My wife (47) was recently diagnosed with a pretty advanced case of osteoporosis for someone of her age. Her doctors wanted to immediately put her on some kind of medication (HGH?) where she would have to give herself a shot every day for three years just to get her back to a stable bone density.
So far, we are resisting taking the drug route, and my wife has launched an aggressive lifestyle adjustment, eating and drinking more dairy based on recommendations of a nutrionist, getting more weight bearing exercise with the help of a trainer, taking more calcium and vitamin D, etc.
One thing we have heard is that the sunlight one gets during the winter months if you live above the 35th parallel (we live in Michigan at about 43) does very little for your Vitamin D creation, so we are planning some trips to Souther locations throughout the winter. However, we have also heard reports of women who have moved to places below the 35ht parallel who, within a year, had their osteoporosis improve dramatically, mostly because of the additional sunlight and year round outdoor activity.
We are currently considering moving for other reasons and would consider moving to a city below the 35th parallel if we thought it would improve my wife's situation and help her avoid the drug treatment. I have not found any studies on this and wondered if anyone know of any or could site examples where this might work.
My wife is not overweight, in generally good health (except for mild asthma) and has not suffered any broken bones due to this disease. She also is of Mexican-American descent (if that makes any difference) and her family only moved north a generation or so ago. No other family members have been diagnosed with osteo. Oh, and she also has had jobs over the past 10 years that kept her indoors at a desk for long hours, so while she is trying to get more sunshine, it is proving difficult to do.
