Take Charge of Osteoporosis after Menopause

Ladies how much do you know about osteoporosis after menopause and being in control of your bone health?

I recently attended an inaugural event with 12 other influencers over the age of 50 hosted by Amgen to bring awareness about osteoporosis and how we can take control of our bone health. Amgen paid for my travel and hotel, but my views are my own.

I thought I knew a lot about osteoporosis but this event was so educational and informative that I need to share with you what I learned and hope this blog post makes you informed and aware of this silent disease that affects so many women after menopause.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps.

The Statistics about Osteoporosis

• 1 in 2 women in the U.S will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their remaining lifetime.
• A woman’s risk of a hip fracture is equal to her combined risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
• Some women lose up to 20% of their bone density in the 5-7 years following menopause.
• Breaking a bone is often the first sign of Osteoporosis
• Breaking a bone due to Osteoporosis puts you at a higher risk of breaking another
• About 80% of people at high risk, who have already had at least one Osteoporosis-related fracture, go undiagnosed and untreated for Osteoporosis.
• A Healthy Diet and Exercise are important, but for women with Osteoporosis, they are often not enough on their own.

Do you know if you are at risk for Osteoporosis?

A number of factors can increase the likelihood that you’ll develop osteoporosis — including your age, race, lifestyle choices, and medical conditions and treatments.

• Your sex. Women are much more likely to develop osteoporosis than are men.
• Age. The older you get, the greater your risk of osteoporosis.
• Race. You’re at greatest risk of osteoporosis if you’re white or of Asian descent.
• Family history. Having a parent or sibling with osteoporosis puts you at greater risk, especially if your mother or father fractured a hip.
• Body frame size. Men and women who have small body frames tend to have a higher risk because they might have less bone mass to draw from as they age.
• Hormone levels. Osteoporosis is more common in people who have too much or too little of certain hormones in their bodies.
• Dietary Factors. Low calcium intake, severe weight-loss diets, eating disorders, and gastrointestinal surgeries to reduce the size of your stomach or to remove part of the intestine limits the amount of surface area available to absorb nutrients, including calcium.
•  Lifestyle Choices.  People who spend a lot of time sitting have a higher risk of osteoporosis than do those who are more active. Regular consumption of more than two alcoholic drinks a day increases your risk of osteoporosis. Smoking has been shown to weaken the bones.

Women over 50 should ask their doctor about a DXA Scan.

Prevention 

1. Exercise

Combine strength training exercises with weight-bearing and balance exercises.

Weight-bearing Exercise

These exercises include activities that make you move against gravity while staying upright. Weight-bearing exercises can be high-impact or low-impact.

Walking, golf, hiking, dancing, doing high-impact aerobics, jogging/running, jumping rope, stair climbing, and tennis.

High-impact weight-bearing exercises help build bones and keep them strong. If you have broken a bone due to osteoporosis or are at risk of breaking a bone, you may need to avoid high-impact exercises. If you’re not sure, you should check with your doctor.

Balance Exercises

Protein is important for bone health because it’s a major component of bone tissue and plays a role in maintaining bone.

Calcium– we need 1,200 milligrams after we turn 50 and men turn 70. Calcium is essential to building strong, dense bones when you’re young and to keeping them strong and healthy as you age.

• Low-fat dairy products
• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Canned salmon or sardines with bones
• Soy products, such as tofu
• Calcium-fortified cereals and orange juice
• Calcium supplements. If you get enough calcium from foods, don’t take a supplement. There is no added benefit to taking more calcium than you need.

Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

3. Vitamin D

You can get vitamin D from sunshine, supplements, and foods. Vitamin D is found in very few foods. Sources include fatty fish like wild-caught mackerel, salmon, and tuna. Vitamin D is added to milk and other dairy products, orange juice, soymilk, and fortified cereals.

The Aging Differently Osteoporosis Summit

This summit was held at Amgen’s headquarter in Thousand Oaks California. We had a wonderful time touring the facility and listening to a panel discussion on Osteoporosis given Dr. Andrea Singer, Chief Medical Officer for the National Osteoporosis Foundation, Dr. Mary Oates, US Medical Director, Amgen, Dr. Michele McDermott, US Medical Director, Amgen and moderated by my friend, Barabara Hannah Grufferman.

I was very impressed with the quality and the integrity this company has towards developing treatments for serious illnesses. We weren’t allowed to use our cameras so the only photo op was us wearing our scrubs, googles in a hall with no product displayed. Each person who met with us from Amgen was passionate about the work they are doing at this biotech company.

This summit brought together women over 50 from all over the country and we immediately made connections as we want to share with our followers the importance of bone health.

The power of social media is not lost on me as an over 50ish woman. I was invited to this conference because I have a voice that connects with other women of midlife. I write and share health concerns we face after 50 and after menopause. I want all of us to live our best lives now!

This was Amgen’s first summit inviting women over the age of 50 who will share on our platforms the importance of being proactive about our own health. I am the voice of the postmenopausal woman who has different health concerns that a woman who is still in childbearing years. I am grateful that companies like Amgen see the influence we have on our peers.

Staying at Westlake Village Inn

This lovely 17-acre resort is located close proximity to Los Angeles, Malibu, and Santa Barbara. As a guest, you can utilize their bicycles to enjoy local trails or visit the adjacent 18-hole golf course and driving range. We did our morning yoga near the golf course. They have a spa(which I would have loved to enjoy if I had more time.) Everywhere you walked was so beautiful from the courtyards, the fountains and the covered walkways.

The grounds at the Inn were filled flowers everywhere. It was a perfect place to unwind and enjoy the scenery during our stay.

I can see while weddings are popular at Westlake Village Inn. A perfect venue for a wedding!

Guest Room

This was a lovely room and outside my patio was rose bushes trellised over a rock pathway. I love the little fireplace in my bedroom. It wasn’t chilly enough to start it but I like the ambiance in the room.

My bathroom was large but I loved the shower with the built-in bench and a second handheld which you don’t see in many hotel bathrooms.

Every night I had this beautiful walk to the restaurants where I met up with my new friends as we made connections as women over 50.

Bogies was a lovely place where we gathered to talk about what we learned at the summit and we learned more about each other. The friendships were built and now I have made new friends because of this summit.

Here is a wonderful photo of the women who attended Amgen’s inaugural summit and I hope they continue reaching out and bringing awareness to important health issues as we begin living our best lives after 50!

Thank you to Amgen for this wonderful summit and for bringing women over 50 together!

I hope you take a moment and talk to your doctor about bone health!

Hugs,