A few years ago -- around the time I was turning 50 and trying to come to grips with the changes my body, mind and life were going through -- I decided to start running, against my better judgment.

If throw rugs symbolize carefree independence, then accepting the need to remove them means accepting that balance is getting shakier, bones are getting brittle, our feet are less sensitive to touch and we need to be a bit more cautious.

Each May, Osteoporosis Awareness Month, I devote my column to bone health. I first became interested in bones as a young dancer. I was studying body alignment and I became fascinated with the skeleton and the remarkable living tissue that makes up our bones.

May brings awareness of three important medical conditions that can involve the feet and are associated with age: arthritis (National Arthritis Awareness Month), osteoporosis (National Osteoporosis Awareness Month), and neuropathy, which often stems from diabetes.

In addition to providing stress reduction and a mild workout, yoga can also be an effective treatment for osteoporosis, either on its own or supplemen...

There's a silent and stealthy disease you may not even know you have... until you fall. A new study reveals that the prevalence of low bone density and the risk of breaking a bone are far greater among people over 50 than previously realized.

SPECIAL FROM Next Avenue By Maureen Callahan Scientists discover some surprising foods that keep bones strong and help prevent osteoporosis ...

Why does it sometimes seem as though the medical community purposely wants to confuse, confound and worry us with a continuous flow of reports that are often at odds?

Some great news was just released that is sure to make big believers in the power of vitamin D smile... and maybe just a little smug.

The key to beating osteoporosis is doing a few simple things that will keep your bones strong: eat calcium-rich foods, get an adequate amount of Vitamin D, and do strength-training exercises several times a week.

When I turned 50 a few years ago, I looked in the mirror and said, "Now what?"

It's true that as we get older, firming up certain parts of our bodies isn't as easy as it once was. But I soon found out it is far from impossible.

Being a cancerphobe is a full-time job and very stressful. And by God, we all know what stress can do to almost every system in our bodies. It can cause cancer and should be avoided at all costs, along with calcium and Prolia and Fosamax and keratin and pesticide and lead and skinny jeans and high heels and nonorganic produce and sunshine and whatever else one comes in contact with after breakfast.