Hi Mimi,

My mom had OS severely in the years before her death and she died within a few days of breaking her hip. My oldest sister was diagnosed with it last year. My understanding is taking Fosamax, along with supplements, and the right type of exercise may allow the body to regain bone density, and thus add more calcium and minerals back into the bone. It doesn't happen overnight; it is a process that requires dedication and daily commitment.

I had my first bone density test in November. I was really sweating it, because of the family history for getting the disease. So much of it depends on what you were doing in your teens and 20s while the body was building bone density, and if you were a female engaged in low calorie yo-yo dieting, then odds are OS will be a problem later in life. However, I guess I was good during those years, because my tests came back as being at the very highest range of calcium and mineral density for a female in my age range.

Anyway, read up on the supplements. There is not only calcium with the vitamin D and magnesium, but there are now additional supplements that are proven effective in helping the body to restore bone density. The supplements should be taken twice a day with a meal, for higher absorbtion. Also, you need to have the doctor check your homocysteine levels, because there is a proven link to high homocysteine levels (which is a factor in cardio disease) and OS. You can google some of the key words and start reading some of the articles in the online medical data bases.

Darcy