The Top 5 Osteoporosis Lies

Words can – and do – make a big difference. Perhaps the use of the word “lies” in today’s blog post title may sound a bit harsh to you. In fact, at first I wrote “myths” instead, but I soon realized that it didn’t apply.

As defined by the online dictionary, a myth is “an unfounded or false notion.” A lie is “something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression.” Notice the subtle difference between the two. Myths are not created with a specific purpose; they simply spring up and innocently continue into the future. And myths typically develop over a long period of time, passed on from generation to generation. On the other hand, lies have a purpose, they are invented to fulfill an agenda. As the definition states, lies are “meant to deceive.”

Once you'll read what’s coming up next, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree with me: it is perfectly warranted to use the word “lies” instead of “myths”.

Let’s take a look now at the top five osteoporosis lies.

Big Lie #1: Osteoporosis is a devastating disease.

In Chapter 1 of the Osteoporosis Reversal Program I shatter the current osteoporosis definition and explain why it is not a disease. In essence, the medical establishment wants you to believe that you are disease-ridden and your bones have deteriorated to the point of no return… unless you take the miraculous osteoporosis drugs. If you haven’t yet, check out the blog post ‘Osteoporosis is NOT a Disease', where I summarize the topic, and download my free Natural Bone-Building Handbook.

Quite eye-opening, to say the least…

Big Lie #2: The most popular Osteoporosis drugs significantly reduce the risk of fractures.

Leaving all the terrible side effects aside, bisphosphonates – and other drugs as well – have shown a very poor (if not practically insignificant) fracture risk reduction. That is, if you know how to read between the lines.

Here’s the scoop. Studies typically reveal both relative risk of fracture reduction and absolute risk of fracture reduction. I’ll give you an example using hypothetical numbers. If someone has a 10% risk of getting an osteoporosis fracture during the next 5 years, and if that risk is shown to decrease from 10% to 8% by taking the drug, the relative risk reduction will be 20% calculated as follows: (10% – 8%) / 10% = 20%. However, the absolute fracture risk reduction is a mere 2% (10% – 8% = 2%).

Now a real example: a meta-analysis study on alendronate (the generic name for Fosamax) reviewed fracture risk of 12,068 women taking the 10 mg dose of the drug. Among the results it shows a 23% relative risk reduction but only a 2% absolute risk reduction for non-vertebral fractures.¹

And here’s another “magic number” you’ll seldom hear about: the nefarious “number needed to treat” (NNT). To figure out the NNT result, you simply take 1 and divide it by the absolute risk reduction percentage. So using the same alendronate study result as an example, 50 women (1 divided by 2% or 0.02) would have to take the drug so that just one could benefit from the fracture risk reduction! What about the other 49 individuals? Hardly a benefit, I’d say, especially if we consider the large number of adverse effects related to the drug.

So much for statistics, huh?

Big Lie #3: When it comes to treating osteoporosis, you should always listen to your doctor.

Doctors are taught in medical school that “to cure” is “to prescribe”. I can’t help but think of what Einstein said: “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” Fortunately, a select minority breaks away from the herd.

Plus doctors are so busy with their practice, that they don’t keep up with the latest research. And this is not hearsay. A study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine and written by a doctor, states that an alarming number of doctors rely on what they learned 20 years before and are in the dark about new – and even not so new – research.²

The Wall Street Journal also picked up on this hot-button topic. In an article titled “Too Many Patients Never Reap the Benefits of Great Research”, the author – another doctor – bluntly states that doctors ignore new research and refuse to acknowledge that they need to keep up with new scientific data.³

Scary, right?

Big Lie #4: Diet has no effect on osteoporosis.

Mainstream medicine insists that bones can’t renew themselves after you’ve reached a certain age. But nothing is further from the truth. Bones are active tissue, that react astonishingly well if you give them what they need.

And guess what; your bones don’t need chemicals and drugs. They require nutrients for nourishment, remodeling and renewal. The best way to get bone-healthy nutrients is from foods and supplements, especially the Foundation Foods and Foundation Supplements.

But foods can do even more for your bones. Because when you follow the acid/alkaline balance as I explain in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, your bones will retain the minerals they need to thrive and rejuvenate.

In fact, check out the amazingreal life results our community members have experienced thanks to the changes they've made to their diets.

Big Lie #5: Osteoporosis is the main cause of fractures.

Not so. Fractures occur in people of all ages, and most often without Osteoporosis. For example, an article in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism titled “Hip Fracture in Women without osteoporosis” by Stacy A. Wainwright, followed the fracture incidence of 8,065 participants with a median age of 72. The author concludes that “with the exception of the oldest women, after five years of follow-up, the majority of hip fracture cases were without hip osteoporosis, regardless of age.”

Please feel free to share this information with family, friends, and co-workers.

Till next time,

References

¹ Holder K, Kerley S. “Alendronate for fracture prevention in postmenopause.” Am Fam Physician. Sep 1; 78(5):579-81. 2008.
² Lenfant C, New England Journal of Medicine. “Clinical Research to Clinical Practice-Lost in Translation”. 349:868-874. 2003.
³ Begley S. “Too Many Patients Never Reap the Benefits of Great Research.” Wall Street Journal September 26, 2003.