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For many women, osteoporosis is a “silent” disease with few or no warnings sings and symptoms. Many women never realize they have osteoporosis until they experience a broken bone. Some women may never realize it, as bones of the spine can break without causing much pain.
The word itself, osteo (meaning “bone”) and porosis (meaning “a porous condition”) refers to the bones being full of tiny holes. They can become thin, brittle, and easily breakable.
Adults achieve their peak bone mass in their late 20’s and early 30’s. We all start to lose bone mass by age 35. Those of us at risk for osteoporosis lose our bone mass faster and can have thin brittle bones. Women have accelerated bone loss with menopause and the decrease of estrogen, which is a bone protector. Woman who undergo premature menopause or surgical menopause without estrogen replacement, also bone mass faster. Each year there are more fractures in women related to osteoporosis than the number of women having strokes, heart attacks, and breast cancer combined.
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Risk factors for osteoporosis include: |
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Caucasian or Asian female |
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Broken bone from minor injury after age 45 |
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Age greater then 65 |
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Low body weight <127 pounds |
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Family history of osteoporosis |
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Cigarette smoker and/or excessive alcohol intake (>2drinks per day) |
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Use of certain medications like anticonvulsants or corticosteroids |
Prevention of this disease is very important. There are treatments for osteoporosis, but there are no cures. A lifelong approach to prevention is essential and must include:
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A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D |
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A regular program of weight bearing exercise |
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A healthy lifestyle of no smoking and limited alcohol intake |
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Preventative health evaluation which may include bone density testing |
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Medication therapy if indicated |
A bone density test can be ordered by your health care provider. It is a simple, painless test that can be done with your clothes on, that determines the thickness on density of your bones. This test will give you a T-score that predicts your risk of fracture and your percent of bone loss.
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A T-score of: |
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-1 or higher: |
indicates normal bone mass |
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-1 to -2.5: |
low bone mass or osteopenia and moderate risk for fracture |
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-2.5 or less: |
indicates osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture |
If someone is at a high risk for developing future fractures, there are medications that can be added to a healthy lifestyle of calcium and exercise, that helps build bone mass. Your health care provider can determine which medications are best for you to increase bone mass.
Remember every minute approximately two new fractures due to osteoporosis occur in women in the United States. Although we all lose bone mass starting at age 35, developing osteoporosis is not a normal part of the aging process. Talk to your health care provider regarding testing and prevention of osteoporosis.
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Many women suffer in silence with uncomfortable urinary tract sensations or problems. Incontinence is involuntary leakage of urine. Age, childbearing, and tissue deterioration can lead to incontinence. There are different types of urinary incontinence. Stress incontinence is involuntary leakage of urine during an activity such as coughing, sneezing, exercise. Urge incontinence is a sensation of constantly wanting to urinate. Mixed incontinence is a combination of both types of incontinence.
Many patients would benefit from urodynamic testing. This testing is designed to illicit and identify the causes of urinary incontinence. After diagnosing the type and cause of urinary incontinence then different types of treatment options are available such as exercises, change in diet, medication and when appropriate multiple surgical techniques are available. For more information please contact the office for a consultation.
Ultrasound in pregnancy offers a wide variety of information throughout a woman s pregnancy. It is both reassuring and safe to both mother and fetus. At the first prenatal visit, which is usually scheduled approximately 7 weeks after the first day of the patient s last menstrual period , we are able to confirm that the pregnancy is contained within the uterus. We also get accurate information about dating the pregnancy, i.e. how far along the pregnancy is and tell parents the due date . We should see a heart beat at this time if the dates are accurate. We also look at the ovaries to make sure there are no cysts or problems.
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Testosterone timed-released pellets and injections
have been used by many women to increase energy levels, increase sex
drive, elevate mood and strengthen bones. It also helps relieve
menopausal symptoms and increases sensitivity to sexual pleasures.
Women have reported feeling more energetic and excited about life in
general.
