By Gabriella Lozada
Embrace your Wellness
This week’s installment: Osteopenia
This weekend my wonderful grandparents were visiting us. In April of 2006 my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer. However, after treatment and a surgery in June of 2006, she claimed the title of breast cancer survivor! Later she was diagnosed with Osteopenia. For this week’s edition, I interviewed my grandma about her disease. Osteopenia is a bone disease that thins one’s bones. This disease is the beginning of Osteoporosis. After her surgery, she refused to take any medication because of the side effects that it causes. She decided to naturally heal herself. The medication said “may help build bone mass” but it was not a guarantee; she was afraid of the side effects and the problems that they can cause throughout the body. She said, “Why in the world would you take something that can through your body out of whack?” The medicine may help you but it can also hurt you. My grandma opted to take calcium supplements instead of the medication they offered her. The doctors were not happy that she refused to take the medicine; they warned her that when the disease sat in, the progression of the bone thinning is rapid. “They don’t like it and you know what… it’s your body and you do what’s best for you.” However, they offered advice for natural ways to heal her disease.
Along with Calcium supplements, she also took multivitamins and vitamin d, changed to a healthy and balanced diet, began walking, and doing yoga. The multivitamins and exercise were key to her improvement. Exercise and diet are important for your overall health and the maintenance of bone and muscle strength. She walked with weights to build leg and arm strength. She mainly did yoga because yoga targets specific parts of the body while strengthening your entire body and core. What she loved the most was that she was building good, healthy habits while healing herself without the worry of side effects. Everything was natural.
Every two years the patient needs to take a bone density test to see the progression of the disease. This test shows whether the patient improved or worsened. My grandmother was confident because she was feeling much stronger and healthier. When she got her results, she was significantly better. She continues to keep eating healthy, taking her vitamins, and exercising. “Nowadays there are a lot of people that are turning to natural remedies.” says my grandma. Know that whatever illness or disease you can always use natural remedies to heal yourself or help improve your symptoms.
Thank you all for reading this article. Thank you to my beautiful strong grandmother for allowing me to interview her and write about her. I hope that her story encouraged you. I remind you to embrace your wellness.
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