Before you start bone-building meds, try dietary calcium and ...

My mom and I were talking recently about people going to the doctor for every sneeze or hangnail, and how it drives up the cost of health care.

It reminded me of an aunt of mine who was an RN.  She firmly believed that medicines were from G-d and that we should make the most of them. Her philosophy changed too late.  I went and saw her in the hospital, not long before she died, and she told me, "If I had the chance to do it over again, I would never take another pill."

If you pay attention to the commercials when they tell you the side-effects, you can understand what happened to her.  The side-effects mean you might end up taking another pill, because the previous pill damaged this, that or the other.  It goes on and on. 

There are other alternatives to pill popping when it comes to women and our calcium needs as we're getting older - it's called a good diet and supplements.  This study shows how you can make the most of your meals without having to resort to some pill that could possibly cause you serious problems down the road. 

Read more here U of I study: Before you start bone-building meds, try dietary calcium and ... - EurekAlert (press release)

Examples are soy milk, orange juice, yogurt, crackers, cereal, bread, breakfast bars, and even pancakes. The researchers also looked at the effects of dietary protein, vitamin K, soy, and sodium in their literature review. The new USDA food pyramid ...