Turns out these ubiquitous drugs may not be right for you.

Why only drugs, but no food, in the FDA logo?

A new FDA analysis of bone drugs was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine and is making big news—in the New York Times article (see link below) and on CBS This Morning on 5-10-12. The article in the Times began with:

In an unusual move that may prompt millions of women to rethink their use of popular bone-building drugs, the Food and Drug Administration published an analysis that suggested caution about long-term use of the drugs, but fell short of issuing specific recommendations.

In addition to the common side effects of heartburn, nausea and flulike symptoms; the article went on to say that “the drugs may in rare cases actually lead to weaker bones in certain women, contributing to “rare but serious adverse events,” including unusual femur fractures, esophageal cancer and osteonecrosis of the jaw, a painful and disfiguring crumbling of the jaw bone.”

A painful and disfiguring crumbling of the jaw bone

Let me know how your doctor does on my 5-part quiz.

Now that’s something to think about and is something that you might want to discuss with your doctor. During that discussion, you might want to ask your doctor a few questions:

1. What foods should I be eating to ensure that I get enough calcium?
2. Did you know that countries with the highest consumption of dairy also have the highest rates of bone fractures? Australia, New Zealand, and the USA?
3. I have been told that a whole foods, plant-based diet can greatly reduce my risk of osteoporosis and maybe even reverse it. What do you know about that?
4. What would you tell your wife, sister or daughter about the best way to protect themselves against osteoporosis in their later years?
5. Have you read The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell of Cornell?

Not wanting to pick on Boniva too much…

Chances are that your doctor will not score very well on this 5-question quiz. And, if I am right, then I would recommend that you get a new doctor. In Chapter Two of our book, we took a look at the four most common food-driven chronic diseases, including osteoporosis. From the book…

You may have first heard about osteoporosis from television ads. Perhaps you have seen the one for Boniva, in which Sally Field talks about not getting enough calcium from such foods as yogurt, spinach, and cheese. Little does she know that two out of three of those calcium-rich foods are doing much more harm than good.

Here is one of those charming one-minute Sally Fields ads:

Let’s not forget Fosamax.

Now what? I wonder if Sally is still taking her Boniva. It would be interesting to listen in as she has her next conversation with her doctor and asks, “Is Boniva STILL right for me?” Quoting once again from the NY Times article, this was probably the most accurate statement in the piece—the reality of uncertainty and the guaranteed continuation of confusion:

“The reality is there is a lot of uncertainty in this situation,” Dr. Black said. “The F.D.A. report was very general, and we tried to be much more specific and use evidence from the best trial available. Hopefully people who are using this drug will be reassured.”

Reassured? I can’t imagine how any woman over 50 could feel more assured after reading this article. Is she going to risk having a “crumbling of the jaw bone” when her doctors really aren’t sure about anything? I would think that confused or possibly angry might be better descriptors of her reaction.

AND for healthy bones, healthy heart, healthy liver, etc.

The Bottom Line. All drugs are toxic and will come with unwanted and unknown side effects. Further, our drug industry and the medical profession in general knows very little about promoting health.

They make money by diagnosing problems, conducting procedures, and selling drugs. If we all got healthy, their collective revenue would drop by $2 trillion in the USA and most of the practitioners would be out of work.

News about the failings of the drug industry will never end until our “disease care” system is replaced by a society that knows how to take charge of their health and then relies on the future “health care” system to help them with rare diseases and routine accidents.

Want to be a part of that new society that takes charge of their own health? Begin by reading The China Study and by taking our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey. The survey takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself.

An earlier blog. Without dairy, where do we get our calcium?

New York Times article (5-9-12) New Cautions About Long-Term Use of Bone Drugs

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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

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Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation