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 Carol has always been very active and at age 50 she
didn’t plan to slow down. Her daily tennis matches with her girlfriends and
thrice-weekly jog with her husband left her feeling good and she believed healthy.
Carol was devastated to learn as a result of her bone density scan that she was in the
beginning stages of osteoporosis. Her gynecologist had recommended this low
radiation bone scan after Carol had finished menopause. Carol couldn’t believe
this was happening to her.
 She called her mother with the
test results. It was not a surprise to Carol ’s mother. As it turned out
there was a family history of this brittle bone disease on Carol’s mother’s side
of the family. Carol then started to remember how her grandmother walked with a cane
and had such stooped posture. Could she have inherited this disease?
After skimming the osteoporosis handbook
she bought at her local bookstore Carol was starting to understand more clearly why and
how she got this silent crippling disease. She also had a million questions and wanted
answers. What could she do now?
What is
"Osteoporosis"
Most people have heard the term “brittle
bones”. In fact, most people can look back onto their families and remember one
or two members who broke their hips or had stooped posture. Until recently, people
have not really understood what osteoporosis is and what it means to have this disease.
Stooped shoulders and broken hips have been looked upon as “natural” signs of
aging. Today this type of thinking is undergoing a radical change.
Osteoporosis literally means “pores of
bone”.
 It is a silent disease, slowing
robbing calcium and other vital minerals from our bones. Osteoporosis reveals itself after
the damage has been done. There is no gradual pain or hint that this disease exists. The
first clue a woman receives is her first fracture. By this time her bone loss is
significant. Osteoporosis, or brittle bone disease, is the most common disease that
affects bones. It is the systematic loss of bone minerals over a period of
time. It affects all bones in the skeletal system. Bone strength
is decreased because of the lower bone mass or density. If you could see the
bone under a microscope it would resemble Swiss cheese. With the cheese there is
more cheese than holes, with osteoporosis the there is more holes than bone. There are
huge gaping holes; pieces seem to be missing altogether and hang only by a thread.
Only a thin shell may remain. It’s no surprise that this bone breaks easily
without warning. After age 30 bones can start to lose their strength. At this age
our estrogen levels tend to decrease, bad bone cells increase, and good bone cells
decrease. One of the functions of estrogen is top prevent bone destruction and loss of
bone minerals. The loss of estrogen takes away this protection.
Osteoporosis affects more than 20 million women
in the United States. Of these women
there will be 1.5 million bone fractures annually. It is the number 2 killer of
women. The National Institutes of Health now recognize osteoporosis as one of the
four deadliest diseases among women. Our risk of hip fracture equals our combined
risk of developing breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer. Once we fracture a hip we
have a 20 percent chance of dying either from the surgery ( hip pinning or hip
replacement) or from complications resulting from prolonged bed rest and healing, namely
pneumonia, blood clots, skin ulcers, and, adding insult to injury worsening
osteoporosis. 54 percent of women will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in
her lifetime, and 1 in 3 women will fracture her hip by age 80.
Who gets osteoporosis?
Not only does this disease afflict women who are over 65
years old but also it can strike women as young as forty. By age forty bone mass
begins to slowly decline. After menopause this loss accelerates rapidly due to a
decrease in estrogen. This is what happened to Carol. Many women don’t realize
they have this disease until their bones become so fragile that they break at the
slightest bump or strain. We tend to relate this disease with the elderly but this is far
from the reality. There are many women in their forties and fifties who have been shocked,
like Carol, to learn that they have osteoporosis.
Through recent medical research we have learned
there are significant risk factors for developing this disease. Here they are:
- Post menopause
- Early menopause, before 45, either naturally or from surgery
- Thin small boned, Tall frame (over 5 feet 6 inches)
- Caucasian and Asian women (African Americans and Hispanics
are at a lower risk)
- Diet low in calcium
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Alcohol- drinking more than 2 alcoholic beverages a day.
- Excessive caffeine intake Excessive use of soft drinks and
other phosphorous containing foods and beverages
- Long term use of steroids
- Lack of weight bearing exercise and Women with a family
history of osteoporosis - family history of broken bones or stooped posture, especially on
mother’s side.
How do you know you have
it?
DEXA scan
The only way to know if you are at risk or have
osteoporosis is by having a bone density scan performed.
Experts agree the DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry)
machine, which evaluates the hip, and spine, is the gold standard. This is a simple
20-minute low radiation diagnostic test, which gives a clear picture of bone mass or
density. Most insurance companies cover the cost of a bone density scan.
