"Bone strengthening" drugs associated with numerous side effects

When reading this notice for medical practitioners from Medsafe, please bear in mind that what is being advised applies to all "bone-sparing" drugs of the bisphosphonate class, including the Fosamax which, among other brands, is the subject of thousands of court actions in the USA.
http://blog.garymoller.com/search/label/fosamax-lawsuits

I use the phrase "bone-sparing" with extreme cynicism because just two of this class of drug are blamed for causing 31,500 femur and hip fractures in the USA alone!

Bear in mind that less than 10% of adverse reactions ever get reported.

Read on and read the links I have provided.  As I said in an earlier article, "You would have to be nuts to be taking these".

Key Messages

• Patients who are treated with zoledronic acid can experience acute phase reactions.
• Symptoms include fever, diffuse musculoskeletal pain, gastrointestinal effects, and eye inflammation.
• The risk of renal reactions can be prevented by keeping patients adequately hydrated prior to and following infusions.

Acute Phase Reactions

Zoledronic acid (marketed as Aclasta and Zometa in New Zealand) is a bisphosphonate administered to patients by intravenous infusion. Prescribers are reminded that patients may experience an acute phase response or adverse effects on renal function following administration.

Acute phase reactions may present with the following symptoms: chills, fever, influenza-like symptoms, night sweats, rigors and shivering, diffuse musculoskeletal pain, gastrointestinal effects, and eye inflammation¹.

Acute phase responses can occur at any time up to approximately two weeks following an infusion¹. The majority of patients will experience symptoms within the first three days after an infusion¹. These reactions are usually self-limiting and resolve completely within 24 to 48 hours². However, in some patients symptoms may persist for longer periods.

Supportive and symptomatic management with paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is recommended, once other serious causes of fever such as infection have been excluded². Pre-treatment with paracetamol or ibuprofen may also be helpful for some patients².

Renal Reactions

Renal reactions can also occur shortly after infusion. Adequate hydration can help to reduce the risk of renal deterioration after a zoledronic acid infusion^4–6. Renal deterioration, progression to renal failure and dialysis has been reported in patients following the initial dose of zoledronic acid⁵.

If patients show signs of renal function decline after infusion, the benefits and risks of harm of continued treatment should be evaluated.

Factors which may increase the risk of renal deterioration following zoledronic acid infusions are:

• dehydration
• pre-existing renal impairment
• multiple cycles of zoledronic acid or other bisphosphonates
• concomitant use of nephrotoxic drugs
• a shorter infusion time than recommended.

Bisphosphonates are also associated with ocular inflammatory effects such as uveitis and scleritis³. Ocular complications are uncommon. However, patients should be advised to seek immediate medical attention if they experience any ocular symptoms while being treated with a bisphosphonate.

The Centre for Adverse Reaction Monitoring (CARM) has received 153 reports of musculoskeletal adverse reactions starting within one month after a zoledronic acid infusion. CARM also received 26 reports of ocular adverse reactions and 33 reports of urinary adverse reactions within one month following an infusion.

Healthcare professionals are encouraged to report all suspicions of medicine adverse reactions to CARM.

References

1. Reid IR, Gamble GD, Mesenbrink P, et al. 2010. Characterization of and risk factors for the acute-phase response after zoledronic acid. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 95: 4380–4387.
2. Tanvetyanon T, Stiff PJ. 2006. Management of the adverse effects associated with intravenous bisphosphonates. Annals of oncology 17: 897–907.
3. Medsafe. 2011. Reminder: Keeping an eye on bisphosphonates. Prescriber Update 32(3): 24. URL: www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/PUArticles/BisphosphonatesSept2011.htm (accessed 19 May 2015).
4. Attivi D, Kosmalski G, Zeghmouli C, et al. 2014. Effect of intravenous hydration in patients receiving bisphosphonate therapy. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy 36: 1277–1281.
5. Novartis New Zealand Limited. 2014. Zometa Data Sheet. 21 October 2014. URL: www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/z/Zometaconcinf.pdf (accessed 19 May 2015).
6. Novartis New Zealand Limited. 2014. Aclasta Data Sheet. 8 October 2014. URL: www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/a/Aclastainf.pdf (accessed 19 May 2015).

