The Strong Women have done it again. First Strong Women Stay Young broke new ground by showing women how strength training--exercising with weights or against resistance--can delay the signs of aging. Then Strong Women Stay Slim showed women how strength training could keep the pounds off. Now Strong Women, Strong Bones teaches women how to prevent and treat osteoporosis through exercise (strength training, weight-bearing aerobic exercise, stretching, and balance) and nutrition. Tufts University researcher Miriam Nelson and award- winning health writer Sarah Wernick again team up to bring you the latest science, translated to reader-friendly language and practical application. You learn how osteoporosis works, your personal risk factors, and exactly what to eat and what exercises to do to keep your bones strong. These authors have become popular because their information is up-to-date and based on cutting-edge research, so their advice is trustworthy and it works. And they make it simple--even if you haven't exercised since high school (and even if high school was a very long time ago!) you can follow their safe and clearly illustrated "bone-boosting workouts." Their nutritional advice won't make you load up a shopping cart with an alphabet soup of supplements like many books--instead, you'll load that shopping cart with fruits, vegetables, soy, high-calcium foods, and a calcium-vitamin D supplement. "Support your bones," advise the authors. "They support you." Strong Women, Strong Bones shows you how. --Joan Price


From Library Journal
Osteoporosis is a preventable and treatable disease characterized by decreasing bone mass. Nelson and Wernick, coauthors of Strong Women Stay Young and Strong Women Stay Slim, explain in a clear and friendly manner how bones grow; osteoporosis risk factors; how to adjust the diet to include calcium, vitamin D, and other bone-essential nutrients; the types of weight-bearing exercises that should be performed to promote maximum bone health; and the latest osteoporosis treatment options. The authors urge readers to think about how this disease pertains to them by using the book's handy "One-Hour Self Assessment Checklist" once a year. Nancy E. Lane's The Osteoporosis Book (LJ 10/1/98) contains similar prevention and treatment information, but Strong Women, Strong Bones focuses more heavily on diet and exercise and contains sample menus, a grocery shopping list, a detailed exercise program, and sample logs for keeping track of diet and workouts. Men also get osteoporosis, and the authors briefly explain how they can adapt the nutrition and exercise advice to meet their needs. Highly recommended for consumer health collections. (Illustrations not seen.)--Samantha J. Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
For those to whom osteoporosis is a serious concern, this will be welcomed as a straightforward, single-purpose guide to its prevention and treatment. Nutritionist Nelson and writer Wernick (Strong Women Stay Slim; Strong Women Stay Strongneither reviewed) recommend exercise and nutrition measures as the building blocks of prevention, bolstered by medications when needed. They first explain how bone is formed, and what goes wrong in the process that allows osteoporosis to occur. They explain how diagnoses are made, and then lay out their plan for action. Exercise must involve some amount of weight-bearing to promote bone health, they instruct (swimming, for example, wont do it). And exciting new research suggests that just two minutes a day of vertical jumpingyes, leaping up and downcan produce significant improvements in bone density. Balance training (covered here) is important to lessen the likelihood of falling. The diet and menu plans given here are easy to follow. Information on medications such as hormone replacement therapy, Fosamax, Evista and calcitonin is included. Finally, self-assessment tests are provided to help readers create an individualized plan for maintaining bone health. Clear, sound help for those at particular risk. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Robert Neer, M.D., Director, Osteoporosis Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
I will strongly recommend this book to all my patients who are concerned about their bones-it is...straight-forward and practical.


Kirkus Reviews
Straight-forward...clear, sound help.


Fitnesslink.com
A clear, friendly, accessible style...Miriam Nelson and Sarah Wernick are a superb team.


Sandra C. Raymond, Chief Executive Director, National Osteoporosis Foundation
Comprehensive information on good nutrition, proper exercise, and, when necessary, medication management...an excellent resource.


Book Description
Based on the latest scientific information, and including practical advice on the best nutrition, exercise, and medication, Strong Women, Strong Bones is an essential guide for any woman who wants to know more about the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Includes: ¥ A one-hour-per-year plan for healthy bones ¥ A self-test to assess risk factors ¥ Facts on the most accurate bone-density tests ¥ Tips on supplements beyond calcium, plus new


From the Publisher
AN INTERVIEW WITH MIRIAM NELSON: I often speak to professional and community groups - it's part of my mission to spread the word about strength training and women's health. Last year I noticed that more than half of these questions concern osteoporosis. Increasingly, women know that it's so important to maintain their bones as they get older, but they're uncertain about the best strategy to follow. I decided to write this book so I could pull together all the information women - and men - need to beat this terrible disease. My research and the research of others have taught me a great deal about osteoporosis. But I've learned just as much from the women with whom I've worked. I know that the pain of osteoporosis is not just physical. It causes emotional pain and fear - changes that sap the vitality from too many women who still have meaningful lives to lead. I will turn 40 a month after this book is released. I'm more aware than ever that I'm at risk for this disease: I'm a woman; I'm white; I'm slender; and I have a family history of osteoporosis. And I'm also aware that I can take steps now to keep my bones strong for a lifetime. That's why no matter how busy I get, I work hard to maintain my active lifestyle and healthy diet. Whatever your age, I urge you to heed this terrific slogan from the Massachusetts Osteoporosis Awareness Program: "Support your bones. They support you."


About the Author
Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D., is an associate professor of nutrition and director of the Center for Physical Fitness at the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and holds its certification as a health/fitness director; she also serves on the Advisory Committee for the Massachusetts Osteoporosis Awareness Program.

