About R.E.M.S. Bone Scan
Who could benefit from an R.E.M.S. scan?
Simply put, anyone over the age of 21 can have this assessment done. All lifestyles and fitness levels can benefit from understanding their bone health. Those in the age range who qualify for DEXA now have a choice! DEXA provides bone quantity whereas R.E.M.S. gives bone quantity, quality, and a fragility risk fracture score.
Below are some of the factors that negatively affect bone density:
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Perimenopause (mid-40 to mid-50 years of age)
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Cancer treatments
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Chronic liver, kidney and/or thyroid disease
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Consuming large amounts of caffeinated or carbonated beverages
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Diabetes
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Dairy-free diets without calcium from other food sources
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Early menopause (before the age of 45, either naturally or surgically)
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Family history of osteoporosis and/or hip fracture
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Heavy drinker
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Low testosterone (men)
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Low body weight or small stature
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Malabsorption or Digestive system disorders, such as I.B.S., Colitis, Crohn's Disease, Celiac Disease
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Menopause
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No periods for 6+ months
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Past or present eating disorder
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Pregnancy
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Rheumatoid arthritis
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Smoker
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Sedentary lifestyle
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Some medications such as proton pump inhibitors
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Taking steroid medication
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Thyroid issues and/or disease
What makes
different?
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Many aren’t informed about their bone health, but OSTEOSOUND is in your corner and can help.
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DEXA uses radiation, but OSTEOSOUND R.E.M.S scans are performed using safe ultrasound-based Echolight R.E.M.S. technology.
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OSTEOSOUND Practitioners are professionally accredited Sonographers who have specialty training with the Echolight system.
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OSTEOSOUND makes it convenient. We can come to your local clinic or community. If we haven’t made a connection in your area, we would love to hear your feedback about a clinic that may be interested in hosting!
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OSTEOSOUND results are accurate, so you don’t have to worry about having to go back for a repeat scan.
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You’ll be able to see the results immediately as OSTEOSOUND provides you with a report to take to your healthcare provider for next steps.
The differences between DEXA and Echolight R.E.M.S. Technology
Echolight R.E.M.S. Technology
A R.E.M.S. scan is a painless, non-invasive procedure that can provide incredible insight into your health and well-being.
Although DEXA (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) has been the standard for bone mineral density measurement for many years, Health Canada has now approved the “Echolight Echo S” machine with R.E.M.S (radiofrequency echographic multi-spectrometry) for bone health analysis.
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R.E.M.S. has several advantages over traditional DEXA scans, including:
No radiation
While DEXA machines use low doses of ionizing radiation, the Echolight R.E.M.S. machine uses non-ionizing low-frequency ultrasound and radiofrequency. With no radiation, the Echolight R.E.M.S. scan can be performed more frequently, allowing you to closely monitor your bone health. The Echolight R.E.M.S. also assesses the micro-architecture (quality) of the bone in addition to bone mineral density (quantity).
Mobile
Patients have to travel to the DEXA machine to get a bone scan, which can limit access. The Echolight Echo S is a compact system that can be brought to the patient. It is required that subsequent bone scans be completed on the same DEXA machine; however, the same Echolight R.E.M.S. machine is not required each time to get accurate results.
Quick results
After a DEXA bone scan, images will be sent to a radiologist, who will generate a report for your healthcare provider or team. The Echolight Echo S prints a report immediately upon completion of the scan to share with your provider at your earliest convenience. An OSTEOSOUND R.E.M.S. scan can be completed in about 15 minutes.