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

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.

Osteoporosis is a major concern for women who are over 50. If you are post-menopausal and not taking estrogen, the recommended daily allowance of calcium is 1500 milligrams. For women taking estrogen the RDA is 800 milligrams. Be sure to pay extra attention to diet to make sure you are getting enough calcium.

When the available calcium in your blood goes down, the body will draw on the calcium in your bones, which makes bones more porous and weak.

A glass of milk contains only about 300 milligrams of calcium. You may not want to drink 5 cups of milk per day. However, there are other rich sources of calcium that can be included in your diet. Yogurt, soybeans, and cheese are rich in calcium as are broccoli and oranges.

Remember to add calcium rich foods to your diet to keep bones strong!

Have you noticed, when you get up in the morning that you seem a little taller than the night before?  Or worse yet, when you go to bed, the day has worn on you and you are… well - shorter!  Getting older is a pain in the neck. Or back. Particularly the lower back. This is a common problem for women 50+, so all of you aching female Baby Boomers who just aren’t as limber as you used to be, don’t feel too bad. It is happening to us all and it is because of DDD - Degenerative Disc Disease.

DDD happens when the discs between your vertebrae (the horizontal bony parts of your spine) start to… well, degenerate. They get thinner and less cushy. If DDD is severe, they can actually dessicate, meaning they vanish - just poof! And they are gone. DDD is a painful conditon. It limits range of motion, and it can cause loss of height. If the discs dessicate, the loss of height can be substantial! Back health is an important part of every senior and Baby Boomer’s health, and should be an issue that is attended to with a physician’s care.

Degenerative Disc Disease