Strong bones, stronger ties

MANILA, Philippines – Osteoporosis is a hard-hitting bone disease that is currently affecting a great number of Filipinos. While some individuals feel the manifestation of pain, majority of those afflicted by osteoporosis hardly feel a thing.

Everything feels normal, only to find out that they are already at risk after undergoing a bone scan. This is why osteoporosis is often called the silent disease — it creeps like a thief in the night, claiming the lives of unsuspecting victims.

Lene Almoniña and her sister Mary Ann Suzon found out that they are at risk of osteoporosis after having a bone scan analysis conducted by Anlene.

Almoniña, 50, married and with two children, was not aware of her bone condition. Busy running her own business, she has her mind on more pressing matters. Besides, she didn’t feel anything wrong with her body.

“Last year, I saw the Anlene Bone Scan booth in a mall and thought I’d have myself checked. It was when I found out that I was in moderate risk of osteoporosis,” she recalled.

Suzon, on the other hand, already felt pain on her left knee that ran up to her back. She found it difficult to walk at times. At 48 with four children, she would commute to work but, lately, would ask her husband to give her a ride because of the pain. When she went to the Anlene Bone Scan activity held in a mall, she learned that she was already under the high-risk category.

Suzon became alarmed and worried that she might not be able to go to work anymore. It was at this point that she decided to do something about her condition. She followed the advice of the attending nutritionist at the Anlene booth to watch her diet, get some exercise, and drink Anlene as a nutrition supplement.

These two women are just two of the more than one million Filipinos who have benefited from the Anlene Bone Health Check campaign. Started in 1999, the nationwide caravan has remarkably helped propagate information on the debilitating silent disease. The caravan provides free bone scanning and assessment, and useful pointers on how to address the onset of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis occurs when the bone mass decreases quickly more than the body can replace it, leading to a net loss of bone strength. As a result, a slight bump or fall can result to fracture. It affects all bones in the body but fractures occur mostly in the spine, hips, and wrist.

Broken bones bring severe pain, and both hip and spine fractures were found out to be associated with a higher risk of death — 20 percent of those who suffer hip fracture die within six months after the fracture.

Proper exercise, keeping a healthy lifestyle and regular intake of calcium-rich milk such as Anlene can help prevent osteoporosis. Anlene is the only milk that is clinically proven to reduce bone breakdown within four weeks.

“My condition has improved with the help of Anlene,” Suzon said. “When I had another bone scan assessment last December, I found out that from high risk, I am now down to moderate risk. I can now take long walks and I no longer feel the pain. My target is to further reduce my condition to low risk, of course with the help of Anlene.”

Almoniña, though her condition remains stable, vows not to put her health at further risk. Aside from taking Anlene, she also gets involve in physical activities such as aerobics and badminton.

“I got scared when I found out I was under the moderate risk category. But with proper diet, the right exercise and regular intake of Anlene, I have stronger bones now,” she said.

The Anlene Bone Health Check continues to reach to countless Filipinos all over the country. For 2012, the project is aimed at scanning another one million Filipinos, with a total investment amounting to P50 million to roll out the campaign on osteoporosis awareness.

The activities are held in various barangays and malls so that more people can have easy access to free bone scanning and assessment. The program also scans people across Asia, Australia and the Middle East. It is run in partnership with GE Healthcare, a world leader in medical imaging technology.