About Osteoporosis

Jeff Foster asked:


Osteoporosis is a debilitating health condition facing many today.

This condition can be horrifically life altering so much that basic daily activities become one of which you are afraid out of fear of sustaining a new fracture. Osteoporosis treatment focuses on increasing both strength and bone density while also preventing further bone loss.

As with many other health conditions, osteoporosis should be a part of an early health screening practice so that diagnosis can be made early in the process.

With an early diagnosis and subsequent aggressive treatment of osteoporosis you have a much better chance of avoiding future fractures. At the present time, osteoporosis treatments offer no cure but that does not mean treatment should be avoided since early intervention can help to keep the situation from worsening.

If you are looking for changes that you can make that will help you to fight the onset or the progression of osteoporosis, there are several easy options that you can start today.

For example, if you want to decrease your osteoporosis risk, then quit or better yet, never start, smoking! Women who smoke show lower levels of estrogen and these lower levels can lead to bone loss. Besides the negative impact on your bones, there is a litany of other negative health conditions associated with smoking. Another option for you to decrease your risk is to eat a healthy and well balanced diet, infused with an adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D. Also avoid alcohol and put down the remote, get up off the couch and exercise.

Ok, so no one really wants to be told to exercise, but recovering from an osteoporotic fracture is much more agonizing than any amount of exercise could ever be. Exercise helps you to improve your overall balance, your general health and your flexibility; all of which can help you reduce your chance of a fall and possibly a bone fracture. Weight-bearing exercises, such as a daily walk, are a good treatment for osteoporosis prevention. Of course, before you start any sort of exercise program you must have clearance from your health care provider.

Osteoporosis treatment may include prescription medications such as Fosamax, Actonel, and Boniva. These medications and others in this class work to prevent more bone loss and increase bone strength. Another choice for osteoporosis medication includes those such as Forteo which work by increasing bone formation.

Once you have a definitive diagnosis of osteoporosis, your healthcare provider must decide the extent of your illness. Once that has been determined, a decision will have to be made to determine if your situation can be treated with alterations in your lifestyle only or if it is so severe that both alterations and medications must be ordered at once.

This serious health concern deserves a serious discussion with your physician, followed by a firm commitment from you to follow the prescribed osteoporosis treatment and to do whatever it takes to stop any further bone loss.

Javier

Alan Haburchak asked:


The type 2 diabetes drug Avandia, from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is making headlines again as scientists find that long-term use of the drug may increase the risk of osteoporosis among patients. Avandia, also referred to as rosiglitazone, was approved in June 1999, since that time the drug has been taken by millions of Americans.

The study was conducted by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and first appeared in the scientific health journal, Nature Medicine in the Dec. 2 online issue. Researchers found that the drug may contribute to bone loss over time and that the drug may speed up the process of osteoporosis, thinning of bones and may result in bone fractures in the body that can be fatal to type 2 diabetes patients who already experience hardships from the symptoms associated with this illness.

Dangerous Avandia Side-Effects

Avandia is an oral anti-diabetic medication that has been associated with congestive heart failure, according to warnings released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In early 2007, GlaxoSmithKline reported the results of a 26-week, double blind, fixed-dose study that resulted in approximately 40 percent of patients taking Avandia to have reduced their insulin dose, compared to those receiving placebo pills. However, in November 2007, the FDA placed yet another warning label on the drug, this time consisting of a black box warning. The warning is also known as black label warning and it is the highest and most severe warning a drug can have while still being available on the market. While the warning on the box was related to the severity of potential heart failure, only continued research will determine how great the risk of osteoporosis is among users who also risk heart failure while on the drug. But for those who are currently or have in the past taken the drug, contacting an attorney who can offer advice on how to receive probable compensation for the potentially irreversible damage is a wise decision.

Overcoming the Avandia Osteoporosis Risk

For users of Avandia as well as other type 2 diabetes drugs recently released on the market, it is advisable to speak with an experienced diabetes law firm who can offer advice on building a potential case and receiving compensation for having taken Avandia or other type 2 diabetes drugs, which may also cause the increased risk of osteoporosis. Treating diabetes can be a difficult challenge in and of itself, and when additional factors or side effects come to light about a specific drug the situation can become an even more frightening dilemma. But the best way to overcome potential harm is to not only contact a doctor to better understand steps to protect yourself, but to contact a law firm and become aware of the latest news and findings.

Carolyn