Osteoporosis is a disease which affects the density of the human bone structure causing bones to become frail and more prone to breaks and fractures. While it is true that as people age their bones do become weaker due to the slowing down of the body's natural cycles, osteoporosis hastens the process of losing the body's bone density. To fight this many people opt to use osteoporosis medication, such as Fosamax, often on the advice from their doctor. The problem with taking medications such as Fosamax is that it may lead to serious side effects such as osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Most doctors will tell you that prevention is always better than treatment. However, if you are already diagnosed with osteoporosis know that you do not have to take medication to help with your treatment. A health care professional can place you on a regiment of alternative treatments to help with your symptoms of osteoporosis. Here are some good alternative treatments for osteoporosis:

· Increase Vitamin D €"Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for a healthy skeleton and calcium absorption. It is available from certain foods (fish oil, fortified milk, eggs and liver), but the best source is sunlight. About 15 minutes of sunlight on your skin every day should produce all the vitamin D you need.

· Increase of Vitamin K intake €" It is now known that Vitamin K is one of the essential factors in bone metabolism. Those who have Vitamin K deficiency can be more prone to bone-density loss and bone fractures. There have been studies which show that after three years, patients who have been taking both vitamins D and K had less bone loss than those taking a placebo or vitamin D alone.

· Limit your intake of salt, sugar, and caffeine, as they can cause calcium to be lost through your urine.

· Watch the amount of saturated fat, zinc, iron and fiber you eat as they can hinder the amount of calcium that the digestive tract absorbs.

· Acupuncture €" This is a traditional Chinese technique which uses needles to help stimulate the body's response to certain healing methods.

If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis it is natural to be cautious. This is especially so with the information of the number of Fosamax lawsuits which have been steadily increasing recently. If you would like to start alternative treatments to your osteoporosis, ask your doctor which treatments are best for you.