"70% of postmenopausal women don't even know they have Osteoporosis!
What's Himalaya Doing About It?"
Did you know that over 300 million people suffer from osteoporosis in India without realizing that every osteoporosis-related bone fracture doubles the risk of death? More than 70% of postmenopausal women are undiagnosed and untreated because of the absence of easily accessible information about the condition!
These are not small numbers and neither are these people mere statistics! Osteoporosis is something of a silent but very lethal disease. It shows no overt symptoms and is often diagnosed only after a fracture, by which time the patient may have suffered considerable bone loss. Each time we choose to ignore these facts and figures we condemn somebody to a life of extreme and unnecessary pain.
Himalaya felt that as developers of Reosto, a pioneering herbomineral formulation for strengthening bones and reducing bone loss, we were in a strong position to do something about this distressing situation.
We decided to use our knowledge and resource base to set up free diagnostic medical camps for rural and urban poor, to test for osteoporosis and provide appropriate medical alternatives. The BMD (Bone Mineral Density) test camps can diagnose osteoporosis when the condition is still in its initial stage and when patients do not display any overt symptoms.
Over the past few years Himalaya has conducted over 1000 camps across India. Trained Himalaya personnel including doctors, technicians and field staff travel to remote areas with specialized diagnostic equipment for accurate diagnosis. The team also educates patients on osteoporosis by disseminating Patient Information Leaflets at local health clinics.
 Himalaya's Dr. Shrikanth, who participates in the BMD camps, comments, "The level of awareness amongst the lower middle classes in cities and people in rural areas about Osteoporosis is abysmally low. We literally have to start at the basics when explaining this condition to them. It makes a big difference that our team of doctors working on this program is extremely dedicated, traveling to far off areas to conduct these camps". He further adds, "With a diseases like Osteoporosis, prevention is better than cure."
This ongoing initiative has helped many people in the 'high-risk' category. Early detection has prevented their condition from deteriorating and developing into full-blown osteoporosis at a later stage.
With this nationwide campaign Himalaya intends to bring good 'bone' health to the poor at the doorstep through their neighborhood clinic. |
