The Better Bones Blog
by Dr. Susan Brown, PhD.
Nothing comes from nothing—rethinking “primary osteoporosis”
When osteoporosis is diagnosed in men, a great effort is made to uncover the causes of the excessive bone loss. In fact, most male osteoporosis is considered to have a secondary cause, that is, to be caused by something, whether it’s a disorder like celiac disease, the use of various medications, or habits such as […]
Case study: How Lynn halted her menopausal bone loss
It’s long been held that menopause is a time of rapid bone loss. This oft-cited generalization has now been carefully researched, and it appears that on average, women in the US and Canada lose about 8-9% of their bone mass in the few years just before and just after their last period. Some women, however, […]
ABC News report: Fosamax can cause needless fractures
I hate to say “I told you so,” but for years here at the Center for Better Bones, I’ve said that Fosamax and similar drugs had the potential to actually make bones weaker. This is because these strong bisphosphonate medications dramatically reduce both bone breakdown and bone formation, and thus can lead to the creation […]
3 tips to help heal fractures
Breaking a bone can stop us all in our tracks, no matter what age we are. But particularly for women in their 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, a fracture can come with a lot of fear and, worst of all, the feeling of helplessness. With 9 million osteoporotic fractures occurring every year, you should know that […]
Fosamax and breast cancer
Last December, many news outlets were reporting the latest finding to come from the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative in articles that trumpeted the finding that women who were taking Fosamax and other bisphosphonates for their bones had 32% fewer breast cancers than women who weren’t. At first blush, the idea that you could prevent two […]
Repeat fractures vs. first fractures
The nine million osteoporotic fractures that occur worldwide each year give us reason for concern, and recently colleagues to the north asked two interesting questions about who fractures and how much. How much of the Canadian fracture burden occurs in folks with an osteoporotic bone density, and how much in those with osteopenic or normal […]