Testosterone timed-released pellets are inserted
under the skin using a local anesthetic. The incision is very small
and needs only a steri-strip to help with closure. The effects
generally last for 2-3 months. Side effects can include acne, oily
skin, facial hair, irritability, headache, and nausea. The amount of
testosterone used is very small and dosage adjustments can minimize
or eliminate side effects.
Often times if a patient is not interested in a long
acting medication such as pellets, we can offer testosterone
injections to them. The injections have the same effects for the
patient.
If a woman has hot flashes and needs estrogen, a
combination of estrogen and testosterone pellets can be used.
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Although the rate of melanoma is still very low among children (less than one case per 100,000 children), a significant increase has concerned researchers. According to the National Cancer Institute study:
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Melanoma among children under 15 increased 60 percent from 1992 to 2001 |
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Between 1973 and 1994, the incidence of melanoma almost doubled for individuals ages 15-29; between 1991 and 2001, the melanoma rate for that age group has rose 10 percent. |
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Melanoma is now the most diagnosed form of cancer for women ages 22 to 29. |
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Seventy two percent of teenagers experience at least one sunburn each summer, while 12 percent of teenagers experience five of more sunburns. |
The use of tanning beds to achieve the healthy look likely accounts for the melanoma increase in teenage girls and young women, observers speculate. In fact, by the time children turn 18, they have received about 80 percent of the typical lifetime UV exposure, say observers. (Source: Reprinted from “Melanoma Cases Among Children Are on the Rise, Data Reveals,” Daily Policy Digest, July 13, 2004)
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Researchers in Phoenix have found a gene that caused a form of sudden infant death syndrome, according to a study being published in the online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding applies to an extreme form of SIDS in which an infants breathing and cardiac systems give out before his first birthday because a gene is not turned on at the earliest stages of development. Researchers have turned the finding into a genetic test for babies at risk for SIDS and parents who may be carriers of the defective gene, but there is still no cure for the mysterious disease that kills more than 2000 babies each year.
The Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, in Phoenix conducted the research with the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, PA. Researchers analyzed DNA samples from an Old Order Amish community in central Pennsylvania in which 21 babies from nine families have died of SIDS during the past 40 years. They compared the DNA from four infants, their parents, siblings and extended families for variations in the genome known as single nucleotide polymorphisms.
After an initial scan, they honed in on chromosome six and then pinpointed the gene that they named
TSPYL, or testes-specific protein Y-like. They sub-classified the disease as sudden infant death syndrome with dysgenesis of testes, or
SIDDT. The problem lies in the children’s autonomic systems, which regulate an individual’s heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and body temperature. (Reprinted in part from: “Researchers Find Gene Linked to Form of SIDS,” by Kerry
Fehr-Snyder, The Arizona Republic, July 20, 2004)
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Women who exercise, don’t smoke and eat a vegetable-rich diet may be able to cut their cancer risk by 30 percent, according to research. Scientists presented their findings at an annual conference of the World Cancer Research Fund International and the American Institute for Cancer Research, which recommended 14 habits to prevent chronic disease.
In a study of nearly 30,000 post menopausal women, Mayo Clinic researchers condensed these recommendations to nine core guidelines. Women who followed one or none of them had a 35 greater risk of cancer than those who practiced at least six, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. If women follow these eating tips, they may decrease their chance of cancer by up to 30 percent:
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Exercise daily |
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Gaining no more than 11 pounds after age 18 |
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Eating five or more vegetables and fruits per day |
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Avoiding tobacco |
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Limiting alcohol, red meat, fat, and salt |
(Reprinted in part from: “Study: Women Can Cut Cancer Risk 30%,” USA Today, July 16, 2004)
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Ultrasound in pregnancy offers a wide variety of information throughout a woman s pregnancy. It is both reassuring and safe to both mother and fetus. At the first prenatal visit, which is usually scheduled approximately 7 weeks after the first day of the patient s last menstrual period , we are able to confirm that the pregnancy is contained within the uterus. We also get accurate information about dating the pregnancy, i.e. how far along the pregnancy is and tell parents the due date . We should see a heart beat at this time if the dates are accurate. We also look at the ovaries to make sure there are no cysts or problems.
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