Barb's Daily Dose

Health Risks from Drinking Soda, Especially for Women

Our Featured Guest Writer Today is: Melanie Haiken, Senior Editor of Caring.com

At a picnic this weekend, I listened as an extended family member nagged at kids to stay away from the cola and other types of soda pop being served. "They rot your teeth," one grandmother admonished her grand kids. But she herself was drinking a big glass of Diet Pepsi, and didn't seem aware of the irony of her pronouncement: It's actually older women who are most at risk of health problems from drinking cola and other fizzy soft drinks.

Bone Healthy Work Out

Last week, I got a chance to work with Kathy Kaehler, she’s a nationally renowned fitness trainer to the stars.  She’s trained a lot of A-list celebrities and was the fitness expert on The Today Show for years.

I downloaded her The Bone Healthy Workout, available on www.bonehealth.com and have been giving it to my patients who don’t have access to the internet.  This work out is great for anyone over 50 who wants to work on strength, coordination, flexibility and balance, all important not  only for bone health, but also to help prevent falls and fractures.

Bone Density Testing

This past August I was in New York talking about Bone Density Testing with Sally Field.  Here's a video from our segment on Good Morning America Health.

I'd like to thank the folks at Hologic for arranging to have both the Destiny DEXA machine at the studio and the Sahara, ultrasound tester there too.

And a big thanks especially to Mary Ann Barrett, who was the technician on the segment.

By the way, everyone asks me the same question:  What is Sally Field like?

I've only met her briefly, twice, and she's as nice and down to earth as you'd think from seeing her in so many roles over the years.  She's gracious, professional, smart and passionate about women's health.  She inspires by example.

Every single women's health care provider in the US is indebted to Sally Field for helping us talk about a osteoporosis and treatment options in a way that women can relate to.

Thanks Sally!

Bone Health Alert: Are Low Levels of Vitamin D Putting You at Risk?

Our Guest Writer Today is Melanie Haiken, Senior Editor at Caring.com

Yesterday the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) issued an alarming report announcing that vitamin D levels are at dangerously low levels across the globe, increasing the risk for osteoporosis and bone fracture, particularly for older women. The study, to be published in Osteoporosis International, tested population groups around the globe, and found that in almost all geographic regions an enormous proportion of the population has insufficient levels of the key nutrient.

The numbers in the report have experts talking. Among men ages 70 and up, 76 percent of whites, 88 percent of hispanics, and 93 percent of black men had too little vitamin D in their blood; among women, the numbers were comparable except that 95 percent of black women tested too low. Previous studies had put the percent of the population that was D-deficient around 40 percent, so these numbers are quite a revelation.

To Continue to Read This Informative Article, Click Here

3 Key Steps to Protect Against Falls -- and Prevent a "Cascade" of Health Problems

Today's Guest Writer Is:  Melanie Haiken, Senior Editor of Caring.com

As many of us in the role of caring for older family members have found out the hard way, a fall that leads to a broken hip or other fracture can set of a chain reaction of health problems that can leave a formerly strong and independent person weakened and frail. Thanks to the "cascade" effect, a fall can trigger a series of serious health problems, and often leads to death. The Centers for Disease Control reports that falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among older adults, as well as the most common cause of hospital admissions for trauma. So it's important to take steps to prevent falls, including these:

Interview With Sally Field

On May 20th, I will be interviewing Sally Field!

Wow, I am so excited and can't wait to talk with her about her work empowering and educating women about Osteoporosis.

I'll post the tape as soon as it's available.

Stay tuned for more fun!!!

Vitamin D

It seems that every day we're learning just how important Vitamin D is for our bodies. We need at least 15-20 minutes of sun exposure each day to absorb enough light to make this essential vitamin. Unfortunately, even people who live in sunny areas, are so used to using sun screen to help prevent skin cancer and dark spots on the skin, that we're not getting enough Vitamin D.

Normal levels of Vitamin D have been shown to protect against these and many other conditions:

• Memory decline
• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Osteoporosis
• Bone Pain

New recommendations are for people to get between 400-800 IU/day. If you're over 50 ask your health care provider for a blood test for Vitamin D.  As it turns out, many people are seriously deficient and may need mega doses of up to 50,000 IU each week for 6-8 weeks.  

Normal Level

We'd like to see levels of at least 30 ng/ml.  If it's too low, most people will improve within 2 months with supplements.

Moo Juice & Calcium

If you're like most Americans, you may not be getting enough calcium or Vitamin D in your diet. We know that we build most of our bone mass by our 20's.

If you have kids at home, be sure that they are getting at least 3 servings of calcium rich food a day from yogurt, cheese, milk, or calcium fortified orange juice. If they're not getting enough, consider a multivitamin or a calcium supplement.  Look for one that also has Vitamin D. 

Your kids need at least 1200 mg/day which = 3-4 servings. So skip the fruit juice, unless it has calcium in it and pour the moo juice

Likewise, many of my patients and most women I know steer clear of dairy for a variety of reasons. They may be lactose intolerant, or worry about the calories.  If you're not getting 3 servings every day, then also think about a supplement.  I advise my patients to keep their calcium chews or chewable tablets in the car.  You don't have to spend a lot of money on this, just find one that you like and will actually take.

I've been eating lots more non-fat greek style yogurt, mixed with a little Splenda.  

Good luck,

My Grandmother Shrunk

I remember when I noticed that my grandmother was shrinking. This tall, imposing figure from my childhood, who never baked a cookie in her life, and kept her brood grandchildren in line, with one raised eyebrow and a look that said, "You're not measuring up to my impossibly high standards."  How did she go from 5' 7" to 5' 1" ?  

I'll tell you, it was osteoporosis!  Aha. Every time I try to explain this to patients without a picture, I lose them, so these 2 might help. 

As the bones become less thick and less dense, the vertebrae develop tiny little crush fractures and flatten more and more like a pancake. leading to loss of height.

Vitamin D and Sunscreen

Could you be using too much sunscreen? Yes, it's possible that while trying to avoid skin cancer and slathering on the sunscreen, we could be inadvertently depriving ourselves of the beneficial UV light that helps our bodies manufacture more Vitamin D. Dermatologists are still debating this point, but one thing is certain, Vitamin D is an essential nutrient not just for keeping our bones strong and healthy, but may also play a role in prevention of colon cancer.

African American Women are more likely to be deficient, especially if they live in the northern parts of the country. As it turns out, the darker our skin is, the more time we need to make adequate Vitamin D. if you're over 50 and have concerns about bone loss or osteoporosis, ask your health care provider for a vitamin D level.