The Better Bones Blog
by Dr. Susan Brown, PhD.
The Weighted Belt: A New Exercise Tool to Build Bone
The loading of bones through exercise and the use of external weights is well recognized to enhance bone strength. While everyone benefits form osteogenic bone loading, small, slender individuals, in particular, should exercise with additional weights to help maintain and build bone density. As Swedish researchers suggested, the advantage of using a weight belt instead […]
Dr. Brown’s natural approach to osteoporosis and bone health
Just as every animal in the forest has perfect bone health, so the human skeleton was designed to last a lifetime. Today, however, weak bones and needless low trauma fracture are all too common. Half of the US population over the age of 50 has either osteoporosis or osteopenia and one in two women and […]
A look at the latest bone drug, Evenity
In April 2019, the FDA approved romosozumab (Evenity), a new osteoporosis drug targeted at postmenopausal women with high risk for fracture. I looked at the data used by the FDA in granting approval for the drug — and it’s far from confirming the runaway success of Evenity that Big Pharma would lead us to believe. […]
How to protect your bones from radiation damage in x-rays and scans
When it’s time to undergo a bone scan to determine if a fracture is healing or bone density is changing, clients often share with me their worries about radiation exposure and if there is anything they can do to protect bone from radiation damage . These are often clients who have had cancer or multiple […]
Helping children avoid the future burden of osteoporosis
If you’re familiar with my work, you know I write a lot about the importance of exercise in the Better Bones, Better Body program. Exercise is a wonderful thing for adults, but imagine the impact if we all incorporated enough exercise throughout our younger years of growth and development. Could exercise be the secret to helping […]
Small changes in bone density test results — should you worry?
So, you just had a follow-up bone density test, you’re frightened and disheartened. The doctor reports that since your last exam 3 years ago, your bone density test results show that you’ve lost 4% in your spine and 2% in your hip. The doctor says — forcefully — that you’re in danger of fracturing with […]