Osteoporosis
You don't need a walker up here and you don't need to worry about osteoporosis or a cane or anything like that, because you just float across the room - John Glenn
image by: International Osteoporosis Foundation
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Expert Advice: The Dynamic Duo D3 + K2
D3 + K2 are a dynamic duo – here’s why you should take it...
While most people are familiar with the vitamin alphabet A through E, vitamin K is relatively unfamiliar. That’s largely because unlike these other vitamins, vitamin K isn’t typically used as a dietary supplement (but more on that in a minute). Touted for its coagulant properties, it’s needed by the liver to create an enzyme called thrombin, which helps the blood to clot.
Vitamin D3 is the same naturally-occurring vitamin you get from the sun. In northern climates, it can be tough to get enough. It’s important to the body in many other ways, from helping our nerves need it to carry messages from the…
Resources
Osteoporosis, fragility fractures and the urgent need for prioritisation of care
Osteoporosis is the world’s most common bone disease; affecting approximately 200 million people globally, it results in more than 8.9 million fragility fractures each year, with about one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 experiencing a fragility fracture in their lifetime.
Do You Need to Take Vitamin D?
Most healthy adults do not need to take vitamin D supplements. Extra vitamin D does not improve health in those without bone disease. Get your vitamin D the old fashioned way •Sun exposure (in limited quantities) •Healthy diet, including foods fortified with vitamin D
How to keep your bones strong—and even make them stronger
Our 206 bones do more than just keep us standing, walking, and singing through life. They also protect our organs, harbor bone marrow, and store minerals such as phosphorus and calcium. But just like your muscles, bones require maintenance work. Here’s how to keep them healthy for the long run.
How Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 Help Osteoporosis
The researchers found that bone mineral density was significantly higher in the groups given vitamin D3 alone and vitamin K2 alone compared to the group that received only calcium. In addition, they found that the group that got the combination of vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 had the highest bone mineral density.
The Common Advice for Those With Thinning Bones Could Be All Wrong
People with osteoporosis are told they should avoid strenuous weight training. New studies suggest otherwise.
Doctors are blasé about bone health, and it’s leading to more broken bones in the elderly
Osteoporosis could spiral out of control if we don’t get serious about these screening and treatment issues.
Osteoporosis: a disease of the modern world?
Research, recently published in the journal PNAS, studied changes in human bone density over thousands of years of evolution. It discovered that the human skeleton has become much lighter since the advent of agriculture, when human lifestyles changed from hunter-gathering to the more sedentary behaviour involved in farming.
Shunning osteoporosis treatment isn’t a wise decision for most women
Forgoing drugs that slow bone loss to avoid rare side effects can be the wrong decision for your hips and spine.
A Perfect Storm for Broken Bones
A “perfect storm” threatens to derail the progress that has been made in protecting the bone health of Americans. As the population over 50 swells, fewer adults at risk of advanced bone loss and fractures are undergoing tests for bone density, resulting in a decline in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, even for people who have already broken bones.
Arthritis and Osteoporosis Are Not the End of Life
Arthritis and osteoporosis are not the end and possibly, just the beginning, if we try these alternatives. I know what you're thinking! I can't do jump rope, it's a killer to my knees, ankles, etc. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Beat Osteoporosis: Break Your Dairy Addiction
We can't change all our risk factors for osteoporosis - such as our family history, age, sex and bone size - but we can change our lifestyle habits. If you break your addiction to animal protein, salt and caffeine now, you'll be less likely to end up with broken bones and fractures in the future.
Can Prunes Reverse Bone Loss?
Several studies suggest that eating prunes every day could help prevent or even reverse bone loss and osteoporosis.
Men Are New Target for Osteoporosis Treatment
Bone-health experts are making a new push to reduce rates of osteoporosis, with a particular focus on controlling the bone-wasting disease in men.
