|
|
|
7 Guaranteed ways to Supercharge your Health
1. Stop Smoking
If you are a smoker, you have heard this enough number of times.
Just in the United States alone 400,000 people die from smoking
every year. So, people probably don't hear this enough. There is
no other way to say it -...
Natural remedies for perimenopause and menopause symptoms.
More and more women are seeking natural alternative treatments for symptoms of menopause, for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the most compelling reason for many is the association between conventional hormone replacement therapy and a number of...
Obesity - The American Epidemic
Obesity – What is it? Obesity is a disease that affects approximately 60 million people in the United States, where women are especially affected. Over one-third of women between the ages of 20 and 74 are obese, the majority of them being African...
Secrets That Most Vitamin Companies Don't Want You To Know!
Finally, Information That Reveals The Shocking Truth About Vitamin Supplements! Find Out What You Friends, Family, Or Even Your Doctor May Not Know About How To Choose Which Vitamin Supplements Are Right For Your Body! Before we get started, do you...
Why You Need To Detoxify Your Body
Open the Doors to Healing & Rejuvination
Why You Need To Detoxify Your Body
Our society foolishly prizes itself upon eating a high protein,
meat-based diet; excessive consumption of dairy products;
refined grains (rich in gluten that...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Treatments that Offer Increased Hope for Osteoporosis Patients
(ARA) - For a time, hormone replacement therapy (the administration of estrogen either alone or in combination with other hormones) served as the preferred treatment for post-menopausal women hoping to reduce the progression of osteoporosis, a debilitating and inevitable bone-thinning disorder. Yet the latest findings from the prematurely halted Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study on hormone replacement therapy alarmed many women. The study concluded that an estrogen and progestin combination used by thousands increased the risk of breast cancer, blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes when taken over a long period of time.
Osteoporosis is drastically accelerated during menopause and is the third leading cause of death of women over 70. By age 55, the average woman has already lost 30 percent of her bone mass. Eventually, bone loss can progress to the point where bones become so thin that they are susceptible to fracture from even the slightest trauma. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, one out of every two women over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime. Caucasian and Asian women are more likely to develop osteoporosis. However, African American and Hispanic women are at significant risk for developing the disease. Additionally, small-boned and thin women (under 127 pounds) are at greater risk for osteoporosis.
Many women are now searching for a safe alternative to hormone replacement therapy to alleviate the effects of osteoporosis. Current treatments on the market such as bisphosphonates and SERMs (estrogen-related therapies) have safety issues and focus primarily on slowing bone loss. Another existing treatment option is calcitonin, a naturally occurring hormone involved in calcium regulation and bone metabolism. In women who are more than five years beyond menopause calcitonin slows bone loss, increases spinal bone density and, according to recent studies, reduces the risk of spinal
fractures. In recent trials, calcitonin demonstrated a 62 percent reduction in the incidence of new vertebral fractures for a subgroup of women over 75, one of the most significant reductions demonstrated by any current osteoporosis therapy. In addition, calcitonin is the only osteoporosis therapy that can reduce the significant bone pain often associated with osteoporosis. Because calcitonin is a peptide, it cannot be taken orally because it would be digested before it could exert its therapeutic effect. Currently calcitonin is available as an injection or nasal spray. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing FORTICAL, a unique nasal calcitonin product developed by Unigene Laboratories, and Unigene is also developing an oral form of the product.
A new therapeutic option is parathyroid hormone (PTH), which can rebuild bone mass that has been lost due to osteoporosis. PTH has proven to increase the volume and strength of honeycomb-shaped bone mass located within the bone. This inner mesh contains blood vessels and bone marrow and begins to diminish after menopause. PTH helps reduce the incidence of fractures by restoring some of the lost bone architecture. Currently, PTH therapy is available only via daily injections. Unigene Laboratories and GlaxoSmithKline are jointly developing a PTH treatment that can be administered orally.
“Calcitonin has a proven, 25-year record of safe human use with virtually no side effects, and can be taken simultaneously with other medications,” said Dr. Warren Levy, president and CEO of Unigene. “After the WHI study, safety has become an even more important consideration because once a therapy is initiated, it should ideally be taken for life.”
For more information on osteoporosis and treatment options, please log on to www.unigene.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content
|
|
|
|
|
|