Fraud and deception…early death…hand-held technology for measuring bone quality…this month’s Bulletin sounds a bit like a science fiction thriller!
First, we cover how the public has been misled. A new study exposes the myth that statins improve cardiovascular health, and we also take a look at the rampant nature of research fraud.
Next, I share another just-published study that uncovers the Establishment’s lies about osteoporosis drugs, as new data reveals their deadly effects.
And finally, Mainstream Science is getting around to recognizing the importance of bone quality over quantity, and has a brand new, hand-held device for measuring it.
Let’s delve into these fascinating topics.
1. Exposed! Statin Benefits Exaggerated To Deceive The Public (And Doctors Who Prescribe Them)
If your cholesterol falls within a certain numerical range, your doctor will likely prescribe a statin drug. They are the “go-to” drug for cholesterol management, and not surprisingly, they’re among the most prescribed drugs around the world. But recent research openly reveals a gross exaggeration regarding the drugs’ alleged benefits.
Relevant Segment:
“According to Diamond and Ravnskov, statins produce a dramatic reduction in cholesterol levels, but they have ‘failed to substantially improve cardiovascular outcomes.’ They further state that the many studies touting the efficacy of statins have not only neglected to account for the numerous serious adverse side effects of the drugs, but supporters of statins have used what the authors refer to as ‘statistical deception’ to make inflated claims about their effectiveness. (emphasis added)
Diamond and Ravnskov concluded their paper with the sobering statement that ‘There is a great appeal to the public to take a pill that offers the promise of a longer life and to live heart attack free. The reality, however, is that statins actually produce only small beneficial effects on cardiovascular outcomes, and their adverse effects are far more substantial than is generally known.’”1
The researchers who reported this deception exposed the flaws in the statin studies, noting under-reported adverse effects and greatly inflated claims as to the effectiveness of these drugs in preventing heart attack.
This should sound awfully familiar to Savers. Isn’t this the same approach that Big Pharma and the Medical Establishment use to promote osteoporosis drugs?
In fact, statins are similar to bisphosphonates, the class of drugs most commonly prescribed for osteoporosis. They both work by blocking an enzyme called farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS). This enzyme is involved in the mevalonate pathway, and when FPPS is blocked by the statin, it stops the synthesis of cholesterol. (When it’s blocked by a bisphosphonate, it results in osteoclasts with smooth borders that are unable to tear down old bone, a key component in healthy bone remodeling.)
The deception about statins is not an isolated incident. If it’s happening with cholesterol-lowering drugs, then it makes sense to assume it’s rampant…especially given the data like we see in this study.
A 2013 study notes that:
“Fraud and misconduct in clinical research is widespread. Scientific fraud reappears with alarming consistency from paleontology to nanotechnology.”2
Frighteningly enough, the study notes that more than 40% of researchers were
“[…] aware of misconduct but did not report it. …and 17% of surveyed authors of clinical drug trials reported that they personally knew of fabrication in research occurring over the previous 10 years.”2
This is truly shocking, and frankly, disgraceful. The impact this kind of fraud can have on individuals and the research community is enormous. Most notably, it can “lead to wrong or ineffective or harmful molecules being brought in the market.”2
This is yet another reason why government drug approvals can’t be trusted. The 12-year approval process leaves much room for fraud and deception.
It will be interesting to see when a similar write-up about “statistical deception” and “greatly inflated claims” on osteoporosis drugs occurs…
2. Confirmed: Osteoporosis Drugs Raise Mortality Risk
A startling Danish study reveals that osteoporosis drugs actually increase the risk of death. And because the study involved a control group, it can be safely inferred that the early deaths were not due to other factors, but to the drugs themselves.
Relevant Segment:
“Researchers analyzed survival in patients with osteoporosis beginning at the time they were diagnosed and issued their first prescription, either for first-line drugs or drugs reserved for advanced osteoporosis. Patients whose risk for fracture was too low to require treatment were not included in the study.
After 1 year, the mortality rate for men being treated with osteoporosis medications was 16% compared with 3% for controls and 6.6% for women with osteoporosis prescriptions compared with 4.6% for controls. At 5 years, the mortality rates were 48.2% in men treated for osteoporosis and 24.6% in controls and 28.3% in women with osteoporosis and 31.9% in controls. The mortality rate at 10 years was 69.7% in men (45.4% in controls) and 50.2% in women (50.8% in controls).”3
Prescription drugs of all kinds carry significant, even deadly risks. It’s especially tragic with regards to osteoporosis drugs, because osteoporosis can be prevented and even reversed through safe, non-pharmaceutical means.
