"Miriam Nelson"s work shatters all the crippling myths we have inherited about the inevitability of weakness, deterioration, and osteoporosis as we age." ---Christiane Northrup, M.D. author of Women"s Bodies, Women"s Wisdom Osteoporosis develops invisibly. Starting around age thirty-five (or even earlier) women lose up to one percent of their bone mass each year. Often symptoms don"t appear for decades. And then a bone breaks. Many women experience problems not obviously associated with fragile bones: chronic back pain, dowager"s hump, a protruding tummy. But the cause is osteoporosis and twenty-eight million Americans are affected. Now we know that osteoporosis afflicts women as young as twenty--and it is preventable. In this comprehensive, user-friendly book, Nelson details steps to fortify bones and avoid this debilitating disease. Strong Women, Strong Bones features a self-test to assess risk; the most accurate bone-density tests; nutrition recommendations that go beyond calcium and vitamin D; bone-boosting workouts, with illustrated instructions; medications that offer new hope; and a special chapter for men (who develop osteoporosis, too). Based on the latest scientific information, and including up-to-the-minute practical advice on the best nutrition, exercise, and medication, Strong Women, Strong Bones is the guide for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. authors of Strong Women Stay Young and Strong Women Stay Slim illustrated with line drawings