Long Terms Use of Oteoporosis Drugs Results in more Hip Fractures

Drugs that millions of older Americans take to ward of the effects of osteoporosis have been shown to actually increase the prevalence of the problem they are trying to prevent.  Osteoporosis is a condition is which the bones become thin and brittle, occurring mostly as people age.  There are risk factors for it such as obesity, sedentary life style and smoking that can be controlled or avoided.

Most people end up on a class of drugs called bisphosphonates.  These are drugs that include the brand names Actonel, Boniva, Fosamax, Reclast.  It is estimated that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and an additional 34 million have low bone mass called osteopenia.  The market for these drugs is huge and sales last year exceeded $3.5 billion.

New research is showing that after as little as 5 years of use can actually cause a type of hip fracture that is not seen in women who do not take this class of drugs.  This problem with hip fractures is that they can be lethal or at the very least, very disabling.

Approximately 15-20% of patients die within 1 year of fracture.  Many people point to this statistic and would say of course a large percentage of patients that fracture their hips die soon after – the largest portion of the population who sustain these injuries are elderly adults.  But consider the next finding.   Interestingly, morbidity and mortality in those older than 90 years sustaining a hip fracture were not found to be statistically higher than others in the same age group without such an injury.

Big Pharma only cares about the money brought in by this class of drugs

The fact that these drugs can have severe side effects such as increasing the rate of hip fracture is disturbing because I have many patients who are on this class of drugs and not all of them are elderly.  Some of there are in the 55-65 range who have been told they ‘must’ start taking these drugs to improve their bone density.  They are also told they will need to be on them for the rest of their life.  This puts these patients in grave danger and I don’t believe the benefit outweighs the risk.  The pharmaceutical companies have responded to these new studies in a typical way.

Merck spokesman Ron Rogers says the company has updated the Fosamax label to include information about “adverse events.”

A “causal association” has not been established between longterm bisphosphonate use and these atypical fractures, he says. “In our clinical studies with Fosamax, there have been no increased fracture risk at any skeletal site.”

Thanks for the warning label, but it may be too late for thousands of Americans.  Of course their clinical trials found no issues, but they never do.  Would you want to find out that your billion dollar money maker is dangerous and should be pulled from the market?

Terry Hurley, spokesman for Genentech, says Boniva’s “safety and efficacy” have been demonstrated in extensive clinical trials.

Again, the clinical trials mean nothing if these results are true.  The problem with drug research is that you can’t possibly know the long term effects of a drug until it has been used for years and the American public is used as your guinea pig.  Simply because it has been shown to be safe in some clinical trials does not mean it is safe forever.

Instead of offering more drugs to people for bone ‘health’ why not try something that works to slow bone loss that is not toxic and has very little side effect?  A great solution that works well for all of my patients is a combination of 4 things:

1. A calcium/magnesium supplement – at least 1,500mg of calcium to roughly 600-800mg of magnesium per day.
2. A vitamin D supplement – at least 4,000-6,000 IUs per day.
3. A vitamin K supplement – at least 2,000 – 4,000 mcg per day.
4. Weight bearing exercise.

The combination of the above works wonders to slow bone loss and the side effects are non existent.  There are so many drugs out there that are dangerous and can actually cause the problem they are designed to prevent.  It doesn’t make sense that these drugs are used so prevalently when safer and more natural alternatives are available,

[Via http://thevreelandclinic.wordpress.com]

