Guest guest Posted May 1, 2003 Report Share Posted May 1, 2003 Wed, 30 Apr 2003 17:00:00 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Bad To The Bone Bad To The Bone Health Sciences Institute e-Alert April 30, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, If you have osteoporosis and your doctor writes a prescription for Fosamax (or any of a class of intravenous drugs called bisphosphonates), you might be doing yourself a big favor if you just say no. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that in addition to a list of very unpleasant side effects (more on that in a moment), Fosamax and other bisphosphonates may also cause very serious eye problems: from simple blurring of vision, to painful swelling, and, if left untreated, even blindness. Fortunately, there are much safer and less expensive natural alternatives in treating osteoporosis. ----------------------------- Scrubbin' bubbles ----------------------------- Bisphosphonates like Fosamax are designed to increase bone density. But it's a bad design. According to a report on Fosamax by osteopathic nutritionist Dr. Joseph Mercola, this drug kills the cells in your bones (called osteoclast cells) that remove bone, letting the cells that increase bone density (called osteoblasts) do their work unchecked by the osteoclasts. And as a short- sighted solution, it's clever: stop the function that removes bone density, and you're all set! But you know it's not that simple. Even though osteoclasts remove bone density, they're part of the " design " that requires a balance of the two different types of cells so that bone density is both increased and decreased. And while loss of bone density is certainly an important issue with many people in their later years (especially women), this solution interferes with a complex natural balance. And that's just asking for trouble. To make matters worse, Fosamax kills osteoclast cells with poisons that are the same class of abrasive chemicals you use to scrub soap and mildew off of tile! So no wonder that Fosamax comes with a long list of side effects, including: inflammation and ulceration of the esophagus, painful swallowing, stomach pain, indigestion and nausea. And according to the New England Journal of Medicine, we can now add to that list the possibility of serious inflammation in the eyes, which in the worst cases may lead to blindness. ----------------------------- Got to be a better way ----------------------------- Although most experts agree that osteoporosis is caused by long-term calcium deficiency, efforts to treat or prevent it with calcium supplements are generally disappointing because calcium is poorly absorbed by the body. As a result, only a small percentage of the calcium we get - whether from food or supplements - actually reaches the bloodstream. In an e-Alert I sent you last month ( " Skinny Dipping " 3/4/03), I told you about two ways to get around the calcium absorption problem. The first is by increasing your intake of calcium and magnesium rich foods. The reason for the calcium increase is obvious, and increased magnesium is known to help the body absorb calcium. For a good calcium intake, I wouldn't recommend homogenized and pasteurized milk because it doesn't actually contain the high amounts of calcium that it's touted to contain, and for a host of other reasons that I've made clear in recent e- Alerts ( " Milky Way " 4/9/03). Good sources of dietary calcium include: cabbage; kale; yellow, green, or waxed beans; and salmon. As for magnesium, in addition to supplements, many of the food sources of magnesium fit into a nutritious diet: leafy green vegetables, whole grains, bananas, apricots, meat, beans, and nuts. The other way to improve calcium absorption is with a unique calcium supplement from Japan called AdvaCAL. Studies have shown that this high-potency supplement is absorbed four times better than typical calcium carbonate supplements. And in an HSI Members Alert we sent you in July 1999, we told you how AdvaCAL was shown to rival the effectiveness of Fosamax and other prescription osteoporosis drugs. In one of those studies, AdvaCAL was not only effective in preventing osteoporosis, but also able to reverse bone loss once the disease process was already underway. More detailed information about AdvaCAL is available at compassionet.com. ----------------------------- Hard choices...and not so hard ----------------------------- I purposely haven't addressed another use of Fosamax: in treating cancer that migrates from breast cancer to the bones - in particular to the spine. From what I've read, Fosamax has been effective in lessening pain and improving quality-of-life for those patients. And although I wouldn't recommend it, I also wouldn't question anyone's choice of a pharmaceutical tool in a fight against cancer. This is not to downplay at all the discomfort and debilitation that can result from osteoporosis. But as we've seen, there are natural and safe methods for addressing this disease - far preferable to bathroom scrubbing chemicals. ************************************************************** ....and another thing Your water bottle might have the word " pure " on the label, but how pure is pure? According to a four-year study released by the environmental advocacy group National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), bottled water sold in the U.S. may be no purer than ordinary tap water. Because according to industry estimates, about 25 percent of all bottled water actually IS tap water - and some estimates place that percentage much higher. The rest of the bottled waters - the non-tap waters - don't fare much better because the FDA allows water that's pumped from wells and treated with chemicals to be called " spring water. " Maybe the FDA just doesn't know what a spring is. Obviously, not all " spring " water or tap water is created equal. In fact, tap water that's filtered through a first rate filter will probably be freer of contaminants than " pure " spring water - even if it comes from an actual spring. The NRDC study tested 103 brands of bottled water and found that about one-third had contaminants that exceeded allowable limits of bacteria, synthetic chemicals, and even arsenic! So your chance of getting a little something " extra " in your bottle of pure water may be approximately one in three. Those aren't really the odds I'm looking for when I pick out a bottle that says " pure " on the label. So to be completely certain that your water is genuinely pure, your best bet is to use a tap filtration system. But like different sources of water, not all systems are created equal. If you'd like information about a good system called the Doulton Water Filter, just click here (http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/600SCTDF/W600D513/home.cfm) to read about Doulton's 100 year history of perfecting an easy-to-install, easy-to-clean, ceramic filter permeated with silver to trap and eliminate bacteria. Or, you could always fill up your bottle at a pure spring if you have one in your neighborhood. Just make sure it isn't an FDA-approved spring. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Bisphosphonates and Ocular Inflammation " The New England Journal of Medicine, 2003 March 20:348(12):1187-88, nejm.org " Is Fosamax Right For You? " fosamax.com " Fosamax Type Osteoporosis Drugs Noted to Cause Serious Eye Problems " Dr. Joseph Mercola, 4/9/03, mercola.com " Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype? " National Resources Defense Council, nrdc.org Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please click here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.shtml ************************************************************** ************************************************************** If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************** To learn more about HSI, call (203) 699-4416 or visit http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSIC313/home.cfm. ************************************************************** Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc. To , e-mail to: Gettingwell- Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell The New Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.