By: Joe Graedon December 22, 2024 60 Comments
    How Did Doctors Go So Wrong on Calcium and Vitam…

    For decades, physicians have been advising their older female patients to take extra calcium and vitamin D for bone strength. It seemed logical. Both calcium and vitamin D play a role in building bone…

    By: Terry Graedon March 20, 2024 51 Comments
    What Is the Story on Calcium Supplements?

    When medical experts change their minds, the rest of us may become confused. One such flip-flop that has puzzled a lot of people concerns calcium supplements. For years, doctors urged their older pati…

    By: Terry Graedon August 3, 2023 21 Comments
    If You Are a Vegan or Vegetarian, Are Your Bones…

    Many people choose not to eat meat because of environmental, ethical or health considerations. At least one study has shown, for example, that people on a vegan diet have lower levels of inflammation …

    By: Terry Graedon December 3, 2020 1 Comments
    Greater Microbe Diversity Found With More Active…

    Vitamin D circulates in the body as 25-hydroxyvitamin D, an inactive precursor of active vitamin D, known as 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. Most studies simply measure the precursor, but researchers at UCSD…

    By: Terry Graedon September 5, 2019 5 Comments
    What Are the Pros and Cons of Drinking?

    Doctors strongly debate the pros and cons of drinking. On the one hand, alcohol abuse causes enormous suffering both for the affected individuals and their families. On the other hand, for years resea…

    By: Terry Graedon August 29, 2019 10 Comments
    How Well Does Vitamin D Help Fight Osteoporosis?

    Vitamin D has a reputation for building strong bones, so you might expect that taking supplements would help fight osteoporosis. Unfortunately, a study published in JAMA suggests that might be unreali…

    By: Joe Graedon April 11, 2019 9 Comments
    FDA Approves Evenity to Build Bone Against Osteo…

    The FDA has just approved a new drug for osteoporosis that works differently than existing medications. Romosozumab will be sold under the brand name Evenity. This injectable monoclonal antibody actua…

    By: Terry Graedon March 14, 2019 5 Comments
    Are Dog-Walkers at Risk for Broken Bones?

    For years, health experts have been telling people that exercise is critical for good health and that walking is great exercise. Dog ownership can contribute: Regular dog-walkers get more exercise tha…

    By: Terry Graedon January 10, 2019 4 Comments
    Are Older People More Likely to Fall on Antidepr…

    Older people may be at particular risk of falls and fractures when they take antidepressants. Back in 2012, experts added SSRI and SNRI type drugs such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and venlafaxine (Effexor)…

    By: Terry Graedon January 3, 2019 4 Comments
    Will Long Term Exercise Help You Avoid a Fall?

    As people age, their balance and coordination may become compromised. According to the National Council on Aging, one in four Americans over 65 years old takes a fall each year. Moreover, falls are a …

    By: Terry Graedon October 8, 2018 14 Comments
    Will You Get Osteoporosis If You Take Omeprazole…

    Do you take omeprazole (Prilosec) or another proton pump inhibitor such as esomeprazole (Nexium) or lansoprazole (Prevacid)? Such PPI drugs were once thought to be relatively free of side effects, but…

    By: Joe Graedon October 4, 2018 12 Comments
    An Old Drug (Zoledronate) Offers New Hope Agains…

    Weakened bones are a very big deal. If an older person falls and breaks a hip the outcome can be grim. There is pain. There is also lack of mobility. That can lead to blood clots that migrate from leg…

    By: Terry Graedon September 13, 2018 10 Comments
    Will Tai Ji Help Keep You from Falling?

    Older people have a justified fear of falling. A broken hip often leads to disability or death. That’s why it is so important to prevent falls. A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine sugges…

    By: Terry Graedon June 16, 2018 17 Comments
    Can You Boost Your Bone Density with Exercise?

    Weakened bones with low bone density put a person at risk for fracture. When an older person breaks a hip, the consequences can be devastating. As a result, it makes sense to look for ways to boost yo…

    By: Terry Graedon May 20, 2018 13 Comments
    Could Vitamin B12 Deficiency Make You Fall?

    Falls are a great fear as people get older and less steady on their feet. And no wonder: a fall can result in broken bones and greatly reduced mobility. More than a fourth of older adults who break a …

    By: Joe Graedon March 12, 2018 18 Comments
    Should You Worry About Calcium Side Effects Like…

    Until recently, extra calcium was considered essential for good health. Millions of women popped a calcium pill or two every day. They assumed there were no calcium side effects, though some complaine…

    By: Terry Graedon July 24, 2017 2 Comments
    Will Magnesium Help Prevent Broken Bones?

    Keeping bones strong calls for life-long attention. During childhood and adolescence, bones increase in density and strength until early to mid-adulthood. To avoid broken bones in later years, we need…

    By: Terry Graedon February 23, 2017 4 Comments
    Will Testosterone Therapy Strengthen Your Bones?

