Osteoporosis

Jill Devoe

Bone Disorder Persuasive Letter

Dear Congressman,

We should look into the bone disorder of osteoporosis a little further. If we work harder to help find more cures and treatments that could effectively treat or prevent osteoporosis, millions of people wouldn't have to go trough the pain of the disorder.

Osteoporosis is the most common type of bone disease. Researchers estimate that about 1 out of 5 American women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis. Osteoporosis occurs when the body fails to form enough new bone and when too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body. Calcium and phosphate are two minerals that are essential for normal bone formation. Osteoporosis is when your body is lacking calcium and phosphate causing the bones to become brittle and break easier.

Treatments that already exist for osteoporosis include Bisphosphonates they are the most commonly used drug to both prevent and treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Bisphosphonates are taken by mouth, usually once a week or once a month depending on the severity of the osteoporosis. Another would be, Calcitonin, it is a medicine that slows the rate of bone loss and relieves bone pain. Lastly, the Parathyroid Hormone, it is for women who have severe osteoporosis and are considered at high risk for fractures. The medicine is given through daily shots underneath the skin.

Now is the time period that the baby boomers, from 1946-1964, are getting into the older age that osteoporosis will be more commonly seen in women. I would like to see that more treatments are made available and that more effective ways of treatment are researched. Thank you for allowing me to bring this worthy cause to your attention, and

I hope that you decide to take action against tis bone disorder.

Sincerely,

Jill Devoe