May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month. Big deal, right? Well, yeah; if you want to help save your family, friends, and colleagues from going through the pain and fear that comes with an osteoporosis diagnosis. Here are 10 simple and effective ways to spread the word about this disease.

“Hey, I’ve got a question for you…”
You’re at work. The meeting’s about to begin. While everyone’s still in chat mode, ask this question: “Who here has a mom or grandma who’s broken a hip?”

Surprisingly, most people still don’t know that a broken hip (or any broken bone) is often the way older people are diagnosed with osteoporosis. And that osteoporosis is hereditary. If anyone answers “yes” to your question, tell her she may be at risk.

Having a cookout? Label the drinks.
Bet most of your friends don’t know that many carbonated beverages leach calcium from your bones – and the chief offender is diet cola, everyone’s favorite.

Label your cooler of soda “bad for your bones” – then offer your own homemade “soda” – calcium-fortified OJ, fresh-squeezed lime juice, sliced strawberries, sparkling water, and a touch of sweetener. (Just make sure the seltzer doesn’t include calcium-unfriendly phosphoric acid.)

At the gym
If you go to a gym regularly, you see the same people over and over – people with whom you bond as you sweat off those extra calories.

Do you have any pals who stick to the treadmill or elliptical, and avoid those scary looking weight machines over in the corner? Let them know that weight-bearing exercise – e.g., weight-lifting – is the very best exercise for their bones.

For moms of teenage daughters
Did you know that teenagers can be diagnosed with full-blown osteoporosis? In fact, some of the seemingly fittest teenage girls are at highest risk, due to excessive dieting and prolonged hard exercise.

Tell your soccer mom friends (or tennis mom, swimming mom, lacrosse mom…) – a teenage girl who both works out strenuously and diets heavily is potentially injuring her bones, and putting herself at risk for osteoporosis.

TGIF? Discuss what you drink.
You’re hitting the bistro after work Friday with a bunch of colleagues. Most, like you, are middle-aged or older. Before the server arrives, let your friends know that wine – not beer, not a Margarita – is the best alcoholic choice for bone health in older women.

Share this shocking fact: osteoporosis can be deadly
Most people think of osteoporosis as a bother – not a potential death sentence.

But here’s a surprising statistic: a woman’s lifetime risk of hip fracture is equal to the combined risks of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer. And in any one year, more women will die of complications from a hip fracture than of breast cancer. 

Gently bring up THAT fact next time the discussion turns to breast cancer.