Bone Health Support

The health of the bones is a very important factor that one must take into account, medical research says. Regardless of age and gender, healthy bones are necessary to ensure a healthy body. In fact, many different medical studies are being developed in order to know more about how one can have healthy bones. Recently, the National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA) commented about the latest osteoporosis study made by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Result from the osteoporosis study has made osteoporosis testing unnecessary once every two years.The NEJM showed that osteoporosis may develop in a very slow pace that testing for it is not helpful the way one thinks it is. However, as was highlighted by the NBHA, in order to protect those who are afflicted of osteoporosis, the results of the stud should be carefully assessed.

Many issues may come and go for the bones. Osteoporosis is just one of the examples. To prevent issues from appearing is to ensure the health of our bones. There are many ways in order for one to support his/her bone health. Here’s a list:

Calcium

Calcium is very well-known element that is good for the bones. There are many ways for one to get an adequate supply of this. Dark leafy vegetables and milk are good sources of calcium. Moreover, you can always check the label in order to know if the product is rich in calcium.

Exercise

To maintain and improve our health, activities that require physical effort must be carried out. There are different exercises one can take in which can be good for one’s bone health like jogging, swimming, dancing, and yoga. Depending upon your body type, you may need to exercise for half an hour to an hour.

Medical Check-Up

There is only one way of knowing if you are at risk of any kinds of bone disease: this is by going to a doctor. The doctor may perform exams in order to check the health of your bones. In this way, proper advice may be possible like giving medical prescriptions. As for osteoporosis, Fosamax has been famous as a preventive medicine. However, reports show that this is not the best medicine as far as lawsuits filed against the drug are concern.

This list is only part of the things you can do. There are still more and you might one to explore on that. However, you must always be careful and avoid things like Fosamax femur fractures from happening.

Fruits and Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis can be medicated by lifestyle changes and sometimes medication. Both may be the choice of people with osteoporosis But recent research presents that Fosamax, a drug that cures osteoporosis, may be substituted with dried fruits in order to beat osteoporosis. Additional researches also suggest that fracture follow-up can work as osteoporosis prevention.

Due to recent issues of Fosamax drug, patients may be encouraged to eat dried plums instead. However, always inquire to your healthcare expert about your decisions on your health conditions.

Dried Plums Instead of Fosamax?

Among the vegan recipes countering osteoporosis, dried plums are the most effective in elevating bone mineral density and promoting overall bone health. This study is conducted by researchers from Florida State University. Its publication is in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers refer to the regular consumption of dried plums as a “simple, proactive solution to help prevent fractures and osteoporosis.

The study further revealed that dried plums have the ability to suppress the accelerated bone resorption process in older individuals, which ends up exceeding the body's capacity to produce new bone tissue.

The researcher also claimed that postmenopausal women who regularly eat dried plums have a lower risk of having osteoporosis compared to other women of the same age.

Women are More Susceptible to Osteoporosis

Postmenopausal women encounter osteoporosis more often because it is directly linked to the cessation of ovarian function. However, researcher Bahram Arjmandi said that men will also begin to encounter bone tissue loss as their testosterone production dramatically decreases by the age of 65.

"In the first five to seven postmenopausal years, women are at risk of losing bone at a rate of 3 to 5 percent per year," Arjmandi explained.

In the United States alone, there are around 8 million women and 2 million men suffer from osteoporosis. This is based on the current figures.

The Issues about Fosamax?

After the publication of a number of studies that link Fosamax to abnormal bone cracks and the release of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning in October, Fosamax lawsuits became one of the biggest issues being faced by Merck.

References:

sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110818093048.htm

Read This Before Filing A Fosamax Lawsuit

Even before the Food and Drug Administration issued a post-marketing safety report requiring product labeling for bisphosphonates to reflect the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), it is already publicly known thatmany people have been affected by the dangers associated with the medicine called Fosamax. Here, we can see that people were just reasonable when they filed for a Fosamax lawsuit. But we have to learn about things we must consider before we file for a lawsuit as a popular Fosamax Femur Fractures theory are facing challenges.

• Consult with a trusted physician. Most often, patients are not sure if Fosamax was really the cause of their injuries or if it injured them at all. A licensed and experienced physician is the best person to answer these important questions. She or he can advise their patients about continuing with their current Fosamax treatment or changing to an alternative therapy for osteoporosis.

• Collect records. Succeeding in a Fosamax femur lawsuit requires gathering the best evidence in order to prove that the drug caused actual harm. Patients should gather the following records: medical records; insurance documents including Medicare; a list of expenses; and employment records. These documents are necessary for proving "economic" losses before the court of law. Medical records provide documentation of any physical harm suffered from Fosamax intake. Insurance records show payment of treatment. Anything that does not appear in insurance forms, ranging from wheelchairs to costs of hiring a caregiver, can be found on a complete itemized list of expenses. Finally, loss of wages resulting from missed work can be shown to the court through employment records. The lack of these documents can be detrimental in efforts to prove the extent of injuries which could result in patients being denied any compensation.

