Staying contemporary with any area of health care is a task, but it is one I take seriously.  One of the tools I use to keep up is a weekly update from PubMed, the research database at the National Library of Medicine.  One of my primary searches for which I receive a weekly update is […]

There are two traits in research that are needed to evaluate if treatment can be effective.  A treatment needs to be qualified and quantified.  Qualified delineates if a particular treatment works or has an effect on a disease.  Quantified determines how much is needed for a positive effect. Many studies have qualified exercise as an […]

The degree to which different patients respond to any treatment for osteoporosis seems to be related to age.  The degree of loss of bone mineral density (BMD) on a DEXA scan expressed as a T score which is the standard deviations below that in a healthy 30-35 year old.  A T score of -1.0 to […]

Osteoporosis is a complex disease caused by a progressive imbalance in the activity of the cells involved in bone remodeling. Bone remodeling is the process of repairing wear related microcracks in bone.  This occurs in 10% of bone each year with the entire skeleton being rebuilt every decade.  Resident bone cells called osteocytes are sensitive at […]

Osteoporosis is a disease involving weakening of bone increasing the risk of fragility fracture or fractures from insignificant trauma.  This weakening is estimated by measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) on a DEXA scan.  On these scans the BMD is reported as a T score, or the standard deviations in BMD compared to healthy 30 […]

It has been well known that lack of weight bearing stimulus to bone over time causes bone mineral density loss (BMD).  Typically, early research on disease uses animal models.  In osteoporosis research a question might be, where do they get mice with osteoporosis to test a particular treatment.  The answer is that they simply create […]

Osteoporosis is a complex disease of aging.  Complex means it isn’t caused by “A” but rather it is by “A”, “B”, “C” and “D”.  To further complicate this, one patient may have the disease caused by 20% A, 70% C and 10% D while in another patient, it is caused by 60% A, 30% B […]

The most common drugs used for pain and inflammation are the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen.  It is estimated that some 30 billion doses of these drugs are consumed each year in the U.S.  A growing body of research is suggesting that these drugs may actually increase the bone loss associated with osteoporosis.  It […]

Exercise has an important role both in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.  Understanding the mechanisms by which exercise helps bone density has important implications as to the most beneficial exercise pattern.  The relationship between exercise and bone health relates to mechanisms: Increased loading causes bone to undergo more remodeling increasing bone volume and density.  […]

When bad food means bad bones One of the common responses I hear from a patient when I explore dietary patterns that may be contributing to their health challenge is “but I don’t eat fast food”.  Generally, fast food is highly processed, loaded with artificial ingredients, fat and sugar all associated with a broad array […]