I am a volunteer for American Bone Health because I feel that bone health is not top of mind for the individual let alone our standard healthcare provider and this really needs to change. Today my belief was solidified:
I was at my gynecologist for my annual visit. The assistant took my current weight and blood pressure readings and logged them into my chart and then she input my height from a previous visit. I asked why she did not take my height and she said, “at your age you will only shrink”. Gee, thanks…
When my doctor came into the room, I told her about what had just happened and asked why they did not check height change in post-menopausal women. I pointed out that a reduction in height could be an indicator of declining bone health. My doctor looked at me and said, “You are right, I don’t have that answer but will bring this up to the head of the department”. Understand that I really love my doctor – she is thoughtful, patient, asks all sorts of questions and gives me information as needed – but this situation, it is CRAZY!
Many people do not know about the relationship between bone health and height. This visit showed me that we really do need to advocate for our health in addition to educating ourselves.
Today is #givingtuesday and I donated to American Bone Health and posted my experience on the volunteer page to encourage all the volunteers to keep up the good work. For #givingtuesday:
- I encourage you to donate to your favorite health-related non-profit
- My gift to you is this yummy, bone-healthy soup recipe
The Many Greens Soup recipe is from an article I read in the SF Chronicle about the superfood cookbook author Julie Morris and her Superfood Soups book that was published last year…check it out and each time you enjoy the soup, think of your bones and keep trying to keep them healthy.
