, Zhou Chuntao suddenly felt a swelling pain in her lower back, which was sore and swollen, and the pain spread to both sides with the spine as the center, so painful that she stopped from time to time to rub her lower back.
The sister on the side saw that her face was wrong, so she asked her if she had strained her psoas muscles by sitting for too long, and said that she had done this before. Zhou Chuntao thought about it, maybe so. The sister immediately brought her a pair of plasters and helped her put them on, and after a while, Zhou Chuntao felt that her lower back was hot, and it was indeed much more comfortable.
The next night, Zhou Chuntao's lower back began to ache again, one after another, like a tide, becoming more and more intense. The pain was so painful that she kept tossing and turning in bed, even if it was plastered, it didn't help, Zhou Chuntao realized that this might not be just as simple as a lumbar muscle strain, so she went to a nearby hospital early the next morning to register for a check-up.
Lumbar muscle strain is usually caused by stretching or tearing of muscles, tendons or ligaments due to overuse, sudden movement or improper positioning, so it affects the muscles and soft tissues of the lower back and does not involve the bones themselves. Osteoporosis affects the bones of the whole body, especially the weight-bearing bones such as the spine, hip bones and ribs, and there are often no obvious pain symptoms in the early stages, and bone pain usually appears only when the disease has progressed to a certain extent. Bone pain, on the other hand, may not be confined to a specific point, but may be widely distributed.
Patients may experience discomfort in multiple areas, especially in weight-bearing areas such as the spine, hips, and ribs, and is usually exacerbated by daily activities, such as standing, walking, bending over, or lifting heavy objects. Pain may be relieved at rest. Bone pain is usually more pronounced at night and may interfere with the patient's sleep quality, appearing persistent, intermittent, and may worsen over time. Because pain can involve multiple bone sites, it is sometimes difficult for patients to pinpoint the exact location of the pain.
In addition, spinal deformity is the most common sign of primary osteoporosis. Pathological changes in the number, morphology, and structure of trabeculae will significantly reduce bone strength, and microfractures will occur under repeated mechanical loads, resulting in vertebral compression, resulting in shortening of the patient's stature. Fractures are the most serious consequence of osteoporosis and are the first symptom and reason for most people with osteoporosis.
Early the next morning, after listening to Zhou Chuntao's description of her condition, the doctor immediately arranged for her to have bone conversion marker examination, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, lumbar spine MRI and other examinations, and the results showed that the bone mineral density T value of the lumbar spine was -2.6, indicating severe osteoporosis, T12 and L2-3 were slightly narrow, irregular in shape, and uncompressed and deformed. Combined with her symptoms, the doctor judged her to be postmenopausal osteoporosis. Doctors then prescribe bisphosphonates to increase bone density and reduce the risk of fractures. Zhou Chuntao was also instructed to have regular bone density tests.
After Zhou Chuntao went home with a big bag of medicine, the more she thought about it, the more distressed she felt for her wallet, so she went to the hospital like this, and Xiao Qian spent it. So she started looking up online for cheap calcium supplements without taking medicine, and soon she learned that sun exposure can also promote calcium absorption. So in addition to taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor, when she was fine, she would take a small pony and sit in the sun for hours.
Two months later, Zhou Chuntao could clearly feel that her body had changed, so she decided to go to the hospital to check the curative effect, but she didn't expect that she was stunned the moment she saw the test results. The results showed that the bone mineral density T value was -4.5, which was much lower than the last time, and X-ray: multiple vertebrae of the lumbar vertebral body had compression fracture changes, and the vertebral body morphology was flattened. said that her condition not only did not improve, but worsened.
Zhou Chuntao asked the doctor with a face full of disbelief: "Doctor, are you mistaken, I not only take medicine on time and in accordance with the amount every day, but also bask in the sun for several hours every day, why is my condition getting worse and worse?" After hearing this, the doctor couldn't help but wonder, in fact, Zhou Chuntao's condition was not particularly serious at that time, and insisting on basking in the sun could completely stabilize her condition, how could there be progress?
The doctor carefully inquired about some details of Zhou Chuntao's life, and finally found the real culprit of the matter. The doctor let out a long sigh and said helplessly: "Basking in the sun is not as simple and casual as you imagined, you just ignore the most important point, which will cause the body to suffer so much damage, if you want to make the body benefit, you must pay attention to three points when basking in the sun." In addition, if you can supplement one more thing while getting the right sun, it is guaranteed to make your calcium supplement effect twice as effective with half the effort......"
How to get the sun right?
One: Do not dry through the glass
It turned out that Zhou Chuntao felt that it was too troublesome to go downstairs to bask in the sun, so he simply dried in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass at home, feeling the same warm and dry, and the effect should be similar. As everyone knows, glass blocks some ultraviolet rays, especially in the UVB band. UVB ultraviolet rays are key to the body's synthesis of vitamin D, and it cannot effectively penetrate ordinary glass. Therefore, the amount of vitamin D synthesized by the body will be greatly reduced by basking in the sun through glass.
In addition, infrared rays have a positive effect on the body's blood circulation and metabolism, but glass can also block some infrared rays. In addition, the temperature felt by the human body will be lower when exposed to the sun through the glass, which will reduce some of the thermal effects of the sun, such as improving blood circulation and improving sleep.
2. The time is appropriate
The best time to do this is usually before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m., as UV intensity is relatively low during this time, which reduces the risk of skin damage. For fair or sunburn-prone skin, about 5-10 minutes a day may be sufficient. For darker skin or skin that doesn't get sunburned easily, it may take 10-30 minutes a day. The specific time also needs to be adjusted according to the UV index. The higher the UV index, the shorter the time spent in the sun.
Three: sun protection in place
Failure to protect yourself from the sun may result in sunburn, which can cause erythema, pain, swelling, and peeling of the skin, and in severe cases, blisters and fever. Long-term UV exposure can also cause the skin to lose its elasticity and radiance, with wrinkles, sagging, and pigmentation. To make matters worse, long-term unprotected sun exposure is a major risk factor for skin cancer.
One of the things that doctors mentioned that needs to be supplemented is vitamin D, which helps the intestines absorb calcium, which is essential for bone health. If the intake of calcium in the diet is insufficient, vitamin D can promote the body to absorb calcium from food more efficiently. In addition, vitamin D helps maintain proper levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, which are essential for bone formation and maintenance.
Calcium and phosphorus are the main components of bone mineralization, and vitamin D helps to enhance bone density and strength by facilitating the deposition of these two minerals in the bones. Vitamin D can also help reduce bone loss in people with osteoporosis, thereby reducing the risk of fractures. In addition, vitamin D also has a positive effect on muscle strength and balance, which can help reduce the risk of falls and thus the risk of fractures due to falls.
Due to the combined effects of vitamin D on bone health, adequate vitamin D levels have been linked to a reduced risk of fractures, especially in older adults. Vitamin D is also involved in the regulation of the immune system and helps maintain overall health, which is also beneficial for bone health, as disease and inflammation can affect the metabolism of bones.
(Note: "In 06, the 62-year-old aunt insisted on basking in the sun and went for a physical examination half a year later, how was the situation?") The names of the people are pseudonyms, and some of the pictures are network pictures; Reprinting and plagiarism are prohibited in the article)