Source of release:
http://medsafe.govt.nz/profs/PUArticles/June2015/June2015ZoledronicAcid.htm


Further reading:
http://blog.garymoller.com/search/label/fosamax

 About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

31,581 femur fractures blamed on Fosamax and Alendronate use!

These drugs are enthusiastically promoted on New Zealand television by celebrities such as Judith Dobson to prevent fractures.  The evidence is growing that they INCREASE fractures (Please bear in mind that as few as 1% of cases are ever officially reported).

Total reported major side effects for these two "bone sparing" drugs exceeds a whopping 200,000! :

Most common side effects for patients taking FOSAMAX:
FEMUR FRACTURE (26988 patients) 
FALL (21241 patients) 
OSTEONECROSIS (15354 patients) 
OSTEOARTHRITIS (14625 patients) 
ANXIETY (14421 patients) 
DEPRESSION (14302 patients) 
HYPERTENSION (12928 patients) 
LOW TURNOVER OSTEOPATHY (12755 patients) 
ARTHRALGIA (11612 patients) 
TOOTH DISORDER (11082 patients) 

Most common side effects for patients taking ALENDRONATE SODIUM:
FEMUR FRACTURE (4593 patients) 
FALL (2879 patients) 
LOW TURNOVER OSTEOPATHY (2222 patients) 
OSTEOARTHRITIS (1728 patients) 
ARTHRALGIA (1680 patients) 
HYPERTENSION (1357 patients) 
PAIN IN EXTREMITY (1351 patients) 
STRESS FRACTURE (1293 patients) 
ANXIETY (1255 patients) 
BACK PAIN (1082 patients) 

Source: http://medsfacts.com/index.php

Is your doctor in the "health" business or the "drug-pushing" one?

Make sure that you choose a doctor who understands the business of health (unfortunately these are rare creatures).

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Merck now faces thousands of law suits for alleged harm caused by Fosamax drug

The evidence is growing by the day that so-called bone-sparing drugs like Fosamax (a member of the bisphosphonate class of drugs), to treat osteoporosis, have absolutely no benefit for bone health, other than for people with bone cancer and it is encouraging that the US courts are beginning to agree.

Thousands of cases are now before the US courts for just one of these drugs alone; but there are several more, including Alendronate which is advertised by Jude Dobson on national television in New Zealand as a convention once a year infusion.

These drugs do nothing for bone health: they work by killing the cells in the bone that remodel and remove old bone. The end result is dead bone that will snap with the slightest provocation.   This is really bizarre if not outright barbaric: these drugs cause exactly the harm they claim to prevent!  The most common, including death of the jaw bone is femur fracture.  I am also aware of cases of fracture of the spine that has accelerated a few years after being prescribed these drugs.

Let me assure you that there are safe and healthy alternatives to these toxic and harmful drugs.  They should not be prescribed in New Zealand while there is obviously so much legal action happening in the US alleging harm.  Besides, it is no mystery why this harm is happening - we know how the drug causes the bone death - that's what it is intended to do - kill your bones!

My advice is this:  Don't take it!

Run for the clinic door if this drug is ever suggested.  If you, or a loved one, has been taking any of this class of drug, the healthiest thing you can do is to stop taking it immediately.  There are no side effects from sudden cessation of this class of drug, other than feeling better.

Contact an alternative health professional for advice about healthy things you can do for strong, healthy bones.

If you are not sure about what to do, you are welcome to contact me and I will do the best I can to assist you.

For more about this topic, please read the bulletin below from Tom Lamb Law and the links to other articles I have written.  If you think you may have been harmed by one of these drugs you might like to drop him a line to check what your rights and options are.  Tom is one of the Good Guys.
________________________________

June 2014 Fosamax - Femur Fracture Litigation Update: Thousands Of Cases Pending, But No Trial Dates Currently Scheduled In Federal Court MDL Nor New Jersey Multicounty Litigation

Merck Corporate SEC Filing for First Quarter 2014 Provides Information About Numbers Of Lawsuits In Various Court Jurisdictions Being Worked Up For Some Possible Trials In The Future

(Posted by Tom Lamb at DrugInjuryWatch.com)
We have our first 2014 update from Merck on the Fosamax - femur fracture litigation.

