By: Robert Remler
Every 20 seconds, osteoporosis causes a fracture. Not just a fact; but the
theme for National Osteoporosis Prevention Month.
Osteoporosis is a disease that gradually weakens bones and can lead to
painful fractures and loss of mobility and independence. The Medical Society
of New York has spent the month of May raising awareness of the consequences of osteoporosis.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the disease is
responsible for approximately 250,000 wrist fractures in the Untied States
each year and 700,000 fractures of the vertebrae -- the bones of the spine. A
study published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association
found that almost 20 percent of women who experience a vertebral
fracture will have another fracture within a year.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that an average of 41
percent of hip-fracture patients at least 50 years old leave the hospital
and enter a nursing home. Half of those will be unable to walk without
assistance. An average of 24 percent of hip-fracture patients die in the
year following their fracture, according to the foundation.
Medical literature indicates that no matter how old you are, it is never
too soon or too late to think about your bone strength. The osteoporosis foundation offers four recommendations that can help prevent fractures and preserve independence later in life:
(N) Eat a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D.
Surveys show that many women and young girls consume less than half
the amount of calcium recommended to grow and maintain healthy bones.
Depending on your age, you need from 1,000 to 1,3000 milligrams of calcium a day.
Foods rich in calcium include dairy products and leafy green vegetables.
If you do not get enough calcium from the foods you eat, you might need to
take a calcium supplement. Vitamin D is needed for the body to absorb calcium
from the foods you eat. Without enough vitamin D to do this, your body will
take calcium from the bones. Sources of vitamin D are sunlight and foods such
as fortified dairy products, egg yolks, saltwater fish and liver. Suggested
daily intake of vitamin D is between 400 and 800 IU.
(N) Perform weight-bearing exercises, or any activity that works your
bones and muscles against gravity.
Suggested weight-bearing exercises include walking, dancing, jogging,
stair climbing, racquet sports and hiking. Resistance exercises like weight-lifting are also important for building and maintaining bone mass and
density. The Medical Society of the State of New York encourages 30 minutes
or more of physical activity each day.
(N) Refrain from smoking, avoid second-hand smoke and minimize or
eliminate alcohol use.
The foundation suggests an annual bone density test, which measures the
bone mass. The test is the only way to diagnose osteoporosis and determine
the risk of future fractures. The test is accurate and painless, according to
the foundation. Results from the test will indicate whether medication is
needed to help maintain bone mass.
(B) Web sites for more information on osteoporosis (UB)
(N) www. Imagins.com/osteoporosis
Offers information about osteoporosis, with focus on women.
(N) www.osteoporosiscenter.net
Cedarhurst-based information site. Learn about testing for
osteoporosis.
(N) www.sonnet.com/USR/imagining
Designed for the education and diagnosis of osteoporosis.
(B) Notes and lectures (UB)
Day at Races is sponsored by (B) North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health
System (UB) benefiting the Richard Mark Smith Fund, which supports programs
at LIJ for AIDS and cancer patients. The event starts at noon on June 3 at Belmont Park. Those interested in learning more about the fund and participating in the event can call (516) 365-8812. ...(B) The Epilepsy
Foundation of Long Island (UB) will hold a lecture titled "Updates in
Women's Health & Epilepsy," 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 12 at the foundation headquarters at 506 Stewart Ave., Garden City. For further information call (516) 739-7733 ext. 155 or visit their Web site www.efli.org. ... (B) The Long Island Crisis Center (UB) in Bellmore is recruiting volunteers for its next training session, Thursday, June 7. The counselor-assistant training takes place over two to three evenings and is approximately two hours each night. For more information, call (516) 826-0244 or go online at www.longislandcrisiscenter.org.
Training is free. ...(B) South Nassau Communities Hospital (UB) in Oceanside
is offering "Family Intervention Through School." The new behavioral
health service links at-risk families with appropriate service agencies.
The program will be piloted at Freeport's Atkinson Middle School, targeting
approximately 50 children and their families, starting next year. To learn
more about the program, call (516) 632-3919. ...Need help finding cheaper
prescription drugs? Go to (B) www.Medicines.MD (UB) a Web site that offers
free quotes and price lists for more than 800 popular brand-name prescription
drugs. ... Volunteers needed to help in the fight against cancer. (B) The
American Cancer Society's (UB) "Notes to Neighbors" program is under way. Throughout August, Long Islanders will be contacting friends and
Neighbors, asking them to join the fight against cancer by making donations to
the society. For more information, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or
visit www.cancer.org. ...(B) The American Red Cross (UB) seeks gifts of your time and money in helping those affected by mud slides and flooding in Puerto Rico. Also, the Red Cross in Nassau County is providing assistance to two families in response to a fire that destroyed their home in Hempstead earlier in May. To help victims of disasters, call 1-800-HELP NOW or visit Web site www.redcross.org. ... A jazz concert is planned at Franklin Hospital Medical Center in Valley Stream, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 18. The concert will benefit Franklin's soon- to-be established Comprehensive Diabetes Care Center. Clark Terry, once a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, is to perform. Tickets are $10 per person. For further information, call (516) 256-6360.
NOTE TO STACI: PUT THE FOLLOWING IN A GRAY BOX, PLEASE. USE LIKE A
FILLER.
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