The advice given in this book is often quite different from what you’d hear from your specialist or primary care doctor. I won’t say I agree 100% with everything Colbin says in her book, but she does present a different view than you’d normally hear in your doctor’s office. And, at a time when drug companies seem more in charge than ever, a different opinion isn’t such as bad thing. Think about this for a minute: When’s the last time you visited a doctor and didn’t see a drug company rep walking in to speak with someone?

In The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach, Colbin, founder of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in NYC, shares with readers risk factors for bone fracture, why medication (including calcium supplements) and estrogen therapy may not work, how nutrients in whole foods build bone mass, and 85 recipes to help build bones with whole foods. The recipes presented include several different stocks and a variety of leafy greens, as well as other vegetables, fish and chicken.

In addition to recipes, the author includes detailed lists of all the best foods for bones. Colbin also explains how exercise and achieving personal balance can help prevent fragility fractures, menopause-related bone loss and osteoporosis.

The Whole Food Guide to Strong Bones isn’t the most exciting read ever. Sometimes the guide has the tone of a textbook, with in-depth explanations of bone composition, hormones, minerals and vitamins. The idea is to get a better understanding of your bones as living parts of your body, affected by everything you do, including eating that sugary snack! However, the author also includes many real-life examples and personal stories, so all isn’t dry.

The best thing that Colbin accomplishes with this book is to show you that all’s not as cut and dry as your doc or drug makers might have you believe. It’s certainly not a bad book to have around when you’re planning meals. Plus, it’s not just a book for women. Men suffer from bone fractures too! Read more about Colbin’s guide at FoodAndHealing.com.

(Image via New Harbinger Publications)

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Review: Whole Food Guide to Strong Bones

There has been a suspicion that there is a connection between depression and osteoporosis, but studies have been small. To address this, researchers from Hebrew University researchers looked at data from all studies analyzed them to see what they could find. The results of their meta-analysis were gathered from 23 studies, which studied 2,327 people with depression and 21,141 without depression.

According to this news release, Connection between depression and osteoporosis detailed by Hebrew University researchers, the connection is clear.

[D]epressed individuals have a substantially lower bone density than non-depressed people and that depression is associated with a markedly elevated activity of cells that breakdown bone (osteoclasts).

[The researchers] found that the association between depression and bone loss was stronger in women than men, especially young women before the end of their monthly period. This connection was especially strong in women with clinical depression diagnosed by a psychiatrist, but not in community studies, in which women subjectively identified themselves as being depressed using self-rating questionnaires.

Osteoporosis is a devastating disease. It affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over 50, throughout the world.

The authors of the study say that women and men who are diagnosed as clinically depressed should be monitored for osteoporosis. What would be interesting would be to know if these people take antidepressants and if this may affect the development of osteoporosis.

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Image: iStock.com

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Depression and Osteoporosis Connection

Bone loss is dangerous since it may lead to osteoporosis, which increases the risk for fractures. Osteoporosis affects one in three women over 50, making it the most widespread degenerative disease in the developed world.

Since there haven’t been many large studies on the association between depression and osteoporosis, the US National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization haven’t recognized depression as an official risk factor for osteoporosis. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers want to help make the association official. They studied data from all research on the subject using a statistical approach called meta-analysis. The data studied was from 23 research projects conducted in eight countries. The study compared bone density among 2,327 people suffering from depression and 21,141 non-depressed people.

The study results revealed that depressed people have much lower bone density than non-depressed people. Another finding is that depression is associated with elevated activity of osteoclasts — cells that break down bone. The study findings were published in Biological Psychiatry.

In light of their study results, Prof. Raz Yirmiya and Prof. Itai Bab, both of Hebrew University of Jerusalem suggest that:

“all individuals psychiatrically diagnosed with major depression are at risk for developing osteoporosis, with depressed young women showing the highest risk. These patients should be periodically evaluated for progression of bone loss and signs of osteoporosis, allowing the use of anti-osteoporotic prophylactic and therapeutic treatments.”

(Image via flickr/Erik Charlton)

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Depression as Risk Factor for Bone Loss

According to this article, 100-Year-Old Woman Gets Relief From Debilitating Back Pain After Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, balloon kyphoplasty is a procedure where:

a needle and tube are used to create a small pathway into the fractured bone. Orthopedic balloons are inserted and then inflated inside the fractured bone in an attempt to restore vertebral body height and correct angular deformity. Inflation of the balloons creates cavities in the vertebral body that are filled with bone cement, forming an “internal cast” to support the surrounding bone and prevent further collapse.

What makes this story so unique is the patient – at 100 years old, it could be difficult to find a doctor willing to do any type of medical procedure, for fear of causing further harm or even death. Others may feel that at 100 years old, it’s best to leave well enough alone. But, luckily for Ms. Daniels, this wasn’t the case. Hopefully, she’ll continue to walk about and live her life to the fullest for as long as she can.

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Image: iStock.com

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100-Year-Old Has Successful Back Surgery

Despite pot’s lack of legal status, it’s a fairly easy to get hold of “drug” and used by many people, for medicinal purposes or now.

Earlier research into the use of pot has shown that it can help weaken your bones, but now it seems that this is only in young people. Researchers have found that later on in life, pot may actually help prevent osteoporosis. The researchers, working out of the University of Edinburgh, are still in the very early stages of their studies. They are only now basing their comments on mice studies. However, this could prove to be quite promising.

