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We fell in love with these common myths about osteoporosis, found in an article from The Daily Times of Salisbury, Maryland:
Wrong: Osteoporosis is an inevitable part of aging.
Building a strong skeleton during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood may help individuals avoid osteoporosis later in life.
Wrong: Only older women get osteoporosis.
Women and men can develop osteoporosis at any age.
Wrong: Only Caucasian women get osteoporosis.
Fifty-two percent of Asian women age 50 and older, 49 percent of Hispanic women age 50 and older, and 35 percent of non-Hispanic African American women age 50 or older are estimated to have low bone mass.
Wrong: Osteoporosis is not very common.
Osteoporosis and low bone mass affect 44 million women and men aged 50 and older in the United States. This represents 55 percent of the people aged 50 and older.
Wrong: Osteoporosis is not a serious or deadly condition.
The consequences of osteoporosis are devastating and painful. Approximately 20 percent of hip fracture patients will die in the year after fracture, usually from complications such as pneumonia or blood clots in the lung, which are related to the fracture or to the surgery to repair the fracture.
Wrong: If I had osteoporosis, I would know it.
It is usually called the "silent disease." It is important to have your bone density checked frequently and eat a healthy diet.
Wrong: Once I have osteoporosis, there is nothing I can do about it.
Even if you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, it is not too late to take steps to protect your bone health. Consuming the recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D, performing weight bearing exercises and quitting smoking can help slow bone loss.
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Posted by Blogger Chris at December 1, 2005 04:24 PM
