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a n d
w h a t t o
d o
n e x t
1 2 - 1 9
p o i n t s
Y o u r b o n e s a r e Y O U N G
G r e a t n e w s : M o s t m a jo r r is k f a c t o r s
fo r o s t e o p o r o s is , s u c h a s fa m ily
h is t o r y a n d b e in g p o s tm e n o p a u s a l,
a r e n ’t a f f e c t in g y o u r ig h t n o w . B u t
it p a y s to b e p r o a c tiv e . T h e y o u n g e r
y o u a r e , th e m o r e e a s ily y o u c a n
b a n k b o n e m a s s . T h is w ill h e lp y o u
a s a g e a n d w a n in g e s t r o g e n s p e e d
t h e b o d y ’s r a te o f b o n e b r e a k d o w n ,
s a y s Ju d i C h e r v e n a k , M .D ., a
r e p r o d u c tiv e e n d o c r in o lo g is t a n d
b o n e d e n s it y e x p e r t a t M o n te fio r e
M e d ic a l C e n te r in N e w Y o rk C ity .
O n e o f th e e a s ie s t w a y s to d o t h is
is to u p y o u r in ta k e o f t h e b o n e -
s t r e n g t h e n in g d u o o f c a lc iu m a n d
v ita m in D . S e e
“ 5
M u s t-R e a d F a c t s
A b o u t C a lc iu m ” o n
p a g e
215
fo r
in f o r m a t io n a b o u t fo o d s o u r c e s a n d
s u p p le m e n ts .
A t t h i s p o in t, it m ig h t a ls o h e lp to
r e c o n s id e r y o u r p r e s c r ip t io n s . T h e
c o n t r a c e p t iv e in je c t io n s s o ld u n d e r
t h e n a m e D e p o -P r o v e r a c a n c a u s e
r e v e r s ib le — b u t s ig n if ic a n t— lo s s
o f b o n e m in e r a l d e n s ity . T h e s a m e
g o e s fo r c o r t ic o s t e r o id s , c o m m o n ly
p r e s c r ib e d fo r in fla m m a to r y
c o n d itio n s s u c h a s ir r it a b le b o w e l
s y n d r o m e . Y o u r d o c t o r c a n a d v is e
y o u o n w a y s to a v o id t h e b o n e -
r o b b in g e f f e c t s .
A n d n o te t h a t w h ile r e s e a r c h
s u g g e s ts t h a t b e in g o v e r w e ig h t
o f f e r s s o m e p r o t e c t io n a g a in s t
b o n e th in n in g ( b e c a u s e f a t t y tis s u e
s t o r e s m o r e e s tr o g e n ) , it is n ’t g o o d
fo r o v e r a ll h e a lth , s a y s A n d re a
S ik o n , M .D ., a n in t e r n is t a t th e
S p e c ia liz e d C e n te r fo r W o m e n ’s
H e a lth a t C le v e la n d C lin ic . T o
b r in g d o w n B M I
a n d
s t r e n g t h e n
b o n e s , t r y to g e t a t le a s t
30
m in u te s
o f w e ig h t-b e a r in g e x e r c i s e — a n y
a c t iv ity y o u d o o n y o u r f e e t th a t
f o r c e s y o u r b o n e s a n d m u s c le s to
w o rk a g a in s t g r a v ity — a t le a s t fiv e
d a y s a w e e k . Id e a l a c t iv it ie s in c lu d e
w a lk in g , d a n c in g , e v e n g a r d e n in g .
(N o n w e ig h t-b e a r in g a c t iv it ie s s u c h
a s s w im m in g , a lth o u g h g r e a t fo r
c a r d io v a s c u la r h e a lt h , d o n ’t h a v e
m u c h e f f e c t o n b o n e d e n s ity .)
2 0 - 4 4
p o i n t s
Y o u r b o n e s a r e M A T U R E
Y o u ’r e p r o b a b ly f a c in g s o m e
o s t e o p o r o s i s r is k f a c t o r s t h a t a r e
b e y o n d y o u r c o n t r o l — t h e r e ’s n o t
m u c h y o u c a n d o a b o u t m e n o p a u s e
o r a n e t h n i c p r e d is p o s it io n .
S o in y o u r c a s e , t h e p a t h to
s t r o n g b o n e s lie s in a h e a lt h y
li f e s t y l e , s a y s N e ls o n B . W a t t s ,
M .D ., d i r e c t o r o f t h e U n iv e r s it y
o f C in c in n a t i B o n e H e a lth a n d
O s t e o p o r o s is C e n te r . F o llo w in g t h e
d ie t a n d e x e r c i s e a d v ic e o u tlin e d
in t h e s e c t i o n fo r w o m e n w ith
y o u n g b o n e s c o r e s , a t
le ft
, c a n
g o a lo n g w a y to o f f s e t s k e le t a l
d is a d v a n t a g e s . B e a r in m in d , t o o ,
t h a t a lc o h o l c a n d is r u p t t h e b o d y ’s
c a lc iu m b a la n c e , s o i t ’s b e s t to
h a v e n o m o r e t h a n tw o d r in k s a
d a y . A n d i f y o u n e e d n e w in c e n t iv e
to k ic k a c i g a r e t t e h a b it , c o n s id e r
t h i s : S m o k in g is t o x i c to t h e b o d y ’s
b o n e - p r o d u c in g o s t e o b l a s t c e lls .
G o to
s m o k e fr e e .g o v
to c o n n e c t
w ith a c o u n s e lo r w h o c a n h e lp y o u
q u it f r e e o f c h a r g e .
I f y o u ’r e p o s t m e n o p a u s a l, a s k
y o u r d o c t o r w h e t h e r y o u s h o u ld
h a v e a b o n e d e n s it y t e s t . T h i s
p a i n le s s
1 0
-m in u te p r o c e d u r e ,
k n o w n a s a D X A s c a n , u s e s X -r a y s
to m e a s u r e t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f
c a lc iu m a n d o t h e r m in e r a ls in a
g iv e n s e g m e n t o f b o n e . A lth o u g h
f e d e r a l g u id e lin e s d o n o t c a ll fo r
r o u t in e s c r e e n i n g b e f o r e a g e
6 5
,
m a n y p h y s ic ia n s r e c o m m e n d a
b a s e li n e D X A s c a n m u c h e a r lie r .
“ W o m e n c a n lo s e u p to
20
p e r c e n t
o f t h e i r b o n e m a s s in t h e fiv e to
s e v e n y e a r s a f t e r m e n o p a u s e ,”
D r. S ik o n e x p l a i n s . “ I f y o u r
b o n e d e n s it y is b o r d e r lin e a t t h e
o n s e t , y o u m a y n e e d to t a k e m o r e
a g g r e s s iv e s t e p s to t h w a r t f u r t h e r
l o s s .” S e e t h e s e c t i o n o n
p a g e
2 13
f o r m o r e o n t h a t .
2 1 2
B E T T E R H O M E S A N D G A R D E N S |
M A Y
2011
|
B H G . C O M
