Expert Insights on Osteoporosis
20s What’s Happening – Consolidation of Growth This is the period of consolidation during which peak bone mass is achieved. Peak bone mass is the maximum bone mass attained. You reach the maximum bone mass by your late 20s to early 30s. There is considerable variation in peak bone mass both within and between races.… Read more
What’s Happening – Growth and Development Regardless of the start of puberty, it may continue for up to six years. Boys have approximately two years of growth more than girls. In addition, boys usually have a greater increase in the rate of growth during puberty than girls. As a result, boys have larger bones after… Read more
Planning If you’re planning to start trying to have a baby, you should take a few simple steps to optimize your own bone health. Of course, all these measures are good for your general health, too. Stop drinking alcohol You will have to stop once you are pregnant. As you know, there is a… Read more
A fall from standing height is considered a fracture due to fragile bones. Typically a diagnosis of osteoporosis is made based on the fracture regardless of one’s bone density. But what if you break a bone from a fall from a ladder or are in an automobile crash? Or like our friend who fell through… Read more
“OMG” was my husband’s reaction when he received news that his buddy broke several bones from a fall. This idyllic setting is fraught with many hazards. His buddy, a seasoned sailor, backed up not realizing his hatch was open. He landed on his back striking his upper back. An evaluation at the ER revealed he… Read more
Vitamin D is linked with muscle function and performance. A new study shows low vitamin D even in professional football players. In a small study of a single NFL team, researchers included vitamin D levels as part of the routine pre-season evaluation conducted in the spring of 2010. Only one-fifth of the players had normal… Read more
The calcium controversy helps draw attention to bone health. That’s good! Lots of media over a study with lots of flaws and a “trivial result.” Here’s my opinion on the meta-analysis of calcium supplements and risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular events released yesterday on BMJ online first. ➤ Heart disease was not the focus… Read more
Insurance coverage for preventive services is changing with the new health care act. Our insurance plans have been crisis-oriented for coverage and reimbursement of preventive services. For instance, no problem paying for your hip fracture but not your bone density screening. Let’s see, one cost the system about $40,000 for surgery and post surgery care… Read more
Remember the outcry about when to screen for mammography? The public and health professional’s objections were deafening in response to the US Preventive Services Task Force’s new guidelines for screening ages for mammograms. To avoid a similar boondoggle, the US Preventive Services Task Force released a draft guideline for screening for osteoporosis today. They asked… Read more
I just returned from attending a family reunion on the east coat. Like any vacation your schedule is changed and you get to do things you usually don’t do. For me, that was staying up late. Of course, it helped for the first few days that my body was still on west coast time. Saturday… Read more