If I have a “go to” reference book for all things related to osteoporosis, Great Bones by Keith McCormick is it!. Having collaborated previously with Keith, he is someone who knows his stuff. Keith, a World Championship competitor for the pentathlon was diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 45. After that he made a paradigm shift and learned all he could about osteoporosis and how to manage bone health.
Great Bones is his second book, the first being The Whole-Body Approach to Osteoporosis. Great Bones expands upon his first book and is much more detailed. Clocking in at 600 pages of content and 80 pages of references, Great Bones is comprehensive, well researched and fully backed by the latest science. Keith addresses not only the theory and science behind osteoporosis with chapters on bone biology, how bone loss occurs, and details about different medications for osteoporosis; but he also dives into the practical side of managing osteoporosis such as how to choose an osteoporosis doctor, how to read and understand various tests to measure bone health, and lifestyle choices you can make to improve your bone health such as diet and exercise.
Most of all, Great Bones offers hope. One of my favorite passages from the book says, “You can improve bone health and reduce fracture risk. You can effect huge change to the health and strength of your bones at any time in your life – even at age 80! To do this, though, you need to know more about how bone works and what’s going on physiologically. You also need to learn how to monitor progress when you begin a course of treatment and to be ready to change direction of your treatment if you don’t see progress with your bone density and quality.”
I can’t recommend this book enough. If you only buy one book about osteoporosis, this should be the one.