Merck Faces More Than 4100 Fosamax - GaryMoller.com

blog.garymoller.com/2013/.../merck-faces-more-than-4100-fosamax.ht...

Dec 3, 2013 - Merck Faces More Than 4100 Fosamax - Femur Fracture Lawsuits As Of September 30, 2013 According To SEC Corporate Filing.

GaryMoller.com - Health, Fitness - Naturally!: Fosamax ...

blog.garymoller.com/2013/.../fosamax-femur-fracture-lawsuits-filed.htm...

Aug 27, 2013 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE Certified, ... Fosamax - Femur Fracture Lawsuits Filed Against Merck Said To ...

The Fosamax lawsuits are now in progress! - GaryMoller.com

blog.garymoller.com/2012/.../fosamax-lawsuits-are-now-in-progress.htm...

Mar 11, 2012 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE ... This harm is not isolated to Fosamax alone, Fosamax is a member of the ...

GaryMoller.com - Health, Fitness - Naturally!: ALERT FDA ...

blog.garymoller.com/2011/08/alert-fda-studying-link-between.html

Aug 5, 2011 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE ... ALERT FDA Studying Link Between Bisphosphonates, Esophageal ...

GaryMoller.com - Health, Fitness - Naturally!: Test your ...

blog.garymoller.com/2008/08/test-your-doctors-knowledge-about.html

May 27, 2012 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE Certified, ... Test your doctor's knowledge about Bisphosphonates: Updated ...

GaryMoller.com - Health, Fitness - Naturally!: Fosamax ...

blog.garymoller.com/2013/.../fosamax-femur-fracture-lawsuits-filed.htm...

Aug 27, 2013 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE Certified, ... Fosamax and other bisphosphonate drugs have to be among the ...

"Gary - I loved your comments on bisphosphonates" - Doctor

blog.garymoller.com/2008/08/gary-i-loved-your-comments-on.html

Aug 20, 2008 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE Certified, ... "Gary - I loved your comments on bisphosphonates" - Doctor ...

The myth of osteoporosis exposed - GaryMoller.com

blog.garymoller.com/2012/12/the-myth-of-osteoporosis-exposed.html

Dec 27, 2012 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE Certified, Kordel's ... http://blog.garymoller.com/search/label/bisphosphonates

You shared this on Google+

GaryMoller.com - Health, Fitness - Naturally!: Snapping ...

blog.garymoller.com/2008/07/snapping-thigh-bones-caused-by.html

Jul 31, 2008 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE Certified, ... associated with the bisphosphonates, comes a worrying series of ...

GaryMoller.com - Health, Fitness - Naturally!: Anti ...

blog.garymoller.com/.../anti-osteoporosis-drugs-evidence-mounts.html

Sep 20, 2012 - Gary Moller: [DipPhEd PGDipRehab PGDipSportMed(Otago)FCE ... All were female, and taking bisphosphonates for a mean of 4.3 years.

You shared this on Google+

Fosamax - Femur Fracture Lawsuits Filed Against Merck Said To Total 3,940 As Of June 30, 2013

Example of "Fossy" jaw

Fosamax and other bisphosphonate drugs have to be among the most harmful drugs that have ever been prescribed in modern medicine.  They are increasingly associated with a long list of feared diseases, including cancer, heart failure, liver damage and dementia.

Despite these being prescribed to prevent osteoporosis, the evidence is that they actually increase bone fracture!

It is no medical mystery why this happens:  Bisphosphonates are a poison that should never be put into a human being.  It is particularly toxic to bone cells (I explain their action in this article here).  While there may be a brief reduction of bone fracture, this is quickly replaced by increased rates of catastrophic bone death.  This includes osteonecrosis of the jaw which is about the worst disfigurement one could ever wish upon a person - Horrific!

An example of "Fossy Hip"

Here in New Zealand, despite the growing evidence of horrific harm, media personalities, like Jude Dobson, continue to reassuringly purr on during prime time television about the wonderful benefits of these drugs.  I wonder how much she is being paid?  Meanwhile, the campaign to terrorise women about osteoporosis continues while offering only one solution: Harmful megadoses of synthetic vitamin D along with bone-killing bispohosphonates.  Of course, there are safe and effective alternatives but these get no mainstream attention because there is no money in them.

