Osteoporosis
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…
Prolia for Osteoporosis Can Cause Critically Low…
The CDC estimates that over 10 million Americans have osteoporosis. Another 43 million have “low bone mass.” Bones can become weak because of illness, nutritional deficiencies, low levels of estro…
Eating Prunes Can Reduce Inflammation and Improv…
In the 1970s the California Prune Advisory Board promoted its product as the “FUNNY FRUIT.” These days, prunes are advertised as dried plums. Researchers at Penn State investigated how eating prun…
Show 1342: Balancing Your Movement Diet for Good…
Physical activity is a key pillar of good health. Fewer than a fourth of American adults move their bodies enough to keep them healthy. The rest of us may spend too much time sitting in front of a com…
Reclast Side Effects Incapacitate Patient
Before agreeing to take any medication, people should be aware of the benefits and risks. There are a number of drugs that are used to combat osteoporosis, which is certainly a benefit. But all of the…
Are Calcium Pills Hardening Your Heart Arteries?
One of the biggest flip-flops in modern healthcare disappeared without a trace. For decades, doctors, nutrition experts and registered dietitians have been urging women to take calcium pills to streng…
Alendronate Makes Dental Correction More Difficu…
Are your bones strong and healthy? Or have they begun to weaken? As we age, many of us develop osteoporosis, a condition that leaves our bones porous and at risk of fractures. To address this problem,…
What’s the Best Way to Take Delayed Releas…
We get excited when people ask about the best way to take their medicine. If you take certain medicines with food, you may not absorb them well. Other medicines get into your system better if you take…
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…
Will Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Also Fight Osteo…
Viagra is the widely recognized brand name for sildenafil. Doctors treating men for erection problems may prescribe that medication. On the other hand, they might prescribe different erectile dysfunct…
What Can Vitamin K2 Do for You?
The early 20th century was the Golden Age of vitamin research. Scientists identified previously unknown compounds and named them in order: vitamins A, B, C and so on. The B vitamins turned out to be a…
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…
Will Boniva Interact with Her Pain Reliever?
You may think of bones as hard and unchanging, but that is a misconception. Living bones are constantly undergoing remodeling. Some cells break down bone tissue while other cells build it up. If the b…
Antibacterial Chemical Boosts Risk of Osteoporos…
For decades, Americans embraced antibacterial products. They sought out hand sanitizers, soaps, kitchen cleansers, toothpastes and cosmetics with an ingredient called triclosan. Toys, clothing and kit…
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…
Show 1139: Will Supplements Keep Your Bones Stro…
For years, people were urged to take calcium supplements to avoid losing bone density. This advice was aimed particularly at menopausal and postmenopausal women because they are especially susceptible…
Will Osteoporosis Drugs Make Your Joints Hurt?
As people age, both muscle mass and bone density begin to fade. The consequences of bone loss can be devastating. When bones become weak, they break easily. If an older person fractures a hip, they ma…
The Inside Story on Zoledronate (Reclast) and Bo…
The headlines have been enthusiastic: “Osteoporosis drug Shows Promise for Fracture Prevention.” NPR ran a story that emphasized the strong evidence supporting zoledronate as a safe drug to preven…
Should You Take Vitamin D Supplements for Strong…
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones. When young children don’t get enough vitamin D, they can develop a bone deformity called rickets. This nutrient acts as a hormone in the body. It is vital fo…
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…
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…
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…
Agonizing Constipation from Calcium Pills for Bo…
Some medications cause constipation as a side effect. Occasionally, people report that simple supplements can trigger agonizing constipation. As a result, one reader faced a dilemma: Trying to Take Ca…
Do You Need to Take Calcium Supplements?
For decades, women and older adults were advised to take calcium supplements to help maintain bone strength. More recently, however, concerns have been raised about the possibility that calcium supple…
New Calcium Study Has People Confused and Upset
A new calcium study has created a lot of confusion and consternation. To refresh your memory: a randomized trial of calcium supplements has revealed an unexpected complication (Gut, March 1, 2018). Do…
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…
Can You Prevent Wrinkles with HRT?
Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, has been controversial for quite some time. In the 20th century, women were often admonished that taking estrogen and progestin after menopause would not only ease…
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…
Show 1093: How to Keep Your Bones Strong
Osteoporosis, weakened bones, affects about 10 million Americans. But low bone density is even more common. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, about half of adults over 50 are at risk …
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…
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…
Is the Calcium Added to Almond Milk Helpful or R…
Certain sacred cows in health keep showing up time and again. Take calcium supplements as an example. Even doctors who are extremely skeptical of the value of vitamin and mineral supplements in genera…
Why You Should Take Magnesium for Strong Bones
The usual recommendations for keeping bones strong are a bit too simplistic. Generally, women are told to take high-dose calcium supplements. (Men can also get osteopenia-decreased bone mass-and oste…
Did Nexium Cause Bone Loss and Nerve Pain?
Whenever you decide to take a new medication, you should know what you will get out of it in terms of benefit and what side effects you might experience. This is especially important for drugs you wi…
Are Kids Ruining Their Bones in Front of the TV?
Children who spend hours in front of a television may be ruining their bones, or at least setting themselves up for osteoporosis later in life. The Study from Oz: A new study in Australia monitored t…
Do People Know About Serious Reclast Side Effect…
Drugs to prevent broken bones can boomerang and actually cause fractures. Fortunately, this is relatively rare, but when it happens it can be devastating! Q. I have had problems with Reclast. Last Jun…
Are Calcium Supplements A Waste of Money?
Vitamins Are Worthless: For decades, many doctors have told their patients not to bother with vitamin and mineral supplements. The argument is that such pills are a waste of money. Calcium is Wonderfu…
Calcium Supplements Do NOT Prevent Broken Bones
Can you keep your bones strong by taking calcium supplements? Older people, particularly older women, have long been advised to get 1,200 mg of calcium daily, primarily from supplements. Many doctors …
Vitamin D Supplements Fall Short in Boosting Bon…
Despite recommendations from public health authorities for people to consume their vitamin D through pills rather than sun exposure, a new study casts doubt on the value of vitamin D supplements. The …
Drug Interaction Could Lead to Disastrous Osteop…
Doctors may not always keep up with the latest research on drug side effects. To an extent, that is understandable. A busy family practice physician, internist or OB/GYN may have to see more than 20 p…