Osteoporosis

My wife is 66 and suffers from severe osteoporosis. Could you tell me if there are any new treatments for her disorder?Osteoporosis results from an imbalance between the continuing processes of calcium removal from bone (bone resorption) and calcium entry into the bone (mineralization or bone formation). When resorption overtakes formation, the result is a decrease in bone density and strength.A diagnosis of osteoporosis is made in postmenopausal women when bone mineral density is at least two standard deviations below the average level found in premenopausal women.

On April 14, 2009, Yvette Sikora The family will received visitors at the family owned Kirkley-Ruddick Funeral Home, 421 Crain Higway S.E., Glen Burnie, on Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday at 10 A.M. at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Interment Crownsville Veterans Cemetery. Donations in her name may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1041 Route 3 North, Building 1, Gambrills, MD 21054 or to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 1232 22nd Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-1292 Please visit www.kirkleyruddickfuneralhome.

Q: I am 65 years old and was advised never to take estrogen following surgery for breast cancer. I am concerned about osteoporosis and wonder whether it can be prevented by taking calcium supplements.A: A recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr. Robert Heaney has clarified the confusing results of the many studies done to determine the effects of dietary calcium on the development of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Most, but not all, of these studies showed that calcium supplements slowed the loss of bone or reduced the number of fractures.

My 62-year-old husband had a prostatectomy a year ago. It was successful, but he continues to have bladder problems. His urologist put him on Detrol for this. When he started acting confused and paranoid, I got concerned. At the urologist's appointment I explained this to the doctor, and he matter-of-factly muttered that "yes, a side effect is cognitive decline." I was shocked and very upset that this was not in any of the pharmacy inserts we got with the prescription. Why isn't this information more accessible?

Maryland Del. Marilyn R. Goldwater, a Montgomery County Democrat, and Del. Barbara Frush, a Prince George's Democrat, JTC will talk about recent legislative developments pertaining to the prevention of osteoporosis, education about the disease and reimbursement of bone-density testing for the disease from 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow at a meeting of the Osteoporosis Awareness Group at Laurel Regional Hospital, 7300 Van Duesen Road, Laurel.The group meets quarterly. Admission is free. Light refreshments will be served.

Like so many of my women colleagues and friends, I seem to get just a tiny bit shorter every year. The villain in this is clearly osteoporosis. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, more than 50 percent of all women over 45 have osteoporosis of the spine. Virtually all women over 80 have at least some osteoporosis. With women now living to an average age of 79 years, most of us can anticipate osteoporosis as one problem of aging.This can become particularly alarming when one considers that the most common cause of fractures for women over 80 is weakened and brittle bone caused by osteoporosis.

Is it dangerous to have chiropractic treatments if you have osteoporosis? Scientifically, there is little data on chiropractic in people with osteoporosis, said Anthony L. Rosner, a Brookline, Mass., biochemist who is director of research and education for the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research. There is also little data suggesting that people with osteoporosis are injured by chiropractic treatment, in which the spine is manipulated to restore proper alignment of vertebrae.

Osteoporosis. The old-woman's disease, right?Indeed osteoporosis -- the degenerative condition that weakens bones and makes them susceptible to fracture -- affects more than 20 million American women. It is eight times more common in women than in men and affects one in every four women over 50.But there are misconceptions about osteoporosis, and perhaps the most misleading is that the time to be concerned about it is in old age. In fact, the most critical time for building bone mass is the teen-age years.

A new study strongly suggests that widespread deficiencies of vitamin D may play a big role in causing the bone-wasting disease osteoporosis among older Americans.The researchers attributed vitamin D deficiencies to two factors of growing importance: insufficient dietary intake and inadequate exposure to sunlight, which stimulates production of vitamin D in the skin.The study findings, being published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest not only that millions of American adults lack enough vitamin D in their blood to protect their bones but also that newly upgraded recommendations for vitamin D intake may be inadequate to prevent osteoporosis in many older people.

New dietary guidelines say Americans should consume more calcium every day to help prevent osteoporosis, the bone-wasting condition that affects 25 million Americans -- primarily women.Almost everyone over the age of 8 needs to consume about a serving more of calcium -- roughly 300 milligrams -- every day, according to guidelines issued yesterday by the Institute of Medicine, a health policy organization that is part of the National Academy of Sciences.In most instances, the changes add up to roughly a glass of milk, an ounce of hard cheese, one cup of calcium-fortified juice or one slice of cheese pizza a day.Children ages 9 to 19 should consume 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day, the report says.

