The Hunchback Dilemma

I have promised myself that I will not become a hunch back. I take care of so many elderly people who are bent over to the point where you think they are going to fall over. I realize that this is a medical condition due to the spine caving in on itself but it seems to me that there aught to be things we can do to avoid this dilemma. These poor people are so uncomfortable and many of them just give up walking after a few years because it is such an intolerable condition. It's too hard to get up in the morning, go to the bathroom, get dressed, go for a walk etc. It can severely impede our quality of life which gives us the will to live, as stated in an earlier post. Maybe I'm being naïve but it seems there a few things we can do to combat this condition. One is to take calcium pills. Not just calcium though. We all know by now that you must take calcium together with Vitamin D and magnesium. The standard prescribed amount is 1000mg to 1200mg of calcium and Vitamin D and then magnesium at 500mg a day. It's good that we can find vitamins just about anywhere these days. My generation and those behind me seem to be so much more aware of the benefits of vitamins and not just the standard multi vitamin that our parents used to take if at all. There is so much information out there about supplements and where to find them. My peers are on the trail to discovering new stores and new products. I see a lot more people taking focused supplements rather than the traditional multivitamins. I like that better. Not every one needs everything all the time. Next is exercise to include yoga and Pilates. Yoga is so good for aligning and balancing the body so that it doesn't start to grow crooked. I always say to my yoga instructor as I'm lying on the mat on my back just how crooked I feel. She always tells me that by the end of class I will feel straightened out and you know... I always do. I try to do yoga twice a week but really I need it more. Keeping your back straight and your body aligned are essential to avoiding the hunchback dilemma. Of course there are real medical reasons for the condition which should be addressed accordingly but I honestly believe that we can prolong an upright life with proper care. Pilates does the same thing, I just don't do Pilates. Another thing we can do, and the orthopedic Dr. I went to disputed this very quickly, is to keep our chest and upper back muscles well massaged. When they start to get tight from work and stress it can only work against us, pulling our body's bones into all sorts of contortions. My muscles anyway start to become hard and full of knots. How can they possibly work properly when they can't even move. Think of the body being wrapped in spongy string. When that string starts to get over worked and stressed it can brake. Keeping them well massaged, I feel, softens those muscles making them work better. And don't forget lubrication... drink lots of water. We don't want those old muscles to dry up on us... then they'll never work properly. I'm not a Dr. As a matter of fact I try to stay away from Dr.s and all of the pills they prescribe. Exercise, lots of water, and a good dose of necessary calcium pills... that's my prescription.