Mobile Digital Health

by Jose Sonik
The more aggressively you screen for and try to prevent osteoporosis, the lower your risk of a hip fracture is, studies show.
Hip fractures are common in the elderly, especially women, who lose essential calcium during pregnancy and menopause.
Kaiser Southern California has developed a three-step action plan that they say can reduce hip fractures by as much as 25%.
The three steps are as follows:
Bone scans: Kaiser recommends x-ray absotiometry, the best bone density test available. The tests should be taken by all women over 65, all men over 70, everyone on high dosages of medicines that leach calcium from the bones, and anyone over 50 with a history of fragility fractures. These are the high-risk populations, and a scan could catch a weakening bone before it becomes a fracture.
Education and treatment: Learning and teaching about osteoporosis helps people help themselves. The more you know about osteoporosis, the better you can protect yourself from fractures. Kaiser found that patients who understood their treatment opted for more than just drug treatment: they got home safety checks to help prevent falls. Slippery bathtubs, cords across the room, and loose rugs are all tripping hazards that can snap a fragile bone.
Fall Prevention: If you’re at risk for a fall, consider learning fall-reduction techniques, that will lower your risk for a fall. Physical therapy can improve balance and coordination, reducing the risk still further.
Kaiser ran a three-part program with 620,000 patients in Southwestern United States, and found an overall reduction of hip fractures by 35%. Why wait for them to test it in your neighborhood? Start your own three-part program today.

By Fay Ashland

New research findings by the University of Arizona show a link between a woman’s high bone mineral density and a greater likelihood of developing breast cancer. This factor is independent of the risk level predicted by using the popular Gail model. The Gail model utilizes family history, age and other factors to estimate a woman’s risk of breast cancer over five years and over her lifetime, but it does not include data on bone mineral density, which is known to be a risk factor for breast cancer.

Recently other studies have linked bone health and  breast cancer risk in various ways. At the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting,  a study was presented that showed how Zometa (zoledronic acid), a drug used to treat osteoporosis, lowered the risk of breast cancer recurrence in premenopausal women.Other research revealed that women with breast cancer who are deficient in vitamin D  at the time of their diagnosis were more likely to have a recurrence or to die from their disease. Vitamin D is also vital to bone health.

Women with high bone density tend to be overweight or obese which does raise their risk of breast cancer.

According to Dr. Jay Brooks, Chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, “This is more information that shows a link in my opinion, between increasing weight, obesity and the development of breast cancer”.