Police seek suspect in burglary County police are asking for help finding a suspect in the burglary of a home in White Marsh and for questioning in six other burglaries, authorities said. Police said they have obtained a warrant for McClayton Daniels, 42, whose address is unknown. The burglary took place during the day April 18 when the house in the first block of Manor Ave. was unoccupied, authorities said. When police arrived, they found that a back kitchen door had a glass panel broken where entry was made.

The Central Library, 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway, will sponsor a talk by Meena Chellaiah of the University of Maryland Dental School, "Strong Bones, Strong Women," at 10 a.m. Aug. 25. She will discuss the causes of osteoporosis and how to prevent it, including lifestyle choices and nutrition. Registration begins Aug. 11. Information: 410-313-7800. Flumpa the frog to appear at mall Flumpa and Friends Live! -- starring Wendy Whitten (the Singing Scientist) and Flumpa, a tree frog in a science and fitness show for kids -- will be at The Mall in Columbia at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Women who take pills to stave off osteoporosis could have an alternative treatment for thinning bones: a single, annual intravenous infusion that takes about 15 minutes in a doctor's office, according to a report released today. The downside to the treatment is a slightly elevated risk of erratic heart rhythms, which have been linked to stroke.

Why is Merck spending so much money advertising Fosamax Plus D? Could it be that the company is worried people will quit this osteoporosis drug after learning that the benefits persist even after stopping use? I recently read that acid-suppressing drugs such as Nexium and Prilosec may be linked to hip fractures. Drugs such as Fosamax can cause symptoms of heartburn, for which people would take acid suppressors. Could this create a vicious cycle? Two articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Dec.

Events Medical Laboratory Expo -- Maryland Science Center, 601 Light St., Key Highway entrance / Browse vaccine development and disease exhibitions and hear doctors speak on bioterrorism and mad cow disease. 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Free. 866-272-3531. Oral health education -- Baltimore County's Department of Aging will offer presentations to seniors on dental care and how to spot oral cancer. The presentations are at local senior centers through May 12. Free. 410-887-2594. Classes Smoking cessation -- Chase Brexton Health Services, 10 W. Eager St. / Six-week class starts Monday.

Women at high risk for breast cancer might have a safer option for preventing the disease, doctors said yesterday after concluding one of the largest breast cancer prevention trials in history. A nationwide trial among more than 19,000 post-menopausal women showed that a popular drug used to prevent and treat osteoporosis is just as effective in staving off breast cancer as the older standby, tamoxifen, but with fewer side effects. Both medications cut in half a woman's chance of developing breast cancer, but women taking the osteoporosis drug - called raloxifene and sold as Evista - developed fewer uterine cancers and blood clots.

It's a disease that has come to be known as "the silent thief" because it robs individuals of their bone strength without showing any symptoms. It's also known as "a women's disease." But osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to thin, weaken and break easily, affects women and men -- nearly half of all people over the age of 75. Experts are urging more men to bone up on some hard facts -- one in eight men over age 50 will have an osteoporotic fracture of some kind in his lifetime.

CHICAGO - Researchers in Iceland and France say they have discovered genes that play key roles in the development of the bone-loss disorder osteoporosis and extreme obesity, common diseases that affect millions of people. Emphasizing that the genes are not the whole story and that other genes, plus environmental and lifestyle factors will prove important, the discoveries nonetheless could lead to new drugs and screening tests to inform people of their susceptibility years - perhaps even decades - before trouble develops, the scientists said.

Red Cross offering classes in CPR The Central Maryland Red Cross will offer a class in adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow at First Presbyterian Church, 9325 Presbyterian Circle, Columbia. The class will also be offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 15 and 29 at Owen Brown Community Center, 6800 Cradlerock Way, Columbia. The cost is $40. Adult, infant and child CPR classes will be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow at First Presbyterian Church and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 29 at Owen Brown Community Center.

I'm a woman in my 40s. I usually get my cardio in each week, but my friends tell me I need to be lifting. Is this true, and how do I get started on something that's not going to take over my entire day? This is one of those times that it makes sense to listen to your friends. Strength training is important for a woman of your age, in part because it helps keep your bones strong. It's not uncommon for women as young as 35 to enter a phase called osteopenia, in which the body starts to lose bone density.