Prediction and Prevention of Calcium Deficiency in Bones
-
font size
decrease font size
increase font size
An invited lecture on the topic “Prediction and Prevention of Calcium Deficiency in Bones” by Dr. Vijay Shanmugam., MS(Ortho)., Specialist - Department of Orthopedics, Ibri Regional Hospital was held on 19th October 2017 (Thursday) between 11.00 am to 12.00noon.
The doctor focused on calcium rich foods that will supplement calcium requirements by natural means. What we consume before the age of 25 is the one that lasts long for our entire life period. Calcium supplements must be taken with the advice of a doctor for therapeutic purposes only. It should not be taken as a health supplement as this could lead to many side effects.
He also categorically stated that Osteoporosis is not a reversible process. It leads to broken bones in old people and diagnosis at this point is normally too late to reverse the process. So older people should not be compelled to go for strenuous exercises as it would cause bone fractures. He stated of a condition called Osteopenia that occurs before Osteoporosis and in this situation corrective measures could be taken to delay the onset of Osteoporosis in a patient and in some cases stop the onset of loss of calcium in bones.
He informed the benefits of DEXASCAN that can be used to study bone loss and bone density. Such machines, especially in Oman, are very expensive and only two units are currently available. There is a long queue and many patients have to wait for more than a year to get their DEXASCAN done. Hence he suggested the need and importance for engineers to come forward to design alternatives for DEXASCAN at lower cost.
The lecture was highly informative and an eye opener on many common misconceptions people have about calcium.