I learned very important information recently at a talk on Preventing Osteoporosis. I want to share this information with you.
The speaker was an NIH researcher, Dr. Steven Acocella. He works with Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I already knew that Fosomax and Boniva had many side effects, but I did not know that they only unevenly help the old outer bone, not the younger inner bone. Based on Dr. Acocella’s research these medications actually increase fractures in women with osteopenia by 84%.
About 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and 80 percent of these are women and 20 percent are men. Men who have low testosterone and or who have been treated with certain drugs for prostate cancer are more likely to develop osteoporosis.
If you haven’t gotten a bone density scan and you are close to menopause it a good idea to get a scan. You will get a t score. This is based on the bone density of a healthy 30 yr old which is a zero. As the score goes down this indicates thinning of the bones. When your score is at a -2.5 it means you have osteoporosis. My score recently was -1.4. in my spine. This means I have osteopenia in my spine. The good news is that this is reversible!
Dr. Acocella talked about using a weighted vest and or resistance training. Walking and water aerobics are good exercise but they will not reverse osteopenia. However, walking with a weighted vest will help reverse it. He also talked about eliminating or limiting protein such as meat and dairy which cause calcium to be excreted from the bones. I believe taking vitamin d supplements is also important. Here are some good web sites for more information. WWW.EatRightAmerica/ WWW.DiseaseProof.com/ WWW.Dr.Fuhrman.com/
Dr. Fuhrman sells a very nice weighted vest that is very light weight . You put the weights in little pockets so you can slowly add weight to the vest. Dr. Acocella suggested wearing a vest that is 10% of your body weight.
I had previously looked at weighted vests at Wal-Mart and the vest were big and ugly and had to be pulled over the head. So I did not buy one. I will probably order the vest from Dr. Fuhrman.
What does preventing osteoporosis have to do with Wardrobe? When a person gets osteoporosis their spine begins to shorten due to compression fractures. They can lose height, their shoulders curve, and their waistline and stomach may protrude. It can be very difficult to find clothing that fits.
In another post I will include fashion tips for those who have osteoporosis.
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