National Magazine of Osteoporosis Australia
LATEST NEWS ● PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ● HELPFUL TIPS
New Online Self-Assessment Tool NEW CAMPAIGN
Health Minister attends launch of new tool RESEARCH
CSIRO research on Australian dairy intake habits FREE FITNESS
Fernwood Fitness: Lift The Nation
SPECIAL EDITION 2016
Welcome Welcome to this special edition of our online magazine Osteoblast. Please feel free to share this with your friends and family. Our aim is to provide you with latest news and updates on OA activities. In this special edition, we are very excited to bring you the first project of the OA and Garvan Institiute Alliance, announced late last year. Know Your Bones is the first Australian tool of it’s kind and we hope you find it helpful when you discuss your bone health with your doctor. Please remember, if you need information or advice, we have a toll free number for you to call – 1800 242 141. And you can always email us at admin@osteoporosis.org.au
Greg Lyubomirsky, CEO
It’s time to... Know Your Bones Osteoporosis Australia and Garvan Institute of Medical Research launched Know Your Bones on Thursday 16 June 2016. An Australian-first bone health self-assessment tool designed to help consumers understand their bone fracture risk, is now available to all adults, including the 7.5 million Australians living with brittle bones. The Know Your Bones online tool helps adults assess their likelihood of fractures, including those diagnosed with osteopenia and osteoporosis – two common bone conditions that, together 1
SPECIAL EDITION 2016
with fractures, will cost the nation more than $3 billion this year. The Minister for Health, Sussan Ley, attended the launch (pictured below), saying, “The Know Your Bones health assessment tool is a great example of how medical research can be translated into a real community’s benefit, allowing anyone to better understand their own risk of fractures. I encourage all adults to take a few minutes out of one day, jump online and complete the Know Your Bones assessment.”
“Osteoporosis and osteopenia and related fractures will cost Australia $3 bn this year” According to Professor Jacqueline Center, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, the Know Your Bones project is based on key research findings from the 26-year-long Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study, the world’s longest-running, large-scale, osteoporosis study. “Importantly, this study has allowed us to understand a person’s risk of fracture based on a combination of factors, which we have incorporated into the Know Your Bones self-assessment tool,” Professor Center said. continued Over...
The dairy dilemma
Osteoporosis patients, Annarosa Berman and Carole David also attended the event, with Ms Berman (pictured above with Minster Ley), sharing her personal story of osteoporosis, “When I was diagnosed I was really surprised and a bit upset. Fortunately we caught the disease early so were able to commence treating it and improve the strength of my bones.” Annarosa urged all adults Australians to use the online health assessment tool saying, “Anything that offers protection against developing brittle bones or having a fracture is worth five minutes of your time.” The Know Your Bones health assessment tool represents the inaugural project of the Bone Alliance between Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Osteoporosis Australia and is available at www.knowyourbones.org.au
New research from the CSIRO has been released showing that almost 13% of those surveyed, most of whom were women, are cutting dairy from their diet without any medical diagnosis or recommendation. Of those surveyed, 63% of them reported feeling discomfort or bloating after consuming dairy and have simply cut it from their diet, without consulting a medical professional. Medical Director of Osteoporosis Australia, Professor Peter Ebeling AO, warns that this can have dangerous effects on long-term bone health. “Dairy is an important source of calcium and nutrients that are essential to maintaining bone strength. If people are not getting adequate calcium from their diet or other sources, then it can have serious impacts on their fracture risk,” Professor Ebeling said. If you are concerned about your calcium intake or any symptoms that may arise upon consuming dairy, please consult your GP. For tips on what foods you could be eating to get calcium in your diet, you can view a list on our website.
Toll free helpline:
1800 242 141 SPECIAL EDITION 2016
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SPECIAL EDITION 2016
Fernwood Fitness: LIFT THE NATION
PET AMBASSADOR
The Fernwood Fitness Lift The Nation campaign is on from 20-26 of June, a FREE week at Fernwood Fitness to educate women on the benefits of strength training and weight lifting. Osteoporosis Australia is encouraging all women to get into the gym to try some weight lifting and high intensity resistance exercises. The Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that just 1% of Australian women were regularly working out with weights.
Buddy is not keen on modelling, but loves bones! #LoveYourBones
Patients Take the Fracture Risk A new report out of America is reporting that a number of patients are placing themselves at risk of fracture by taking themselves off their medication without consulting their treating doctor. Half of the Americans who start taking the drugs stop within a year. Even patients who just broke a hip, which makes another hip fracture extremely likely, are refusing them due to increased fear of very rare side effects. If you are concerned about the medication you have been prescribed, please discuss this with your doctor.
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SPECIAL EDITION 2016
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