How to Keep your Bones Healthy throughout Your Life
Bone health is crucial to wellness and a long healthy life.
The FDA is expected to issue a revised label for drugs that include Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva.
Your SignatureMD physician already knows that there is a multifaceted approach to maintaining bone mass, and are monitoring the FDA’s warnings for these popular prescriptions.
The FDA alerted the medical community in a 45-page report issued last week. The staff report said studies “suggest no significant advantage of continuing drug therapy beyond five years.”
The agency is expected to issue a revised label in November for the drugs, known as bisphosphonates, including Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva.
The safety review of the drugs was prompted by concerns over a relatively small number of long-term users who had suffered unusual thigh fractures or a serious jaw disease. The benefits of the drugs have only been proven for three to five years, not any longer, FDA staff members said, they also warned about links to the rare conditions discussed, that may occur after longer use.
Concierge care practices keep ahead of the news from regulatory boards and offer a broad spectrum of fixes for nutrition and age-related loss of bone mass.
It is expected that new labels for these drugs will be more specific about benefits during the first three to five years and about the uncertainties after that.
SignatureMD doctors and their patients should consider a variety of factors while individually considering longer-term use of the drug.
The drugs currently in question are Fosamax (Merck) and Actonel and Atelvia (Warner Chilcott) and Boniva (Roche Therapeutics). The sales of these drugs are over $7 Billion annually.
Human bone mass reaches its peak between the ages of 30 and 35.
The personalized concierge care approach to preserving bone density begins with counseling parents on the diets of children in the family, as they should all start saving calcium by drinking fortified milk and milk replacements to prepare growing bones for future losses.
Adults should have 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day.
After the peak years of bone mass, the losses begin, for some faster than others. Risk factors are highest for Asians and Caucasians.
Research shows women are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis than men, due to childbearing and hormone loss post-menopause.
Milk contains lactose, which enhances calcium absorption by bones, but many people have given up dairy and milk, or are lactose intolerant. For those, SignatureMD physicians make sure a diet rich in calcium is recommended, one that includes tempeh, tofu, dark green vegetables, sesame seeds, and sardines and anchovies.
Concierge care includes regular wellness care, and SignatureMD doctors warn that carbonated drinks, alcohol, cigarettes (nicotine) and junk foods, which are high in fat, salt and seasoning, will impair calcium absorption.
The magic bullet is making sure you are getting sufficient vitamin D to fortify your bones.
People between the ages of 20 and 50 need 400 international units of vitamin D. Those older than 50, need between 600 and 800. Food sources with vitamin D include salmon, liver, cod liver oil and egg yolks.
Your SignatureMD physician can outline the correct amount of sun exposure that is best for your skin in order to produce vitamin D.
Exercise is also necessary to maintain bone mass. Make sure to include walking, jogging, light aerobics and moderate weight-lifting 3-6 times a week, all of which are good for maintaining bone health.
It’s important to monitor bone health and regular wellness checkups and SignatureMD’s diagnostic tools keep your doctor in the know and ahead of any potential problems. Invest in your health through SignatureMD and reap the benefits of knowing how strong your bones really are.
About SignatureMD
SignatureMD is one of the nation’s largest firms providing initial conversion and ongoing support services to concierge medicine physicians. SignatureMD currently partners with over 200 affiliated primary care physicians and specialists across 35 states, and its network is rapidly expanding.