Bone Health & Osteoporosis

You will find up-to-date information on bone health basics, bone density “DXA” scans, exercise and nutrition, vitamin D, calcium, prescription medicines, and much more.

"We all know, ‘eat your breakfast, brush your teeth, exercise, and cut out the fatty foods,’ but bone loss? Who knew? That is, until Dr. Diane Schneider’s comprehensive and eminently understandable book on good bone health for women and men. It leaves nothing out: from childhood to old age it educates us on how to strengthen and maintain our bones to prevent life-threatening bone breaks, which is especially vital for us older folks. Every adult and parent should read Dr. Schneider's fascinating guide to a longer, better life with healthy bones!"

– David Hartman, television producer and original host,
Good Morning, America

"Dr. Schneider has written a comprehensive, highly lucid survey of osteoporosis, its nature and causes, along with sensible approaches toward its prevention and management. Her focus on nonpharmaceutical aspects is strong, as is her focus on both safety and the efficacy of approved treatments. I enthusiastically recommend this book to any person who has, or who is concerned about, developing osteoporosis. I also recommend it highly to health professionals who are not specialists in this condition, as Dr. Schneider provides many valuable tips that will improve patient care."

– Robert Marcus, MD, Professor of Medicine, Stanford University 

"Dr. Schneider's comprehensive and wonderfully readable book reveals why bone health matters and how to keep our bones strong and fracture free."

– Ethel Siris, MD, Director, Toni Stabile Osteoporosis Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Editorial Review from Booklist

As its title suggests, this book covers the waterfront when it comes to bone health. Written by a well-known bone researcher and medical doctor, with a foreword by ex-astronaut Sally Ride (one of her former patients), it looks at everything anyone would need to know about osteoporosis. It’s as reader-friendly as a medical-advice book can be, with each chapter ending with a bullet-pointed summary called “The Bare Bones.” Schneider looks at such topics as bone-density scans, calcium, vitamin D, existing medicine, drugs in development, and fall prevention (“stay off ladders!” and “turn on the lights!”). The guide includes plenty of surprises. For example, the class of antidepressants that includes Prozac is associated with an increase in the risk of fractures and with lower bone density. And type 1 diabetics, including Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor, also have low bone mass and an increased risk for adult osteoporosis and fractures. Women concerned with their bone health will want to thumb through this book before, during, and after their visits to their doctor.

– Karen Springen, August 2011

Bone up on prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, fracture risk assessment using the FRAX® tool, how fractures happen and how to prevent them, what a T-score means on your DXA scan, and the latest controversies about osteoporosis medicines, vitamin D, and calcium.