Is Your Doctor Increasing Your Risk of Osteoporosis?

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

So many women in perimenopause and menopause are being prescribed

anti-depressants. Please consider holistic alternatives! SAMe is

suggested below, but there are so many other options too.

 

Michelle

http://www.holisticmenopause.com

 

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Anti-Aging Tip: Is Your Doctor Increasing Your Risk of Osteoporosis?

By Al Sears, MD

 

If you go to a doctor for anxiety or depression, chances are he'll

hand you a prescription for an antidepressant drug, like Zoloft or

Prozac. As popular as these drugs are, they have dozens of

unfortunate side effects, including impotence, weight gain, and low

blood pressure.

 

Now there's another one: osteoporosis. Researchers in Canada recently

discovered that people over 50 who take antidepressants have double

the risk of this bone-loss condition. The study - published in the

Archives of Internal Medicine - found that the pills may have a

direct effect on bone cells, decreasing bone size and strength. The

result is an increased risk for broken bones and further loss of bone

density.

 

Fortunately for you and your bones, you don't need a prescription to

get relief from depression. There's a natural option called SAM-e (S-

adenosylmethionine), which is present in every cell in your body.

Scientists have been studying SAM-e for decades. In most cases, it is

as effective as antidepressant drugs - and it doesn't have the side

effects.

 

A few years ago, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published

a study that compared SAM-e and a popular antidepressant for six

weeks. All the participants showed positive improvement, but those

taking the SAM-e reported almost no side effects. (On rare occasions,

SAM-e will upset your stomach - or, very rarely, may cause a skin

rash. But these symptoms disappear when you stop taking it.) At the

end of the study, SAM-e had performed just as well as the

prescription drug and was better tolerated.

 

SAM-e is widely available. You can find it in health food stores,

drugstores, and on the Internet. I recommend starting with 200 mg of

SAM-e per day. If my patients see little improvement after two weeks,

I increase the dose to 400 mg once a day.

 

If your depression or anxiety persists, contact your doctor. But be

sure to discuss your non-prescription treatment options before you

start taking antidepressant drugs.

 

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The

Doctor's Heart Cure, is a leading authority on longevity, physical

fitness, and heart health.]