• Keep a journal and save all forms of correspondence. Patients need to create a body of evidence to help the court decide what kind of compensation may be due to "non-economic" losses in a Fosamax femur lawsuit. Journal entries, correspondences to others through letters and e-mails, and even photographs showing the extent of injuries can prove to the court that a patient is entitled to damages for pain and suffering, scarring and disfigurement, and other non-economic losses.

• Avoid direct communication with Merck or any other drug developer. Fosamax femur lawsuits are adversarial processes by nature. The same can be said for negotiating any Fosamax settlement with Merck. Anything communicated to Merck or any other drug manufacturer can be used against the patient in any legal setting. It is in the best interest of the patient to consult a lawyer before signing any documents or communicating with Merck in any way

Determining how effective your Fosamax lawsuit depends on how affected parties take into account these important things.

References:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1107029

http://www.ehow.com/list_6802382_reasons-medical-malpractice-claims.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_7765974_claim-accident-injuries.html

Paget’s Disease: Another Threat to your Bone Health

Fosamax has always been among the most widely used drugs in the United States over the years. But, if you look back and ahead at Fosamax lawsuits, you can tell that drug and its manufacturer, Merck,  also had their own share of bad times. This, and other drugs on the same classification are considered as the osteoporosis’ first line of treatment. Furthermore this drug may also be given to another serious health problem known as Paget’s disease.

Paget’s disease, also known to many as osteitis deformans, is the next most prevalent bone disease after osteoporosis in the United States. Added to that, it rarely occurs in people younger than 40 years old and its ratio from male to female is 1.2:1. Although it can exist in different areas in the world, it occurs largely in European countries such England, France and Germany.

Paget’s disease is a localized and chronic disorder that can result in enlarged and misshapen bones. In the initial phase of Paget’s disease, the bone remodeling cycle loses equilibrium where bone resorption becomes faster due to the increasing  number of bone cells responsible for breaking down the bones. It then proceeds to a stage with heightened bone formation causing bones that are larger but weaker than usual.

Paget’s disease can affect any bone in the skeleton but has affinity to the long bones, spine, skull and the pelvis. In most cases, this disease shows no symptoms at all making most of us unaware that we already have the bone disorder. Others may exhibit manifestations which depends on the afflicted bone of the disease. 

If left alone, this condition can lead to serious problems. For Instance, Paget’s disease with skull involvement can ultimately lead to the following problems:

•  Deafness
•  Vertigo
•  Tinnitus
•  Dental malocclusion
•  Basilar invagination
•  Cranial nerve disorders

Oftentimes patients diagnosed with Paget’s disease are treated with bone-strengthening drugs such as Fosamax or other bisphosphonates. However, there are findings suggesting that the use of Fosamax may put you at risk for serious problems including atypical fractures of the thigh bone. A significant number of people claiming to have been laid up by the long term effects of the drug are now determined to file a Fosamax lawsuit against Merck.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paget's_disease_of_bone

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/334607-overview

http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/p/pagetbone/stats.htm

What are the Other Drugs Used for Osteoporosis

Afflicting more than 10 million Americans with another 34 million at risk, the remedy for osteoporosis is an essential medical intervention. When the reports about Fosamax and other bisphosphonates causing serious adverse effects arose, the demand for a different medication also skyrockets. A number of studies are also performed including one which aims to determine whether eating dried plums can replace Fosamax against osteoporosis.

Despite having bisphosphonates as the most widely recommended remedy, a number of alternative options are also invented to manage this brittle bone disease in cases where your health disallows the use of the said drug. Other medicinal therapies in line chiefly deal with replacing certain hormones in the body. These substitute medicaments are also becoming popular in reversing the effects of osteoporosis on the bones.

Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Before the advent of bisphosphonates in medical science, HRT is the most widely recommended treatment for osteoporosis. Women, particularly those who have passed menopause, are often prescribed with either estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progestin, which are known to prevent bone resorption and diminish the risk of fracture. Unfortunately, a study in July 2002 become the turning point of events as it revealed the significant increase of risk of morbid diseases such as breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke in some women.

Evista (raloxifene)

Evista is a drug under selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) class which acts like an estrogen on the bones but acts otherwise on the uterus and the breasts. Unlike HRT, raloxifene does not increase one’s risk of breast cancers. Although this medicine could increase the clot formation in the veins and in the lungs. 

Protelos (strontium ranelate)

In the constant bone remodeling cycle, strontium ranelate functions by preventing the loss of calcium from the bones during bone resorption while stimulating the formation of new bones which is done by bone cells known as osteoblasts. This drug is often prescribed to menopausal women suffering from osteoporosis. Unfortunately, this drug is only sold in Europe and is yet to be permitted by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.

While there are several pharmaceutical interventions available for treating osteoporosis, it is best to confer with your doctor to find out the treatment that fits your condition. Combating osteoporosis does not primarily depend on bisphosphonates like Fosamax. Therefore, it will be unnecessary to situate yourself in a great danger of incurring Fosamax adverse effects which are now becoming the basis of people filing a Fosamax lawsuit against Merck – the drug maker.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raloxifene

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100000762.html

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/osteoporosis-treatments