Revolutionary space technology helps combat osteoporosis
03/06/2008
A woman diagnosed with osteoporosis aged only 42 has used her own brave struggle against the condition to bring fresh hope to the thousands of men and women facing a lifetime of brittle bones.
Osteoporosis is already one of the most common complications of ageing, and it is set to develop into a serious health problem as the population increases and ages.
Mary Little, from Norfolk, underwent a very early menopause - and was then devastated to learn that she had osteoporosis. For the first two years she tried HRT which, although it increased her bone density, like many women, it didn’t suit her. She told the Mature Times: “It reduced my hot flushes and helped my bone density, but it left me feeling constantly weepy and bloated - plus I didn’t really want to be on medication."
For the following two years Mary tried ‘the natural approach’: “I had the most bone-friendly diet imaginable, did weight bearing exercise three or four times every week and even rubbed natural progesterone cream into my skin twice a day. But at the end of these two years I had lost a further 12% of my precious bone density. I now felt I had no option but to go onto Bisphosphonate medication and so reluctantly I have been on Actonel/Risedronate for the past six or seven years.
There is no doubt that the drug has helped me to maintain my bone density - but I am constantly concerned about having to be on long term medication."
Then last October Mary discovered, via the NASA website, a new non- invasive treatment for osteoporosis, developed over 25 years of research and clinical trials with astronauts. The technology, called Dynamic Motion Therapy (DMT), had been developed to counter the severe bone loss, muscle atrophy and postural instability suffered by astronauts in zero gravity conditions while in space. Clinton Rubin Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering at The University of New York and the main scientist behind the research, explains the science behind the technology:
“DMT creates a very gentle, low-level acoustic signal which stimulates muscles, which in turn transmits micro-stresses to the bone - thereby encouraging new bone growth."
The technology is available in the UK in the form of the Juvent 1000 medical device, which looks like a large bathroom scale and is the commercial application of the technology currently being used on the International Space Station by the astronauts.
The research into Juvent 1000 technology has been published in reputable journals such as the Lancet, JAMA, Nature, Harvard Women’s Health Watch, and the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. In a recent study, after just one year, a group of menopausal women using the platform experienced a 2% - 3% advantage over a placebo group in preserving bone at the spine and hip. It is beneficial for both drug and non-drug compliant patients and Juvent 1000’s self-adjustment capability allows it to be used by more than one person.
For more details about the Juvent 1000, visit their website by clicking on the link below. Alternitively contact Mary Little on 01603-810946 or email mary@littlemary.freeserve.co.uk