Osteoporosis Expert PJ Hamel shares Osteoporosis management news and commentary at OsteoporosisConnection.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591 http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591 http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/93974/osteoporosis Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:48:17 -0500 PJ Hamel For those of us dealing with bone loss, news of a new treatment sparks a certain degree of personal interest: “Hey, maybe it’ll work better than what I’m taking now – tell me more!”Fact is, there aren’t a whole lot of treatments for osteoporosis out there. There’s drugs… and then, there’s drugs. Think about it: cancer patients have surgery to remove the tumor; chemo and radiation to take... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/93974/osteoporosis http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/91715/treatment Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:12:07 -0400 PJ Hamel Recently, while casually listening to National Public Radio, I heard a familiar name: Dr. James Weinstein.   “Hey, that’s  Shelsey’s dad,” I thought. A former neighbor of ours, his daughter and my son caught the same elementary school bus, and I knew Jim casually – as a “back doctor.”As it turns out, Dr. Weinstein is director of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/91715/treatment http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/89974/declared Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:32:00 -0400 PJ Hamel If you’re a fan of the television show "Law and Order," or grew up with Perry Mason, the following story is right up your alley. Filled with violence, intrigue, and conflicting versions of the truth – and with billions of dollars at stake – it ranks right up there with Judge Judy for entertainment value. What, O.J. Simpson’s in the news again? A federal lawmaker has been accused of accepting luxury Tahiti vacations? Maybe... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/89974/declared http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/87906/vitamin-daily Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:07:52 -0400 PJ Hamel Remember that old Johnny Cash song, “I Walk the Line”?That’s what I feel like some days, when I’m trying to balance what the government currently says about vitamin D (I should be getting 400IU daily); against what my doctor says (I should be getting 1,000IU daily); against what some nutritionists and researchers are espousing: 2,000IU (or more) daily.Now, THAT’S a lot of very different answers to what seems like a... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/87906/vitamin-daily http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/85832/osteoporosis Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:19:28 -0400 PJ Hamel Simple question. Well… maybe not.I’m sure we’ve all asked this, at one time or another – hoping the answer would be yes. Because it would be great if walking were good for osteoporosis.Walking is easy. It doesn’t require you to spend any money, or wear special clothes. Heck, you don’t even need to work up a sweat if you don’t feel like it. Plus oftentimes a walk means special time with a friend, pretty... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/85832/osteoporosis http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/83927/osteoporosis Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:30:25 -0400 PJ Hamel What’s usually the first symptom of osteoporosis?A broken bone.Sadly, most of us don’t realize we have osteoporosis (let alone its precursor, osteopenia) till we actually suffer a fracture. If we’re “lucky,” it’s something simple, like an ankle (Sonia Sotomayor) or elbow (Hillary Clinton). More devastating, though, are hip and spine fractures; injuries that can severely alter your life – or even,... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/83927/osteoporosis http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/82012/osteoporosis Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:16:00 -0400 PJ Hamel Denosumab, a ground-breaking osteoporosis drug that’s been moving through clinical trials for several years, is set to take the first step towards FDA approval this week.   An advisory panel will meet Thursday to make recommendations as to whether denosumab, which will be marketed under the brand name Prolia, should be approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. The FDA will make the final decision on... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/82012/osteoporosis http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/79799/bone-building Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:22:40 -0400 PJ Hamel My last post covered the correct way to get your daily dose of calcium: via foods (and supplements if necessary), spaced throughout the day for maximum absorption. Calcium-loading is a no-no; when you take a 1000mg tablet at breakfast and swig down a smoothie for another 500mg 2 hours later, your body will actually only absorb 1/3 of what you’ve taken, about 500-600mg. Smaller amounts, taken more frequently, are the way to go.Now that... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/79799/bone-building http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/77960/bone-building Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:16:03 -0400 PJ Hamel You’re cruising this Web site because you have osteoporosis. Or osteopenia. Or you’re getting older, and you’re afraid you might be in danger of developing osteoporosis. Good assumption: according to the National Institutes of Health, osteoporosis is “a major public health threat” for 44 million Americans. Half of all women (and 25% of all men) will have an osteoporosis-related fracture during their... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/77960/bone-building http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/75757/osteoporosis Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:44:24 -0400 PJ Hamel From the Los Angeles Times’ blogger Andrew Malcolm, in a blogpost from last Wednesday:"Being a New York woman in the Obama administration seems like a dangerous thing to be these days."First, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor broke her ankle in a fall en route to Washington from New York."Now, former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who's already safely traveled thousands of miles around the world as President Obama's secretary of State,... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/53591/75757/osteoporosis