A new screening test just came out this fall; the heel ultrasound scan. This 10-second
test is designed to screen women who may need further evaluation of their bone mass by
DEXA. It costs about thirty dollars and is available in many doctors’ offices.
What can you do to prevent
Osteoporosis (bone loss)?
By making lifestyle changes a woman can prevent and even
slow down the progression of osteoporosis. Of course, the best way to not get
osteoporosis is by lying down or making good bones as a child.
Girls in the United States do not take in the necessary 1500 milligrams of daily calcium
crucial in building strong bones. The amount of dairy foods a girl eats dramatically
decreases as she enters her teens. It’ s at this time she might actually adopt
bone-destroying behavior, like drinking diet sodas, caffeinated beverages and
smoking. These three activities alone are bone “wasters” and calcium
lechers.
Here are excellent lifestyle changes which will
help keep your bones healthy and strong:
 Weight
bearing exercises like walking, jumping rope, for 20 to 30 minutes, three to four times a
week.- Weight training with weights or rubber bands
- Avoiding caffeine and alcohol
- Stop smoking
- Avoiding soda and any other phosphorus containing foods and
beverages (read labels)
- Take calcium
supplements - woman not taking estrogen need 1500 mgs. of calcium per day,
women taking estrogen needs 1200 mgs per day, spread out supplements during the day
to aid absorption.
- Add vitamin D, 400-800 international units daily, to use
calcium efficiently.
- Increase calcium rich foods in diet- broccoli, leafy green
veggies, and dairy products
Latest Medical Treatments for
Osteoporosis
Consider taking estrogen after menopause and
perhaps during perimenopause, to slow bone loss. Talk with your doctor about the
risks and benefits to taking estrogen.
- Estrogen
Very effective in preventing bone loss, protects against heart disease and
decreases the side effects of perimenopause and menopause ( like hot flashes, pounding
heart)
- Alendronate
The brand name here is Fosamax. It slows bone loss and promotes new bone
formation. This is relatively new medication.
- Calcitonin
The brand name here is Miacalcin, and can be taken through injection or as a
nasal spray.
- Raloxifene
The brand name here is Evista, works like estrogen but gives cell specific
protection. Raloxifene is not as effective as estrogen in slowing bone loss. May be
a good choice for women who are not candidates for estrogen and may have slight
perimenopause/menopause disturbances.
The
Osteoporosis Handbook:
Every Woman's Guide to Prevention and Treatment
click here to find out more
by Sydney Lou
Bonnick
The Osteoporosis Handbook, which has already helped thousands of people treat and prevent
this disease, has now been updated with the most current and up-to-date medical
information available. The book includes detailed information on cutting-edge medical
treatments, with an entirely new chapter on Fosamax and other biphosphonates.
Osteoporosis Guidelines
(from CNN)
The National Osteoporosis Foundation will be
unveiling new guidelines for post menopausal women. This includes many therpaies for
preventing this disease. The guidelines recommend patients get at least 1200 milligrams of
calcium and 400-800 IU (international units) of Vitamin D daily. They recommend women do
regular weight-bearing or strength-training exercises to reduce the risk of falls and
fractures and avoid drinking alcohol and smoking.
National
Osteoporosis Foundation
1150 17th Street, N.W., Suite 500, Washington,
DC 20077-7456
1-800-223-9994 anytime or 202-223-2226, 9 am -5:30 pm.
Comments
From: Hatajlo
Hi, well my mom's friend was
recently diagnosed with osteoporosis. She is 52 yrs old & there is no family
history, but she smokes, drinks plently of coffee & cannot tolerate milk.
After reading your article I realized that I too smoke, drink coffee & do not drink
enough milk. What a scary thought. Thanks for opening up my eyes. Time
for a glass of milk &.........
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See Sue & Dr. Teaff
on WFAE in Charlotte
Meet the author
Miriam E.
Nelson, Ph.D.
author of:
"Strong Women, Strong Bones"
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
 
Osteoporosis affects over 50% of all women and is responsible for thousands of deaths from
hip fractures every year. In fact, osteoporosis kills more women every year than
breast cancer. Strong Women Strong Bones is the most comprehensive and thorough book
for good bone health. Her book is not only meant for older women but for younger
ones as well.  It is the bone that we make while we
are younger that will help us keep bone mass as we grow older. In this interview she
discusses: When is the right time for the test?; Bone Loss in Teeth; Osteoporosis
Medications; Exercise & Osteoporosis; and a FREE Book Excerpt: Chapter 5: Putting Your
Bones to the Test"
Find out more |
