Osteoporosis drugs caused "substantially reduced bone strength" and caused more microcracks in bone than the controls.
Osteoporosis drugs caused blood calcium levels to drop, digestion problems, internal bleeding, irregular heartbeat, bone fractures, and bone death.
Bisphosphonates therapy [osteoporosis drugs] had no detectable mechanical benefit... Instead, its use was associated with substantially reduced bone strength.
Bone from bisphosphonate-treated fracture patients exhibited… more numerous and larger microcracks than both fracture and non-fracture controls. Furthermore, bisphosphonate-treated bone demonstrated reduced tensile strength.
Several hundred plaintiffs… accused Merck & Co of failing to adequately warn about the risks of thigh bone fractures associated with its osteoporosis drug Fosamax.
Contents
Osteoporosis Drugs, Bisphosphonates
Evidence of Harm
Addressing Root Causes of Bone Weakness
Context: See how this subject fits in the bigger picture, and get links to related topics
Osteoporosis Drugs, Bisphosphonates
Osteoporosis drugs include Aclasta, Alendronate, Binosto, Bisphosphonates, Boniva, Cholecalciferol, Denosumab, Etidronate, Fosamax, Ibandronate, Pamidronate, Reclast, Risedronate, Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators, Strontium, Teriparatide, Tiludronate, Zoledronate, Zoledronic Acid, and Zometa [source and source and source and source]
Evidence of Harm
Osteoporosis drugs caused “substantially reduced bone strength” — Bisphosphonates therapy had no detectable mechanical benefit… Instead, its use was associated with substantially reduced bone strength.” See also: Osteoporosis drugs may make bones weaker; “Drugs used to treat weak bones in elderly patients suffering from osteoporosis may actually make them weaker, research suggests.” See also: Long-term effects of bisphosphonate therapy: perforations, microcracks and mechanical properties; “Bisphosphonates may oversuppress remodelling resulting in accumulation of microcracks… Bone from bisphosphonate-treated fracture patients exhibited… more numerous and larger microcracks than both fracture and non-fracture controls. Furthermore, bisphosphonate-treated bone demonstrated reduced tensile strength and Young’s Modulus.”
Osteoporosis drugs caused blood calcium levels to drop, digestion problems, internal bleeding, irregular heartbeat, bone fractures, and bone death. — “Common side effects of [bisphosphonates] include headache, abdominal discomfort, dyspepsia [digestive disorder, stomach pain], nausea and hypocalcemia [low levels of calcium in blood]… Severe side effects… have included esophageal ulcer, gastrointestinal bleeding, atrial fibrillation [irregular heartbeat] and, with long-term treatment, osteonecrosis [bone death] of the jaw and… femoral [thigh bone] fractures.” See also: Why You Should Avoid Osteoporosis Medications; “Bisphosphonate drugs prescribed for osteoporosis have been shown to weaken bone and cause microcracks that heighten your risk for atypical bone fractures. Nutrients that are important for healthy bone growth and strength include vitamin D, vitamins K1 and K2, calcium, magnesium, collagen, boron and strontium… Research suggests the load needed to trigger bone growth in the hip is 4.2 times your bodyweight. Blood flow restriction training is an alternative that not only appears to have a beneficial effect on bone health, but is also viable for the elderly and those who can’t lift heavy weights.” See also: Bisphosphonate-induced Severe Hypocalcemia – A Case Report; “A 78-year-old woman… presented to emergency department with altered mental status. It turned out that her symptom was due to severe hypocalcemia [low blood calcium level] which was caused by intravenous zoledronate [bisphosphonate] treatment. She also had renal dysfunction… This case supports the need for evaluation of renal dysfunction, vitamin D deficiency and parathyroid gland dysfunction before bisphosphonate treatment and accurate monitoring of plasma calcium and creatinine levels. In addition, vitamin D and calcium supply during treatment with bisphosphonate is mandatory.”
FDA-approved drug prescribed for osteoporosis proven to cause serious bone fracture — “A drug approved by the FDA to treat osteoporosis was proven to cause a serious type of fracture, yet years of court battles have resulted in no justice for those who suffered injuries. FDA negligence is part of the problem.” See also: Battle over Fosamax bursts into court; A New York judge has revealed internal Merck discussions about a possible link between its widely prescribed drug and dead jaw syndrome, finds Ray Moynihan See also: Merck must face renewed Fosamax warning claims: U.S. appeals court; “Several hundred plaintiffs… accused Merck & Co of failing to adequately warn about the risks of thigh bone fractures associated with its osteoporosis drug Fosamax… Plaintiffs claimed to suffer atypical femur fractures from long-term use, and said Merck knew about the risk for more than a decade before adding it to the Fosamax warning label in January 2011.” See also: How Osteoporosis Became a Billion-Dollar Scam: Big Pharma promised to protect your bones—then left you fractured, in pain, and hooked on their drugs for life.
Osteoporosis drugs caused bone death. — “Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis [bone death] of the jaw is thought to be caused by trauma to dentoalveolar structures that have a limited capacity for bone healing due to the effects of bisphosphonate therapy.” See also Osteonecrosis of the Jaw; “Reports of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw associated with the use of Zometa (zolendronic acid) and Aredia (pamidronate) began to surface in 2003.”
Osteoporosis drugs caused heart issues. — “Serious atrial fibrillation occurred more frequently in the zoledronic acid group (in 50 vs. 20 patients).” With atrial fibrillation, “the heart’s upper chambers (atria) beat irregularly, which can disrupt blood flow to the lower chambers of the heart.” [source] See also: Risk of atrial fibrillation among bisphosphonate users: a multicenter, population-based, Italian study; “Current users of bisphosphonate showed an almost twofold increased risk of atrial fibrillation… Current users of bisphosphonate are associated with a higher risk of atrial fibrillation as compared with those who had stopped bisphosphonate treatment for more than 1 year.”
