Archive for March, 2012
$ 52,000,000,000.00 in one Year!!
Fragility Fractures are fractures caused by osteoporosis. Fragility Fractures cost an enormous amount of money. They also cause pain, suffering, disability, nursing home stays, and death.
The estimated total cost of Fragility Fractures in the European Union for 2010 was 39 billion Euros. That is $52 billion US! Real money! That is a lot to pay for fractures that might have been prevented by screening and preventive treatment.
Estrogen is Good for Bones
Human Estrogen is the natural means of preventing bone loss before menopause in women. The huge drop in estrogen levels during menopause leads to increased bone loss during and after menopause.
Estrogen stimulates the formation of Osteoblasts (the cells that make new bone). Estrogen lengthens the lifespan of Osteoblasts and Osteocytes (the cells that live in and maintain bone). Estrogen supresses the formation and activation of Osteoclasts (the cells that eat bone away).
Genistein – “Estrogen” from Soybeans
Genistein is the main active ingredient in the “Medical Food” Fosteum. A “medical food” is a “natural supplement” of nutrients not commonly found in regular food, which is designed to treat a specific disease. Post-Menopausal Osteoporosis is the disease specified for Fosteum. A “medical food” must be prescribed by a physician.
Genestein is a natural isoflavone phyto-estrogen found in low concentrations in soybeans. A phyto-estrogen is a substance found in a plant which is similar to human estrogen. A phyto-estrogen can trick some estrogen receptors in a human into responding as if it were human estrogen. Other estrogen receptors may not be fooled or may be blocked.