While many fractures, such as a wrist fracture, are usually self limiting and merely inconvenient, others may be life threatening. A hip fracture, for example, not only involves six or more months of physical rehabilitation and life disruption, but it is frequently complicated by excessive blood clots which may travel to the lungs, kidneys, brain, liver, or intestines. More than 300,000 hip fractures were reported in 1995 and each case cost at least $35,000. This situation shows no signs of improving. In this book, Dr. Susan Brown offers many important concepts and breakthroughs which lead us to rethink this debilitating disease: Why do people in poor countries have healthy bones and people in the richest countries have tremendous bone loss? What is the real nature of osteoporosis and what are the real causes? Given this new understanding, how can we prevent osteoporosis in future generations and how can we best treat those already suffering with it? Dr. Brown offers both insight and hope: insight that bone health development and maintenance is natural and spontaneous for those living a life of healthful balance and hope that individuals can actually prevent needless fractures and even regain enough bone mass to take them out of the high risk zone.