Physicians know much more about detecting and treating the bone-thinning condition.
Keeping a close eye on the changes has been the Northern California Osteoporosis Association Support Group. The group offers a place to turn for those diagnosed with osteoporosis, or its precursor, osteopenia. When the organization formed 10 years ago it was the first support group affiliated with the National Osteoporosis Foundation in California and one of the first in the nation. It has served as a model for new groups that have sprung up throughout the United States. Helen Fisher of Shasta Lake, Calif., started the group after being diagnosed with osteoporosis and finding a lack of information about it.