FROM OUR EDITORS

For All Ages

Do you -- or does someone you know -- have a protruding tummy? Back pain? A recent wrist fracture? These may be signs of a fitness problem or poor body mechanics, or they may be signs of something far more serious and insidious: osteoporosis.

Mention osteoporosis and many people think "old lady's disease" and envision a hunched-over, gray-haired woman tottering along with a cane. Yet osteoporosis is hardly limited to the elderly -- that tottering woman with the cane may be much younger than you think. In fact, 28 million Americans, ranging in age from 20 on up, suffer from some degree of osteoporosis. It can and does strike at any age, and most, but not all, of its victims are women. And it carries more than the threat of debilitation; it can also be a matter of life and death. Yet it is preventable and treatable if you know what to do, which is the primary objective of Strong Women, Strong Bones.

Written by Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., whose research in the area of osteoporosis has been published in a number of reputable and distinguished journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine, and Sarah Wernick, Ph.D., an award-winning freelance health writer, Strong Women, Strong Bones is one of the most comprehensive looks at osteoporosis to be found anywhere. It's not only informative, it's also practical, providing a step-by-step process for adopting a lifestyle that can prevent or treat the disease.

Nelson begins by covering the basics of osteoporosis: how it begins, what causes it, how it manifests itself as it progresses, and what level of disability it can cause. She dispels several common myths, such as the belief that increasing one's intake of calcium is enough, by itself, to prevent osteoporosis, the belief that once bone is lost it's gone forever, and the belief that men can't get the disease.

The emphasis is on prevention, which makes Strong Women, Strong Bones as appropriate for a woman of 20 or a man of 50 as it is for a woman nearing, in, or beyond her menopausal years. But there is plenty of helpful information for those who already have the disease and are looking to reverse or ameliorate its effects. Nelson delves into the science in a language laypeople can understand, discussing the basics of bone formation, growth, and function.

The book also includes a comprehensive personal risk assessment, which evaluates everything from diet and family history to how much time is spent in the sun absorbing vitamin D. Once risk is determined, a reader can then learn the appropriate life plan to adopt in order to decrease her risk or alleviate damage already done. The book explores the three areas crucial to preventing and treating osteoporosis -- nutrition, physical activity, and, when appropriate, medications -- looking at each in great detail and incorporating them all into hands-on programs for daily living.

Nelson explores a number of forms of exercise, then combines them in balanced and comprehensive workouts that provide aerobic activity, weight-bearing exercise, and strength training. She clearly defends the need for each type of exercise and discusses its benefits in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Each program of exercise is organized into weekly plans that provide for a gradual (12-week) increase in pace and intensity and that take into account one's previous degree of fitness and athleticism. Regardless of whether you are a novice or a trained athlete, Nelson's exercise programs can be adapted and adopted to fit your needs.

Strong Women, Strong Bones also includes dietary tips to ensure an adequate intake of calcium and the necessary vitamins. There are charts showing age-specific calcium requirements, the calcium content of foods, and foods that might interfere with calcium absorption. Nelson has even developed five-day sample menu plans to meet age-specific minimum daily calcium requirements, with different plans for those on low-calorie diets, low-fat diets, lactose-intolerant diets, and vegetarian diets.

Nelson also looks at the current raft of medical treatments and medications used to treat osteoporosis and its complications. She explains current-day diagnostic studies, their pros and cons, and the interpretation of their results. She explores the new therapies being used in the treatment of fractures, such as synthetic bone cement, gene implants, and the use of ultrasound waves and electrical stimulation to promote bone growth and repair.

Throughout the text, Nelson supports and supplements her information with anecdotal evidence that covers the gamut of osteoporosis problems, complications, and sufferers. There are also a number of statistics, some of which are alarming. Yet, as the anecdotal evidence suggests, it's a much-needed alarm for Americans, many of whom are at high risk for death and disability from osteoporosis but don't realize it. Armed with Strong Women, Strong Bones, that risk can be greatly reduced.

—Beth Amos

ANNOTATION

"...an authoritative resource on how to prevent, treat, and beat osteoporosis...features a questionnaire that reveals risk factors; tips on supplements; recommended exercises; facts on the latest medications; and a chapter for men."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Miriam Nelson with Sarah Wernick
From The Publisher: An Interview With Miriam Nelson:

I often speak to professional and community groups - it's part of my mission to spread the word about strength training and women's health. Last year I noticed that more than half of these questions concern osteoporosis. Increasingly, women know that it's so important to maintain their bones as they get older, but they're uncertain about the best strategy to follow. I decided to write this book so I could pull together all the information women - and men - need to beat this terrible disease.

My research and the research of others have taught me a great deal about osteoporosis. But I've learned just as much from the women with whom I've worked. I know that the pain of osteoporosis is not just physical. It causes emotional pain and fear - changes that sap the vitality from too many women who still have meaningful lives to lead.

I will turn 40 a month after this book is released. I'm more aware than ever that I'm at risk for this disease: I'm a woman; I'm white; I'm slender; and I have a family history of osteoporosis. And I'm also aware that I can take steps now to keep my bones strong for a lifetime. That's why no matter how busy I get, I work hard to maintain my active lifestyle and healthy diet.

Whatever your age, I urge you to heed this terrific slogan from the Massachusetts Osteoporosis Awareness Program: "Support your bones. They support you."

FROM THE CRITICS

Sandra C. Raymond

Comprehensive information on good nutrition, proper exercise, and, when necessary, medication management... an excellent resource.

Fitnesslink.com

A clear, friendly, accessible style...Miriam Nelson and Sarah Wernick are a superb team.

Library Journal