BISPHOSPHONATES -- WHAT ARE THEY?
Bisphosphonate is just a fancy name for a common indredient in laundry detergent, fertilizer, and industrial lubricants. It is also the active ingredient in Fosomax, Boniva, Actonel, and Reclast. Fosomax and the other Osteoporosis drugs are sold to physicians and the rest of us as the preferred way of keeping our bones strong. But they could well be having the opposite effect.
SAFETY -- MORE THAN AN ISSUE
Recently a woman wrote the Mayo Clinic asking them if Fosomax was a safe medication. Her concern was osteonecrosis of the jawbone, which she had heard was a possible side effect of the osteoporosis drugs. Anyone versed in the machinations of Big Pharma would have known better than to ask the Mayo Clinic. Their reply could easily have been anticipated. Fosomax was safe for the majority of people taking it, although they conceded that in "rare" cases, osteonecrosis of the jaw was a possibility. They would not admit to knowing the reason.
OSTEONECROSIS -- WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT DOES
Osteonecrosis is, purely and simply, death of the bone. So the jawbone literally disintegrates if you become afflicted with osteomalacia - osteonecrosis of the jawbone. The jawbone beomes infected, rots, and eventually dies. The Mayo Clinic went on the explain that osteomalacia was essentially limited to people with cancer and those with dental problems. So, according to the Mayo Clinic, if you never need a filling, never need a tooth extracted, dental implant, crown or bridge, root canal, or periodontal treatment, there is only a "rare" chance of your getting osteomalacia. So what about us normal folks? Well, we have a 10% chance of getting the disorder if we take any of the osteoporosis drugs. That's one in ten! That's "rare?"
PATIENT SAFETY VS PROFITS
Bisphosphonates work by killing the blood vessels to the bones, preventing bone loss by limiting the circulation of the blood. Over time, the bones nearly die, crystalize and shatter like glass. The drug giants argue that over time, the drugs lose their effectiveness, but tell that to the countless people who have experienced devastating side effects from taking them. The simple facts are that people taking these osteoporosis drugs suffer simple stress fractures on a wholesale basis. Many won't heal. Along with fractured bones come constant hearburn, dizziness, hot flashes, and terrible body aches and bone pain which increases as the medication is continued. Merck, manufacturer of Fosmax is acutely aware of these problems. Which is precisely why the company has set up an 84 million dollar legal defense fund, in anticipation of the expected flood of litigation. This could potentially be the latest in the legal problems of Merck, which is still reeling from the Vioxx scandal.
MANY DOCTORS UNAWARE
Your doctor is unlikely to give you this grim picture. Most doctors aren't aware of the problems drugs like Fosomax can cause. They are simply too busy to keep up with all the developments and rely on information forwarded to them by their peers, and by their pharmaceutical representatives. And of course the pharmaceutical manufacturers are very generous with their rewards to health professionals who endorse their products. At the rather timid and diffident request of the FDA, Merck has added a warning to its U.S. labels. This "label" is actually a 22 page document of fine print given to pharmacies that dispense Fosomax. The short paragraph on osteonecrosis is burried on page 13.
BIPHOSPHONATES DO HAVE THEIR USES IN MEDICINE
All this is not to assert that biphosphonates are just plain bad without any redeeming qualities. Some very good research is being done on finding some actual therapeutic benefit for them. Dr Jens E. Altwein, Bormherziger Bruder Hospital in Munich has been investigating the use of biphosphonates in delaying skeletal related events (SREs) in metastatic bone disease. His findings have been impressive. Results of his work have shown promise for the utilization of the biphosphonate zoledronic acid in delaying the SREs of prostate cancer patients. In view of this, we need to defer any arbitrary judgement of biphosphonates until all the evidence is in. Meanwhile though, the medications to treat osteoporosis offered by our own pharmaceutical industry are an abomination and should be removed from the market. All of them!
IT'S BEST TO TAKE THE OTHER PATH
So what is the alternative? That's it precisely. Alternative! Alternative medicine and the physicians who practice it have for years, been very successful in the prevention and reversal of bone loss. Bone continually renews itself, but requires certain nutrients to accomplish this. Sufficient calcium intake is critical and it must be in a form easily utilized by the body. Vitamin D is also required for strong bones. Research on vitamin K to reduce bone loss has yielded promising and positive results. However, since vitamin K is very active in the blood coagulation process, it is very advisable to check with your doctor if you're on blood thinners.
And then there is Strontium. No, not Strontium 90, the radioactive isotope! We're talking here about the mineral Strontium, the most abundant mineral in seawater. Strontium in any of its forms has been very effective in reversing bone loss. That's something Big Pharma is desperately trying to keep you from knowing. They cannot patent Strontium.
