This week Clearwater Valley Health is hosting our annual Ladies Night Out on Wednesday, November 29th at 5:30 PM in the Orofino Clinic classroom. Please join us for some yoga and refreshments as well as short talks on heart disease, bone health, anxiety, and urinary incontinence. Participants will be able to get a blood pressure check, grip testing, and have access to schedulers to plan their next wellness, mammogram, or cervical cancer screening exams.
I look forward to spending the evening with some of the amazing women in our community to talk about how we can take care of ourselves and each other. This year I will be talking about one of my favorite topics, bone health. Our bones literally support us in being active, and healthy. Hip fractures from low bone density are not only associated with pain and loss of mobility, but also with an increase in 5 year mortality comparable to a diagnosis of breast cancer. Back in May, I wrote an article on bone loss prevention with the following 5 action steps:

  1. Engage in weight bearing exercise- The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation recommends 30 minutes of walking on most days of the week with 2-3 days of resistance/weight training.
  2. Limit alcohol intake- Low risk alcohol use is fewer than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women. Alcohol consumption in your teens can negatively impact peak bone mass.
  3. Tobacco Cessation- Tobacco both directly and indirectly lowers bone density by impacting several of the hormones that control bone remodeling. Smoking can also slow healing after a fracture.
  4. Consume adequate calcium and vitamin D- The recommended daily intake is 1,200 mg calcium and 600-800 IU of vitamin D. Calcium can be found in dark leafy greens, dairy, sardines, and several other foods. One serving of dairy is usually about 300 mg of Calcium.
  5. Get screened-The United States Preventative Task Force recommends all postmenopausal individuals over 65 years of age get regular screening with a DEXA scan.

On Wednesday night, we will talk details about the pathophysiology of bone loss, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. I look forward to seeing you there!