What Is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporsis means "porous bones." It is a condition that causes bones to become thin and weak. The result can be fratures. When bones are severely weakened by osteoporosis, even simple movements can cause fractures - such as bending over and picking up a heavy bag of groceries. Hip, spine and wrist fractures are the most common fractures related to osteoporosis.

Who Is Affected?
Osteoporosis affects 1.4 million Canadians. Another two million are at risk to developing the disease. One in four women over the age of 50 has osteoporosis. One in eight men over 50 also has the disease. Young people can also be affected.

How Does Osteoporosis Affect My Bones?
Just like your skin and hair, your bones are alive. To keep your skeleton strong, small amounts of bone are constantly removed and replaced with new bone. This happens at about the same speed until age 35 when the rebuilding process in both men and women starts to slow down. Gradually, your bones become thinner and weaker. When the bones become very weak and brittle, this is called osteoporosis. People have osteoporosis either because they developed thinner, weaker bones when they were young, or because they have lost a lot of bone later in life.

Symptoms:
Osteoporosis is called "the silent theif" because it generally robs bones of strength over time. Early detection is difficult. A standard X-ray will not show osteoporosis until you have lost atleast one quarter of your bone density. For many people, their osteoporosis is quite advanced by the time any signs appear. Watch for some of these most common signs of advanced osteoporosis:

• A broken wrist or rib
• Back pain, mainly in the mid lower spine
• Loss of height - more than one inch
• A stooped, round shouldered appearence
• A hump forming in the back
• A broken hip

TREATMENT
In most cases, osteoporosis can be treated. For example:
Hormone Therapy: The female hormones estrogen and progesterone help protect your bones against osteoporosis. At about age 45, your ovaries start producing fewer hormones. Your doctor may prescribe hormone therapy, especially if your bone density is low. It is very effective to slow down bone loss and to reduce your chance of breaking bones. For hormones to work, women need to start taking them at the start of, or soon after, menopause.

• Other Treatments: bisphosphonates (non-hormonal drugs used to prevent bone loss; reduce spinal fractures)
• calctonin (a hormone used to slow bone loss; may reduce back pain caused by spinal fractures)
• sodium fluoride (used to increase bone mass; may reduce spinal fractures)
• vitamin D (at least 400-800 units daily for older adults).

Discuss the above treatments thoroughly with your doctor or PharmAssist pharmacist.

Prevention is the Best Medicine:
The good news about osteoporosis is that it can be prevented in most people with the right food, regular activity and, sometimes, hormone therapy.

Nutrition:
A well-balanced diet that includes a good supply of calcium is very important for keeping your bones strong. Up to age 35, calcium in your diet helps develop your peak bone density. After 35, calcium helps maintain bone strength. With age, your ability to use calcium decreases. This, in turn, increases your need for calcium-rich foods.

Staying Active:
Regular physical activity is important for keeping your bones healthy, and for preventing osteoporosis. Some examples are: brisk walking, tennis, dancing, stair climbing and low-impact aerobics. Walking is one of the best physical activities for strengthening your bones and for improving overall health. Talk with your doctor before starting any new program, especially if you: Have not exercised for many years

• Are over 40
• Have heart trouble or high blood pressure
• Have diabetes
• Have osteoporosis
• Are overweight