Bone Density Drugs Can Kill Your Bones—Canadian Study Confirms
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

Women have been telling me that when they discuss their concerns about the dangers of bone death (my last blog) from using bone loss drugs (Bisphosphonate), they were told, “Oh that’s just in patients with cancer” or “That’s just in women using high doses of medications intravenously.”

This is not so, and maybe you need to educate your doctor if you are taking a bone loss drug such as Fosamax, Actonel, or Boniva. These drugs do make your bones denser (by preventing bone breakdown) but they DON’T MAKE BONES STRONGER. In fact, it appears that bones may become more brittle and prone to collapse or fracture. How is this possible you may ask? Bone breakdown is a normal part of bone health. Without bone breakdown, new bone is not formed, and only new bone is strong and resilient. Sure your test looks better but your bones are no stronger.

Show your doctor the article published in the January 15, 2008 issue of the Journal of Rheumatology (reference below). This study was done in Canada at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. They looked at NORMAL men and women, who had used ORAL medications for an average of only 2 years. There was a 300% increased risk of bone death in the group who took these medications compared with the group who didn’t use these drugs.

Bone death leads to permanent bone collapse. Normally this condition is rare, but because these drugs are so commonly prescribed, (there were over 55 million prescriptions for these medications in the U.S. in 2004), these findings are very significant. Don’t be cajoled by your well-meaning doctor.

Many of you are taking these drugs, which have barely been tested in the human race (they have only been around since 1995). These medications will stay in your system for decades. There have been reports of bone death of the jaw for many years, now it showing up in hips, and feet. My mother has a friend who lost the use of her hip from “being on Fosamax too long”.

Let’s not be victims of our own laziness. Stop looking for the “one pill solution” to complex problems. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember DES? It was the one pill solution to miscarriage. It was shown to be carcinogenic 25 years before it was removed from the market, and now the children of women who used it are paying the price.

Provera was part of the one pill solution to menopause. It is still causing an increase in breast cancer years after women have stopped using it (and it continues to tarnish the reputation of natural progesterone, which has NEVER been linked to breast cancer).

So, now we have Fosamax and its relatives, destroying the very bones you are trying to protect. Start thinking about why your bones are thinning and how to grow new bones naturally. Stop looking and trusting in a pharmaceutical, potentially dangerous, cure.

Check out my topic on bone health. I write more extensively about bones and hormones in my book, The Natural Hormone Makeover.

Etmiman, M, Aminzadeh,K., Matthew, J., et al. Use Of Oral Bisphosphonates and The Risk Of Aseptic Necrosis: A Nested Case-Control Study, J Rheumatology. 2008. 35: 1-5.

Sure, southern U.S.A. farms grow stuff all year round. But it doesn’t make the produce that is brought here by semis ’spring’ veggies. I’m sure there’s lots of winter veggies in Australia that couldn’t possibly be grown here under the ice and snow….:(

I have learned to be very careful about buying gardening books & magazines since moving to CA 12 years ago from the Right Coast. Publications meant for the entire country often are completely upside down (or worse, useless) for So Cal in terms of seasons and plant varieties. I now stick to Western, Southwest, California, or So Cal specific references for the most part.

Fruit trees in particular are tricky because we need varieties that have less “chill” requirement (I miss Northeastern apples). Winter and early spring is when we get the rain (with luck), the natural landscape changes from lion-tan to bright green, and wildflowers burst into bloom. Nearly anything that doesn’t need heat or isn’t super cold sensitive grows is at its glory from late December to April during the ahem, “rainy season”.

On our way to the SD Wild Animal Park, we took a drive east through the Oct 2007 burn areas last weekend - it’s spectacular with bright gold California poppies and some beautiful blue flower all over the hills. My son found wild lupine blooming at the top of our slope. Winter and early spring is my favorite time in So Cal.

Monica - I use celeriac much the way you might use potatoes - boiled and mashed with butter, or shredded and made into an un-potato pancake. Some people find the celery taste a little too strong by itself, so you might mix it with other root veggies like turnips or rutabagas. I, however, love it on its own.