Hi CeeMol84, Tichou gave good advice when advising diet and exercise to help your grandma. I have a few questions that could be helpful.
1. Does your grandma know her DEXA scores? Knowing her scores could help her decide what to do or not to do anything.
2. Is she in good health and able to do an exercise routine that would help her bones? Walking is a good low impact exercise, but weight training would be helpful too.
3. Does she take supplements? Calcium, vitamin D3, magnesium are a good start.
4. Is she into alternative choices? If so, she could research strontium citrate, which has been shown to build density and reduce fractures.
5. Has she broken any bones?
6. Have her take the FRAX test, which can be found online. It's a list of questions that will help determine her risk factors.
7. Does she eat a healthy diet that includes calcium from both dairy and non dairy foods?
It's great that you are looking out for your grandma. take care, phyllis
__________________
I am so much more than a score, I am strong, healthy, active and like to help others.
I'm also curious if she knows her T scores. What happens when she takes Fosamax or Boniva? There are IV meds for this problem, too. Just changing the diet at this point in her life (how old is she?) won't help. The meds are the only thing that will build up the bone density.
For those taking the medications, please remember that if you don't take Calcium and Vitamin D along with the medication, it's like throwing the pill in the garbage.
there are other osteoporosis meds available
one is prolia, which is an IM (intramusclular) injection given at the physician's office every 6 months.
also, forteo is a SQ (subcutaneous) self-injection done at home for 2 years max. afaik this is the only one that actually builds bone back.
to qualify for either of these, she would need to be diagnosed with osteoporosis (T-score at or below -2.4 via DEXA), and (usually) would need to have tried the oral meds first (fosamax, boniva) (unless she has already had an osteoporotic fracture).
Last edited by chatty kathy; 10-28-2012 at 11:23 AM.
Hi CeeMol84, Tichou gave good advice when advising diet and exercise to help your grandma. I have a few questions that could be helpful.
1. Does your grandma know her DEXA scores? Knowing her scores could help her decide what to do or not to do anything.
2. Is she in good health and able to do an exercise routine that would help her bones? Walking is a good low impact exercise, but weight training would be helpful too.
3. Does she take supplements? Calcium, vitamin D3, magnesium are a good start.
4. Is she into alternative choices? If so, she could research strontium citrate, which has been shown to build density and reduce fractures.
5. Has she broken any bones?
6. Have her take the FRAX test, which can be found online. It's a list of questions that will help determine her risk factors.
7. Does she eat a healthy diet that includes calcium from both dairy and non dairy foods?
It's great that you are looking out for your grandma. take care, phyllis
I'm not really sure about any of these, I'll have to ask her later. She's been asking about alternative choices cuz I think she's a bit leery of prescribed medicines (old school..lol) so #4 sounds good. She had something with her hip earlier this year that I think might have been a fracture. She doesn't eat much dairy.
HI CeeMol84, Strontium citrate is a natural substance. It can be purchased online or at health food stores. I've been taking it for several years and know others who are also taking it. There are few side effects, but i personally haven't experienced any. There is plenty of info about it online.
It would also be a good idea to have her read The Myth of Osteoporosis by Gillian Sansone. Its a very informative book that will explain the many options one can choose from for osteo, including Strontium. Check with your local library to see if you can get a copy there. If they don't have a copy ask them to borrow one for you.
Your grandma isn't being old school about questioning the drugs. There are so many side effects from the current drugs that's it good to study and learn what would be your best option. She can get calcium from other foods besides dairy, like almonds, beans, leafy green veggies/broccoli, and canned fish. Good luck in helping your grandma, she is lucky to have such a caring granddaughter. Have a good week. take care, phyllis
__________________
I am so much more than a score, I am strong, healthy, active and like to help others.
The Following User Says Thank You to phylwill1152 For This Useful Post: CeeMol84 (10-29-2012)
