November 6, 2018
By RamonaM 
I came down to UCLA because I found out that I had hyperparathyroidism and started researching what it was because I never heard of it before. I learned that surgery wasn’t difficult but tricky so I had to find a specialist for parathyroid surgery. I started looking for someone in the LA area and ran […]
Tags: blood work, bone density, Dr. Masha Livhits, Dr. Michael Yeh, endocrinology, hyperparathyroidism, MRI, nuclear scan, parathyroid surgery, patient stories, UCLA Endocrine Center, ultrasound
October 12, 2018
Ask the Doctors – Should I take a bone-building drug for osteoporosis?
Dear Doctor: I’m 71 and, after a recent bone scan, my doctors are insisting I take a bone-building medication. I couldn’t tolerate Fosomax, so they want me to take Prolia. I’m worried about it, but my mother had severe osteoporosis, so I’m worried about that too. How can I choose what to do? Your worry […]
Tags: Ask the Doctors, bisphosphonates, bone density, Boniva, Dr. Robert Ashley, Fosamax, osteoporosis, Prolia, Reclast
March 23, 2018
Ask the Doctors – How much sunshine do I need for enough vitamin D?
Dear Doctor: How much sunshine do I need to get my daily dose of vitamin D? And does wearing sunscreen interfere with my body’s production of vitamin D? Dear Reader: These are good questions. The major source of our body’s vitamin D comes from our own production in the skin. This requires the ultraviolet rays […]
Tags: bone density, diet, Disabled people, Dr. Robert Ashley, kidneys, liver, low vitamin D, melanin, skin cancer, skin pigmentation, sun, sunscreen
January 18, 2018
By Jen
I live in Las Vegas. My endocrinologist there told me my calcium level was high but said I could either wait and monitor it or have surgery. What I didn’t know as the pros and cons were not really explained is that waiting could make the problem worse. As I didn’t have any symptoms, I […]
Tags: bone density, calcium level, Dr. Michael Yeh, endocrine, endocrinologist, endocrinology, high calcium levels, osteoporosis, patient stories, surgery, UCLA Endocrinology
January 5, 2018
I’m So Glad I Didn’t Wait Any Longer
By Jules
During a routine physical in 2007, my doctor noticed something around my thyroid region and recommended that I begin monitoring it with an endocrinologist. At my endocrinologist, I received an Ultrasound where by chance, he discovered that I had an enlarged parathyroid gland. Through a blood test, I found out that my blood Calcium levels […]
Tags: blood calcium levels, blood test, bone density, Dr. Michael Yeh, endocrine surgeon, endocrinologist, enlarged parathyroid gland, exercise, kidney stones, osteoporosis, patient stories, pre-op
July 11, 2017
What space-traveling mice could mean for people with osteoporosis
By Tiare Dunlap
Early in the morning of July 3, 2017, 20 intrepid mice returned to Earth from the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off Baja, California. This landing marked the completion of a 28-hour journey back to Earth – and the first time live rodents have returned to the […]
Tags: bone density, Bone mass, experimental drug trial, international space station, nasa, osteoporosis, research, space, stem cells, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center
October 3, 2016
Post Parathyroid Surgery, “I Feel Magnificent”
By juliedavies1
As someone totally averse to surgery based on experiences decades ago, I delayed surgery as long as possible by monitoring my condition for nearly two years before agreeing to parathyroid surgery. I was diagnosed before Christmas 2014, but I did not want to hurry into surgery. I spent as much money monitoring my condition and […]
Tags: bone density, Dr. Michael Yeh, endocrine, general anesthesia, parathyroid, parathyroid surgery, patient stories, surgery
April 22, 2016
For some osteoporosis, bone-loss drugs may be worse than nothing
By uclahealth 
For more than two decades, bisphosphonates, better known via television ads as Fosamax and Boniva, have been the go-to prescription drug for people with osteoporosis. The drugs are supposed to strengthen bone and reduce fracture risk in people post-50. But for one leading cause of the bone-loss disease, a condition called hyperparathyroidism, it turns […]
Tags: bisphosphonates, bone density, Boniva, Dr. Michael Yeh, Fosamax, hyperparathyroidism, minimally invasive surgery, osteopenia, osteoporosis, overactive glands, parathyroid glands, parathyroid surgery