The toxic nature of osteoporosis drugs can’t be denied. That’s why if you’ve ever taken osteoporosis drugs, it’s so important to cleanse your body and eat healthful foods in order to flush these toxins from your system.
The bottom line is, the pattern you see in Western medicine – where a patient goes to a doctor complaining of symptoms, tests are performed, a diagnosis is made, and a drug is prescribed – is not only ineffective at promoting health and healing; it is simply not safe.
3. Finally! New Device Measures Bone Strength Instead Of Density
The question of bone quality over quantity is finally being addressed in the scientific community. A little hand-held device called an OsteoProbe is pressed into the skin like a center-punch. It uses reference point identification (RPI) in order to measure bone tissue’s material properties. In other words, OsteoProbe goes beyond measuring density by assessing bone quality.
Relevant Excerpt:
“According to Hansma, measuring bone mineral density (BMD) using today's standard, dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provides only a partial picture. ‘DXA measures density, which sounds like a material property but isn't,’ he said. ‘DXA measures how much calcium bone contains but provides no information about bone quality, and it's not just how much bone you have that’s important, it's how good that bone is.’
‘Now that it is possible to measure whether bone is good or bad in research studies, we can begin learning what diet, exercises, vitamins and pharmaceutical drugs contribute to making bone good,’ he said.”4
Fascinating – while the scientist mentioned drugs among those things that might improve bone quality, he also mentioned diet, exercise, and vitamins. This is highly unusual for a mainstream researcher!
Yet this is what the Osteoporosis Reversal Program has been saying all along – bone quality, not quantity, is what ultimately prevents fractures; and both can be enhanced and improved with foods, regular exercise, and Foundation Supplements.
Density is just one aspect of bone health, and while it’s fantastic to increase it (and many have done so on the Program), it’s not the only goal for optimal bone strength and integrity. As Mainstream Science slowly realizes this, they will hopefully continue to develop new technology that assesses bone health more realistically than the standard DXA.
The subject of bone quality vs. quantity is covered in detail in Chapter 3 of the Osteoporosis Reversal Program. Bone tissue is living, dynamic, and ever-changing. In addition, there are individual variations in bone density that are perfectly normal, but are not taken into account when DXA scan numbers are applied. And these variations have nothing to do with fracture rates. For instance, Asian women as a rule have lower bone mass than Western women; but their rate of fractures is lower.
Ultimately, improving bone health is all about avoiding fractures. So it stands to reason that lower bone mass alone may or may not be indicative of how fracture-prone a bone is.
That’s why the Program’s aim is to rejuvenate bone and revive its integrity using safe, drug-free methods. Doesn’t that make a whole lot of sense?
Till next time,
Stop Worrying About Your Bone Loss
Join thousands of Savers from around the world who have reversed or prevented their bone loss naturally and scientifically with the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.
References:
1 “Safety, life-saving efficacy of statins have been exaggerated, says scientist.” Science Daily. February 20, 2015. Web. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150220110850.htm
2 Gupta, Ashwaria. “Fraud and misconduct in clinical research: A concern.” Perspectives in Clinical Research. April-June 2013. 4(2): 144-147. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3700330/
3 Abrahamsen, B., et al. “Mortality risk higher for men and women with osteoporosis.” Healio. April 23, 2015. Web. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/bone-mineral-metabolism/news/online/%7Bbe270cb9-61ba-4dfa-a19f-80efe8635ea1%7D/mortality-risk-higher-for-men-and-women-with-osteoporosis
4 “Good bone, bad bone: measuring bone loss, strength.” Science Daily. March 24, 2015. Web. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150324153654.htm
I’m trying to stay off of the bone building drugs. I have Vivian program, but I wonder if it will help me. I already have compression fractures and fractured ribs. I can’t aford to have anymore fractures. Has anyone increased their bone density at this stage. Please give me some feedback
Any treatment that takes 10 years for the effect to be felt, to me is useless.
