Dr. Vonda Wright

And we're all touching our cheekbones. Or we think about them when we hear about a great archaeologist. who's just discovered a new people group, and we can tell from our bones how they lived, how they died, how healthy they were. In fact, in that setting, bone is the last remnant of your whole life. It endures the longest. I mean, the history you talk about in your bones outlives anything.

And we're all touching our cheekbones. Or we think about them when we hear about a great archaeologist. who's just discovered a new people group, and we can tell from our bones how they lived, how they died, how healthy they were. In fact, in that setting, bone is the last remnant of your whole life. It endures the longest. I mean, the history you talk about in your bones outlives anything.

Muscle goes away, skin goes away, everything except your bones, which remain. That's fascinating, right? But The other reason we even think about our bones is when they break, right? People think bones are silent, like a strong, silent type just hanging back. Until they break and then they're screaming at you, right? And causing frailty.

Muscle goes away, skin goes away, everything except your bones, which remain. That's fascinating, right? But The other reason we even think about our bones is when they break, right? People think bones are silent, like a strong, silent type just hanging back. Until they break and then they're screaming at you, right? And causing frailty.

And here's some bone stats because the real answer to the question is coming. One in two women will have an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime. So it's either me or your partner or me or your assistant, right? One in two will have an osteoporotic fracture. Women have 70% of all hip fractures.

And here's some bone stats because the real answer to the question is coming. One in two women will have an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime. So it's either me or your partner or me or your assistant, right? One in two will have an osteoporotic fracture. Women have 70% of all hip fractures.

Hip fractures are one of the main contributors to ending up in a nursing home because you can no longer walk and take care of yourself, right? 70% are women. If you break your hip, 50% of the time, whether you're a man or a woman, you will not return to pre-fall function. You cannot go live in that house where you raised your children.

Hip fractures are one of the main contributors to ending up in a nursing home because you can no longer walk and take care of yourself, right? 70% are women. If you break your hip, 50% of the time, whether you're a man or a woman, you will not return to pre-fall function. You cannot go live in that house where you raised your children.

You may not be able to drive and go be totally independent, right? And 30% of the time, it's a huge number. 30% of the time, you will die, either from the complications of the fracture, from the bed rest, from the infections you get, the bladder infections, just the sequelae of being that sedentary. So those are not meant to scare people.

You may not be able to drive and go be totally independent, right? And 30% of the time, it's a huge number. 30% of the time, you will die, either from the complications of the fracture, from the bed rest, from the infections you get, the bladder infections, just the sequelae of being that sedentary. So those are not meant to scare people.

That is the reality that I see every day as an orthopedic surgeon on call. But there are other reasons to care about the bones because fracture is a big one. Bones, and it makes sense, nature is so conservative. Bones are in our body from the top of our head to our pinky toe, right? Bones are master communicators. We think of muscle, which we're all talking about now, and bone.

That is the reality that I see every day as an orthopedic surgeon on call. But there are other reasons to care about the bones because fracture is a big one. Bones, and it makes sense, nature is so conservative. Bones are in our body from the top of our head to our pinky toe, right? Bones are master communicators. We think of muscle, which we're all talking about now, and bone.

and adipose and everything as siloed organs that don't have much to do with each other except they live next to each other. The fact of the matter is, for instance, when we're talking about the musculoskeletal system—bone, tendon, ligament, muscle, fat, cartilage, muscle stem cells— They're all derived from the same stem cell, the mesenchymal stem cell. So they're not distant neighbors.

and adipose and everything as siloed organs that don't have much to do with each other except they live next to each other. The fact of the matter is, for instance, when we're talking about the musculoskeletal system—bone, tendon, ligament, muscle, fat, cartilage, muscle stem cells— They're all derived from the same stem cell, the mesenchymal stem cell. So they're not distant neighbors.

They're cousins. And they all speak in the same language. They may have different dialects. I was thinking about an example of this, you know, how in the UK, English is the language. But depending on what parish you live in or which country within the UK, English sounds very different. But it's the same language. So within musculoskeletal tissue, muscle and bone are not separate.

They're cousins. And they all speak in the same language. They may have different dialects. I was thinking about an example of this, you know, how in the UK, English is the language. But depending on what parish you live in or which country within the UK, English sounds very different. But it's the same language. So within musculoskeletal tissue, muscle and bone are not separate.

They are one ecosystem, such that... When muscle releases a protein called irisin, it talks to the bone. When bone releases a protein called osteocalcin, it talks to the muscle. But in the case of bone, osteocalcin, if we just stick with that protein, it talks to the whole body.

They are one ecosystem, such that... When muscle releases a protein called irisin, it talks to the bone. When bone releases a protein called osteocalcin, it talks to the muscle. But in the case of bone, osteocalcin, if we just stick with that protein, it talks to the whole body.

When your osteoblasts, the bone building cells in your bones, release osteocalcin, it goes to your brain and has a neuroprotective effect by decreasing inflammation. It goes to your brain and causes the synthesis of neurons in the hippocampus. It goes to the pancreas and helps with insulin insensitivity. It goes to the muscle and helps the muscles scoop up glucose out of the blood, right?

When your osteoblasts, the bone building cells in your bones, release osteocalcin, it goes to your brain and has a neuroprotective effect by decreasing inflammation. It goes to your brain and causes the synthesis of neurons in the hippocampus. It goes to the pancreas and helps with insulin insensitivity. It goes to the muscle and helps the muscles scoop up glucose out of the blood, right?