In this podcast, NOF CEO, Elizabeth Thompson, interviews Dr. Clark to learn how recognizing and using the power of hope can help osteoporosis patients — as well as their loved ones and caregivers — weather the ups and downs of the disease.

Much like osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease impacts balance, leading to falls and fractures that only further debilitate the person afflicted. In this episode, our very own Dr. Susan Greenspan, President of NOF’s Board of Trustees, sits down with a panel of experts to discuss osteoporosis and Parkinson’s, and a new research trial designed to help prevent falls and fractures in patients with both osteoporosis and Parkinson’s disease. Our panel includes expert commentary from Dr. Caroline Tanner, neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Kenneth Lyles, geriatrician and endocrinologist, and Dr. Steve Cummings, expert on the epidemiology of osteoporosis, women's health, and aging.

Episode 13: Menopause and Sex

Every day, approximately 6,000 women in the U.S. reach menopause. By 2020, 50 million women will be postmenopausal, and because we are all living longer, most of us will spend over half our lives as a postmenopausal woman! In this third and final episode of our series on menopause and bone health, we discuss what happens to our bodies when we go through menopause, the impact it may have on your sexual life and why you may not need to put sex on the back burner after all.

• The North American Menopause Society: https://www.menopause.org/

• NY Times Article mentioned in the podcast: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/well/live/menopause-sex-decline-partner-husband-wife.html

• NOF Resource Library: https://www.nof.org/patients/nof-resource-library/

Read our medical disclaimer here: https://www.nof.org/medical-disclaimer/

Episode 12: Menopause Part 2– Menopause, hormone therapy, and bone health—what’s the deal?

Hormone therapy can help ease the symptoms of menopause, but it’s got a bad rap thanks to a study released in 2002. The flawed study caused many healthcare professionals to cease prescribing hormone treatment, but in recent years it has begun working its way back into the good graces of the medical community. With so much information (and mis-information) out there, it can be hard to know what’s right for you. In this episode—part two of our three part series on menopause and bone health—bone and women’s health expert Dr. Margaret Nachtigall explains what hormone therapy is, the current recommendations around it, and what questions you should be asking your healthcare provider to know what’s right for you.

• The North American Menopause Society: https://www.menopause.org/

• NOF Resource Library: https://www.nof.org/patients/nof-resource-library/

Read our medical disclaimer here: https://www.nof.org/medical-disclaimer/

Episode 11: Menopause Part 1– Protecting strong bones before, during and after menopause– What you need to know

Menopause: it’s a hot topic that’s about so much more than just hot flashes! In part one of this three part series, NOF bone health ambassador, Barbara Hannah Grufferman, sits down with Dr. Margaret Nachtigall, highly regarded reproductive endocrinologist, and Clinical Associate Professor within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Division Reproductive Endocrine at NYU Langone Health, to discuss how women can create strong bones before, during and after menopause.

• The North American Menopause Society: https://www.menopause.org/

• NOF Resource Library: https://www.nof.org/patients/nof-resource-library/

Read our medical disclaimer here: https://www.nof.org/medical-disclaimer/

Episode 10: Improving the Treatment Pathway for Vertebral Compression Fractures

Is it a pulled muscle, or a vertebral compression fracture? Vertebral compression fractures can sometimes be painless, but are still a significant risk to overall health. So how do we diagnose and treat something we may not even know we have? In this episode, Dr. Douglas P. Beall, Chief of Radiology Services at Clinical Radiology of Oklahoma, sits down with NOF CEO, Elizabeth Thompson to discuss. 

Dr. Beall is passionate about improving the treatment pathway for vertebral compression fractures, and helping others be aware of them and how to diagnose and treat them early. In addition to treating patients, Dr. Beall is also a clinical researcher, working to improve medical knowledge of osteoporosis treatment options and pain management. If you have been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, or know someone who has, this is a podcast you won’t want to miss!