Eating Disorders:Female Athlete Triad

Hello Everyone! Although i said we were done highlighting the eating disorders specifically there is still one specific aspect I would like to cover. This is known as the female athlete triad. This is a consequence of when girls who play a sports or are excessively active and don’t balance their bodies’ needs in comparison to the activities they are partaking in.  This condition involves disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. Amenorrhea is a medical term that means lack of menstrual cycle. Athletic individuals can have just one or any combination of the three.  This is all based on the relationship of bone mineral density, energy availability, and menstrual function.  Remember when I discussed that negative energy balance? That is part of the female athlete triad. If not here is what we highlighted. We said that individuals that don’t eat enough (food is energy) and then partake in excessive excercise have a negative energy balance because they are not putting in as much as they are putting out. This can lead to many serious problems such as all three factors of the female athlete triad. This is a tricky condition because most of the problems associated are pathophysiologically related to one another and makes it hard to treat. This condition also goes without detection easily. The best way to identify this problem is through regular screening exams. The next step, like any other eating disorder, is to break down the bad habits they have developed. This is often hard because they link these bad habits to success in their sports or athleticism. Nutrition counseling, support groups, and therapy can all be recommended treatment for this problem. It is important to note that just because you are an athlete and may have a lean body with little body fat you do not necessarily have an eating disorder. If you are eating healthy and practicing proper training and stress management you will be successful in a healthy manner!

Until next time!

Sources:

1) http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/sports/triad.html

2) Textbook, Concepts of Fitness and Wellness 8th Ed. By Charles B. Corbin, Gregory Welk, William R. Corbin, and Karen A. Welk. Published by McGraw Hill in 2009

[Via http://krystallee27.wordpress.com]

Vitamin C -lecithin interactions in the prevention of atherosclerosis, cancer and gallstones

neil.burman@gmail.com

IS THERE ANYTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN?

Fish oil use for medicinal as well as dietary purposes  dates back at least to Viking times; but the 1922  scientific study of fish oil by Jack Drummond & Sylvester Zilva is the first paper on it on Pubmed, as a source of vitamin A.

But it took till the 1930s for it’s (ie codliver oil) wide medicinal benefits  to be recognized.

Since then fish oil has proven to be the most pluripotential ‘micro’nutrient – at a dose as little as perhaps 100mg/day- in prevention and treatment (via either it’s omega3 EPA+DHA content, or its vitamins A and D content) of all common major diseases from learning , behaviour and memory disorders from birth to dotage, to infections, inflammation, arthritis, vision, pregnancy,  growth and osteoporosis, mood, parkinson’s, hypertensive, vascular, thrombotic, lipid, cancer and diabetic disorders.

The recognition of citrus juice- vitamin C – as a medicinal dates back apparently only 250 years to Dr James Lind’s recognition of it’s reversal of lethal scurvy. But it was first identified and isolated only about 80 years ago .  Since then it has proven to be as pluripotential a preventative as fish oil and now vitamin D3, and balanced sex hormone replacement.

In 1971 Borgman & Haselden described the  effects of cod liver oil on dissolution of gallstones.

In 1974 Krumdieck &  Butterworth’s landmark  paper on cholesterol-lecithin interactions: factors of potential importance in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. summarized the evidence for combining supplements of vitamin C and soy lecethin (ie polyunsaturated fatty acid at position 2)  in the prevention of atherosclerosis- since once this disease is present, it can take months to reverse.

in 1976  Navarro & Guevara described the importance of vitamin C in prevention of gallstones.

and by  1989 Wechsler  ea described how omega-3-fatty acids  – fish oil-  just 1.5gm a day decreases biliary cholesterol and lithogenicity.

from 1973 Cameron Pauling & Campbell published their landmark work on vitamin C to tolerance (not antiscurvy doses or below many grams a day) in the prevention and treatment of many human cancers.

by 1997 Mizuguchi ea described prevention  by fish oil of cholesterol gallstone formation in hamsters.

and in 1999  Takenaga ea described how Lecithinized ascorbic acid (PC-AS) effectively inhibits murine pulmonary metastasis.   

Lecitithin is derived from food – meat, liver, legumes, cereals, fish and eggs – but not from fish oil.   It – phosphatidylcholine- is a principal component of fat metabolism, cell membranes, brain, semen, and against gallstones, atherosclerosis (and thus heart – vascular-hypertensive -brain-), breast,  cirrhosis and other liver diseases.  

The crucial DHA and EPA omega3 fatty acids are, practically, derived exclusively from marine algae and thence krill and fish oil .

