Needless to say, once diagnosed with Osteopenia, I was upset that no doctor ever mentioned the mere possibility that I could develop bone issues. Yes, I was young and Osteopenia is not prevalent in younger people. However, I had other issues or risk factors.
I wish that more medical professionals would think outside of the box. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. So, I have slowly but surely learned that I must be my own health/medical advocate in terms of reading and research as much as I can before accepting a certain type of treatment.
I do thank God that He had my friend invite me to the health screening that revealed that I had Osteopenia. Without that initial screening, who knows how much longer it would have been before I realized that I had been affected by Osteopenia.
Anyway, once diagnosed with Osteopenia, my internist at the time suggested that I start taking one of those medicines for Osteoporosis (i.e. Fosamax). I asked my doctor several questions regarding the medicine. Through that inquisition, I realized that testing for this medicine had not been done on women in my age group (premenopausal). So, I elected not to take the medicine. At this point, I am glad I have not taken any prescribed medicine for this issue. I say this, because I have heard some very negative side effects that have occurred due to these types of medications.
So, I was prescribed 1200mg daily of a Calcium Supplement. In addition, weight bearing exercise is supposed to help with bone issues. Currently, I try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day using a treadmill , exercise videos, and small hand weights. My mom keeps getting after me about getting a personal trainer. Well, she is on the right track. I just haven't done it (they are not cheap). But, perhaps, eventually I can look into it.
The following is an article that discusses the importance of Calcium, Vitamin D, and Magenesium in terms of bone health:
http://www.calmnatural.com/osteoporosis-prevention-treatment
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