Thank you Vivienne for all your interesting and helpful posts. I am 87 but I try to do the weekend challenges and some of the other exercises several times each week. I follow the diet as well as I can and, after five years, I believe it helps to keep me fit not only in my bones but in every way.
I would also like to hear more about the OsteoProbe.
I wonder where you can find this Osteo-Probe device to measure your bone quality?
I, too, wonder where one can find the Osteoprobe. How expensive is it, or can it yet be purchased? Thanks.
I have bone disease,I have refused drugs for it ,up to now I manage it myself ,I have been given statins of late but told the doc I didn’t want to take them ,he told me that my levels where high and needed them ,I’m 74 now and have been having knee injections for 4 yrs ,should I be worried about taking them ,I’m not happy with them ,I know food plays a huge part in cholesterol levels ,because I lost almost 2 stone by myself .and my levels where low,then but now I’m back to almost 9 stone ,and they are high again
Agnes, the Save Our Bones philosophy is that whether or not you choose to take drugs for any condition, it’s a personal choice. No one can “make” you take the statins if you’re uncomfortable with it. I encourage you to do your research and learn as much as you can before you make your decision. 🙂
I’m very interested in the new tool for measuring your bone quality, the Osteoprobe. Do you know when this might be in use with our doctors?
As a physician and having looked at the abstract of the Danish study, I would encourage others to not jump to the same conclusion as Vivian has here about mortality and osteoporosis drugs without looking at the study themselves. (Not that I’m a fan of drugs, I’m trying to avoid them myself.) The control group was age and sex matched but did not necessarily have osteoporosis. The study has no power to make conclusions about the effect of the osteoporosis drugs as opposed to excessive mortality from the osteoporosis (or associated conditions) itself.
What do you think of reclast yearly infusion for osteoporosis?
Lorraine, if you type “Reclast” into the search box at the top of the page, you’ll see all the information Vivian has on this osteo drug. It’s worth reading in my opinion.
– Suzy
In the Danish study/review, at 5 years and greater, mortality rates in women taking osteoporosis drugs were lower than control groups…so your point that the medications are always dangerous isn’t consistently clear.
I noticed that too; somehow theirs a gender factor in play here?
Oops, meant to say “there is” not theirs.
The older women who “survived” the osteoporosis drugs did indeed have lower mortality rates; but the fact remains that the younger group experienced untimely deaths as a result of taking osteoporosis drugs.
Thank you Vivian for giving us all this helpful information.
Vivian,
Thank you so much for this information that is really a confirmation of what we suspected! I wouldn’t touch a statin with a barge-pole!!
Keep up the good work which is really appreciated.
Pearline
Thank you for the smile, Pearline! 🙂 I am glad this Bulletin was confirming for you.
Thanks very much for this information. I’m working hard on repairing what medicine tried so hard to destroy!!!! 3 1/2 yrs. on anticancer med has put me in a horrifying position. To add insult to injury, CT scans and Tomography have given me setbacks. I have to spend a day in court next month and waiting to hear what accommodations they have for people like me. I’m also going to an osteoporosis clinic to discover what they have to offer other than poisons. I’ll let you all know what comes from that adventure. Please follow the program Vivian has given us, it may be hard at first but don’t give up, don’t ever give up….
L.D., I want to thank you for your encouraging words, and commend you on your strong attitude. Your body is made for health, not disease, and I can’t wait to hear how your recovery goes!
L D, I’d like to know the anticancer drug you were taking. I’m on an anti estrogen drug (again, after 5 years off, because of an unanticipated finding that the breast CA is now in my bones – my oncologist believes that it was hiding there in dormancy even prior to the lumpectomy 9+ years ago, because there has been no indication of metastases until now.) I’m sure the drug is doing a number on my bones again. I follow the program the best I can, and I feel that the fact that the CA has remained dormant is likely due to the diet emphasizing fruits and veggies. I happened to hear, on People’s Pharmacy, an interview with Dr Mitchell Gaynor which seems to support Vivian’s ideas. I’ve ordered his new book “The Gene Therapy Plan: Taking Control Of Your Genetic Destiny.” I think you might find that interesting as well.
Thank you Vivien for your care and support for our healthy bones and for letting us know what is going on behind the closed doors.
You are very welcome, Leopoldine. Thank you for reading and researching!