Costco Connection - June 2008

for your
health
Growing strong bones
Sally Field supports osteoporosis awareness

smoking and alcohol.

ROBB AARON GORDON

“We are part of a fabulous generation of women,” says Field, “and now we face this phase, the third act. This image of ourselves of being upright and strong and actively gardening, chopping down trees, goes

Sally Field finds gardening ^{hand in hand with how}_nurturing _in _all _ways.aggressively we must work for our health.

“Osteoporosis is eminently treatable and very, very dangerous if it isn’t,” she continues. “I really urge women to include a bone density test in their health-care plans to know if they are at risk, and understand that if they are at risk they must treat it and treat it the rest of their lives.”

For Field that means working with her physician on a multi-pronged treatment that includes medication, calcium, some exposure to sunlight every day—and gardening.

The great thing about gardening, Field says, is that “you get your hat, gloves, long-sleeved shirt, wagon and dig in the dirt. When you’re doing that, you’re not thinking about anything else. It’s so healing and giving.” C

By Anita Thompson

“GARDENING,” says Oscar-winning actress and Costco member Sally Field, “is good for your body, good for your mind and very, very bad for your fingernails.”

After moving to a new home in Southern California’s Malibu Mountains four years ago, Field began a campaign to return the three and a half acres of land overgrown with nonnative plants to a more natural state. Tackling this project—from pulling out mounds of South African honeysuckle to cutting down a 40- foot eucalyptus tree (that fell on her car) with a limb saw—has been transformative for Field as well.

“It is reaching out for something; it doesn’t come to you,” she says. “It all fits into getting older and how you look at yourself and your health and this part of your life. You don’t sit back and take anything for granted; you have to almost get more vigorous and aggressive.”

This is the same message she communicates to women in her other campaign: building awareness of osteoporosis. Diagnosed with the degenerative bone disease in 2005, Field says that despite always taking care of herself— eating right, exercising regularly, taking calcium, not smoking—she was predisposed to lose bone density due to her genetic makeup.

The statistics are scary. In the United States today, 10 million people— 8 million of them women—are estimated to already have osteoporosis, and almost 34 million more are estimated to be at increased risk. Risk factors include estrogen deficiency (e.g., after menopause), low body weight, family history,

The Costco Connection Costco members concerned with osteoporosis should consider calcium supplements. Costco carries Kirkland Signature™ Chewable Calcium. Many Costco pharmacies offer free osteoporosis-screening services for members. Check with your local Costco pharmacy manager for available times at your warehouse.