Barb's Daily Dose

Indigestion and Hip Fractures

If you're like millions of American women over 60, you might have a little indigestion after meals, especially at night. Go to any pharmacy and you can find lots of over the counter and/or prescription medications that aim to relieve the excess acid and decrease heartburn.

Osteoporosis & Rare Thigh Fractures

I was just interviewed about bone health and osteoporosis for National Osteoporosis Awareness month. One issue that many women wanted to understand better had to do with recent reports of more thigh bone  fractures associated with the prescription medications for osteoporosis.

Preventing Falls in the Home and Keeping Your Bones Healthy

Watch Nurse Barb on "Home with Lisa Quinn" talking about simple tips in the home to keep you safe.

Back Pain

I have a friend who called the other day after being diagnosed with a bulging disc in the lower lumbar area of the spine.  He was told to take it easy and take some anti-inflammatory medications for a few days until the swelling subsides. The doctor, who looked at the MRI was reassuring and said that he should recover well in a few months.

Vitamin D: Essential for Good Bone Health

I was at Costco the other day, getting stocked up on paper towels and olive oil and went down the vitamin aisle.  I love that aisle, because it just seems like this is one place where there's lots of healthy choices. There's a wide selection of  vitamins and supplements available there and I quickly grabbed the Nature Made Vitamin D for the cart so that I could get in line.

Osteoporosis

Check out This Informative New Video Featuring

Nurse Barb and El Camino Hospital

State of the Art Hip and Knee Replacements

Want Healthy Bones? Eat More Prunes

I was skeptical when I saw the headline that eating Prunes increased bone density in women, so I looked a little closer.  A recent study found that women who ate 10 or more prunes each day had significantly higher bone density in their forearms and spine than women who ate dried apples.

I know what you're thinking, wow, is it because they spent so much time doing weight bearing exercise as they walked to and from the bathroom because of the exceptionally high prune intake?  My thoughts  exactly.  So, I looked a bit further. Many authors shy away from using the word prune, and instead use Dried Plums, which does sound better.  Anyway, prunes, sorry, dried plums are good for you in lots of ways.

Osteoporosis & Rare Thigh Fractures

I was just interviewed about bone health and osteoporosis for National Osteoporosis Awareness month. One issue that many women wanted to understand better had to do with recent reports of more thigh bone  fractures associated with the prescription medications for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis

I get this question a lot.  "What is the difference between osteoporosis and osteoarthritis"?  Well, as you can see from the photos below:  Osteoporosis is a silent disease that affects how dense or thick the bones are. It literally means "porous" bone.  People often have no symptoms until they start to lose height or worse, fracture a bone.  Osteoporosis threatens 44 million americans.  There are about 8 million women with osteoporosis and 2 million men.

  Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints that can cause significant pain.  As the joints become more stiff and painful, the person will naturally limit their movement, which can lead to loss of muscle around the area, producing the contracted appearance you see in the photo.  Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body affects over 26 million people in the US.

Bone Health

May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month and now's a great time to learn about osteoporosis.  This morning, I'll be talking to TV stations across the country about Calcium, Vitamin D and other ways to keep your bones strong and healthy. 

Osteoporosis simply means porous bones, that is bones that are thinner, less dense and more like to fracture.  Did you know that women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass in the first 5-7 years after menopause.