Andrea Bloom, 59, of Pleasanton, Calif., learned she had osteopenia, or low bone density, after a bone density scan. “When I saw my results, it was pretty shocking because I was one-tenth of a point away from an osteoporosis diagnosis,” she says.
More than 40 million adults in the United States ages 50 and older have osteopenia, which can progress to osteoporosis, leaving bones brittle and weak.
Bloom’s doctor prescribed the Food and Drug Administration-approved Osteoboost belt, a wearable device that delivers targeted vibrations to the spine and hips, approved for post-menopausal women with osteopenia. Now, every morning when she walks her dog, she straps it on. “It’s a black belt that you wear around your hip area. And it’s a very, very light vibration,” says Bloom, who wears it about 30 minutes a day.