Hence the paramount importance (in preventing all common diseases)  of promoting fish oil (by the teaspoon or capsule) together with lecithbioinized Vitamin C to tolerance eg  vitamin C 50% enhanced with perhaps 15% calcium carbonate,  5% mag oxide,  10% bioflavinoid and 20% lecithin. Up to a heaped  tsp 2 – 3 times  a day of such an Enhanced Vitamin C  mix – ie to bowel tolerance- will provide 5 – 7.5g vitamin C, 500-750mg calcium, 300 -450mg magnesium, 1-1.5g bioflavinoid and 2- 3g  lecithin, with little diarrhoea..

Obviously to this should be added a blend of all the other few-score safe proven potential preventative supplements to combat all the other chronic diseases of premature aging including even multiple sclerosis (especially highdose vitamin D3).

So while oil and water dont mix in a glass, , ie vitamin C and bioflavinoids are not soluble in oil, combining them by taking them  together with lecithin and fish oil a few times a day makes huge sense.

[Via http://healthspanlife.wordpress.com]

Exercising And Get Back ache Relief

Exercising for Back ache Relief

The most general symptom is back pain, that varies in intensity from one episode to another and from one person to another.

The concept of the SIJ causing lower back pain is pretty well understood.

About half the population gets back pain from time to time, but osteoarthritis is not the most frequent cause of this.

Osteoporosis should be suspected in patients that sustain fractures after only balmy or trivial trauma; older adults, remarkably those with risk factors and unexplained back pain; patients with decreased bone compression that is incidentally noted on imaging studies; and patients at risk of secondary osteoporosis.

Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions and one of the leading causes of physician visits.

Although upper back pain is not a very common spinal disorder, it can cause extraordinary discomfort and pain when it does occur.

This exotic book is chock-a-block with useful and effective tips in favour of reducing or eliminating the back pain.

In Reference to

Quick Fixes for Everyday Back Pain, Joan Sauers, Peter Edwards, 2004

Reflexology for Back Pain, Ann Gillanders, 2005

Relief from chronic back pain, Edmund Blair Bolles, 1990

Overcome neck and back pain, Kit Laughlin, 1998

Suggested Links

Back Pain Treatment and Relief

Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain

Exercising And Get Back ache Relief is filed under Back pain.

[Via http://yerbasanta.wordpress.com]

The Back-breaking Truth About Osteoporosis

This article is in recent times about osteoporosis.This briefly discusses a statistic of men and women fake by the said fact It explains what osteoporosis is in recent times about and what its standard symptoms are.

Osteoporosis is a dicey situation, that is characterized by weakening of the bones because of the lack of calcium and other minerals.

Regular PE can help delay osteoporosis and is considered the most notable way for prevention.

Osteoporosis is when the bones become brittle and prone to fracture.

Walking is an aerobic and weight-bearing exercise, so it is apt for the heart and helps hinder osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis affects more than 200 million people worldwide and is a exacting public health concern, according to the National Osteoporosis centre.

Literature Review

Back Pain and Osteoporosis 2007, Lee H. Riley, 2007

The Osteoporosis Remedy, Stephen Schettini, 2001

Osteoporosis, David F. Fardon, 1987

Tumor bone diseases and osteoporosis in cancer patients, Jean-Jacques Body, 2000

The following Links can be recommended

Osteoporosis

International Osteoporosis Foundation IOF

World Osteoporosis Day

Osteoporosis

Irish Osteoporosis Society

International Osteoporosis Foundation

Osteoporosis

The Back-breaking Truth About Osteoporosis is filed under Osteoporosis.

[Via http://xoltan.wordpress.com]

Soy and Women’s Health

Soy foods are attractive for women who cannot or will not use hormone replacement therapy.  Evidence has been shown that soy food intake can have the following benefits for women:

• Decreased risk for heart disease:  For more information, check out the blog, “Soy for your Heart.”
• Decrease in menopausal symptoms
• Protection from osteoporosis
• Lower risk of breast cancer
• Lower risk of death and breast cancer recurrence in breast cancer patients

Research has found soy foods useful to treat menopause symptoms.  The two major phytoestrogens found in soy, genistein and daidzein, have been shown to mimic the effects of estradiole (the major human female estrogen) and tamoxifen (an antiestrogen used to protect against the spread of breast cancer).  Genistein has a mix of antiestrogen and proestrogen effects that help reduce menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women and protect against osteoporosis.  Asian women have less osteoporosis than Western women even though the calcium intake of Asian women is lower; research suggests that this is due to the increased soy intake of Asian women.      

