The Osteoporosis Drug Hoax

. . . when it comes to bones, its quality, not density, that matters most Many women are scared into taking toxic drugs when their Bone Mineral Density (BMD) tests show a thinning of bones after menopause. This bone-loss is a natural process caused by loss of estrogen. It's estimated to affect more than half of white, postmenopausal women in the US and generally plateaus in a few years as the body adjusts to lower estrogen levels. Yet it's been pathologized as "osteopenia," a supposedly pre-osteoporotic condition that increases risk of fractures.     In fact, the actual increased fracture risk associated with osteopenia is negligible. Even the conservative British Medical Journal has published articles questioning the validity of treating osteopenia as if it were a disease diagnosis. Although for avoiding fractures it's better to have thick bones than thin bones, quality of bone is much more important than quantity (density). Japanese women, for example, have thinner bones than American women but experience far fewer fractures.   Our current way to assess bone health is the BMD test, which measures only quantity and not quality of bone. As a result, bisphosphonate drugs, like Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva, that lead to thicker, albeit poorer quality, bones are judged to be successful. However because these drugs build thickness artificially, the resultant bone is brittle and less resilient. Bisphosphonates taken long-term have led to an increase in certain types of hip fractures as well as incidences of osteonecrosis (bone death) in the jaw bone. These drugs also greatly interfere with bone healing. Since microscopic cracks are continually forming in normal bone due to various stresses, bone healing is an ongoing project, critical to maintaining bone strength.    How to build high-quality bones?  See my article on Osteoporosis on our Beyond Health website.  Although no one pill will do the job -- a healthy lifestyle is also needed, Beyond Health's Bone Mineral Formula supplies complete nutrition for building healthy bones and has been found to increase bone in a study using dental x-rays. Most calcium supplements are in the wrong chemical form and do more harm than good. Our calcium is in the right form for building bone and meeting other biological needs, the same form that is found in food. Calcium also needs to be taken with a "team" of nutrients in order to function as it should; our formula provides the complete team. (Although our formula contains some vitamin D, be sure to get your vitamin D levels checked to see if you need more.  If you have questions about this, call our office at 1-800-250-3063.)     Coello PA. Drugs for pre-osteoporosis: prevention or disease mongering? British Medical Journal, published online January 17, 2008.