People taking osteoporosis drugs reported conjunctivitis and other eye conditions which went away when stopping the drugs and recurred when re-starting them. — “Importantly, some case reports describe recurrence of the inflammatory eye reactions after affected patients were rechallenged with the same or another bisphosphonate, and that no reported cases resolved without discontinuation of the bisphosphonate.”
FDA warned that osteoporosis drugs caused “severe… incapacitating pain” — “Bisphosphonate drugs… may cause severe and even ‘incapacitating’ musculoskeletal pain, says the US FDA in an alert issued on 7 January, 2008”
Addressing Root Causes of Bone Weakness
The research is very clear: mineral density (BMD) has no correlative or causative relationship with fractures. Research shows that the following strategies, however, do promote bone health:
Detoxify the body’s tissues in order to excrete heavy metals, which are extremely harmful to health overall, and bone health in particular.
Engage in regular resistance exercise. Practice yoga for strength and flexibility, and safely challenge balance and coordination. Dr. Loren Fishman’s research has shown that those diagnosed with osteoporosis can practice yoga without risking bone health. Focus on safely challenging balance and coordination. (More here: Bone Health & Yoga)
Investigate thyroid health, employing additional strategies as needed.
To Strengthen Bones, Address Chronic Inflammation
One of the most important medical discoveries of recent decades has been that the immune system is involved in bone remodeling [the natural process of bones recycling and renewal]. Indeed, chronic inflammation has been recognized as the most significant factor influencing bone homeostasis… Dietary and lifestyle modifications should be considered as the basis of any pharmacological intervention for bone diseases which are characterized by excessive bone loss such as osteoporosis and RA.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
The Strength or Weakness of Bones is Determined by Physical Activity
Wolff’s Law states that bones will adapt to the degree of mechanical loading, such that an increase in loading will cause the architecture of the internal, spongy bone to strengthen, followed by the strengthening of the cortical layer. Furthermore, a decrease in stress on the bone will cause these bone layers to weaken.
Healthy Thyroid Function is Essential
The parathyroid gland releases a parathyroid hormone that works to increase blood calcium levels. The thyroid gland secretes calcitonin which acts to decrease calcium ion concentrations. They work on three target sites: the bones… the digestive tract… and the kidneys… High or low levels of these hormones can adversely affect bone strength and density.
For an in-depth exploration of these root causes factors, plus specific, evidence-based therapies for improving bone health, go here.
Context, Organized Curation
This article is a subset of a vast resource curation on the failure and corruption of establishment medicine. See here for the entire curation, or select links below to focus on an individual subject.
The subject matter above is an excerpt from Harms by Drug or Test.
Failed Health Outcomes — The U.S. spends nearly twice the per-capita amount on healthcare than the next highest spender, yet Americans are the most chronically ill, and rank 48th in life expectancy, among other countries. In addition, medical misdiagnosis causes permanent harm and death to 795,000 people every year.
Verifiably Corrupt — Establishment medicine as a system* is verifiably corrupt, serving the interests of industry — not health. (*Obviously, not every individual working in establishment medicine is unethical. Rather, the system that educated / indoctrinated them, and that sets policy, hires, pays, and promotes them is verifiably corrupted.)
Big Pharma & Biotech: Immoral Business Model — Corporations, by design, are beholden to profit above all else, acting as powerful entities that are “essentially psychopathic and without conscience.” Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are the utmost example of corporate psychopathy, demonstrating inhumanity in response to human suffering.
Regulatory & Professional Betrayal — Government agencies entrusted to regulate the field of medicine fail to do so. The majority of influential professional organizations such as the American Medical Association are corrupted by industry.
Not Evidence/Science-Based — The bulk of establishment medicine’s standard of care is not backed by unbiased, reproducible science. (We prove it here.)
Harms, by Drug or Test — Establishment medicine providers routinely utilize diagnostic testing and “treatments” that cause harm (“adverse”, “side” effects). Get verifiable evidence of the harms, organized by drug, treatment, or test (mammograms, CT scans, antibiotics, statins, benzos, etc).
Failed Strategies & Procedures — The philosophies, strategies, and procedures used by establishment medicine are dysfunctional and irrational, including a focus on suppressing symptoms rather than understanding them. Providers do not seek to identify and resolve the root causes of illness, and diagnosis is simply an exercise in naming groupings of symptoms, disconnected from their purpose and message.
Root Causes of Illness — With knowledge of causal factors, true healing is possible. Quickly identify drugs, vaccines, toxins, and nutrient deficiencies that cause illnesses and symptoms e.g. depression, infertility, kidney issues, cancer, seizure, etc. Quickly verify documented “side effects” and evidence of harm.
Stifling Treatments That Don’t Enrich Industry — Healing modalities that don’t benefit industry are underutilized, suppressed, and disparaged. Providers who are perceived as a threat to establishment dictates or lucrative markets are condemned, intimidated and attacked.
Suppressed Cancer Treatments — Cancer treatments that don’t benefit establishment medicine are ignored and disparaged. This curation of more than 150 clinical studies and testimonials provides quick access to documented cancer reversal and recovery successes.
The Significance of Legal Precedent — Legal precedent, breach of duty, and “standard of care” are significant factors in the state of the medical industry.
Alternatives & Considerations — Alternatives, considerations, and what you can do.