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Features

[MAY 1, 2001]  Osteoporosis literally means "porous bone." It is a painful and crippling disease that develops very slowly, gradually weakening the bones and skeletal structure. Over many years, bones become thin and brittle, susceptible to breaks, cracks and fractures. Osteoporosis can affect anyone regardless of sex or race. Today, approximately 25 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis. Because osteoporosis develops so slowly, it can take years before people realize they have it. By then it can be too late.

Osteoporosis has many causes, both controllable and uncontrollable. Some controllable risk factors include inadequate calcium intake, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, consuming a lot of soft drinks or beverages with caffeine, and excessive alcohol consumption. Some uncontrollable risk factors include having a small-framed, small-boned body, being a female, family history of osteoporosis, and menopause.

There are several things people can do to keep their bones strong and help prevent osteoporosis:

• Exercise regularly. Regular weight-bearing exercise stimulates bone formation. Good exercise choices include walking, running, jumping rope, dancing and weight lifting.

• Stop smoking and limit caffeine, alcohol, and soft drinks. Smoking lowers the sex hormones which stimulate bone formation. Caffeine and alcohol increase calcium loss through urine. Soft drinks contain phosphates which block calcium absorption.

• Eat a nutritionally balanced diet from the five food groups: milk (three to four servings), meat (two to three servings), fruit (two to four servings), vegetables (three to five servings) and grains (six to 11 servings).

• Ask your doctor about estrogen replacement therapy. With the onset of menopause comes a sharp decrease in estrogen levels, which contributes to a change in calcium balance and a rapid decrease in bone density. Women lose 10 to 15 percent of their bone mass in the first 10 years after menopause.

• Eat a calcium-rich diet. Our bodies cannot make calcium, so we must get it from our diet. Calcium from your diet provides the nourishment to feed your bones throughout life.

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Lack of sufficient dietary calcium during the teen-age years as well as the age period 20-35 can set the stage for developing osteoporosis. This is a critical period when the bones are increasing in mass, strength and hardness. By age 20, a person has probably reached his or her full adult height, but the bones continue to grow until the mid-30s. People of all age ranges have different calcium recommendations.

Children (ages 1-10) should get 800 to 1,200 milligrams per day. Teenagers and young adults (ages 11-24) should get 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams per day. Adults and postmenopausal women on estrogen should get 1,000 milligrams per day. Adults over 65 and postmenopausal women not on estrogen should get 1,500 milligrams per day.

There are a variety of foods that can be consumed within your diet to reach your calcium recommendations. Milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding, ice cream and calcium-enriched juices are just a few. You can also add nonfat dry milk to most foods, drinks and soups. Putting a slice of cheese on a sandwich, having cheese pizza, putting cheese on your vegetables, and adding milk instead of water to your oatmeal, hot chocolate or soups are all good ways to get your calcium.

May is National Osteoporosis Prevention Month. Help spread the word and prevent this silent disease from happening to you or someone you know.

For more information about osteoporosis contact your physician, call the Logan County Health Department at (217) 735-2317 or visit the website at www.logancountyhealth.org..

[Information used in this article was provided by
the St. Louis District Dairy Council.]

Honors & Awards

[APRIL 18, 2001]  Beta Sigma Phi’s Xi Mu Gamma chapter awarded a Century booster seat to Nancy Vannoy of Atlanta at the Health Fair on March 17. The Xi Mu Gamma chapter sponsored a fair booth promoting the need for older children to be in booster seats. Contrary to state law, which only requires children to be in booster seats until they are 4 years old or 40 pounds, the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety indicates that children are not sufficiently protected with seat belts until they reach 80 pounds. All children under 80 pounds should be in an appropriate car seat.

Announcements

The Rural Health Partnership has announced the schedule for its mobile health unit. Effective Feb. 1, 2001, the unit will run as follows:

For more information on the mobile health unit schedule and services, contact Dayle Eldredge at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 409.

This family resource list to save and use is provided by the Healthy Communities Partnership (732-2161, Ext. 409) and the Healthy Families Task Force.         

Resources for Logan County families

Agency	Phone number	Address
911	911 (Emergencies) 732-3911 (Office -- non-emergency)	911 Pekin St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital	732-2161	315 Eighth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Aging (Department of)	785-3356	421 E. Capitol, #100 Springfield, IL 62701-1789
American Cancer Society	546-7586 (24 hour)	1305 Wabash, Ste. J Springfield, IL 62704
American Red Cross	732-2134 1-800-412-0100	125 S. Kickapoo Lincoln, IL 62656
Catholic Social Services	732-3771	310 S. Logan Lincoln, IL 62656
Chamber of Commerce	735-2385	303 S. Kickapoo St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Community Action (CIEDC)	732-2159	1800 Fifth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Community Child Care Connection	525-2805 1-800-676-2805	1004 N. Milton Ave. Springfield, IL 62702-443
Crisis Pregnancy Center	735-4838	513 Pulaski St. Lincoln, IL 62656
DCFS (Department of Children & Family Services)	735-4402 1-800-252-2873 (crisis hotline)	1100 Keokuk St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Heartland Community College GED Program	735-1731	620 Broadway St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Hospice Care of Illinois	1-800-342-4862 (24 hour) 732-2161, Ext. 444	720 N. Bond Springfield, IL 62702
Housing Authority	732-7776 732-6312 (24 hour)	1028 N. College St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Illinois Breast & Cervical Cancer Program	735-2317 1-800-269-4019	LCHD - 109 Third St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Illinois Department of Public Health	782-4977	535 W. Jefferson Springfield, IL 62761
Illinois Employment & Training Center (JTPA)	735-5441	812 Lincoln Ave. Lincoln, IL 62656
Legal Assistance Foundation	(217) 753-3300 1-800-252-8629	730 E. Vine St., Ste. 214 Springfield, IL 62703
Library - Atlanta	(217) 648-2112	100 Race St. Atlanta, IL 61723
Library - Elkhart	(217) 947-2313	121 E. Bohan Elkhart, IL 62634
Library - Lincoln	732-8878	725 Pekin St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Library - Mount Pulaski	792-5919	320 N. Washington Mount Pulaski, IL 62548
Lincoln Area YMCA	735-3915	319 W. Kickapoo St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln/Logan Food Pantry	732-2204	P.O. Box 773 Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln Parents’ Center	735-4192	100 S. Maple Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln Park District	732-8770	1400 Primm Rd. Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan County Department of Human Services (Public Aid)	735-2306	1550 Fourth St., P.O. Box 310 Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan County Health Department	735-2317	109 Third St., P.O. Box 508 Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan Mason Mental Health	735-2272 1-888-832-3600 (crisis line)	304 Eighth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan-Mason Rehabilitation Center	735-1413	760 S. Postville Dr. Lincoln, IL 62656
Oasis (Senior Citizens of Logan County)	732-6132	501 Pulaski St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Project READ	735-1731	620 Broadway St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Salvation Army	732-7890	1501 N. Kickapoo Lincoln, IL 62656
Senior Services of Central Illinois	732-6213 1-800-252-8966 (crisis line)	109 Third St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Sojourn Shelter & Service Inc.	732-8988 (217) 726-5200 (24-hour hotline)	1800 Westchester Blvd. Springfield, IL 62704
U. of I. Division of Specialized Care for Children	524-2000 1-800-946-8468	421 S. Grand Ave. West, 2nd Floor Springfield, IL 62704
U. of I. Extension Service	732-8289	122 S. McLean St. Lincoln, IL 62656

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