Osteoporosis News
Our magazine, Osteoporosis News, is packed with the latest medical news and features about osteoporosis, real life stories, interviews, readers’ letters, opinion columns, updates from the charity and much more.
The magazine, which received a redesign in 2008, is sent out to National Osteoporosis Society members all over the world every three months. It is the only magazine in the UK which covers osteoporosis and associated issues in depth.
The Summer 2010 edition is out now and packs in a lot of information, to give you a taste of whats on offer, we’ve provided the following extracts.
If you would like to read more and receive four copies of Osteoporosis News every year, click here to become a member or call 01761 473287.
Medical News...
Awareness of osteoporosis risk for fracture alarmingly low among women, study finds
The majority of women are unaware that osteoporosis can lead to debilitating fractures, a new study has found.
Findings from the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW) showed that just 43 per cent of those in the study diagnosed with osteoporosis believed they were at a higher risk from fractures compared to others. Thirty three per cent of women failed to recognise their risk factors.
The GLOW study looked at women from ten countries in Europe, North America and Australia and included more than 60,000 post-menopausal women.
Agave plant may help fight bone loss
An ingredient in the agave plant may help fight osteoporosis, researchers have said.
Agave, along with artichokes, garlic, onions and chicory are rich, natural sources of fructans – non-digestible carbohydrates made up from molecules of fructose linked together into chains – the research says.
The plant is also used to make the fiery Mexican alcoholic drink, tequila.
“Experimental studies suggest that fructans may be beneficial in diabetes, obesity, stimulating the immune system of the body, decreasing levels of disease-causing bacteria in the intestine, relieving constipation and reducing the risk of colon cancer,” researcher Mercedes Lopez, of the National Polytechnic Institute in Guanajuato, said
Real life stories...
Sheila Hill
For 63-year-old Sheila Hills, a fall from a curb two years ago led to the devastating news that would change her life forever. Dom Hall talks to Sheila about living with osteoporosis and the effect it has had.
“Around two years ago, I was out and about when I stepped off a curb and lost my balance. I started to fall backwards but was caught by a relative, which was fortunate, but I heard an almighty crack and realised I must have broken something.”
This month’s Q&A: Gillian Smith
When did you first find out you had osteoporosis?
I found out I had osteoporosis about five years ago when I was 55. I have a strong family history of the disease. My mother had a ‘dowager’s hump’ for as long as I can remember, although osteoporosis was never mentioned. She always nagged me to “stand up straight, or you’ll have a back like mine”. Mom’s sisters probably had osteoporosis too. I asked the doctor for a scan because I was afraid I would follow the family trend.
What was your first reaction?
I was disappointed, but not surprised when the results showed my spine and hips were in the range of five and ten years older than they should be.
In-depth features:
Holiday time
Summer is here again and no matter what the English weather may hold for us over the next few weeks, many people will have either been looking forward to getting away to sunnier climes, or enjoying a glorious break somewhere in the UK.
For people and their families who are affected by osteoporosis, making sure you’ve made the right choice of holiday is an important decision. If you’re planning on heading abroad, the first thing you may need to consider is holiday insurance.
New card scheme
If you are travelling within continental Europe you will now be required to be in possession of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – the card which replaced the old E111 paper in 2006. The new card allows EU nationals to obtain the same level of healthcare as a local resident in a member country when travelling. The new card scheme covers short-term trips around Europe and Switzerland, but only covers basic national healthcare asreceived by local residents and does not cover those living permanently outside the UK. The new card does provide the user with essential care needed for the length of stay, which means that in cases of travel with existing/chronic medical conditions non-emergency care will also be provided.
Expert answers to your questions:
Helpline Queries:
Is it true that vitamin K is important for bone health and if so, does it make a difference if I take vitamin K supplements or can I obtain enough in my diet?
Vitamin K is best known for its role in blood clotting, but it may also help maintain bone strength. It plays a role in the alteration of a protein called osteocalcin which influences bone-building. We obtain vitamin K from food (vitamin K1 or phylloquinone) but it’s also produced by bacteria in our intestines (vitamin K2 or menaquinones). As vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, any excess in the body is stored in the liver for future use.
Plus……All the latest news, your letters, fundraising initiatives, focus on Strontium ranelate and much more.