Like my contemporary, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, I recently took a spill, fracturing my right wrist which required surgery to repair the radius with a plate, pins and screws. Women of our age fear falls as our bones become brittle with age. Avoiding falls by wearing sensible footwear and treading cautiously is prudent. A lifestyle of foresight would insure building strong bones through proper nutrition, exercise, and plenty of sunshine from childhood throughout adulthood.

A diet sufficient in calcium found in dairy products and other calcium rich foods such as leafy greens, beans, fish, fruits and vegetables is a preventative measure as is avoidance of smoking and caffeinated beverages.

Bones becomes stronger and denser when demands are regularly placed on them. Muscles exert stress on bones and bones respond by laying down more calcium to reinforced themselves, especially the spinal column. Weight training all muscle groups three times week with 24 hours between sessions accomplishes this most effectively. Posture and balance is greatly improved by such a regimen as well.

Post menopausal women should schedule bone density exams, especially Caucasian women who are lean. My personal challenge is to maintain bone density due to my specific predicament. I am handicapped by the inability to tolerate calcium supplementation. Furthermore, a year on Fosamax, a bisphosphonate prescription drug to slow bone degeneration, resulted in the dreaded side effect, ONJ (osteonecrosis of the jaw). If you have advice for me, or a comment to share, please blog below.

Ironically, I unknowingly chose to listen to the audio book, Handle With Care, by Jodi Picoult, during my recuperation. The popular and talented author craftily wove a touching and controversial plot and subplots blending medicine, law, and love in which the character of focus is a child with a genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). I recommend the book and the author. It was a timely read for me. I am determined to "handle with care" my fragile skeleton!