| ARE YOU ENSURING THE HEALTH OF YOUR | | | | Well, if you are on your way to osteoporosis, you |
| BONES? | | | | likely have osteopenia. Your bones are getting brittle |
| It is easy to go through life, focusing on the | | | | and you are more likely to have a fracture. Now, not |
| "important" issues we face - taking care of the | | | | to confuse the situation further, but you should |
| family, doing the shopping, working at our jobs, | | | | understand how your doctor may refer to these |
| making sure our homes are clean. But how often do | | | | terms. Let's say you have a regular X-ray. Your |
| we really focus on ourselves? Especially on our health. | | | | doctor notices thin bones, often referred to as |
| Oh yes, we may occasionally go to our doctor for a | | | | diminished bone calcification. Well if that exists you |
| physical or perhaps we have a recurring health | | | | have osteopenia, whether or not osteoporosis is |
| problem that brings us to doctors. But are we really | | | | present. There are special X-ray machines that are |
| doing everything we can to ensure the health of our | | | | often used specifically for bone density testing. |
| bones? Probably not. It is all too common that we do | | | | MANY ISSUES REDUCE BONE MASS |
| not ask questions about our bone strength or about | | | | Well, back to our story. Did you really take care of |
| osteoporosis until a lot of damage is done. | | | | your bones? Unfortunately, few of us do everything |
| OSTEOPENIA IS THE PRECURSOR TO | | | | we could have or should have done. Plus, events |
| OSTEOPOROSIS | | | | outside of our control often hasten bone loss - early |
| Perhaps you have osteopenia. Osteopenia is the | | | | onset of menopause, certain medications that reduce |
| precursor to osteoporosis. When you have | | | | bone loss, smoking, drinking, you name it - sometimes |
| osteopenia, your bone mass has already thinned - not | | | | it seems like everything is against us! Our poor bones. |
| as severely as when you have osteoporosis, but you | | | | Post menopausal women are most at risk. |
| are on your way to brittle bones. | | | | But have hope. Being aware of potential problems |
| Basically, you get osteopenia when your body does | | | | can be a lifesaver. With proper nutrition, diet and |
| not build new bone mass at the rate you are loosing | | | | exercise bones can be regrown - bone mass ban be |
| old bone mass. Building new bone mass is called | | | | regenerated and osteoporosis does not have to |
| osteoid synthesis (how is that for a mouth full!). | | | | result in life threatening hip and bone fractures. If you |
| Normal bone loss is referred to by an equally | | | | have not been to your doctor lately, schedule a |
| challenging phrase - bone lysis. | | | | checkup - and make sure you have your bone health |
| WE WARY OF DIMINISHED BONE CALCIFICATION | | | | tested. |