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May 18, 2010
 Are you planning to sprint through your middle years and beyond, or shuffle along painfully due to thinning bones and fractures?
Your bone density may predict the answer.
This quick and painless evaluation, done for the first time after menopause, can help your doctor decide if medication or lifestyle changes are needed now to rescue your "thinning" bones.
I am very proud to report that most NECC clinics are offering osteoporosis screening on our new GE Achilles Ultrasound machines. Using gentle ultrasound waves similar to that of a prenatal ultrasound, they measure bone density inside your foot within two minutes. A report is generated based on this ultrasound test that will tell if you have osteoporosis.
Bone density tests turn out to be a good predictor of fracture risk. Minimizing that risk is important, because the older you are, the more serious a fracture can be -- often resulting in lengthy hospitalization and long-term loss of your mobility.
And certain women are at higher risk of low bone mass, called osteoporosis, in which bones are likely to fracture. What increases your osteoporosis risk?
- A family history of the disease
- Having a small, thin frame
- Certain medical conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Taking certain medications, such as corticosteroids
- Lifestyle factors: Alcohol use; getting little exercise; smoking; drinking cola; a diet low in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D.
Check out our new osteoporosis FAQ page.
If you’re right for a bone density test, call your nearest NECC clinic to schedule an appointment. Do it today!
Be Well,
-Christopher Lau, MD
NECC Executive Director/CEO
Or you can send a check to:
Development Dept.
Northeast Community Clinics
2550 W. Main St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
Health-conscious women who wouldn't dream of skipping their Pap test or mammogram appointments can be woefully ignorant about another type of vital health check -- the bone density test.
This quick and painless evaluation, often done for the first time after menopause, can help predict whether you'll sprint through your middle years and beyond, or shuffle along painfully due to thinning bones and fractures. More importantly, the test results can help your doctor decide if medication or lifestyle changes are needed now to rescue your "thinning" bones.
"Bone density tests turn out to be a good predictor of fracture risk," says Christopher Lau, MD, and NECC CEO. “Minimizing that risk is important, because the older you are, the more serious a fracture can be -- often resulting in lengthy hospitalization and long-term loss of your mobility.”
And certain women are at higher risk of low bone mass, called osteoporosis, in which bones are likely to fracture.
What increases your osteoporosis risk?
- A family history of the disease
- Having a small, thin frame
- Certain medical conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Taking certain medications, such as corticosteroids
- Lifestyle factors: Alcohol use; getting little exercise; smoking; drinking cola; a diet low in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D.
Unfortunately, many women are unsure if -- and when -- they need a bone density test, if they're aware of the test at all.
Some of the confusion about the test is understandable because official recommendations and advice from physicians on when to first get tested isn't in perfect agreement.
For instance, the National Osteoporosis Foundation as well as the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends all women aged 65 and over, as well as women and men after age fifty who experience fractures, get a bone density test. They also suggest that younger women who have gone through menopause and have one or more risk factors (such as family history of spine fractures) get tested, too.
Despite those guidelines, many physicians say that all average, healthy women should get a bone density test when they enter menopause. Why? Because bone loss tends to speed up in the years after menopause, so getting a baseline idea of where you stand as you enter menopause gives you something to compare later scans to.
And some women should get the test even earlier. For instance, a woman who is 40 or so and suffers a "fragility" fracture -- a bone break that occurs when you fall from a standing height (about 5.5 feet or less) -- should get a bone density test. That type of fracture doesn't occur to strong bones.
Women who have been on high-dose corticosteroid medications to treat autoimmune disease such as lupus, along with women who have thyroid disease, should consider a bone density test, too, because they are more likely than others to have lower bone density.
Dr. Christopher Lau (in suit, center) and Dr. Carmen Rexach (center, in black and white dress) pose with members of the Caduceus Club, Mt. San Antonio College's club for health professions, at the 4th annual Medical Professions Conference held on campus recently. Dr. Lau was keynote speaker. Dr. Rexach is Professor, Anatomy and Physiology at Mt. Sac as well as advisor of the Caduceus Club.
Dr. Christopher Lau, NECC’s CEO, was the keynote speaker at the 4th Annual Health Professions Conference held last week at Mt. San Antonio College. Sponsored by the Caduceus Club, a health professions club on campus, the conference attracted more than 800 students. Dr. Lau spoke on, “So You’re Considering a Career in Healthcare?” to kick off the event, in which he said: "If you are passionate about helping people and serving the community, whether it's in policy, research or direct patient care, the end result will be phenomenal."
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