JACKSON, Miss.- May is National Osteoporosis Month and health care providers are encouraging people, especially women, to be scanned.
Osteoporosis kills more women every year than breast cancer. It will affect one out of every two women. The disease causes bones to become brittle and much more likely to break.
Dr. Andrea Singer, clinical director at the National Osteoporosis Foundation says that women should be screened to determine bone density. Women who have gone through menopause should be sure to ask their doctors for a scan.
Singer says a bone density scan is painless and usually only takes 15 minutes. Doctors will scan the hips and spine to determine if you have normal bone density, low bone mass, or osteoporosis.
The test estimates the amount of bone primarily in the hips and spine and will allow for your healthcare provider to make suggestions to protect the health of your bones.
If you want to find out what your diagnosis means visit: http://www.nmhs.net/osteoporosis_intervention.php
