May is National Osteoporosis Awareness month. Osteoporosis, a serious bone-thinning disorder, makes bones fragile and prone to fracture. It has no symptoms and may progress painlessly until a bone breaks. Women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis.

Academy Award winning actress Sally Field ate well, exercised and maintained a physically active lifestyle. But these factors weren’t enough to protect her from osteoporosis and just shy of her 60th birthday, Sally was diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Since that time, she has been treated with medication that slows bone loss, increased her calcium and Vitamin D intake and been followed closely by her doctor. Today, Sally Field is well on her way back to good bone health and recently spoke before members of Congress about the importance of raising awareness about osteoporosis.

“Osteoporosis and low bone mass is a national health issue, threatening more than 44 million Americans age 50 and older,” Field said. But once detected, the disease is treatable and even reversible. A BMD, or bone mineral density test, can detect the thinning of bone that occurs with osteoporosis.

The actress has begun her own campaign sponsored by Roche and GlaxoSmithKline called Rally with Sally for Bone HealthSM. On the Rally with Sally website, women are encouraged to protect their bone health by pledging to:

* Get adequate calcium and vitamin D
* Take their osteoporosis medication as directed
* Exercise to build strength
* Visit their doctors regularly

For more information on osteoporosis and Sally’s campaign:

Rally With Sally For Bone Health

National Osteoporosis Foundation

Tai Chi, the ancient soft style martial art that consists of slow and graceful movements, is practiced around the world for its health benefits. It is said to improve balance and to increase health and longevity. It is favored because of its low-impact approach to exercise.

Among its many other benefits, including an increased sense of well-being in those who practice it, Tai Chi may reduce tension headaches. In a UCLA study, participants in a 15 week Tai Chi program reported reduced headache pain.

Stress is a leading cause of tension headaches. According to researchers, Tai Chi’s emphasis on relaxation, breathing and coordination may counter stress.

The study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.

Diet has once more been implicated in the development of breast cancer. An extensive study at the University of Leeds followed 35,000 women for seven years, tracking eating habits and health.

The findings indicate that eating red meat increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer and the risk is even higher for post-menopausal women. The higher the intake of red meat, the higher the chance of breast cancer.

For those eating red meat once a day, the risk is 56% higher than those who abstain from red meat.

The risks are even greater for women eating processed meat, such as bacon, sausage or ham. The women eating the highest amount of these meats increased their chance of developing breast cancer by 64%.

Diet does matter when it comes to breast cancer risk. Other studies have shown that, for pre-menopausal women, a diet high in fiber can cut a woman’s risk of breast cancer in half.

Red meat linked to breast cancer University of Leeds

One in three women will suffer from osteoporosis in their lifetimes. Certain lifestyle factors such as smoking, inadequate intake of Vitamin D amd calcium, excessive alcohol consumption can increase a woman’s risk of developing osteoporosis. Age, family history of osteoporosis, menopause and low body weight can also be risk factors.

Because osteoporosis left undiagnosed and untreated can be disabling and increase your risk of fracture, the International Osteoporosis Foundation invites women to take their interactive
IOF One Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test.

For more information about osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment, visit the International Osteoporosis Foundation’s website.