The other day I found out I should have a baseline bone density test. If you’re premenopausal or postmenopausal, you probably should have one, too.
Most often your gynecologist or internist will refer you for a bone density test when they determine you’re perimenopausal, says Michael DiMuzio, PhD, executive director of the Osteoporosis Center at Ravinia Associates in Internal Medicine in Highland Park, IL. They’ll consider your symptoms or may test your estrogen levels. When estrogen levels begin to drop, that’s when your bones begin to change, he says.
Getting a baseline bone density test is important for determining whether you have osteoporosis or are at risk for osteoporosis. This disease causes bones to become more fragile and more likely to break. Listen up, professional hypochondriacs. There’s a lot we can do to prevent and improve our bone health. We can actually reverse the symptoms of low bone mass or osteoporosis.
Dr. DiMuzio conducts state-of-the-art bone density tests called DXA, paid for by most insurance companies if referred by a doctor. At a typical visit, he’ll spend time discussing your overall bone health, including diet, exercise, medications and calcium and vitamin D intake.
Listen up, professional hypochondriacs. There’s a lot we can do to prevent and improve our bone health. We can actually reverse the symptoms of low bone mass or osteoporosis.
Next, you’ll lie down on the table fully clothed for the low-energy x-ray test. The DXA instrument passes over you and measures critical sites like the hips and lumbar spine. The test takes about a half hour and is painless. Then, before you walk out the door, he’ll go over the results with you to help determine your risk for osteoporosis.
There are many misconceptions about osteoporosis. “People get scared about their bone health,” says Dr. DiMuzio. “Having osteoporosis doesn’t mean you’re going to fall apart. It’s also a myth that taking calcium supplements is bad for your heart. The data is just not there.”
How Can a Professional Hypochondriac Improve Their Bone Health?
The key thing for younger women who still produce estrogen – those who are premenopausal — is getting adequate calcium and vitamin D. Premenopausal women need 1200-1500 mg of calcium and at least 1000 units of vitamin D-3 in their diet every day. Postmenopausal women need 1500 -2000 mg of calcium and at least 1000 units of vitamin D-3 in their diet each day. Vitamin D3 should be taken with the largest meal of the day.
The best way to get calcium is through food – like yogurt, cheese, milk, leafy greens, chicken and fish — but sometimes you need a calcium supplement.
Vitamin D – a hormone that we make when ultraviolet light hits our skin — is important because it helps our body absorb the calcium in our diet. We store vitamin D in our fat tissue. If we don’t replenish it we can become deficient, and then our body can’t absorb the calcium. If your body can’t get the calcium, it takes it out of your bones.
Increase your bone density by doing weight-bearing exercise that puts pressure on the skeleton. That means walking, jogging, tennis, and dancing. It doesn’t include biking or using an elliptical trainer, since you’re not holding up your own body weight. It also doesn’t include free weights, although they’re good for muscle tone and balance and that can help prevent falls. To improve your bone health, walk at least 30 minutes a day.
Be aware of medications you take. Long-term thyroid or reflux medications like Prilosec or Nexium and steroid medications for asthma, Crohn’s disease or celiac disease can affect calcium absorption, too.
Avoid smoking and drinking more than two alcoholic beverages a day. They can decrease bone mass.
Professional hypochondriacs: talk to your gynecologist about whether you need a baseline bone density test. It’s too risky not to know.
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