 By Jamie Moorhouse
Skimmed milk, fruit and a teaspoon of soya powder are now part of Jacqueline Deliefde's daily diet. Deliefde, 72, is doing more for her bones these days since finding out she is at high risk for osteoporosis.
An estimated 1.4 million Canadians, mostly women, are affected by osteoporosis, which makes your bones fragile and increases the risk of fractures. Women and men begin losing bone around age 35, women at an accelerated rate after menopause. Known as "the silent thief," osteoporosis develops gradually over the years with no symptoms.
Some of the warning signs of osteoporosis include decreased height and
chronic back pain, while prolonged use of medication and regular
smoking or alcohol abuse can all contribute to the disease.
Soyfoods have been identified as good bone-builders for post-menopausal
women, since soya contains isoflavones, which may reduce calcium loss
from estrogen loss (estrogen typically absorbs calcium).
"I thought I was healthy," says Deliefde. "I was strong. I worked on the farm."
But when Deliefde, who also suffers chronic fatigue, went to her
homeopathic doctor he suggested she have bone density screening. She
went to NutriChem in Ottawa, paid $35 and within 10 minutes had the
painless and quick test with results. Of the results, she says "It's
not all that good. My bones are thin kind of brittle."
Those brittle bones can be lethal. Fifty per cent of women over age 50
will have some type of osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime, with a
hip fracture most dangerous. Half of those who suffer an osteoporotic
hip fracture won't walk again and 20 per cent of them die within one
year.
Kent MacLeod, owner and pharmacist at NutriChem, says there's no
telling how many women who die of heart disease or other disorders
actually begin their illnesses with osteoporosis: "Their quality of
life is low. They never exercise; they die of heart attacks. They
have no energy to fix food so they become poorly nourished, and they
slowly, progressively die."
And the costs to the health care system can be significant: it is
estimated over 1.3 billion each year is spent covering hospitalization,
drug therapy and long-term care associated with those who have
osteoporosis, according to the Osteoporosis Society of Canada. But
MacLeod says prevention and health care cost savings is as simple as
earlier testing of young women and men.
"The population is aging. Drugs cost a fortune and we can't afford
them, but at the same time, the current health care system isn't
working on prevention."
NutriChem uses the Heel Ultrasound to quickly and painlessly give an
indication of bone density. The test measures the density and quality
of bone in your heel, the same density of bone found in your hip and
spine. The Heel Ultrasound doesn't provide a specific diagnostic score,
but indicates whether the individual being tested is at risk for
osteoporosis.
Deliefde is glad she took the screening. "How do we know how our bones
are. I didn't know." She wants her daughter to take the same
screening test. "I tell her, you're in your 40s, you'd better go."
"I like it," Dr. Jan Dorrell, a naturopath doctor, says of the Heel
Ultrasound, "especially for younger people. It gives young people an
incentive where they wouldn't get it through mainstream health care."
The Heel Ultrasound is not covered by OHIP.
OHIP does cover a Bone Mineral Density test, which X-rays the spine and
hip and confirms or rules out osteoporosis. But that test is not used
as a mass screening tool, and not widely available across Canada, as
priority goes to those already at high risk for osteoporosis.
"You don't do a Bone Mineral Density test on a 35-year-old woman," says
Elaine Jolly, director of the Menopause and Osteoporosis Clinic for the
Ottawa General Hospital. She says that test should only be used on
people who have a high risk, such as older, post-menopausal women and
people who have already suffered fractures.
But that puts the focus on treatment, and not prevention.
Dr. Dorrell would rather people take the Heel Ultrasound at younger
ages when they are still developing their bone density and have time to
work on prevention, "before they have to take drugs," as part of
osteoporosis treatment, she says.
Mary Hughes, 81, says she would have been interested in the Heel
Ultrasound years ago. Hughes was diagnosed with osteoporosis two
months ago, after suffering aching bones. Now she's on medication.
"The focus should be on prevention rather than treatment,"says Hughes.
"Young girls' diets and intake of calcium should be monitored." Whether
you are at high risk or not, diet and lifestyle changes can prevent
osteoporosis altogether.
A diet rich in calcium includes vegetables, fruits, whole-grain breads
and cereals, dairy products, meats, and other protein sources such as
fish, eggs, beans and peas. Regular exercise also helps build bone
mass. Excellent aerobic exercises include walking, jogging, biking,
swimming and rowing; to strengthen and flex your bones even more do
anaerobic exercises, such as sit-ups and knee bends.
Since taking the Heel Ultrasound at NutriChem and consulting with her
doctor, Jacqueline Deliefde takes a high dosage of calcium each day,
and includes more vitamin D and soya in her diet.
Deliefde says she bought some weights to exercise with. But she says
she goes easy on them. "I don't want to break up," she laughs. "But I
feel much better when I'm walking and exercising than if I'm lying down
all day.
You've got to move those bones. Bones are just like your muscles."
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