Osteoporosis Is Scurvy of the Bone, Not Calcium Deficiency
It saddens me to see older women diagnosed with “osteopenia” or “osteoporosis” listening to their doctors and taking supplemental calcium and even problematic drugs called bisphosphonates. These are irrational, dogmatic, harmful approaches to the problem of degrading bone as we age.
Osteoporosis: The Real Causes and Unexpected Product That Might Contribute Most
Is milk good for your bones?
Risks to Bone Health in Treating Chronic Disease in Younger Patients
Secondary osteoporosis is a risk with celiac disease, cancer, reflux medicines and after bariatric surgery.
The Osteoporosis Controversy, Part I: Are We Over-Screening?
A debate surrounding osteoporosis screening and bisphosphonate use has been roiling both physicians and patients. The controversy has been brewing for some time, but a recent article in the New York Times may have added fuel to the fire.
Vitamin D: a pseudo-vitamin for a pseudo-disease
We have created another pseudo-disease that is encouraged by vitamin companies, patient groups, food manufacturers public health departments and charities. Everyone likes to believe in a miracle vitamin pill and feels “they are doing something”. Vitamin D, despite its star status, would not be called a vitamin today, as the doses needed are too large, the body can synthesise it from skin, and it is a steroid precursor. Instead of relying on this impostor, healthy people should get vitamin D from small doses of sunshine every day as well as from food, such as fish, oil, mushrooms and dairy products. We should also trust that thousands of years of evolution would cope with a natural drop in vitamin D levels in winter without us snapping our limbs.
Wider Use Of Osteoporosis Drug Could Prevent Bone Fractures In More Elderly Women
And while National Osteoporosis Foundation guidelines recommend drug treatment for women at risk for fractures, the American College of Physicians' guidelines say current evidence of the benefit of drugs for osteopenia is "limited."
Expert Advice: The Dynamic Duo D3 + K2
When you see vitamins D3 and K2 together in a single supplement, it’s meant for keeping your bones strong and healthy...
5 Common Osteoporosis Drugs: Safe or Dangerous?
When weighing the benefits and risks of osteoporosis drug therapy, the risks of not treating osteoporosis must also be considered.
Fractured Truth
If you have osteoporosis, it’s important to care for your bones. But there are a lot of misconceptions about osteoporosis, and your bones deserve more than a fractured truth. This is the place to get some facts and to learn more about bone health.
Bone Source
The National Bone Health Alliance® (NBHA) is a public-private partnership launched in 2010 that brings together the expertise and resources of its member organizations to collectively: promote bone health and prevent disease; improve diagnosis and treatment of bone disease; and enhance bone research, surveillance and evaluation.
BoneDoc
If you are going to prevent or recover from Osteoporosis, you need to know your enemy. If you learn enough and take relatively simple steps, you often CAN prevent or treat Osteoporosis successfully. You can prevent Fractures!
International Osteoporosis Foundation
The IOF vision is a world in which people of all ages benefit from good bone, muscle and joint health, free of fragility fractures due to osteoporosis
National Osteoporosis Foundation
The National Osteoporosis Foundation is dedicated to preventing osteoporosis, promoting strong bones, and reducing human suffering through education, advocacy and research.
NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases
Vitamin D plays a significant role in helping your body absorb calcium. The relationship between calcium and vitamin D is similar to that of a locked door and a key. Vitamin D is the key that unlocks the door, allowing calcium to enter your bloodstream. As we age, our bodies become less able to absorb calcium, which makes getting enough vitamin D even more important.
Own the Bone
The American Orthopaedic Association developed Own the Bone as a quality improvement program to address the osteoporosis treatment gap and prevent subsequent fragility fractures.
StrengthTrainingForOsteoporosis.com
Susie Hathaway is an ACSM certified personal trainer and physical education teacher who has taught thousands of strength training classes to her peers, the baby boomer generation and older. Half of her clients have osteoporosis or low bone density. Her mission is to develop safe strength training programs for women, no matter what their age, level of fitness, or physical limitations. With her popular class now on video, women (and men!) everywhere can easily strength train for stronger muscles and bones.
