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Prevention and awareness are key essentials in maintaining our physical bodies. Many resources may be found here including: statistics, demographics, and basic health regulations to assist you in a lifelong journey of whole health focusing on the first component of wholeness, the body. The health and faith resources found on this site combined can bring balance between our body, soul (mind, will and emotions) and spirit. Learn more about the continuum of care in whole health while increasing your faith, utilizing wisdom, and bringing wholeness to your overall being, body, soul and spirit.
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Wondering how you can be more health conscious and are unsure where to start? You can check the National Health Observances calendar and see how you and your congregation celebrate health and honor those you love by making them aware of resources and agencies that provide support and materials to help you succeed!
Focus on health observances throughout the year.
Timely Topics:
Here's how to fight the "flu"...
Use this guide to discover the most common causes of the most common symptoms for your illnesses...
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Osteoporosis
Description: A generalized progressive loss of bone density that causes he bones to become weaker and more likely to fracture. Addressing risk factors (especially early prevention) is the best way to combat the disease (see list of risk factors below).
Incidence: Common (more than twenty-five million people affected; about forty percent of women and up to fifteen percent of men in the US)
Prevalence: Females more than males; more common with advanced age; more common in Anglo-Americans and Asian-Americans than African-Americans and Hispanics
Signs and symptoms:
- Backache
- Unexplained broken bones
- Becoming shorter in height
Risk factors:
- Loss of estrogen (after menopause)
- Not enough calcium or Vitamin D in diet
- Not enough exposure to sunlight
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Drinking alcohol
- Drinking caffeine
- Certain medications
- Family history
- Hormone imbalance
- Thin, blonde, fair skinned
- European or Asian descent
Usual treatment:
- Prevention in childhood and adolescence
- Medications for pain or disability
- Medications to improve bone density
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation as needed
- Treatment or related fractures
- Prevent falls
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Proper diet
Usual course: Can be controlled or stabilized with proper treatment. Because of increased risk of complications related to fractures, elderly persons may have more disability and even earlier death. Individuals with family history of severe osteoporosis are predisposed to a more severe course of the disease in which treatment is less effective. This form progresses to marked back deformity and often agonizing compression fractures of the vertebrae.
Spiritual considerations:
- Severe pain can be caused by multiple tiny fractures related to this disease, especially in older women. Prayer and comfort, as well as visits at home or in nursing homes, can be helpful.
- Start a prevention program in your community. Risk can be reduced by teaching pre-teens to include enough calcium in their diets while bones are forming.
- Persons with osteoporosis have a high risk for falls. Be sure your facility is as safe and accessible as possible.
Suggested scriptures: Psalms 55:22; Proverbs 17:22
Resources:
National Osteoporosis Foundation
1232 22nd St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1292
(202) 223-2226
www.nof.org
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Faith, hope, and love coupled with wisdom assists the believer in achieving health harmony in the soul (mind, will, and emotions) and spirit. Strengthen your inner man's soul and spirit by the associated articles, resources, and inspiration in our faith section. May the Lord prosper you with whole health. Learn more about the continuum of care in whole health while increasing your faith, utilizing wisdom, and bringing wholeness to your overall being, body, soul and spirit.
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We welcome collaboration with any professional health care agencies, as well as, church leaders. Also, if you are interested in linking, contributing or assisting Congregational Health ReSource with content, please contact us.
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