    Results of the T Trials are just in and provide more information about the pros and cons of testosterone therapy. This treatment for men whose own testosterone levels are low has been controversial. W…

    By: Terry Graedon February 2, 2017 4 Comments
    What Is the Best Diet for Strong Bones?

    Is there a connection between diet and osteoporosis? Women who want to keep their bones strong might wish to follow the best diet, which is an anti-inflammatory diet. What Is the Link Between Diet and…

    By: Joe Graedon January 19, 2017 7 Comments
    Will Antidepressant Medications Increase Your Ri…

    Antidepressants are among the most popular pills in the drugstore. A research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine (Dec. 12, 2016) noted that one in six adults take psychiatric drugs. Antidepressant medic…

    By: Terry Graedon August 25, 2016 12 Comments
    How to Avoid a Fracture by Changing Your Medicin…

    Older people who break a bone are at a significantly greater risk for another fracture. This also increases their chance of premature death, as well as pain, infection, depression and functional decl…

    By: Terry Graedon March 31, 2016 1 Comments
    How to Avoid a Broken Hip with a Mediterranean D…

    One of the most dreaded complications for older women is a broken hip. But there are ways women can lower their risk. A long-running study of about 90,000 women shows that those who follow a Mediterr…

    By: Terry Graedon January 7, 2016 11 Comments
    Boosting Vitamin D Did Not Keep Seniors from Fal…

    Vitamin D is crucial to bone health, but also may be essential for muscle strength. Previous research has indicated that older people with too little vitamin D in their systems are more susceptible to…

    By: Joe Graedon October 8, 2015 6 Comments
    Drinking Tea Helps Protect Bones

    The recent news that calcium and vitamin D supplements don't seem to be effective in preventing osteoporotic fractures has left many people wondering what they can do to keep their bones sound. New re…

    By: Joe Graedon September 24, 2015 3 Comments
    Don’t Fall!

    Just slightly late but always topical, in honor of National Falls Prevention Awareness Day,  September 23, 2015, we offer this by our colleague Bernadette Keefe, MD. Take a Stand to Prevent Falls "O…

    By: Joe Graedon July 23, 2015 3 Comments
    Marijuana Ingredient Helps Bones Heal Faster

    New research in rats suggests that marijuana contains a compound that can help broken bones heal faster. This claim sounds sensational, but Israeli scientists used cannabidiol, a chemical that does n…

    By: Joe Graedon July 2, 2015 4 Comments
    SSRIs for Hot Flashes Raise the Risk of Fracture…

    Commonly prescribed antidepressants called SSRIs are linked to fractures in older women. These drugs have become popular to treat the menopausal symptoms of hot flashes and night sweats. That's becaus…

    By: Joe Graedon June 29, 2015 9 Comments
    Pain Reliever Might Slow Healing from a Bone Fra…

    The old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt," may have more than a kernel of truth for over-the-counter drugs. Actually, the attitude most Americans hold toward these familiar nonprescription brands …

    By: Joe Graedon March 26, 2015 12 Comments
    How Can Elderly People Avoid Falls?

    A fall can be devastating for an older person. Breaking a hip is associated with a high risk of premature death as a result of complications. Fall Prevention That's why doctors are interested in ways …

    By: Terry Graedon March 7, 2013 1 Comments
    Sleep Aids Linked to Broken Hips

    Sleeping pills should be prescribed only with caution to older people. A case-crossover study of more than 15,000 nursing home residents in the US found that those taking "Z-drugs" as sleep aids were …

    By: Joe Graedon November 29, 2012 2 Comments
    Bounce Houses Pose Risk

    Inflatable play equipment such as bounce houses or moon walks are popular but may be far riskier than parents imagine. What could be more fun than jumping high on a bouncy surface? It sure beats jumpi…

    By: Terry Graedon February 13, 2012 18 Comments
    Hip Fractures Linked to Heartburn Drugs

    Q. I have just read that powerful acid-suppressing drugs are linked to hip fractures. My doctor wants me to stay on Prevacid even though I have expressed my concerns to him. When I told him what I had…

    By: Terry Graedon May 23, 2011 12 Comments
    Broken Thigh on Osteoporosis Treatment

    Q. My sister has been on the osteoporosis drugs Fosamax, Forteo and Reclast during the last ten years. The first of March her leg just gave way and she had a broken femur. She has also had jaw and tee…

    By: Terry Graedon June 2, 2010 1 Comments
    Fractures Linked to Heartburn Drugs

    Several weeks ago there were a number of reports in the Archives of Internal Medicine about the potential dangers of acid-suppressing drugs. Now the FDA has issued a caution to doctors and patients ab…

    By: Terry Graedon May 13, 2010 0 Comments
    Can Vitamin D and Physical Therapy Improve Fract…

    Older people who had suffered a hip fracture were randomly assigned to receive extended or standard physical therapy. They were also given either high-dose or medium-dose vitamin D supplementation. Th…