Free Osteoporosis Screenings At Ashlar

May is National Osteoporosis Month, which calls attention to osteoporosis and recognizes it as a debilitating disease that causes bones to become fragile and more likely to break. It is often called the “silent disease” because there are no symptoms until a fracture occurs. 

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 10 million people in the United States alone already have the disease and an additional 18 million have low bone mass, which places them at an increased risk for developing the disease. Fortunately, low bone density can be identified, and preventative steps taken before osteoporosis and fractures occur.

On Tuesday, May 1, from 10 am to noon, Ashlar of Newtown and the Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging will conduct complimentary bone density screenings using a quick, painless procedure known as the PIXI scan. Reservations are not required for this test. Just stop in any time between the hours of 10 am and noon to receive a free screening, which will be done on a first come, first served basis. 

In this simple procedure, the bone density in a heel will be measured because the bone is similar to that found in the hip, where fractures from osteoporosis most often occur. The results of this measurement can be a powerful predictor of a person’s skeletal strength and fracture risk. Individuals and their physicians can use the results, along with other clinical risk factors such as age, family history, medications, calcium intake, and general health status, as an aid to diagnosis and treatment.

In addition to the screenings, an Ashlar of Newtown dietician will be on hand to offer nutritional information and high calcium recipes.

Ashlar of Newtown is at 139 Toddy Hill Road. For additional information, contact Yvonne Bachand, marketing and community relations manager for Ashlar of Newtown/Lockwood Lodge, at 364-3179.

A Major Health Threat

“Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for more than half of all Americans over age 50, especially women, who account for 80 percent of those with the disease,” said Ethel Siris, MD, president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

“More than $18 billion a year is spent on treatment of fractures resulting from osteoporosis, and costs are projected to increase unless more attention is given to disease prevention,” said Leo Schargorodski, executive director of the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

One in two women and one in four men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in her/his remaining lifetime. Osteoporosis affects more than ten million people in the United States, eight million are women and two million are men.

Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually, including more than 300,000 hip fractures, approximately 700,000 vertebral fractures, 250,000 wrist fractures, and 300,000 fractures at other sites.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institute of Health, niams.nih.gov, throughout one’s lifetime, bone is constantly formed and reabsorbed. Bone tissue stores calcium and this breaking down and building up helps to maintain the amount of calcium circulating in the blood. There are two basic types of bone cells.

Osteoblasts are bone-forming cells. These cells make a protein mixture called osteoid, which mineralizes to becomes bone. Osteoblasts are the immature bone cells. Bone lining cells are essentially inactive osteoblasts. They cover all of the available bone surface and function as a barrier for certain ions.

Osteocytes arise from osteoblasts that have migrated into and become trapped and surrounded by bone matrix, which they themselves produce. The spaces they occupy are known as lacunae. Their functions include to varying degrees: formation of bone, matrix maintenance, and calcium homeostasis. They are mature bone cells.

Osteoclasts are large cells located on bone, responsible for bone resorption, the remodeling of bone to reduce its volume. Osteoclasts mature and migrate to discrete bone surfaces where they secrete active enzymes.

The process of bone resorption releases stored calcium into the bloodstream and is an important process in regulating calcium balance. As bone formation fixes calcium in its mineral form thus removing it from the bloodstream, resorption unfixes it thereby increasing circulating calcium levels.

These processes occur in tandem at site-specific locations and are known as bone turnover or remodeling. Osteoblasts and osteoclasts are referred to as bone remodeling units. This remodeling at the cellular level shapes and sculpts the skeleton during growth and in response to stress, e.g., such as weight-bearing exercise or bone healing.

The good news is that osteoporosis is both treatable and preventable. Maintaining healthy bones is not just a concern for the elderly, nor just for women. Men and younger women are also at risk for this bone-weakening disease. Everyone needs to work harder at getting the proper amount of calcium necessary to build and strengthen healthy bones.

Proper nutrition is essential for strong bones. Calcium is the most important nutrient for reaching peak bone mass and for preventing and treating osteoporosis. High calcium intake should begin in childhood. Yet the National Institutes of Health, nih.gov, reports that only about 25 percent of boys and 10 percent of girls between ages 9 and 17 are getting the recommended amount of calcium.

Adults are lax, too. They are advised to consume 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams a day of calcium. But studies suggest that only about 50 to 60 percent of adults get enough calcium.

The preferred source of calcium is dietary. Low-fat dairy products, leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale, fortified orange juice and other calcium-enriched products supply plenty of calcium.

Supplements may be necessary for people who do not get the recommended intake from food. A doctor or pharmacist can help pick a good supplement

Milk and milk products, such as low-fat and nonfat cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt, are sources of calcium. Other sources of calcium include dark green leafy vegetables, spinach, kale, turnip greens, cabbage, collard, mustard, seaweeds, alfalfa, broccoli, canned fish (especially sardines, clams, oysters, and salmon) with bones, and cooked dried beans and peas.

Lactose intolerant people or those allergic to cow’s milk and dairy products can get an adequate supply of calcium from dry green leafy vegetables.

 

Why Is Calcium So Important?

According to thewellnessdoc.com, calcium, along with vitamin D, helps build and maintain healthy bones and teeth. In addition, calcium helps lower blood pressure and control heartbeat, helps regulate muscle contractions, plays a role in blood clotting, prevents fatal bleeding from breaks in the walls of blood vessels, maintains cell membranes, aids in the absorption of vitamin B12, and activates enzymes such as lipase, the fat-splitting enzyme.

When calculating the amount of calcium obtained from one’s diet, keep in mind that certain dietary factors, lifestyle characteristics, medical conditions and medications can affect the absorption or excretion of calcium in your body.

A calcium intake of up to 2,500 milligrams is safe for healthy people. Ones doctor can provide further advice.

Doctors can use a variety of devices to measure bone density. One screening test is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). This procedure is quick, simple and gives accurate results. It measures the density of bones in your spine, hip and wrist, the areas most likely to be affected by osteoporosis, and it’s used to accurately follow changes in these bones over time.

Another screening process uses of an analysis of risk for bone diminishment using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) to measure the estimated bone mineral density of the heel bone.

Computed tomography (CT), originally known as computed axial tomography (CAT or CT scan), is a medical imaging method that generates a three-dimensional image of the internals of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images.