I just finished reading Ann Richards' book on osteoporosis - I'm Not Slowing Down: Winning my battle with Osteoporosis. It was very interesting, plus she had some professional input into the book from her doctors and her trainer. Although I am ~40, I am interested in knowing more about the disease as my grandmother had severe osteoporosis. I know how much it limited her later years and I don't want to be in the same boat years from now. (I actually had a bone scan done several years ago - was in a bad car accident and the radiologist who read my spinal x-rays said that one of my vertebreas was completely disintegrated due to osteoporosis - went for bone scan and found out that my bones were great - but my spine was a twisted mess from the accident - think the radiologist was stoned or asleep when he read my x-rays!) Anyway - one thing I have always read and heard about the disease is that too many women (and men!) find out that they have it AFTER they have a fracture or broken bone. At that point, it may be too late to do much for the bones and rehab for the patient may be too hard - especially in the case of a broken hip. A large number of older people die from broken hip bones (not really a bone, actually, but the top part of the leg bone) and the complications from such a bad break. Many doctors, sadly, do not do much in the way of preventative medicine. It is good to have a doctor that is taking strong measures now to help with your long-term health. In addition to diet (eat calcium-rich foods, no soda, limit caffeine), weight bearing exercise is very important for building up bone strength - that includes walking, water aerobics and weight lifting. My grandmother got a kick out of taking up weight lifting at age 75! Not only does light exercise help build up your bones, it also helps with your balance which is very, very important with osteoporosis. Best wishes ~ Suzie

As of yet I have no signs of bone density loss. I am 60. I have never ever been a milk drinker since I was into my 3rd year. I am a not a great dairy eater except for cheese and cream which I eat in moderation. I do not take any vitamins or supplements. I did take natal and prenatal vitamins as prescribed by my doctor during my childbearing years. I think simple genetics plays a role. I also believe that women who over diet into staying thin can add to the later thinning of their bones. I credit my healthy (thus far) bones to genetics,exercise and a bit of extra padding in my middle years and presently. With all the controversy over supplements and medications I choose to take nothing unless it is something that would actually be life-saving 0r proven to treat a certain condition. I take my thyroid meds religiously for example. if I had high blood pressure I would take my meds for that. High cholesterol? I o would really have to think about it. Too many pros and cons so that would have to be a carefully informed decision. I think we need to concentrate on healthy balanced diets, a weight based on health and not vanity, and exercise and balance throughout out lives. I lost balance due to hearing loss so I concentrate on that area. It's not as good as it was but I must say it is much better than a lot of my younger friends. Except in extreme cases most breaks in elderly are due to falls. Working on balance can prevent those falls or at least lessen the chance of them. I am sure that in some people there is drug therapy to delay the advancement of Osteo. But like Glenda said exercise,weight training etc. play a role too. I believe a greater one. And for every prescribed drug that has controversial side effects or no effects there are so called perfectly "natural" OTC supplements that have the same downsides and can even be more harmful. So if one is taking advice of thier local "nutritionist" at the health food store or Vitamin Store they should do some heavy research on the real science behind these drugs.

The dirt on a diagnosis of osteopenia. "This is the story of how pills for osteopenia ended up in Benghauser's medicine cabinet, and in the medicine cabinets of millions of women like her all over the United States. But more broadly, it's the story of how the definition of what constitutes a disease evolves, and the role that drug companies can play in that evolution. Osteopenia is a condition that only recently started to be thought of as a problem that required treatment. Until the early 1990s, only a handful of people had even heard the word. And to understand how osteopenia was transformed from a rarely heard word into a problem that millions of women swallow pills to treat, you need to go back to the beginning, to a place very far away from Benghauser's suburban Virginia home." "Nevertheless, 17 years later Banghauser, of Richmond, Va., a woman whose bone density is just a hair away from that of the average healthy 30-year old, is not only medicated for osteopenia but literally spends her days worried about breaking a bone. "I used to run marathons, and I would fall and trip on broken sidewalks," she told me. "And you know initially before I had this diagnosis I didn't think anything of it. But now every time I fall I get up and think, 'Oh, good, I haven't broken anything.' " "I'm much more aware of making sure I lift my feet up and I don't trip on the sidewalks, but you know, if I didn't know that I had osteopenia, maybe I wouldn't be so cautious." So how did osteopenia change from a category for public health researchers into a condition that millions of women swallow pills to treat?" NPR As for Vitamin D, no one should be taking more than 1000 IUs daily unless advised to take more by their Doctor.

Two years ago it was discovered I have osteopenia . Once a month for the 1st year I had Evenity injections. Now its a different name and 2wice a year. DEXA test showed my bones are thicker. Also I took over the counter calcium tabs daily. Doc wants me to double the dosage. I refused to toss half a bottle of calcium so have been taking 2 tabs per evening. I just ran out and will be given RX in Oct when I see Doc again. I'm not real motivated. My legs hurt most days like I have been bike riding too much. Cardiologist says thats a side effect of a med I'm taking but didn't know what one. My dental charts note that I am on bone thickening meds just in case.