Health Expert Pam Flores shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. 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/profiles/c/76444/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/76444/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/76444/index http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/153290/osteoporosis Fri, 25 May 2012 12:25:11 -0400 Pam Flores Health Central would like to welcome Kathleen Cody, the Executive Director of American Bone Health and the Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education.  FORE is a California-based research organization focusing on the needs of the medical community to support osteoporosis detection, treatment and prevention.  American Bone Health is a community-based, chapter-driven national health organization providing support and education to... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/153290/osteoporosis http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/153118/osteoporosis Sat, 19 May 2012 14:23:49 -0400 Pam Flores May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention month, and we would like to do something special for the readers.  American Bone Health (ABH) has a wonderful campaign going that is perfect for us to show our bone strength and dedication to bone health and education.   Here is what we’d like to do, to show our commitment to our health, bones and lifestyle.   GET AMERICAN BONE HEALTH STRONG WITH US!   1) Grab a camera... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/153118/osteoporosis http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/152460/dxa-cuts Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:58:17 -0400 Pam Flores I hope you've been following the news on Congress' legislative bill HR 2020/S. 1096, The Preservation of Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2011.  This bill is to preserve the pre-2006 cuts to DXA's reimbursement rates through Medicare, which are at an all time low and unaffordable for most. We all need to send our representatives letters and make phone calls to stop this travesty before it's too late. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/152460/dxa-cuts http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/152173/osteoporosis Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:46:10 -0400 Pam Flores   If you are taking Boniva® monthly medication for your osteoporosis and finding it very expensive, or your insurance doesn't cover it-well, good news is here-it's now available in generic.    When a brand name drug becomes available in generic that means the original patent has expired and other companies can manufacture it at a much lower price.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires the drug to meet... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/152173/osteoporosis http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/152014/4-exercises Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:44:20 -0400 Pam Flores Falls are responsible for 95% of hip fractures each year in the United States.  If we could incorporate these easy-to-do exercises we could lower the number of hip fractures each year and reduce the medical cost attributable to these types of injuries.    Fracture recovery is a long and painful process, that requires some bed rest, and then when able, physical therapy to strengthen the muscles and joints surrounding the... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/152014/4-exercises http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/151686/testimony Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:01:16 -0400 Pam Flores     We'd like to welcome one of our members, Jerri Iehl, who has osteoporosis and was treated with Reclast.  As a result of her medical issues during treatment, Jerri was selected to testify before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on bisphosphonates in September 2011.  Jerri will take us through her treatment and the medical issues that occurred while she was treated for osteoporosis.    Since we all react... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/151686/testimony http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/151404/questions Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:00:43 -0400 Pam Flores Thinking about having a DXA Scan?  Here's some important things you should know.   Can I take oral calcium the day of my scan?   Do not take supplemental calcium 24 hours before your test.  Undissolved calcium can cause an artifact (shadow) on the scan, so it's best to skip your calcium dose the day before the test.   I have body piercings; do they need to be removed?   Remove all jewelry because the... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/151404/questions http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/151098/dxa Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:31:31 -0400 Pam Flores At the first of the year we discussed the new recommendations for DXA scanning, which concluded that those over 65, with normal bone density scores may wait for their repeat scan for bone mineral density scores.  The study also mentioned that waiting fifteen years in-between scans would theoretically save our health care system billions of dollars.   Since this recommendation was issued, there has been a lot of debate, including mine... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/151098/dxa http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/150772/implanted Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:18:46 -0500 Pam Flores Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Case Western Reserve University and Harvard developed a remote programmable microchip that can be implanted to dispense teriparatide (Forteo®) for patients at high risk for fracture.  The scientists and two commercial companies tested this on a group of women, between 65 and 70 with osteoporosis, and all those tested received the correct amount of medication with no serious side... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/150772/implanted http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/150480/osteoporosis Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:50:34 -0500 Pam Flores We will be interviewing one of our members from England on Transient Migratory Osteoporosis.  This is a little-known disorder that is similar to osteoporosis in some ways, but at the same time very different.  Most of us have never heard of this, even though it's been in the medical literature for quite some time.    Transient Osteoporosis is a rare self-limited syndrome characterized by sudden onset of joint pain, followed... http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoporosis/c/76444/150480/osteoporosis