Osteoporosis – thirdAGE

Exercise and Chronic Conditions

According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), almost anyone, at any age, can do some type of physical activity. You can still exercise even if you have a health condition like heart disease, arthritis, chronic pain, high blood pressure, or diabetes. In fact, physical activity may help. For most older adults, physical activities like… Continue reading Exercise and Chronic Conditions

To Fix Medicare Spending, Prevent Fractures Among Aging Americans

As the White House and Congress prepare for negotiations over the budget and U.S. debt ceiling, there has been a lot of talk about how to pay for senior’s health care and the future of Medicare. It seems like a great place to start is with steps policymakers can take that can both save money… Continue reading To Fix Medicare Spending, Prevent Fractures Among Aging Americans

Steering Clear of Falls

Each year millions of Americans, especially older adults, go to the emergency department after an injury from a fall. “These falls can cause serious injuries—back fractures, hip fractures, as well as head trauma,” says Dr. David B. Reuben, a healthy aging expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, who co-leads one of the largest… Continue reading Steering Clear of Falls

Beyond Bone Mineral Density: Additional Bone Traits That Predict Risk for Fracture

Every year more than 2 million older Americans experience a fragility fracture to the hip, spine or wrist. Usually the result of a fall from standing height or less, fragility fractures stem from underlying bone deterioration. Loss of bone mineral density (BMD) – the condition known as osteoporosis – is one way bones can become… Continue reading Beyond Bone Mineral Density: Additional Bone Traits That Predict Risk for Fracture

Probiotics Can Protect the Bones of Older Women

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have demonstrated that probiotics, dietary supplements with health-promoting bacteria, can be used to affect the human skeleton. Among older women who received probiotics, bone loss was halved compared to women who received only a placebo. The research opens the door to a new way to prevent fractures among… Continue reading Probiotics Can Protect the Bones of Older Women

Fifteen Percent of Osteoporosis Patients Who Take “Drug Holidays” Suffer Bone Fractures

Patients who take osteoporosis drugs for long periods typically are advised to discontinue the drugs temporarily to prevent rare but serious side effects to the jaw and thighs. However, a 2018 study done at the Loyola University Health System in Maywood, IL Medicine study has found that 15.4 percent of patients who take so-called “drug… Continue reading Fifteen Percent of Osteoporosis Patients Who Take “Drug Holidays” Suffer Bone Fractures

Are You at Risk for Osteoporosis? 3 Questions to Ask Yourself for Better Bone Health

May is National Osteoporosis Month, and it’s the perfect time to reevaluate the steps you’re taking to make bone health a priority. Osteoporosis is a condition that results in bones becoming fragile due to density loss over time. 8.9 million fractures occur each year because of the brittle bone condition, and 53 million Americans are… Continue reading Are You at Risk for Osteoporosis? 3 Questions to Ask Yourself for Better Bone Health

What Obesity Does to the Spine

With so much focus on the many health risks of obesity – including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer – many people overlook what obesity can also do to the spine, About one-third of American adults – approximately 79 million people – have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as obese.… Continue reading What Obesity Does to the Spine

Why Exercisers in their 40s and 50s Should “Agercise” Their Workouts

Sprains and strains are painful, but avid exercisers often see them as little more than a nuisance. I call them something else: a blessing. It’s a wake-up call. It’s your body whispering rather than shouting at you. These injuries are warnings that if you keep doing what you’re doing, you could do major damage. We… Continue reading Why Exercisers in their 40s and 50s Should “Agercise” Their Workouts

Osteoporosis-Related Bone Fractures Linked to Air Pollution

Exposure to air pollution is associated with osteoporosis-related loss of bone mineral density and risk of bone fractures, according to a done study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Their findings were published in November 2017 in The Lancet Planetary Health. A release from the university explains that the researchers are… Continue reading Osteoporosis-Related Bone Fractures Linked to Air Pollution

Should You Stop Taking Your Osteoporosis Medication?

Women stopped using bisphosphonates for more than two years showed a significantly higher risk of a hip fracture when compared to other women who continued taking the osteoporosis medication, according to new research. The findings were presented at the 2017 meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP). Osteoporosis is a… Continue reading Should You Stop Taking Your Osteoporosis Medication?

Steroid Hormones Could Hold Clue to Future Osteoporosis Treatment

A group of steroid hormones could provide new insight into the bone loss and deterioration that occurs with aging, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University report. Previous research has shown that the protein histone deacetylase 3, or HDAC3, turns off the genes that encourage the stem cells in our bone marrow… Continue reading Steroid Hormones Could Hold Clue to Future Osteoporosis Treatment

New Guidelines for Treating Osteoporosis

A physicians’ group has recommended new guidelines that doctors treat women who have osteoporosis with bisphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate, or zoledronic acid) or denosumab, a biologic agent. The new guidelines, from the American College of Physicians (ACP), were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, according to a news release from the ACP. ACP’s previous recommendations… Continue reading New Guidelines for Treating Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis Drug Found Safe in Long-Term Trial

A study published in April 2017 in Journal of Bone and Mineral Research provides reassuring information about the short-term and long-term safety of denosumab, a monoclonal antibody that is used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis. A release from the publisher explains that the study showed that adverse events that had been noted in a pivotal clinical… Continue reading Osteoporosis Drug Found Safe in Long-Term Trial

Bone Density Tests: What the Numbers Mean

If you’re considering taking a bone density test, or have taken one but find the result puzzling, here are some helpful explanations from the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Diseases National Resource Center, part of the National Institutes of Health: A bone mineral density (BMD) test is can provide a snapshot of your bone health. The… Continue reading Bone Density Tests: What the Numbers Mean

Outwitting the “Silent Thief” of Osteoporosis

In a world first, new Australian research done in October 2016 has revealed that genetic profiling can help predict whether an individual will break a bone because of osteoporosis. The findings, which are from Australia’s globally-recognized Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study, are likely to contribute to clinical decision making in the future, bringing us one step… Continue reading Outwitting the “Silent Thief” of Osteoporosis

Calcium Supplements Linked to Dementia Risk in Older Women with Certain Health Conditions

According to a study published in the August 17th 2016 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, calcium supplements may be associated with an increased risk of dementia in older women who have had a stroke or other signs of cerebrovascular disease. A release from the academy explains that… Continue reading Calcium Supplements Linked to Dementia Risk in Older Women with Certain Health Conditions