Osteoporosis

Bone may look hard and statistic, but it’s very much alive : new bone cells are constantly being made and old bone cells destroyed. With age, however, less bone gets made than destroyed. Result:  10 million Americans have dangerously low bone mass, or osteoporosis. This process can be revered, however, and in November the FDA approved Forteo, the first treatment that does that. The drug contains part of the human parathyroid hormone, which builds up bone by boosting bone-making cells and suppressing bone destroyers. Studies show that postmenopausal women taking Forteo along with calcium and vitamin-D supplements significantly reduced their risk of fractures.
Unfortunately, Forteo comes only in injectable form, which mean daily shots in the thigh or abdomen.