Osteoporosis: Health Story

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, January 28 and March 11
Show 404

"When I was in my forties, within 18 months I suffered three bone fractures," says Rochelle Cohn from Newton, MA. Rochelle had osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis. Nearly 1.5 million Americans experience fractures due to osteoporosis. One out of two women and one out of eight men are affected. "Post menopausal women, Caucasians and those with a family history are more at risk," says Dr. Elinor Mody, Director of the Orthopedic and Joint Disease Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "If you are over 35, you should be taking calcium supplements," she says. With diet, medication and exercise, osteoporosis is reversible. Rochelle hired a personal trainer, added calcium supplements to her diet and now does yoga. "It's my health maintenance," she says.