In addition, genistein has been shown to inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells in test tubes, and it slows the activity of several proteins that speed up tumor growth.  According to the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study that was recently published, women in China who had breast cancer and a higher intake of soy food had an associated lower risk of death and breast cancer recurrence.  The study concluded, “Soy food intake is safe and was associated with lower mortality and recurrence among breast cancer patients.”  The study suggests that intake of 11 grams per day of soy offers protective benefits for long-term health. 

For more information on breast health and the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study click on the following link:  http://www.soyconference.com/magazines/jan10.pdf  

So, enjoy soy milk on your cereal and in your coffee and tea.  Have soy nuts as a tasty snack or select an energy bar with soy protein.  Be chic and enjoy a healthy soy burger with all the trimmings.  The choices are out there and making a healthy choice will feel great.     

[Via http://nutdoc.wordpress.com]

...and that's why your vitamins aren't working!

The human body is comprised of roughly 10 trillion cells. Every cell is basically a highly sophisticated bio-chemical machine. Vitamins are small molecules that the cells need to perform specific functions. Our bodies can’t manufacture these vitamin and mineral molecules. Instead they must be provided via food or supplementation.

There are about 15 different essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. Some fat-soluble vitamins (like Vitamin A) can be stored in the body for long periods of time. Others, especially water-soluble vitamins, must be replenished frequently.

So, vitamins and minerals are essential. Our cells depend on them. Then why do so many people who take supplements regularly still feel lousy and continue to struggle with symptoms of poor cellular health?

The likely culprit? Poor absorption. The cells can’t get enough of the active compounds from the type of vitamin you’re taking.

Absorption is determined by a variety of factors. Disease, age and stomach pH are all significant factors. When health is compromised digestion is almost always negatively impacted. Digestive acids and enzymes produced in the stomach are inhibited by antacids as well as certain medications.  Digestive problems and malabsorption occur as we age because fewer enzymes are produced that break down food. People at any age can become malnourished due to poor diet.

It has been well documented that vitamins in tablet and capsule form typically take anywhere from 2-8 hours to digest and render only 10-20% of the nutrients into the bloodstream. Liquid vitamins are more efficient and absorb far more quickly, but tend to be less cost effective because you are paying for the water the vitamins are suspended in. Many liquid vitamins have low levels of active ingredients and may also contain preservatives.

Intravenous vitamin solutions are used by some people and can be very effective. This method provides the highest rate of absorption because the supplements are in an isotonic state, which the body can immediately utilize. However using I.V.’s of vitamins requires the skills of a health professional making it inconvenient and expensive.

So, if you really want to receive the maximum absorption of vitamins and nutrients in the most cost effective form, I recommend the Isotonix® line of science-based drinkable isotonic vitamins.

The Isotonix® products are in a powdered form. After mixing them with the instructed amount of water they become isotonic and deliver up to 95% of the nutrients into the bloodstream in minutes, not hours.

There are no “magic” ingredients in the Isotonix® line. All of the vitamins and nutrients are well researched and science-based. Isotonix® products are manufactured in pharmaceutical-grade GMP rated facilities with certified and standardized ingredients. These natural products work because they are scientifically formulated and work in harmony with the human digestive system. By delivering vitamins in an ideal isotonic solution, the body does not have to “digest” them. Instead they are quickly, gently and almost completely absorbed, which delivers a high concentration of active compounds where they are needed — to the cells.

Instead of spending money on products with a bunch of hype, or giving up and accepting questionable results; try a sensible, science-based and affordable product from Isotonix®. If you don’t know which one to try, check out their super antioxidant blend called OPC-3® or the Isotonix® Calcium Plus since most people are seriously lacking in antioxidants and minerals. Another option would be taking the free on-line questionaire called Nutri-Physical™. It will provide instant personalized product recommendations based on your unique history and livestyle.

[Via http://engineeredforhealth.com]