Time to The lead singer of T’Pau tells Lucy Benyon I’m using tech created by NASA to beat osteoporosis
Why she won’t let age-related bone loss stop her performing
With her shock of red hair, enviably high cheekbones and extraordinary voice, Carol Decker, the lead vocalist of popular 80s band T’Pau, was born for the stage – but six years ago, the singer’s future as a performer was in question when she was unexpectedly diagnosed with osteoporosis.
“The diagnosis definitely came as a shock,” says Carol, 64, who lives with her husband, chef Richard Coates, in Henley-on-Thames, Oxon. “I’d fractured my ankle, falling off a pavement when I was running to a rehearsal in London, and six months later it still hadn’t healed and I couldn’t put any weight on it, so my doctor sent me for a bone scan.”
Carol, who along with her bandmates had a string of top 40 hits in the late 80s and early 90s, including China in Your Hand and Heart and Soul, admits she was astounded when she was diagnosed with osteoporosis – a condition which causes the bones to become brittle, and is often associated with old age.
“Although I love good food and a drink, I have always been fit, and spend an hour a day working out. Performing requires incredible stamina and apart from my ankle, I’d had no idea that there was anything wrong with my bones,” she says.
Osteoporosis is asymptomatic until it causes a fracture or a bone break. The condition affects women far more than men, especially after the menopause when oestrogen levels (the hormone that protects bones) drops off.
“I wasn’t surprised to hear the condition is linked to the menopause,” says Carol, who admits she’s had a tough time with midlife changes. “In the US they give women of a certain age a female health check to stave off any problems, but here you kind of have to wait until things go wrong.”
Despite her initial shock, Carol decided to be sanguine about her diagnosis, and when the doctor prescribed her with alendronic acid, which is a bisphosphonate (a type of drug that prevents loss of bone density) she was happy to give medication a go.
However, after only a couple of months, Carol began to experience uncomfortable side effects. “All my muscles and joints ached, and it felt like I had the flu,” she says.
More worrying still, several people on a support forum she had joined for people with osteoporosis, reported throat discomfort, not something she wanted to risk as a singer.
“I have always been proactive about my health,” says Carol, who has worn an oestrogen patch for the last few years to stave off the impact of menopause. “So, I made the decision to come off medication and adopt a holistic approach to osteoporosis.” Sarah Leyland, clinical adviser at the Royal Osteoporosis Society says that while some people do get side effects from alendronic acid, the fluey, achy symptoms that Carol experienced are uncommon.
“We advise anyone who has problems or side effects medication to talk to their doctor,” she adds. “There are a wide range of effective osteoporosis medications available. However, everyone has a choice about taking medication and decisions you make about your treatment must be your own.”
Carol realises that her approach wouldn’t be the answer for everyone, but over the last five years, it has worked for her with repeated scans revealing no change in her bone density or loss of height.
“I still work out an hour a day, but instead of running hard, I spend more time doing weight-bearing exercises that will strengthen
my bones, but I haven’t stopped the more aerobic stuff altogether as surprisingly, impact helps to promote bone growth,” she says.
Although Carol hasn’t sustained any further injuries, she says there are some activities she now avoids. “I won’t run outside where it is easier to trip, and I probably won’t ski again as I’m too scared of being mowed down and breaking something.”
Having said that, she has no plans to slow down. Carol is performing two gigs this weekend and has a busy schedule of festival performances and 80s cruise performances next year.
“I feel very young for my age, and I have bags of energy,” she says. “I still love being on stage.”
As well as regular exercise, Carol, who has always cooked from fresh and had a balanced diet, is trying to drink more milk, which is calcium-rich, and to include more vitamin D, which boosts bone strength, into her diet in the shape of green leafy vegetables and cereals.
“I’m not rigid about my diet, and if I fancy a pizza, I’ll have one, but it’s important to eat well – now more than ever,” she adds.
“Healthy lifestyle choices will help to keep your bones strong, even if you have osteoporosis,” says Sarah Leyland from the ROS. “Weightbearing impact exercises and muscle-strengthening resistance are beneficial, as is eating a healthy balanced diet with enough calcium, and getting enough vitamin D.”
Another tool in Carol’s armoury against osteoporosis is a space-age vibrating plate called the Maroydne LiV which uses low intensity gentle vibration therapy to encourage bone growth and increase muscle strength.
Created by NASA to prevent astronauts from losing bone density in zero-gravity conditions, studies have shown that the Marodyne LiV, which is a little larger than a set of bathroom scales, can prevent osteoporosis and boost bone growth. And although the ROS doesn’t feel there is enough evidence to recommend the device as a treatment yet, the charity is “encouraged by the research into vibration therapy”.
For Carol it has been a game changer. “I was sceptical at first, but if my scans are anything to go by, it is definitely making a difference – all I have to do is to stand on the plate for 10 minutes a day while it vibrates.”
The plate costs an eye-watering £3,000, but Carol feels it has been worth it. “It’s an investment in my health,” she stresses. “If it helps to keep me rocking for many years to come I think it’s worth every penny.”