OsteoStrong, part of a national and soon to be international franchise, has now opened in Santa Barbara, for people who are concerned about having osteoporosis and who want stronger bones, healthier joints and better balance and agility.

Osteoporosis is reaching epidemic proportions in America with over 10 million people already diagnosed with the disease and an additional 34 million reported as having low bone mass. Bones naturally become more brittle as we age because existing bone is broken down more quickly than new bone is being produced. This eventually leads to painful and limiting health compromises. Fractures from osteoporosis are more common than heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined. Medications with serious side effects, intensive exercise and pain management can be temporary fixes, but they don’t always address the heart of the problem.

Now, there is OsteoStrong, unique in its approach to offer stand-alone technology affordable to the general public. Until now, this technology that enhances endurance, strength and bone mass, was only available through specialist physicians for the deconditioned and elite athletes. The OsteoStrong system has been endorsed by medical doctors around the country and was recently acknowledged by the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases as a non-drug protocol and treatment option for individuals with low bone mass.

Founder and CEO of OsteoStrong, Kyle Zagrodsky, developed the franchise as a response to the CDC report that fall-related injuries for people over the age of 65 are the cause of one-third of all fatalities. Additionally, 50 percent of all women and one in three men will experience a broken bone after the age of 50 because of osteoporosis.

“With the OsteoStrong system, you no longer need harmful medications or hours of strenuous exercise to reverse osteoporosis, improve balance, eliminate joint, back and knee pain, relieve fibromyalgia, or regain physical strength,” Zagrodsky said.

In weekly, 10- to 15-minute, one-on-one OsteoStrong sessions, members are taken through a short series of trigger events that stimulate the body’s own adaptive response to improve bone health, strength and endurance. There’s no sweating and no need to change into exercise gear. Members come as they are and within a few sessions, develop better balance, strength, posture and suffer less joint pain. And, because strength gains are measured instantly, members see real time results in their performance report.

“I’m a part of the baby-boom generation and science and technology is going to keep us all alive a lot longer than the previous generations,” local franchise owner Jim Parsons said. “But for most of us it’s not the years in our life but the life in our years that we are concerned with as we age. We want to help people ‘actively age’ and help them overcome these debilitating diseases like osteoporosis that compromise their lifestyle. Just because we are getting older doesn’t mean we have to sit on a couch and live out the rest of our lives. We can be vital, active participants in our golden years. That’s why I wanted to open an OsteoStrong in Santa Barbara, one of the most vibrant communities in the world.”

An avid golfer, Parsons has noticed not only relief from an old hip and knee injury, but increased strength in his game.

OsteoStrong is located at 2277 Las Positas Road in Santa Barbara, off Highway 101 toward Modoc in the Las Positas Center. Call 805.453.6086 for a free bone density scan and session. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays. Information on the program and franchise opportunities are available by clicking here.

— Yvonne Parsons represents OsteoStrong.