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>Thanks for the further details, Ron. Would/could you give the list a
>definition of kyphosis? Is it simply exaggerated curves at the lower neck
>and lower back, or is there something more specific?

Hi All,
In response to the post quoted above, I am sending another post to the
list. I should have offered a definition and further explanation in my
first post. I apologize for the necessity of a second post.

Scoliosis, kyphosis, and lordosis are all distortions of the spine.

Scoliosis is the most common, and is a lateral bending of the spine (to one
side or the other, with a corresponding correction, resulting in a curve).
This causes an appearance of leaning. Often, one shoulder is higher than
the other (and is sometimes thought to be caused by one leg being shorter
than the other).

Kyphosis is a spinal malformation that causes a stooped, or hump-back
appearance. The curve forces the person to lean forward, often resulting in
a chronic craning of the neck to allow forward vision. The dowager hump,
which is often found in osteoporotic women, offers a clue as to one common
cause of this condition.

Lordosis is yet another spinal malformation. It is sometimes found in
conjunction with one or both conditions listed above. The result of this
distortion is a sway-back appearance.

All three of these categories are textbook simple. The complex variations
that happen to real people are not so easy to decipher and differentiate.
Because I suspect that they are all variations of the same set of
conditions, I've included all three of them in this discussion.

Common causes of these conditions are:
advanced osteoporosis;
chronic sciatica;
malformed vertebrae;
rickets;
and tuberculosis of the spine.

Pregnancy has also been offered as an explanation for some cases of these
conditions, especially lordosis.

The top 4 conditions are over-represented among celiacs. Cooke & Holmes, in
_Coeliac Disease_, have devoted a large part of one chapter to the skeletal
implications of metabolic abnormalities found in celiac disease.

Since ours is a condition of malabsorption, this connection should not be
surprising. In pregnancy the fetus is utilizing many of the mother's
nutrients. However, shortages of the vitamins and minerals that often
underlie osteoporosis and rickets should not occur, assuming an adequate
diet, and appropriate absorption of nutrients by the mother. Even in
pregnancy, I would suspect some degree of deficiency due to other factors
such as malabsorption, when the onset of lordosis or another spinal
malformation accompanies pregnancy.

I hope this is helpful.
best wishes,
Ron Hoggan