Newsletter
March 2004 Newsletter — Extracts
Opening Words
A winter’s sunset in West Norfolk.
The New Year has long gone and I hope it has been reasonably good for you. This weather, neither hot nor cold, wet nor dry, just unremitting wearying dampness, gets to me, as it probably does to most people. So lets all smile and look forward to 21 March, that magic date when spring starts.
Your Committee is planning lots of events for the coming months — a dance, a quiz, a book fair and a market stall (so we need more of your goodies!) and hopefully, a trip out in a coach; so let’s be of good cheer.
We still need more Committee members and you will be welcomed with open arms if you join.
It appears not everyone can hear me when I speak at meetings, so don’t be shy, say so, and I will correct this fault. We do have a microphone and minicom, which I can use.
Finally, if we are not doing what you want, or you would like us to work in a different way, please tell us. This is your group. We are moving forward on a number of fronts and hope to have some good news for you soon.
From the Chairman, John Fludgate
Stop Press — Review of the Saturday Night Dance with Cy Payne & Peggy Spencer
Sunday 4 April 2004
On Saturday 3 April 180 people enjoyed the music of Cy Payne and Peggy Spencer’s incomparable ‘Come Dancing’ compering.
The evening of dancing to live music at the Gaywood Community Centre raised £553 profit, made many more people aware of osteoporosis and was generally a great fun evening. For those of us who are not good at dancing, the music was good to listen to and we were amazed at the prowess and stamina of those who danced the night away.
The Mayor of King’s Lynn, Michael Langwade, drew the raffle, and we were very pleased to have his company and that of the Mayoress, Christine Holding, for the evening.
Another highlight was the cabaret given by the Gaywood Senior Formation Dance Team — the only senior team in the country — who gave a very accomplished performance of beautifully synchronised dancing.
Many people, as they left the hall, were asking, “When would the next dance be arranged?” Well, we shall have to see. That is rather up to Peggy Spencer. The major part of the work, the planning and programming that makes for a successful evening, is down to her.
This is a good weekend for the group. On Monday 5 April, Jill Fysh will be collecting a cheque for £300 from the West Norfolk and King’s Lynn Bridge Club, of which our Chairman, John Fludgate, is a member. The Bridge Club has kindly made the National Osteoporosis Society their nominated charity for the year. Their Chairman, David Gage, will be presenting the cheque. Their fundraising evening held in early March was organised by Tony Warner and June Scotting. Our heartfelt thanks go to all those people who have worked so hard to raise both these sums of money.
Organising and running events, and generating enthusiasm amongst participants, is hard work — but great fun. In a short while we hope to let people know why we are working so hard to raise funds. Watch this space — we have great plans.
Break a bone first before getting treatment (NICE)
You will know about this if you are a member of the National Osteoporosis Society or if you have been following the reports in the Daily Mail and some of the other National Newspapers. However, it is part of such an important debate that we make no apologies for going over the details again.
NICE, which stands for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, is part of the NHS in England and Wales. One of its jobs is to look at all the research evidence and decide if drugs work and if they are ‘cost effective’ (that is, the benefits provided by the drugs are balanced by the costs). Over the last year NICE has been assessing the cost and clinical effectiveness of the osteoporosis drug treatments.
The following are preliminary recommendations and following a period of consultation will be reviewed, if a strong enough case has been put to NICE, there is every possibility that they will be changed. The final recommendations will be published by NICE in June 2004.
The National Osteoporosis Society has already responded and members have been encouraged to comment, directly to NICE and through their MP. Many of our Group members have already done this.
NICE Preliminary Proposals
These recommendations only relate to postmenopausal women.
NICE has been looking at 5 osteoporosis drugs: the bisphosphonates — alendronate (Fosamax); etidronate (Didronel); risedronate (Actonel); and also raloxifene (Evista); and teriparatide (Forsteo).
The draft recommendations say the following:
- If you are over 65 years and have broken a bone easily (this includes fractures in the spine) your doctor can prescribe you a bisphosphonate drug to reduce the risk of another fracture. You will not need a DEXA bone-density scan.
- If you are under 65 years and break a bone easily (including spinal fractures) your doctor will only prescribe a bisphosphonate if you also have a DEXA bone density scan result (T score), either:
- –3.2 SD or below or
- –2.5 SD or below with a specific risk factor — either you take long-term corticosteroid tablets or your mother broke her hip.
- There will be no drug treatments for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and at high risk of fracture unless they have fractured already.
- There will be very rigid restrictions for the use of teriparatide (PTH). You will be considered for teriparatide if you have a number of osteoporotic fractures, but you will also need to be 70 years old or over, and to have tried another treatment that hasn’t worked, and to have had a bone density scan result (T score) either:
- –4.0 SD or below or
- –3.2 SD or below plus another specific risk factor — either you take long-term corticosteroid tablets or your mother broke her hip.
- Raloxifene (Evista) will not be available to prevent or treat spinal fractures. Although NICE agreed that raloxifene is effective at reducing the risk of spinal fracture, it does not reduce the risks of other fractures, such as hip fracture, so was not considered ‘cost effective’.
Our Group’s Response
We are extremely concerned that these recommendations will set the field of osteoporosis back many years. No thought has been given to the prevention of osteoporosis. Also, why are the arbitrary age limits given? Although the time for commenting directly to NICE has passed a letter to your local MP could only help to make him aware of very strong local feelings.
Depending on where you live you will either need to contact Mrs Gillian Shephard MP, for South Norfolk or Mr Henry Bellingham MP for West Norfolk.
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Please help us change these guidelines. All health practitioners will be bound by the Clinical Effectiveness data when it is published in June.
If you would like any more up to the minute information on this go to the NICE website, or the NOS website.
Four Reasons Why You Need Magnesium
The body makes big demands on this vital mineral because it can:
- Improve bone density and help protect against osteoporosis
- Be important for nerve and muscle function (one symptom of deficiency is muscle cramps and twitches) and help ease muscle injuries and other conditions such as fibromyalgia
- Help treat and prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure and harmful LDL cholesterol levels
- Help prevent non-insulin dependent diabetes. According to research, people with the lowest magnesium levels have a greatly increased risk of developing this disease
Magnesium has also been shown to reduce wheezing and the severity of asthma attacks.
What Foods are good sources for magnesium?
Roasted peanuts, wholemeal bread, whole grain rice and bran are all rich sources of magnesium. The recommended daily allowance is 300 MG. If you suffer from kidney disease, consult your doctor before taking magnesium supplements.
Recent Past Events We’ve Enjoyed…
Our Social, with the Marshland Singers and Gordon & Les | January 2004
Click for a larger image (520 X 560 pixels). Click the larger image to close it. Picture courtesy of The Lynn News and The Citizen.
Our Social has become something of an institution. Members of the group bring items for the buffet table and we invite friends of the group who have helped us over the year to attend. It’s just our way of thanking people.
The Marshland Singers, who provided the entertainment this year, as they’ve done for several years past, deserve thanks in their own right. They support us at many of our other fundraising events, such as the annual quiz, as well.
This year we also invited Chris Hornby from The Citizen Newspaper — he has given the group excellent coverage this year. He was kind enough to arrange for a photographer to be present and gave a good press report.
