Health Tips

1.Women if they have had an early menopause or hysterectomy (before the age of 45)
2. Men if they have low levels of testosterone (known as hypogonadism).
3. People who have broken a bone after only a minor trauma (called a fragility fracture).
4. People who take corticosteroid tablets (for conditions such as asthma or arthritis).
5. People with a family history of osteoporosis, particularly if your mother has broken her hip.
6. People with medical conditions which affect the absorption of foods, such as Crohns disease, coeliac disease or ulcerative colitis.
7. People with medical conditions which leave them immobile for a long time.
8. People who drink excessive amounts of alcohol.
9. People who smoke.
10. Women who are underweight or have developed an eating disorder.
11. Osteoporosis can also affect children and young people and pregnant women. However, these conditions are extremely rare.

"The silent crippler", as osteoporosis is often called, sneaks up on its victims and, without any pain, gradually causes bones to become more porous and fragile. One day you grab your coat and your wrist snaps; or a friend hugs you and cracks your rib; or you step off a curb and break your hip...

Please note that it is extremely important to obtain an accurate diagnosis before trying to find a cure. Many diseases and conditions share common symptoms: if you treat yourself for the wrong illness or a specific symptom of a complex disease, you may delay legitimate treatment of a serious underlying problem. In other words, the greatest danger in self-treatment may be self-diagnosis. If you do not know what you really have, you can not treat it!

Knowing how difficult it is to weed out misinformation and piece together countless facts in order to see the "big picture", we now provide simple, inexpensive online access to The Analyst. Used by doctors and patients alike, The Analyst is a computerized diagnostic tool that sits on a vast accumulation of knowledge and research. By combining thousands of connections between signs, symptoms, risk factors, conditions and treatments, The Analyst will help to build an accurate picture of your current health status, the risks you are running and courses of action (including appropriate lab testing) that should be considered. Full information is available here.


Osteoporosis is the chronic loss of bone mass and strength which afflicts over 8 million Americans - one and a half million are subjected to life threatening fractures every year. Of those who endure hip fractures, some 20% die from complications within a year; 60% become dependant on constant help in their daily lives.

It is not strictly a women's disease, though 85% of victims are women. As you age, the need for absorbable calcium, in conjunction with other essential minerals and vitamins, can be increased.

A 2000 statement by an expert panel of National Institutes of Health asserted "Osteoporosis, once thought to be a natural part of aging among women, is no longer considered... gender-dependent." Men start with higher bone density and lose calcium at a slower rate than women, which is why their risk is far lower. Nevertheless, after age 50, bone loss increases, and, according to one 2000 study, more rapidly than previously thought. Men have a 6% risk for hip fracture and between 16% and 25% risk for any fractures related to osteoporosis. And the actual numbers of osteoporosis and fractures in men is bound to grow as baby boomers age. Some risk factors include the following:

Surprisingly, a survey found that even among women with early symptoms of bone loss, including back pain, loss of height, and stooped posture, 82% thought they were not likely to ever suffer the consequences of progressive bone loss. Contradicting these assumptions, most statistics show that nearly 50% of women will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture sometime during their lives.

Bone mass does not increase beyond a "peak density" after age 35. The loss of bone mass can be slowed and lost bone mass regained somewhat with the right treatments. Dairy product consumption is not an appropriate treatment to accomplish this, as it will ultimately accelerate bone loss. However, this fact is ignored by marketing experts in the milk industry who make certain that women this age and older are targeted consumers for milk and dairy products. Within 5 years of the initial onset of menopause, there is an accelerated rate of loss of bone, particularly from the spine. During this period of time, estrogen replacement is somewhat effective in preventing bone breakdown, but progesterone is needed for creating new bone.

Things to avoid for better bone health

Avoiding factors that encourage bone loss can be as just as important as calcium intake. Diets high in protein, salt, etc.