The best treatment is prevention!  Here are some tips on how to avoid osteoporosis in the future.  Remember, it’s important to keep your body healthy.  You only get one, and it has to last a lifetime – so be good to it. 

• Eat plenty of calcium.  Calcium helps to keep bones strong.  Dairy products, such as milk and cheese, are great sources of calcium.  Even ice cream and nacho cheese give you a decent amount of calcium – though eating too much of those treats is not the best way to have balanced diet.  Don’t like milk?  Not a problem!  Lots of other foods, such as broccoli, almonds, or fortified foods (such as orange juice and soy milk) are great sources of calcium.  You can also ask an adult about taking vitamins to boost your calcium intake.  Another good source of calcium?  Chalk.  But we suggest eating that only as a last resort.
• Get enough exercise. Studies have shown that exercising actually increases bone strength, so walk, skip, or jump whenever you can.  It not only makes your muscles and heart stronger, but it also helps your bones.
• Stay away from cigarettes and alcohol. Smoking and drinking too much can lead to several serious health issues. One of the many problems that can arise from cigarettes and alcohol is loss of bone density. 

For adults, it is important to keep tabs on their bodies and make sure that everything is working in proper order. Adults also need to ingest enough calcium to keep bones strong.  If an adult thinks that he or she might be losing bone density, he or she can ask a doctor to perform a bone densitometry test.  This is sort of like an x-ray to check a person’s bone density.  It doesn’t hurt at all, and should be done every few years to make sure that bone density isn’t decreasing. 

If someone has osteoporosis, there are several ways to lessen the effects of the disease.  One way is though medications prescribed by a doctor.  Some of these medications help the body develop more bone mass. Others stop the body from losing bone mass. Sometimes, non-prescription calcium, like vitamins, can lessen the effects of osteoporosis. Another way for women to prevent the ill effects of osteoporosis is with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which helps the body retain more calcium by regulating hormones. HRT, however, can have some very serious side effects and may prove to be more damaging than helpful.