How much more damning evidence do mainstream doctors need before they finally stop prescribing bone drugs? Because even if there weren’t a million better ways to battle osteoporosis, this ballooning body of research would be outrageous.
I’ve mentioned before how these drugs like Boniva, Fosamax, and Forteo (which are classified and bisphosphonates) are not the cures they’re advertised to be. True, they may increase bone mass. But they do so with a side effect of decreasing bone stability. Which actually raises your risk of atypical bone fractures. (And in some cases, leaves you vulnerable to a painful and rehabilitating condition called osteonecrosis of the jaw, or ONJ—in which your jawbone literally disintegrates.)
Yet here we are, having the same conversation. About yet another study showing that these popular osteoporosis drugs actively contribute to the very problem they’re prescribed to solve.
A team of Swedish researchers recently analyzed bone biopsies from eight different patients who had received bisphosphonate treatment. In the process, they discovered abnormal mineralization in the patients’ bones—consisting of large, hard crystals not seen in healthy bone tissue.1
These crystals appeared in the cavities resulting from normal bone cell death. But unlike ordinary bone mineral, the large, hard crystals actively impeded the regeneration of bone tissue and led to a steep decline in bone quality.
All of which, I’m sad to say, isn’t too surprising to me…
This new finding sheds light on the concerning results from all the clinical research that came before it. But the study authors go out of their way to emphasize that their discovery doesn’t mean that doctors should stop writing prescriptions for bisphosphonates.
Excuse the pun, but I have a serious bone to pick with their nonchalant conclusion…
Why on Earth would you prescribe a drug with side effects like this, when proper supplementation could very well deliver the same benefits bisphosphonates claim to have?! And without the added risk of fracture and dysfunctional bone mineralization? Plus, there are a multitude of effective drug-free solutions. You’d think it’d be a no-brainer!
For maximum bone support, I recommend a combination of the following all-natural supplements:
- vitamin D3: 5,000 to 10,000 IU per day
- vitamin K2: 45 mcg twice per day (I recommend a product called MenaQ7)
- strontium: 500 mg per day
- calcium: 500 to 600 mg per day
- magnesium taurate: 125 mg per day
And all of these nutrients are inexpensive and widely available.
For more extensive details on these and other natural supplements to improve bone health, I urge you to visit my website archives (the June 2012 and December 2015 issues are great places to start) and read up on the many alternatives before you even consider bringing home a bottle of Boniva.
SOURCES:
- Shah FA, et al. Nano Lett. 2017 Oct 11;17(10):6210-6216.
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