Filed under Broken Bones | Comments (271)
Broken Skin and Protruding Bone A bone protruding from the skin can occur in severe breaks and is an emergency situation. The protruding bone is not only extremely painful but may be at risk for infection if not treated properly. Swelling The area around a broken bone will usually swell
Filed under Fosamax | Comments (4)
Seven southeast Texas residents who developed osteonecrosis of the jaw after taking osteoporosis drug Fosamax are suing Merck. In their suit, the plaintiffs allege Fosamax is "defective, dangerous to human health, unfit and unsuitable to be marketed and sold in commerce and lacked the proper warnings as to the dangers
Filed under Fracture Risk | Comments (1)
Active men who participate in at least three hours of sports per week have fewer fragility fractures than those who are inactive, according to a new Swedish study. This finding "is fully concordant with a similar analysis in women," noted Harri Sievänen, Ph.D., and Pekka Kannus, M.D., Ph.D., both of
Filed under Hip Fracture | Comments (0)
I really love this story. It just goes to show what a love for life and a positive attitude can do for one's health. James Krabbe spent his 98th birthday getting a hip replacement after shattering the ball in his hip joint two days earlier. Amazingly, it was the first
Filed under Scoliosis | Comments (2)
By: R.J. Age: 14 I was 11 when we found out that I had scoliosis. It was during a scoliosis check that they found it. It was just a small curvature but it was significant enough to where they had me go see a specialist. A year later it had
Filed under First-Person Stories, Fosamax | Comments (0)
By: Ms. Cannon I am so thankful for this site. My GYN (dr.) has been urging me to try Fosamax for a few years. I resisted because in general I prefer the more "natural" route. After first dose, I woke up at night because when I opened and closed my
Filed under Fosamax | Comments (0)
Merck says it has put aside $48 million in defense funds to battle Fosamax lawsuits that will begin going to trial in 2008.
Filed under First-Person Stories | Comments (3)
I went off Fosamax because I was eligible for M'Care part D. Well, that meant no more free drugs from the pharmaceutical companies. I went into my "donut hole" in October. So, I have had to cut back on a lot of my meds. I will probably go into my
Filed under Osteoporosis | Comments (0)
Older men who have had one fracture have a much higher risk of a second fracture, putting their fracture risk on par with the risk older women face, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Filed under Fracture Risk | Comments (0)
A study done by researchers at McGill University has shown that daily use of the antidepressants Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, and Lexapro increase risk of fragility fractures by 2.1 percent.
Filed under Osteoporosis | Comments (0)
Here is a list of risk factors for osteoporosis from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the National Osteoporosis Foundation: Bone breaks Family history Low dietary calcium and vitamin D Excessive smoking or drinking alcohol Low body weight A chronic medical problem Persistent back pain Short height Click on
Filed under Osteoporosis | Comments (39)
Researchers in England have discovered a way to tell their patients if they are suffering from osteoporosis. The new test is cheap, simple, and every dentist can do it. The researchers developed a revolutionary, software-based approach to detecting osteoporosis during routine dental X-rays by automatically measuring the thickness of part
Filed under Bisphosphonates | Comments (42)
Dentists in Indiana are concerned about seeing more cases of jaw necrosis (decaying jaw bone) linked to the use of bisphosphonates. Apparently you don't have to have a dental procedure for it to occur. Some cases of ONJ have appeared after someone using bisphosphonates has had a tooth pulled or
Filed under Bisphosphonates | Comments (19)
A Wisconson CBS station has done a piece warning about osteoporosis drugs. It features a woman with multiple myeloma who developed a jaw infection while taking an osteoporosis drug. They don't name specific drugs in the piece. The video is in the upper right corner of the page. WFRW.com
Filed under Osteoporosis | Comments (115)
A surprising new study has found that the antidepressant Prozac increases bone mass in some mice. "Treating animals for six weeks with Prozac resulted in an increase in trabecular bone mass," said study lead author Ricardo Battaglino, assistant member of the staff in the department of cytokine biology at the
Filed under Osteoporosis | Comments (45)
Researchers have found that drinking too much cola - both diet and regular - may reduce bone density and contribute to osteoporosis in women. Interestingly, drinking cola seemed to have no effect on men's bone density. Women who drank cola every week had a bone density that was 5% lower
Filed under Osteoporosis | Comments (16)