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Image: Newscom.com

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Pot May Help Strengthen Bones

Osteoporosis, thinning of the bones, affects approximately 10 million Americans. It’s a silent disease, one you don’t know you have until you break a bone, likely from a very innocent and not hard fall. More women get osteoporosis than men, because being post-menopausal increases your risk of developing it. However, men can easily fall into the category of higher risk if they’re of slim build, take corticosteroids for health issues, alcohol abuse, and so on.

According to this article, Osteoporosis-linked Fractures Have Risen Dramatically,

[F]ractures associated with osteoporosis:

- Accounted for one-fourth of the roughly 1 million hospitalizations in 2006 of patients with osteoporosis.
- Cost hospitals $2.4 billion in 2006.
- Caused women to be six times more likely to be hospitalized than men.
- Involved mostly older patients: 90 percent of hospitalizations were for age 65 and older and 37 percent for patients age 85 and older.
- Were highest in the Midwest (107 per 100,000 people) and lowest in the West (68 per 100,000 people).

Do you have osteoporosis?

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Image: iStock.com

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Osteoporosis Fractures More Common Now

Researchers recruited 102 women who were aged between 45 and 85 years. They were post menopausal and had fractured a wrist, called a Colle’s fracture . A Colle’s fracture involves a break of the end of the radius bone of the forearm. All the women were casted, none had surgery to repair the fracture.

The group was divided into three. For eight weeks, one group received a placebo (sugar pill), one received 20 micrograms of PTH and the last group received 40 micrograms.

The results showed that there wasn’t much difference between the 40 microgram and the 20 microgram groups in healing time, but the 20 microgram group healed at an average of 7.4 weeks, while it took an average of 9.1 weeks for the placebo group to heal.

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Image: StockXchnge.com

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Medication May Help Fractures Heal

Are you at risk? Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you have a small frame (bone structure)?

2. Are you of Caucasian or Asian ancestry?

3. Are you a woman?

4. If you are a woman, are you postmenopausal? If so, was it early?

5. Have you broken any bones in what seemed to be fairly minor accidents?

6. Have you ever received high doses or long-term treatment with glucosteroid medications (like prednisone) or high doses of thyroid medications?

7. While growing up, did you consume a lot of diary products or other sources of calcium? Do you now?

8. Are  you physically active?

9. Do you drink a lot of alcohol?

10. Do you smoke?

What your answers tell you:

People with small bone structures, as well as those who are Caucasian or Asian have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis.

Although both men and women can – and do – develop osteoporosis, women are at much higher risk than men. The risk increases in women if they are postmenopausal and even more so with when the menopause occurred. The earlier, the higher the risk of osteoporosis.

Breaking bones in what are called low velocity accidents can be a sign of weak bones.

Certain medications, like prednisone, are life savers for many people. Without it, they could die from serious diseases. However, long-term use of these medications also affects the bones, causing osteoporosis in many people.

Your diet as a child and adolescent plays a role in bone strength now. If you had limited calcium intake as a child, you are at risk of osteoporosis. Of course, it’s never too late to be sure you are getting enough calcium now, so your current diet is also important.

Lifestyle also plays a role in osteoporosis. By being physically active with weight-bearing activities, you are helping your bones stay stronger. But, if you smoke or drink a lot of alcohol, you are working against yourself.

So, are you at high risk of developing osteoporosis? If you think you are, speak with your doctor to see what you may be able to do to reduce your risk or to get treatment to prevent what could become life-threatening fractures.

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Images: iStock and MorgueFile.com

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10 Questions About Your Osteoporosis Risk

Ursula Andress

Ms Andress, born in Swizterland in 1936, was one of the major sexy women and actresses of her time. If you look at her now, you’d hardly believe she’s in her 70s. But, despite taking good care of her body and her physical beauty, time has ravaged her bones, resulting in osteoporosis.

As a result of her diagnosis with osteoporosis, Ms Andress agreed to become a spokesperson for the disease, teaching women about the importance of osteoporosis prevention and treatment.

To do this, she became involved in the “Timeless Women Campaign ,” an undertaking of the International Osteoporosis Foundation .

According to the website, Ms Andress says,

“Women need to speak up about their bone health and talk to their doctor about the best treatment for them. They need to find a therapy that will not only help to protect them against osteoporosis year after year, but will also suit their varied and active lives. My advice to women with this disease is to be happy, be aware and take care!”

Sally Field

Ms Andress isn’t the only celebrity to speak out about the need for osteoporosis prevention and management. Sally Field , who is 10 years younger than Ms Andress, was diagnosed with the disease in 2005, just before her 60th birthday. In Ms Field’s case, she was at high risk of developing osteoporosis because of her body. She’s tiny, thin, and small boned. Women with this build are at a higher risk.

Ms Field is also trying to raise awareness of the disease and has done many interviews about her life and her diagnosis.

If you’re a woman nearing 60, do you know if you are at risk? If not, do you have any plans? Will you speak to your doctor?

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Images: Bauer-Griffin.com

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Ursula Andress: Bond to Osteoporosis

Women with osteoporosis, that are taking or have taken Fosamax, should ask their health care provider about an alternative treatment.

Patient’s that are taking or have taken Fosamax are twice as likely to develop an irregular heartbeat. The risk is higher for those that have a family history of heart failure.

There is an 86% higher risk for atrial fibrillation, for patient’s that have taken Fosamax. A study at University of Washington found that 3% of the women in their study of new cases of atrial fibrillation may be due to their use of the drug Fosamax.

When you have a question about any medication that is prescribed for you, don’t hesitate to ask your health care provider about side effects.

Make sure that you always get a printout of the side effects of the prescriptions at your pharmacy as well.

You will learn more about Fosamax, by clicking here  Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

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Fosamax Causes Irregular Heartbeat