Assessing & Treating Bone Loss #1

Assessing & Treating Bone Loss: Seven Tips For Improving Outcomes

Because of its very slow and insidious nature, osteoporosis is challenging to evaluate. Bone loss begins years if not decades before patients suffer fractures. Yet long-term daily drug therapy carries significant risk of side effects, a big price tag, and major compliance challenges.

The key is to determine early on who is at greatest risk for fracture, and who truly needs intensive therapy. “We’re all concerned about long-term use of bisphosphonates. The questions are, who really needs them, who does not, and when to stop therapy once it’s begun?” said Jill Vargo, MD, Co-Director of the Asheville Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center.

Speaking at the annual winter meeting of the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Vargo said these are important questions given that an estimated 34 million Americans have low bone mineral density (BMD) of the hip, and there are roughly 300,000 hip fractures annually. That number is going to soar in the next decade, as the population ages.

In general, anyone at risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures should:

--Take Vitamin D (and Calcium) Daily: Aim for serum vitamin D levels of 50 ng/ml. For most patients that means 1,000-2,000 IU per day.

--Engage in Regular Weight-Bearing Exercise: Not only does it strengthen bone and muscle, it also improves coordination and balance. Exercise need not be strenuous or intensive, just frequent and enjoyable.

--Get Involved in a Fall Prevention Program: It is not osteoporosis itself that disables someone, it is the falls and fractures. Patients and their families need to learn how to minimize fall risk.

--Avoid Alcohol & Tobacco: Smoking accelerates bone loss, to say nothing of its other health compromising effects. Heavy alcohol intake can impair balance, coordination and reflex speed, increasing risk of falls.

https://holisticprimarycare.net/topics/topics-h-n/healthy-aging/954-assessing-a-treating-bone-loss-seven-tips-for-improving-outcomes

http://www.depsyl.com

http://back2basicnutrition.com/

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/