Australian researchers have developed a formula for predicting fracture risk in women with osteoporosis. One surprising thing they found that fracture risk increased with body weight, contradicting previous studies that indicated lower body weight put women at higher risk for fractures. The score successfully predicted 75% of fractures that occurred
Filed under Bisphosphonates | Comments (14)
Something your doctor probably doesn't mention when prescribing bisphosphonates such as Fosamax and Boniva is the skeletal microdamage that can occur in your bones during treatment. Skeletal microdamage is microcracks in the bone. Because of this, many researchers have wondered about the longterm safety of bisphosphonate therapy. A new study
Filed under Bisphosphonates | Comments (79)
Reclast, the latest osteoporosis drug that may be coming to market in 2007 will be a once-a-year treatment. Basically, you are given a massive "infusion" in one sitting. These drug companies keep trying to one-up each other. Boniva is trying to one-up Fosamax by putting out a once-a-month pill and
Filed under Fosamax | Comments (190)
Evelyn Pringle has written a great piece on the side effects of Fosamax and the debate over what to do about it. Merck's second-best selling drug, Fosamax, has been linked to jaw bone death, a condition that can involve severe pain, infection, loose teeth, exposed bone, loss of function and
Filed under Scoliosis | Comments (52)
Congenital scoliosis, a severe and often life-threatening form of scoliosis, is often treated with spinal fusion to prevent it from getting worse, but that causes its own set of problems. Fusion prevents the spine from growing further. When done on very young children, this lack of spinal growth doesn't leave
Filed under Bisphosphonates | Comments (12)
Many researchers and doctors are calling the jaw problems associated with Fosamax and other bisphosphonates "bis-phossy jaw." This is derived from the 19th century term "phossy jaw." It turns out there's a long relationship between phosphorus and jaw necrosis. Note the "phos" in bisphosphonate. It's there because these drugs are
Filed under Scoliosis | Comments (32)
Scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, can strike as early as age five but usually shows itself in adolescence. It is more common in girls. Doctors, families, and schools need to watch for it as the child grows. Treatment depends on the severity of the curve and can include surgery,
Filed under Osteoporosis | Comments (114)
A Chinese study by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health has found a link between inhaling second-hand smoke and osteoporosis. They studied 14,000 men and women who lived with at least one smoker every day. They found that a pre-menopausal woman who lived with one smoker doubled her
Filed under Bone Loss | Comments (59)
MaryFran Sowers, a University of Michigan researcher and professor, says women may begin losing bone mass as early as ten years before the onset of menopause. Her research is part of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a project following 3,300 women ages 40 to 55, who
Filed under Osteoporosis | Comments (54)
Researchers are trying to find the connection between osteoporosis and high dose steroid use. With the help of genetically modified mice they are finding some interesting answers. "High-dose cortisone is the second most common cause of osteoporosis, and we currently have no real treatment for this serious side effect," says
Filed under Boniva | Comments (20)
Sally Field is not just a paid spokesperson for Boniva. No, she is part of a "campaign" to "raise awareness" about osteoporosis. She is spearheading "a new kind of 60s revolution" according to the drug company, Roche Pharmaceuticals. Shortly after she began taking a drug to prevent bone fractures, she
Filed under Osteonecrosis | Comments (83)
With osteonecrosis (also called avascular necrosis) being so much in the news because of the link between Fosamax and jaw osteonecrosis and Floyd Landis having osteonecrosis of the hip, I thought I'd direct anyone who's interested in the subject to a blog in the Health Diaries archives called FVFG on
Filed under Fosamax | Comments (127)
Oral surgeons, who happen to see firsthand the jaw problems that bisphosphonates can cause, are being much more outspoken about the Fosamax problems than many primary care physicians. It's all well and good for doctors to tell you that osteonecrosis of the jaw is a rare side effect and not
Filed under Osteonecrosis | Comments (86)
Floyd Landis has amazed everyone by winning the Tour de France despite suffering from osteonecrosis of the hip. Landis sustained a femoral neck fracture of the hip during a car accident in 2003. This kind of fracture often leads to osteonecrosis (also called avascular necrosis) because the blood supply is
Filed under Osteoporosis, Spine Fracture | Comments (1)
The foremost cause of vertebral compression fractures is osteoporosis. 700,000 cases occur every year. The fractures lead to a curvature of the spine. Patients become malnourished as compression of the stomach leads to a false sense of fullness that prevents them from eating and eventually leads to an overall deterioration
