Bone Health Information – Fair Oaks Women’s Health

drawing showing a healthy bone vs a bone with osteoporosis

As we age, the health of our bones assumes greater importance. Osteoporosis is a disease where bones become brittle and can break (fracture) easily. A common serious break is a hip fracture. Osteoporosis can be treated, but even better it can be prevented, however, prevention has to start many years BEFORE the disease develops.

If you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis, or osteopenia (low bone mass), or if you want to know more and do more to improve your bone health, please read this article.

Bone Density Testing (DXA)

Illustration of a person laying in a dexa scan machine

Bone density testing is presently the ONLY method for determining if someone has osteoporosis. Joint pains are not a symptom of osteoporosis. The first symptom of osteoporosis might be a bone fracture in the lower spine (vertebral compression fracture) sometimes diagnosed by a loss of height in a woman older than 50. These can be painless fractures. Osteoporosis or Osteopenia (low bone mass) can be diagnosed before any fracture occurs.

Bone Density testing is done using an X-ray technique called DXA or DEXA (which stands for Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry). There are two types of DXA bone density tests available, called central and peripheral. Central DXA is a type of X-Ray scan of the hip and the lower spine. It is usually done in a hospital or imaging center. This is what we typically order.

Learn More About DXA

Bone Health Resources

young v old bone.png

Below is a list of links for more information about Bone Health. (We offer this information as a public service and are not able to independently confirm or verify the accuracy of all the content.)

  • The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) : The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) is the leading national health organization dedicated to promoting strong bones for life, preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, and reducing human suffering through programs of public and clinician awareness, education, advocacy, and research.
  • Optimal Bone Health – Dr. Doug Lucas: THE 4R BONE OPTIMIZATION METHOD. Dr. Doug Lucas is a double Board-Certified physician specializing in optimizing “healthspan” and bone health.
  • The Save Institute: The Osteoporosis Reversal Program’s revolutionary multi-pronged RESTORE approach gets to the root cause of your bone loss, stops it, and helps you rebuild strong and healthy bones.
  • Bone Coach: Kevin Ellis is the founder of BoneCoach™ & Osteoporosis “Thriver”. He is an Integrative Nutrition Certified Health Coach, and a Stronger Bones Solution™ Program Instructor.
  • Better Bones, Better Body: Susan E. Brown, PhD, is a medical anthropologist, a New York State Certified Nutritionist, and the author of Better Bones, Better Body — a comprehensive look at natural bone health. She has more than 40 years of experience in clinical nutrition, bone health research, and lay and health professional education.
  • OsteoStrong Training: OsteoStrong® is not a gym, diet, supplement, pharmaceutical, or a medical treatment. OsteoStrong® is a unique place where you can go to improve your overall health by focusing on the one thing we all have in common: a skeletal system. [There is an OsteoStrong center here in Pasadena]

Bone Health Videos