Vivian Answers Day #22: Inaccuracy of DXA Scans, Distilled Water, Severe Fosamax Side Effects, Calcified Plaque, GERD, And More!

Question & Answer #1

I have read that DXA scan equipment varies from one machine to another, thus the author recommended staying with the same location (hospital) for each scan. Is this true? I recently changed location and my DXA scan reading was lower than before.

-George


Dear George,

The average variation between machines is at around 2 to 4%. Remember, that’s an average. In the Osteoporosis Reversal Program I give an example between two popular brands of machines that has been documented at 6% in a hip DXA scan. For that reason I recommend using the same equipment brand.

The variations occur due to the secret algorithmic programs that each manufacturer uses; sort of their own proprietary software. So we don't have a unified program.

And as you read, there is a study that shows discrepancies between the SAME brand of machines, but depending on their geographical location!¹

As if this were not enough, it's pretty easy to fool the machine, because it does not measure volume, but only the darkness of a shadow. So because the X-ray beam doesn’t have to travel as far to get through the bones of a smaller person than a taller and larger person, the machine will interpret that the lighter shadow means thinner bones.

Meanwhile, the smaller person could have more calcium in the bones and more resilient and healthy bones. The DXA scanner cannot detect this! In other words, DXA scans measure quantity of bone rather than quality of bone.

The bottom line is that DXA scans are valuable to observe changes for the better or for the worse. We can't get an exact measure.

So don’t let this cast a shadow on your bone health!

Question & Answer #2

I just moved from a house with a yard to a small apartment, so I had to give up my herb garden and also my huge aloe plant. I cooked with my organic herbs and made smoothies with the aloe. I miss my aloe plant so much, especially since it seems to be the only thing that helps me eliminate my heartburn that I got from taking Fosamax for six years. Help!

-Jenny

Dear Jenny,

I know how you feel, especially since I really enjoy my aloe plant also. If you have enough light in your apartment, you may be able to grow a small aloe plant in a pot.




Question & Answer #3

Is it possible that only taking one Fosamax, which made me feel very unwell within one hour, could affect me for months…today I am going for a heart check after I was admitted with chest pains – feeling bloated and dizzy. I was in great shape till I took that pill.

-Mary

Dear Mary,

I’m so sorry that you are yet one more victim of the osteoporosis drugs! If you have the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, you know that until very recently, these chemicals were mainly used as corrosion inhibitors, scaling agents, and as components for the textile, fertilizer, and oil industry. Interestingly, the medical and scientific establishment doesn’t even bother to keep this as a secret.

You can read here the actual description of bisphosphonates as written by Dr. Fleisch, the Swiss researcher whose work led to the discovery of bisphosphonates to be used as osteoporosis drugs.

Now to answer your question, as you describe, side effects of Fosamax can mimic heart problems and even a heart attack, and can also cause heart problems, including atrial fibrillation.

It is quite rare for this to happen after one dose, but we each have our own “weakest link”. So while I have no way of knowing if your symptoms were caused by the drug, you might have a low tolerance to ingesting those kinds of chemicals. The good news is that if the problems were caused by Fosamax, the drug that did not attach itself to bone will leave your body in a few months.

To your quick recovery and to your natural bone health!

Question & Answer #4

A major medical clinic in the U. S. A. wrote in a study that distilled water is acidic. (I believe it was the Mayo Clinic.) Is this true?

-Bobbie

Dear Bobbie,

As I wrote in the Missing Link, one of the supplemental reports that's included with the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, the pH of distilled water is at around 5.4. So it is acidic. However, distilled water, especially if you add a few drops of lemon juice, is alkaline forming.

Here’s a short excerpt of my detailed analysis of distilled water:

“All water, including distilled water, is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, so it is electrically neutral. However, the negative and positive charges are unevenly distributed. The electronic (negative) charge is concentrated at the oxygen end of the molecule. This ever-so-slight charge imbalance coupled with the highest level of purity found in distilled water helps create an alkaline environment, even though distilled water does test acidic for its pH.

The unencumbered and subtle negative charge in distilled water attracts the positively charged acidic waste products and helps flush them out of the body. Perhaps that is why another common myth about drinking distilled water is that it causes essential minerals to leach out of the body, but nothing could be further from the truth.”

From a chemical standpoint, distilled water is pure H2O, the way water is meant to be, like rain water (pure H2O minus pollutants in the atmosphere, more abundant today than in ancient times when people used to collect rain water for drinking).

It is therefore logical to conclude that distilled water is more beneficial than water that contains inorganic minerals. You see, we have ample opportunities to get plenty of organic minerals from the foods we eat and from organic supplements. Water is not intended to be a source of nutrients, although the Medical Establishment thinks otherwise and applauds the toxic fluoride “supplementation” in tap water.

So eat, drink (distilled water), and be merry.

Question & Answer #5

Until I bought your book I was taking 2,000 mg of calcium carbonate every day because my doctor told me to take a lot of calcium. I switched to the type of calcium you recommend and now I take a lot less, but I’m really worried because I’ve read that calcium can cause heart attacks. Am I at risk?

-Christine

Dear Christine,

I understand that you’re worried. Unfortunately doctors are quick to prescribe drugs and often give wrong nutritional advice. In my blog post titled ‘Calcium and Heart Attack Alert: My Take', I explain in great detail this controversial topic. If you haven’t yet, I urge you to read it.

Keep asking questions!

References

¹ Rencken ML et al. “In vitro comparability of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone densitometers.” Calcif Tissue Int. 1991 Apr;48(4):245-8.