The bone health revolution

by Vivian Goldschmidt

Recently my good friend Chris called to say that her mother’s most recent bone scan had revealed quite a bit of bone loss since her last test and the doctor wanted to put her on osteoporosis medication.

This made Chris uncomfortable and she called to ask what I knew about these drugs, their effectiveness, side effects and possible alternatives. My limited research following my own diagnosis of osteopenia a few years ago – a non-disease created to sell more drugs, I’m sure – led me to believe that the drugs weren’t a good choice and that there were many things to do was first to strengthen the bones naturally.

I fumbled through some of what I knew but told Chris I’d get back to her once I updated and compiled my research. In the meantime she has found this month’s book.

The author Vivian Goldschmidt wrote a book that I would have liked to have written.

Chris was right, the book is a gold mine of the latest information on osteoporosis, osteopenia and the drugs that the big drug companies would give us to slow down this “disease”. Dirty little secret – Osteoporosis is not a disease at all, it is a function of aging. It’s not inevitable and doesn’t require dangerous medication to prevent, reverse, or slow it down. It can be slowed and reversed through diet, supplements, and exercise.

Did you know that the mean that our middle-aged bones are compared to for their “health” is 20-29 year old women? As Vivian asked, “Should women be expected to keep their bone density unchanged as they age?” How can we ever hope to have a “normal” bone density reading compared to women who are at the peak of bone health?

Not to mention that bone density – the property of our tested bones – is not the best indicator of healthy bones, but bone flexibility and strength is.

Bone loss associated with age is normal, bone strength and resilience are what we should be working towards.

Here are some bullet points that Vivian covers extensively in her book:

# Osteoporosis is not a disease, it is actually the body trying to correct an imbalance. And there is one simple thing you can do to correct this imbalance.

Osteoporosis is not inevitable. Anyone can easily prevent and reverse it without taking medication. In fact, a 2006 Mayo Clinic report states that over 37% of women over 50 don’t meet the true criteria for osteoporosis and are misdiagnosed! are you one of them

The active ingredient in prescription osteoporosis medications (Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva) is a bisphosphonate. That’s just a fancy name for a common ingredient used in detergents, fertilizers, and industrial lubricants. Would you put that in your body?

This is neither fear mongering nor anti-pharmaceutical babble. It is comprehensive research presented in layman’s language. Vivian began this quest when she was diagnosed with osteoporosis a few years ago and was put on Fosamax by her doctor. Her scientific background – she has a degree in nutrition from New York University – and the curiosity of the scientist drove her to research this so-called disease and the “cures” that are generously offered by many well-meaning doctors.

What she found was shocking, and she felt she needed to write about it and help other women avoid the potentially life-threatening — at least quality-of-life degrading — side effects of Big Pharma’s response to this “problem.”

“According to a recent Consumer Affairs article (February 2007), Merck, the maker of Fosamax, set aside $48 million to set up a defense fund for lawsuits related to Fosamax’s debilitating side effects. Doesn’t the general public?

Caveat: Vivian doesn’t say drugs like Fosamax, Actonel, and Boniva don’t harden bones. do they; It’s their ingredients, their side effects and what we don’t know that encourages us to look for alternatives. And what we don’t yet know is whether the action of these bone-building drugs actually increases density but limits or prevents the formation of new bone, which is more flexible and therefore less prone to fracture than old, brittle bone.

If you have been diagnosed with either osteoporosis or osteopenia, I encourage you to purchase the book and try natural alternatives before a drug protocol. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Thanks to Gregory Anne Cox