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 Mrs.
America 2002,
Laurett Ellsworth Arenz
Mrs. Laurett
Ellsworth Arenz, Mrs. America 2002, is passionate regarding her mission:
To alert the women of America to the potentially debilitating bone disease,
osteoporosis. The 40-year-old mother of 7 from Springfield Virginia is
an accomplished professional public speaker who has addressed thousands
of groups, organizations, and corporate meetings all over the USA. Mrs.
Arenz is a producer for "Business Now," an ABC-TV series airing
in major markets throughout the Northeastern U.S. A native of Salt Lake
City from a family of 11 children, Laurett attended Brigham Young University
where she studied dance and psychology. In addition to her professional
career, Laurett serves as national spokesperson for the Sharing Love Foundation,
which aids families of children with life threatening diseases. She is
also active with the Virginia Governor's annual conference on "Right
Choices for Youth" and a spokesperson for the Mrs.
America Act Now Alliance to educate women about osteoporosis.
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Osteoporosis
When I first learned that the Mrs. America platform was to get information
out about osteoporosis, I thought to myself, "I'm only 40 years old and most
of the other state delegates are younger than I. We're not at risk for bone
disease yet." I soon found out how wrong I was. Studies show that developing
strong, healthy bones begins in our youth and there are many risk factors associated
with low bone density. In fact, one of my dear friends who preceded me as Mrs.
Virginia recently found out that she has the bones of a 68 year old, and she
is only 36! Her osteoporosis is most likely caused by the steroids she has
had to take for her asthma. Thankfully, there are many options available for
her. It's not too late. Through proper medication, diet, and exercise,
she can hope to stop her decrease in bone density and perhaps, even increase
it somewhat.
There are many similar stories out there about women (and men) of all ages.
That's why the Mrs. America Mission is so important. We are here to raise awareness
concerning the potentially debilitating and life-threatening disease, osteoporosis,
which affects more that half of the women over age fifty. Our friends at Procter
and Gamble have developed a breakthrough pharmaceutical called Actonel that
helps repair brittle bones. We encourage woman to start a sensible health regimen,
while they are young, in order to offset some of the post-menopausal conditions
that can lead to loss in bone density.
Exercise, eating right, taking 1200 to 1500 mg of calcium a day (depending
on your age and osteoporosis risk), plus avoiding behaviors such as smoking
and heavy alcohol consumption help reduce the risk of osteoporosis for premenopausal
women. Bone density tests are painless and can track the health of your frame,
enabling early intervention.
Prevention is the finest form of medicine, yet it's nice to know we can count
on companies like P&G to develop quality products like Actonel that help
reverse the effects of osteoporosis. We all want to be healthy so we can enjoy
our golden years. I plan to be around for my grandkids and my great grandchildren.
That's why I'm exercising, eating right, and monitoring my bone density. I
encourage everyone to do the same, regardless of your age.
For more information on osteoporosis, click here.
For more information on the Mrs. America Act Now Alliance, click
here.
Created: 6/29/2002 - Laurett Ellsworth Arenz
