bone density

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

https://youtu.be/u4A_nDs4_JM   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 [...]