This first-ever Surgeon General's Report on bone health and osteoporosis illustrates the large burden that bone disease places on our Nation and its citizens. Like other chronic diseases that disproportionately affect the elderly, the prevalence of bone disease and fractures is projected to increase markedly as the population ages. If these predictions come true, bone disease and fractures will have a tremendous negative impact on the future well-being of Americans. But as this report makes clear, they need not come true: by working together we can change the picture of aging in America. Osteoporosis, fractures, and other chronic diseases no longer should be thought of as an inevitable part of growing old. By focusing on prevention and lifestyle changes, including physical activity and nutrition, as well as early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, Americans can avoid much of the damaging impact of bone disease and other chronic diseases. This Surgeon General's Report brings together for the first time the scientific evidence related to the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of bone disease. More importantly, it provides a framework for moving forward. The report will be another effective tool in educating Americans about how they can promote bone health throughout their lives. This first-ever Surgeon General's Report on bone health and osteoporosis provides much needed information on bone health, an often overlooked aspect of physical health. This report follows in the tradition of previous Surgeon Generals' reports by identifying the relevant scientific data, rigorously evaluating and summarizing the evidence, and determining conclusions.

Osteoporosis is a global threat because it can impact every human being as they age. In this new edition, the authors point out the enormous scale of the problem in terms of human suffering, morbidity and mortality on the one hand, and the astronomical national costs on the other. Written in an easy-to-read style, this book updates physicians on the current knowledge about bone structure, physiology and pathology, with an emphasis on the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of osteoporosis. Its purpose is to educate members of the medical profession about this widespread and potentially disabling disease, while providing information on related current evidence-based medicine. The book covers everything from basic physiology to osteoporosis diagnosis, including utility of specialized tests and current treatment recommendations, and will provide the primary care physician with sound medical knowledge in the prevention and management of osteoporosis. It is up-beat and optimistic, with a touch of humor; it is scientifically based but provides easy-to-follow guidelines for lifelong maintenance of skeletal structure and function. Osteoporosis is preventable if doctors want it to be, and every doctor can contribute. Bone is every doctor's and every body's business.

Written for laypeople and professionals, this is an easy-to-read guide to maintaining healthy bones and taking charge of health care. It addresses the challenge of finding a competent centre that will discuss bone density results and offer preventative advice.

This 100+ page, 4-color handbook is available in English and Spanish. It offers evidence-based information about osteoporosis prevention, detection and treatment in easy-to-read language for patients and interested consumers. Boning Up on Osteoporosis provides detailed information about nutrition and physical activity, including 24 exercises with step-by-step instructions for patients with osteoporosis. Other topics covered include osteoporosis risk factors, bone minereal density testing, treatment options, fall prevention and much more!

Osteoporosis can be intimidating and inhibiting. The prospect that a simple fall could break your hip or wrist can make you watch every step you take. Fear can replace the freedom to do all the things you love. The two major risk factors for osteoporosis are being a woman and having passed through menopause. In the years after menopause, women can lose up to one-fifth of their bone mass. But men aren't immune to the disease. Two million American men have osteoporosis and one in four over age 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture. In Osteoporosis: A guide to prevention and treatment, Harvard Medical School doctors will show you the positive, proactive, and practical steps you can take to protect your bones now and in the years ahead. You will be alerted to red flags that signal you’re at greater risk for a broken bone. You'll be warned about medications that hasten bone loss. And you’ll find out if you should have your bone density checked — and which tests are the best. The report will show you the importance of getting calcium from food and vitamin D from sunlight. You’ll learn about other bone-protective strategies, too, including specific exercise routines, and discover some surprising foods that help weaken bones. Osteoporosis is not inevitable. The good news is there’s a lot you can do to shield your bones from this disease. And the sooner you act, the better off you — and your bones — will be.

This open access book aims to provide a comprehensive but practical overview of the knowledge required for the assessment and management of the older adult with or at risk of fragility fracture. It considers this from the perspectives of all of the settings in which this group of patients receive nursing care. Globally, a fragility fracture is estimated to occur every 3 seconds. This amounts to 25 000 fractures per day or 9 million per year. The financial costs are reported to be: 32 billion EUR per year in Europe and 20 billon USD in the United States. As the population of China ages, the cost of hip fracture care there is likely to reach 1.25 billion USD by 2020 and 265 billion by 2050 (International Osteoporosis Foundation 2016). Consequently, the need for nursing for patients with fragility fracture across the world is immense. Fragility fracture is one of the foremost challenges for health care providers, and the impact of each one of those expected 9 million hip fractures is significant pain, disability, reduced quality of life, loss of independence and decreased life expectancy. There is a need for coordinated, multi-disciplinary models of care for secondary fracture prevention based on the increasing evidence that such models make a difference. There is also a need to promote and facilitate high quality, evidence-based effective care to those who suffer a fragility fracture with a focus on the best outcomes for recovery, rehabilitation and secondary prevention of further fracture. The care community has to understand better the experience of fragility fracture from the perspective of the patient so that direct improvements in care can be based on the perspectives of the users. This book supports these needs by providing a comprehensive approach to nursing practice in fragility fracture care.

Osteoporosis is a preventable disease. But each year some 500,000 people are hospitalized from osteoporosis fractures, and another 180,000 people are placed into nursing homes from injuries due to osteoporosis. What can nurses, clinicians, medical researchers, physiologists, health care policy experts, and other providers do to diminish, if not eradicate, the disease from local to global scales? What are the best methods for care and treatment? Osteoporosis addresses these questions, and more. Designed as a complete reference, Osteoporosis presents vivid explanations plus illustrations of specific surgical procedures to guide in the preparation and post-operative rehabilitation of the patient for surgical repairs of fractures. Chapters also discuss leading components of a patient's recovery, from dietary requirements and exercise, to fall prevention, quality of life and independence issues. The authors highlight disease prevention strategies and various models of community outreach that have proven effective in educating target populations about osteoporosis, encouraging proper lifestyle choices, and helping children to achieve their maximum bone potential at a young age. Osteoporosis can be prevented. Here is the book to help you, and your health care institution, do just that.