Osteoporosis

For anyone concerned about the health of their heart, walking is probably the best exercise. Why?

• It’s inexpensive (only requires a sturdy pair of shoes

• It has no harmful side effects; other exercise could result in injury; but unless you trip over your own feet and fall, minimal harm is associated with walking)

Drugs taken to prevent disease, cure it, or alleviate disease symptoms can deplete important substances in the body. In order to compensate for their loss, we have to be aware of the consequences of each drug we are taking.

If you have osteoporosis and want to avoid fractures, you can learn better ways to accomplish everyday tasks such as: forward leaning from a standing or sitting position; lifting; carrying; sweeping; mopping; gardening; sitting down; loading the dishwsher; and even getting out of bed.

Even before you take a bone density test to determine how much of your youthful bone mass you have retained, and certainly before you reach male or female menopause or age 50-60, you should be doing your best to maintain healthy bones. The regimen to follow is the same that you would follow if you had osteoporosis or osteopenia except that you would not take medication. You've heard it before - calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and EXERCISE.

Osteoporosis can be a devastating disease, but the good news is that it's preventable. Here are some steps you can take to decrease your risk:

Diet
Exercise
Medical Options
Supplements
Lifestyle

Every time a child drinks soda, he's laying the groundwork for a dangerous bone disease. No, fizzy and sugary drinks don't cause osteoporosis. But because they're often a substitute for a glass of milk, kids are coming up short of the calcium and vitamin D they need to build a strong skeleton. Many of them also lead a sedentary lifestyle, so they aren't getting the bone-building benefits of vigorous exercise either. These children aren't just in jeopardy for brittle bones and fractures decades down the road: They could be at risk of osteoporosis at a younger age than ever before.

Fosamax users are told to take this medication 1/2 hour before breakfast. However, if you read the information supplied by Merck, you will find that bioavailability is decreased by 40% when compared to dosing 2 hours before breakfast. The choice is yours...

24 Nov 2005

The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) today issued physician recommendations to generate greater understanding of the role of vitamin D in bone health in women and men over 50, calling for an increase in currently recommended vitamin D intake and encouraging individualized treatment in patients. According to an analysis published in 2004 and based on the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), over 70 percent of women ages 51-70 and nearly 90 percent of women over 70 are not getting the recommended adequate intake of vitamin D. For this reason, AMWA recently convened a panel of experts to discuss the importance of vitamin D for overall bone health, the challenges of ensuring adequate vitamin D intake and how to best communicate this information to primary care physicians, specialists and patients.