A recent study reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association has raised eyebrows across the country. The study, which included 145,000 patients in a United Kingdom database, concluded that long-term use of prescription heartburn drugs is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in people over age 50.

What does this mean to us? It means we need to ask a lot of questions of our doctors if we're taking heartburn medications. Hip fractures in seniors can be life-altering events. Some of us never completely recover our mobility and independence afterward.

The stronger the dose, the higher the risk, the study revealed. And the longer one takes the drugs, the higher the risk. More than one year on a strong heartburn medication was significant, increasing the risk of hip fracture by 44 percent. Men were more at risk than women, probably because women are more tuned in to osteoporosis after menopause and are more likely take calcium supplements.

There might be light on the horizon, however. Researchers at Texas A&M University learned that when rats were given orange juice and grapefruit juice every day, bone density increased.

Things to ask your doctor, if you take heartburn medications:

Do you absolutely need to keep taking the medications?

Do you need a bone density test?

Would you benefit from increased calcium in your diet, either in foods or supplements?

Would you benefit from increased citrus juice in your diet? (Perhaps with sodium bicarbonate to reduce acidity?)

Heartburn is potentially very serious. Ulcers can develop in the esophagus, which in turn leads to compromised nutrition -- which leads to lower overall health. So, it needs to be treated -- but not overtreated.