Warnings about Fosamax

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Folks:

 

You all know my position: NO DRUGS unless in a life threatening situation! NEVER on a long term basis. A highly reputable and trusted organization, the Health Sciences Institute, has just sent totally damaging information about Fosamax, sold to help fight osteoporosis. I know some women who take this and feel safe. I wouldn't touch it. Nor will they, hopefully, if they read this. WOMEN: we absolutely MUST have calcium...but not at THIS PRICE! Get it naturally - don't do drugs! I know some excellent sources, especially the Ayurvedic ones.

 

Here is the article:

 

Health Sciences Institute e-AlertApril 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.

 

Linda Yates

SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?www.AyurvedicHerbsForHealth.com