4BoneHealth
Whether you’re looking for general information related to bone health or for more specific guidance on issues related to osteoporosis or osteopenia, you’ve come to the right place. Here, you’ll find information supported by the latest scientific research that comes from the nation’s leading osteoporosis experts.
American Bone Health
American Bone Health provides education, resources, and tools to help you understand bone disease and bone health. Whether you are newly diagnosed with osteoporosis, looking for testing, in a treatment program or interested in ways to prevent bone loss, American Bone Health has a wealth of information to help you.
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
ASBMR is a professional, scientific and medical society established to bring together clinical and experimental scientists who are involved in the study of bone and mineral metabolism.
Best Bones Forever
Best Bones Forever! is for girls ages 9-14! Grab your BFF and grow strong together, stay strong forever by eating foods with calcium and vitamin D and getting lots of physical activity!
Better Bones
Here on my website you'll find all the help you need. Tools to assess your risk factors. Lots of helpful articles and videos. A blog with the latest science and advice on bone health. Products I've carefully developed. And information on consultations if you'd like my individual guidance.
European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis
The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) is a not-for-profit organization, dedicated to a close interaction between clinical scientists dealing with bone, joint and muscle disorder, pharmaceutical industry developing new compounds in this field, regulators responsible for the registration of such drugs and health policy makers...
GrassrootsHealth
GrassrootsHealth focuses on vitamin D education and raising awareness about high rates of deficiency by, among other things, hosting public forums across the US and Canada. Testing of vitamin D levels is available through participation in their D*action study - 4BoneHealth
International Society for Clinical Densitometry
ISCD is a multidisciplinary, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing excellence in the assessment of skeletal health.
Marodyne LiV
The LivMD is a bone growth and muscle stimulation device specifically developed to increase bone density and quality, while also activating and conditioning the leg muscles in a safe and effective manner.
Osteoporosis Australia
Osteoporosis Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation responsible for providing osteoporosis information and services to the community and health professionals.
Osteoporosis Canada
The organization works to educate, empower and support individuals and communities in the risk-reduction and treatment of osteoporosis, people who have, or are at risk for, osteoporosis.
Royal Osteoporosis Society
We help the nation look after its bones and appreciate the importance of bone health for everybody. For those who do develop osteoporosis, we're here to help them live well.
World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases
With over 4,500 participants, this has become the largest educational event and most vibrant clinical research forum for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal diseases in Europe.
CDC
FastStats.
MayoClinic
For both men and women at increased risk of fracture, the most widely prescribed osteoporosis medications are bisphosphonates. Examples include: •Alendronate (Fosamax) •Risedronate (Actonel, Atelvia) •Ibandronate (Boniva) •Zoledronic acid (Reclast)
MedicineNet
Exercise has a wide variety of beneficial health effects. However, exercise does not bring about substantial increases in bone density. The benefit of exercise for osteoporosis has mostly to do with decreasing the risk of falls, probably because balance is improved and/or muscle strength is increased.
NHS
If your doctor suspects you have osteoporosis, they can make an assessment using an online programme, such as FRAX or Q-Fracture. They may also refer you for a scan to measure your bone mineral density. This type of scan is known as a DEXA (DXA) scan. It's a short, painless procedure and your bone mineral density can then be used to assess your fracture risk.
OrthoInfo
To prevent osteoporosis, slow its progression, and protect yourself from fractures you should include adequate amounts of calcium and Vitamin D in your diet and exercise regularly.
Patient
Medication will not restore all lost bone. Also, medication may not be suggested for all people with osteoporosis. So, there are a number of lifestyle measures that are also important in treating osteoporosis. They include weight-bearing exercise, muscle strengthening exercises, not smoking, and keeping any alcohol drinking to within the levels as described earlier.
Rheumatology.org
You can learn if you have osteoporosis by having a simple test that measures bone mineral density—sometimes called BMD. BMD —the amount of bone you have in a given area—is measured at different parts of your body.
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