• Video Link: Access Health “The Impact of Vertebral Compression Fractures” featuring Dr. Douglas P. Beall

• Bone Basics Brochure

• Vertebral Compression Fractures and What Can Be Done About Them

• Technical Report- Management of vertebral fragility fractures: a clinical care pathway developed by a multispecialty panel using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method

• Evolve Study– Prospective and Multicenter Evaluation of Outcomes for Quality of Life and Activities of Daily Living for Balloon Kyphoplasty in the Treatment of Vertebral Compression Fractures

• VCF Mortality Risk Study

Read our medical disclaimer here: https://www.nof.org/medical-disclaimer/

Episode 9: Strides in Osteoporosis Treatment and Medicine Part 2

Dr. Susan Greenspan (left) interviews
Dr. Felicia Cosman (right)

In Part One of our two-part series on “Strides in Osteoporosis Treatment and Medicine,” Dr. Felicia Cosman shared information on the types of medications and treatments currently available to osteoporosis patients. In Part Two, Dr. Greenspan sits down with Dr. Cosman again—this time to address Evenity™, (Romosozumab), a drug that has made headlines for doing what no other osteoporosis medication can do: build new bone while also slowing bone loss. But like all medications, it has its warnings and side effects. In this episode, Dr. Cosman helps us understand its risks and benefits, and how to work with your healthcare provider to know if Evenity™ is right for you. 

Episode Resources:

Read our medical disclaimer here: https://www.nof.org/medical-disclaimer/

Episode 8: Happiness: An Essential Ingredient to Living a Longer Life

Happiness, health and a long life are intricately interconnected. Several scientific studies have shown an undeniable link between our state of mind and longevity. In the spirit of exploring this idea, journalist John Leland followed the lives of six people over age 85. His best selling book entitled “Happiness Is A Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old” was the result. Leland discovered that, in general, older people are more optimistic and happier than younger folks. Their secret: happiness is the foundation that allowed them to get old in the first place! In a conversation with Barbara Hannah Grufferman, Bone Health Ambassador and Trustee of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, Leland explains how a positive mindset can be a key to good bone health, as well.

Read about more about John’s book:
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE YOU MAKE
Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old

An extraordinary look at what it means to grow old and a heartening guide to well-being, Happiness Is a Choice You Make weaves together the stories and wisdom of six New Yorkers who number among the “oldest old”― those eighty-five and up.

Read our medical disclaimer here: https://www.nof.org/medical-disclaimer/

Episode 7: The Importance of Identifying and Treating Vertebral Compression Fractures

Vertebral compression fractures are just one of the ways that osteoporosis manifests in those who suffer from the disease. In this episode Elizabeth Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, talks with Dr. Joshua Hirsch, Chief of the NeuroInterventional Spine Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, about early diagnosis and treatment of this often painful and debilitating condition. Dr. Hirsch is at the forefront of helping elderly osteoporosis patients rapidly recover from what has—for far too long— been a crippling injury.

• Bone Basics Brochure

• Vertebral Compression Fractures and What Can Be Done About Them

• Technical Report- Management of vertebral fragility fractures: a clinical care pathway developed by a multispecialty panel using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method

Read our medical disclaimer here: https://www.nof.org/medical-disclaimer/

Episode 6: Balance as the Key to a Healthy Life

Barbara Hannah Grufferman, Bone Health Ambassador and Trustee for the National Osteoporosis Foundation, learned the hard way that low bone density can lead to a life-changing experience. She fell and broke her arm at the age of 50, setting her on a course of discovery about osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

In this conversation with personal trainer and movement artist Carol Clements, Barbara discusses the realities of osteoporosis and how the adoption of active, preventive measures against falling can reduce the risk of breaking a bone. The key, according to Carol Clements, is balance.

Check out more helpful tips from Carol Clements in her book, “Better Balance for Life,” a workbook progression applied to improve balance.

Episode Resources:

Read our medical disclaimer here: https://www.nof.org/medical-disclaimer/