October 2024. Osteopenia, Osteoporosis News

Dear Friends of Osteopenia2.com,

It has been awhile since you have heard from me. I regret that...one medical issue after another from the end of 2023 until recently. If I had some sort of magic wand that could stop other drivers from running stop signs and/or red lights and totalling my vehicles, my body would be in better shape and I would live with less pain. But that is not the case so like many of you, I just keep chugging along and try to get more done of the 'good days'. And it is about time that I restarted our Newsletter. So here goes...... .

As far as medical advances in the area of Osteopenia and Osteoporosis there is not much new. Although I recently found that a research team has "has observed that exposure to warmer ambient temperatures increases bone strength and prevents the loss of bone density." So maybe this might become a minor benefit to global warming. It certainly offers some reason why Osteopenia and Osteoporosis seem to be more of a problem in areas farther from the equator and nearer the poles.

Still But much of the increase in Osteopenia and Osteoporosis may be chalked up to the increased use of automation and machinery to replace physical labor and activity. When I was a child people walked to grocery stores, meat markets and the local fish store AND they carried their purchases home in bags. Now most people drive to a supermarket, use a cart to gather their purchases and only lift things in and out of the cart. .. . Some of us do not even do that. We have our groceries delivered......brought right to our door. Where is the daily stress on bones that impells our Osteoblasts to build new bone? ....

Now we have the power to change all this this. We can choose to start living a bone building life style. How?

1. When ever possible walk rather than ride. For me that means parking farther away from stores, rather than as close as possible. It means bringing some shopping bags and putting things in the bag and carrying them as I continue my shopping....instead of plopping everything in the grocery cart. And if I am getting a week's groceries and I need a shopping cart, it means filling and carrying a bag or two as I push the cart. Then when I have too much to carry, I just put the bags and the all my additional purchases in the cart as I finish up. .. It means walking DOWN stairs as often as I can. (Walking up stairs is good cardio exercise but the impact of walking down stimulates bones.) It means using a weight vest....starting with two once ounce weights on opposite sides of the vest and wearing the vest first for 20 minutes a day and then adding more time each week when I am up to a couple hours I add more weight and start all over at just 20 minutes. It takes me up to a few months before I am using as much weight as is safe (I never want to use so much weight that I risk falling over if I bend). Then I stop this exercise and let my bones get used to no extra weight for a month or two. And during those months I try dancing or marching in the kitchen - again starting with a few minutes and working up to 20 minutes or so. ... (When I was working, I used to park farther from the entrance so I had to walk. And since I was a teacher, I was often carrying books.) .... You get the idea and I feel confident that you can figure out how to build other weight bearing activities into your daily life. (Lucky you if you have a dog to walk...you can even combine walking the dog with adding some back pack weight.) ..... Oh, and none of this will cost big bucks. Now if you have the money and want to pay for gym membership and/or a trainer, I am not trying to discourage that. I just want to show the making small changes in our every day activities so we are living our lives closer to the life our ancestors who walked most of the day, bending and reaching to collect berries and fruit to eat, is a good way to build greater bone density. ..... Yes, I know. This in not the first time I have written about this. But I am aware that I, too, need reminding. It is so easy to live a sedentary online life in 2024. But such a life is not good for our bones. And it is not good for your children or grandchildren either. Going for walks is a starter... , walking with a back pack that adds a bit more weight each week for a month or two. Tap dancing (youtube videos offer instruction)....you get the point...Putting some stress on your bones can prevent fractures as we age. ..... Thanks for reading. If you have ideas or comments, I am trying to add a place on most pages of the site www.osteopenia3.com that will allow reader comments. But please do not ask me for medical advice. The AMA could sue me into poverty if I gave personal medical advice since I am not a MD. Thanks for reading. . Be well, be happy.

Kate .. PS. Thanks for reading and I promise that this newsletter will now return to monthly publication. . . If there are topics you would like me to cover, please let me know. You can just hit 'reply' to reach me. . I want this newsletter to be as useful and possible for you. Until next month....

Kate . Kate Lindemann, professor emerita Mt. St. Mary College Newburgh, New York.