Must-do: the Anlene bone scan

Something to check out one of these days: the free bone scan carried out by leading adult milk brand Anlene to guard against the debilitating disease osteoporosis which affects a great number of Filipinos.

Truth is, most of those with osteoporosis don’t realize they have it until they have a bone test. Take the case of Mary Ann Suzon who 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, Mary Ann 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.

Mary Ann 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.

The Anlene Bone Health Check campaign started in 1999 and has helped propagate information on osteoporosis. 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% 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.

For 2012, the bone health check campaign is aimed at scanning another 1 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.