Did You Know…prescription bone-building drugs can up your odds of a serious injury?
Osteoporosis (weakening of the bones) will cause 1 out of 2 women over the age of 50 to break a bone, and 1 out of 5 men, according to statistics issued by the Surgeon General.
Bone breaks are a serious risk for severe health declines in older adults. Of all bone breaks, hip fractures cause the greatest health problems and the greatest number of deaths. Nearly a quarter million hip fractures occur each year among people older than 50 years in the U.S.
Many people seek preventative care. But bone-building bisphosphonates, a popular prescription treatment option for osteoporosis, have grave safety concerns.
| In May 2012, The New England Journal of Medicine published a systematic review conducted by the Food and Drug Administration that found the drugs to be only minimally effective and to come with potentially devastating side effects. The data used for the review came from two long-term studies done by the University of California, San Francisco. |
Both studies—a 10-year analysis of Fosamax and a 6-year evaluation of Reclast—showed that the drugs effectively reduced users’ risk of fracture in the short term, but “little if any benefit after 3–5 years of use.” Not only that, but the drugs carry a high risk of “serious adverse events” such as “unusual femur fractures,” esophageal cancer, and a disfiguring condition called osteocrosis (the painful crumbling of the jaw bone).
No evidence exists to show that those with osteopenia, or pre-osteoporosis, benefit at all from prescription drug treatments—though they face the same chance of extraordinarily unpleasant side effects.
What your doctor may not even know is that an alternative therapy called rebounding can treat and even reverse osteoporosis and give you back the strong, healthy bones of your younger years. And not only is rebounding safe and side-effect free, it comes with dozens of other powerful health benefits as well.
R is for… Rebound… Rebuild… and Renew
Rebounders are simply high quality mini trampolines for exercising. They’ve been around for many years, and many studies and experts now confirm the enormous health value of this activity. In his book, Jump for Joy, James R. White, Ph.D., calls rebound exercise “the closest thing to the fountain of youth that science has found.”
As for bone health, as early as 1980, scientists at NASA knew that rebounding strengthened bones and increased bone density. Even those with injuries can often safely rebound. A 7-year study at UC San Diego showed that 93% of 2300 patients were able to integrate rebound exercising into their physical rehabilitation programs.
Rebounding is for Any Body, Any Place, and Any Time
Rebounding is easy to start, even if you haven’t exercised in years. You don’t even need much headroom; experts advise you need just about 8-10 inches of open space above your head when standing on the trampoline. For an average height person, rebounding in a room with an 8-foot ceiling will be sufficient.
