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ADVICE FROM YOUR
LOCAL DOC
&
23
Osteoporosis Can Break Your Bones
By David P.
Dubocq, MD,
Family Practice
Associates of
Lexington, P.S.C.
Osteoporosis is a bone disease
than causes thinning of the bones
and loss of strength. This can result
in fractures with relatively minor
injuries. This is a serious problem
because one out of five hip fractures
leads to death. This means that a
hip fracture is not just a broken
bone. The fracture itself is not the
deadly part, but being stuck in bed
for several weeks is. Being bedridden can cause pneumonia, heart
attacks, blood clots in the legs and
lungs and strokes. Osteoporosis can
also lead to compression fractures of
the spine, which can be very painful
and lead to the loss of height and a
“hunchback” shape to the spine.
Osteoporosis is caused by bone
loss over our lifetimes. Our bones
are not dead material like cement.
They are living tissue that is constantly being remodeled, destroyed
and rebuilt. Up until age 35, we are
mostly building bone, and at age
35 we have the greatest strength
measured as density. After age 35 we
begin to lose bone density gradually.
Some people lose bone faster than
others. We can slow the bone loss by
making sure we exercise, quit smoking and get enough vitamin D and
calcium in our diets. We need at least
800 units of vitamin D and 1,200 mg
of calcium daily in our diets. We can
find these in natural sources such as
milk, fresh vegetables and cold water
fish and/or vitamin pills. We also get
some vitamin D from indirect sun
exposure. These are ways you can
prevent osteoporosis.
The other way to fight this dis-
There are ways
you can slow
bone loss
ease is to find it early and to treat it
with medications. This can be done
with a simple, painless test called a
bone density test ordered by your
health care provider. It involves
laying on a table for a few minutes
and having low-dose X-rays of the
hip and back. Then a computer
calculates how solid your bones are
as density. This reading will tell if
your bones are normal, somewhat
thinned (osteopenia) or severely
thinned with increase risks of fractures (osteoporosis). This screening
is recommended for women over
65, men over 70 and for others with
special circumstances.
You can discuss with your health
care provider treatment options,
which may include medications that
help to restore your bone strength.
Until then, eat well, exercise and
please don’t smoke.t
About the Author
Dr. Dubocq is a native of New York
state and came to Family Practice
Associates of Lexington in 1998. Dr.
Dubocq believes “we need to work
together as a team to help you and
your family reach their highest level of
health so you can enjoy the precious
gift of life.” He is also an artist and is
responsible for many of the original )ݽɭ́