ADVOCATES FOR BETTER BONE HEALTH ON CAPITOL HILL
FOR WORLD OSTEOPOROSIS DAY
Local resident visits Senators Gillibrand and Schumer and Representative Paul Tonko on
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 to raise awareness of osteoporosis and bone health
Albany, NY October 26, 2009 — On October 20, 2009, Penny Shure visited her Members of Congress as part of the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s (NOF) World Osteoporosis Day activities. NOF’s Strong Voices for Strong Bones on Capitol Hill event brought together patients and health professionals from across the country to raise awareness of osteoporosis and bone health in Congress.
Penny Shure owns Pilates Playground, Healing With Movement in Voorheesville, NY which specializes in modified Pilates for Bone Health and The Meeks Method. She runs the Albany support group for the NOF through her studio and provides osteoporosis education, prevention and management information for the community.
During her visits on Capitol Hill, Penny represented the views of the osteoporosis community including patients, family members, those at risk for the disease, health professionals and others who work with those living with or at risk for the disease.
“This is an issue that is close to my heart. My mother, brother and I all have osteoporosis. My mom has had multiple fractures and has lost inches. My grandmother had osteoporosis. It runs in families but quite often goes undiagnosed until later in life. It is important to me to teach everyone I can about the lifestyle and exercise modifications that can not only prevent the progress of this debilitating and silent disease, but can actually re build bone and increase height. I have grown an inch! All of my clients have seen improvements in posture, flexibility, strength, breathing and range of motion. People are getting stronger and standing taller with these exercises.”
Penny is currently producing a CD of children’s songs to teach bone health and good posture at a young age. She believes that encouraging healthy habits early will ultimately prevent osteoporosis in many adults. “It is the childhood and teen years when bone is building and getting stronger. I think of this as building a bone savings account to last a lifetime! What you do before the age of 21 directly effects how your adult bones will carry you through life! This is why diet, exercise and lifestyle modifications learned early are so important.”
Osteoporosis is a disease in which an individual’s bones become weak and are more likely to break. One in two women age 50 and older and nearly one in four men will break a bone because of osteoporosis in their lifetimes.
There are 44 million Americans living with or at risk for osteoporosis. More than 3 million New York State residents are estimated to live with or are at risk for osteoporosis. But osteoporosis is largely preventable and treatable through a bone healthy lifestyle.
Everyone in our community can incorporate simple steps in their daily lives to help prevent osteoporosis and improve their bone health. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends the following steps for better bone health:
• Get your daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D.
• Engage in regular weight-bearing and muscle strengthening exercise
• Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
• Talk to your healthcare provider about bone health and find out if you are at risk for osteoporosis.
***
The National Osteoporosis Foundation is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. Its mission is to prevent osteoporosis, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis and related fractures, and to find a cure through programs of awareness, education, advocacy and research. For more information on osteoporosis and bone health, contact NOF online at www.nof.org or by phone at (800) 223-9994.
[ 1 comment ] ( 4 views ) | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3 / 302 )
Calendar