The sale of bisphosphonates drugs is a billion dollar industry worldwide and the profits far exceed any expense from consequent law suits.  Also bear in mind that many of the elderly women who suffer bone death end up dying before they can sue the culprits!  Those that do sue face years of legal torture by defendants with bottomless pockets and many will be sidelined due to ill health, as the article below highlights for one of the first cases to go before the New Jersey courts.

This whole business is medical madness, if you ask me.  How come this scandal is not headline news in New Zealand and elsewhere?  Meanwhile these drugs continue to be advertised on New Zealand television.  Is it because of the money?  What about the health of the people taking it?  Don't they have the right to know?  What is the responsibility of the prescribing physician who must surely be aware of the thousands of lawsuits in the USA alone?

Please read the article below and follow the links and you will see that I am not alone in thinking this is crazy stuff.

Fosamax - Femur Fracture Lawsuits Filed Against Merck Said To Total 3,940 As Of June 30, 2013

Drug Company Reports 2,660 Cases In New Jersey State Court Consolidation, 1,075 Cases Are Part Of Federal Court MDL, And 470 In California

(Posted by Tom Lamb at DrugInjuryWatch.com)
About five months ago we posted "March 2013 Fosamax Product Liability Litigation Update: Femur Fracture Cases Against Merck -- December 31, 2012 Totals: 2,075 New Jersey (NJ) State Court Lawsuits, With 820 Cases Pending In Federal Court Fosamax MDL And 420 California Claims".
As seen in Merck's SEC filing for the second quarter of 2013, the number of Fosamax cases alleging femur fracture as the drug injury -- as opposed to osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) -- is growing albeit at a relatively modest rate.
And that total number will certainly get higher as we and other law firms around the country continue to investigate for litigation new Fosamax - femur fracture cases that will eventually be filed as lawsuits.
From the Merck SEC filing we get this update for the New Jersey consolidated Fosamax litigation:

As of June 30, 2013, approximately 2,660 cases alleging Femur Fractures have been filed in New Jersey state court and are pending before Judge Higbee in Atlantic County Superior Court. The parties have selected an initial group of 30 cases to be reviewed through fact discovery. The first trial of the New Jersey state Femur Fracture cases, Su v. Merck, began on March 11, 2013, but a mistrial was declared on March 28, 2013 after the plaintiff suffered a serious medical issue unrelated to her use of Fosamax that prevented her from proceeding with the trial. The next trial, Unanski v. Merck, was set to be tried beginning November 4, 2013, but has been continued and is expected to be tried in 2014.

Here is the Google search string for most of the articles I have written about bisphosphonates.


Fosamax lawsuits articles

About megadoses of vitamin D

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Lawsuits alleging harm by osteoporosis drugs are now being won!

I have been reporting for years about the horrible injuries that these anti-osteoporosis drugs (bisphosphonates) are causing - Bone death, disabling fractures, cancer, dementia and heart disease.  I was right all along:  These drugs cause enormous harm and are doping so on a scale that is scandalous to the extreme.  Just one brand alone, Fosamax, is now facing in excess of 4,000 lawsuits in the United States alone - mind-boggling!

Meanwhile, New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world that allows these drugs to be marketed directly to the consumer on prime time television using "personalities" like Judith Dobson, who's job is to lull the consumer into a state of dulled complacency.  Is anybody in New Zealand monitoring these drugs?  Or is it a case of the fox guarding the chicken coup?

Merck claims that it gave adequate warning of the risks associated with these drugs but still lost.  This claim of theirs is rubbish: If you can read the small print on that 30 second television ad as it flashes across the screen, then you are doing far better than me!  The family doctor is our reliable health professional who we trust is diligently working to protect our health; but this is no longer the case, since they are well and truly ensconced within the the drugs industry encampment nowadays and at their beck and call to promote their drugs.

You can no longer rely on your doctor to protect you from dangerous drugs such as bisphosphonates

Why do they keep selling these drugs despite losing hundreds of thousands per lost law suit?  Because they can make many millions more by still selling the poison to unsuspecting people, mostly elderly women who they know will never fight back.  In New Zealand it is harder to sue, by the way.

Here's the latest news.....

(Reuters) - A federal jury on Tuesday ordered Merck & Co Inc to pay $285,000 in a lawsuit over the risks of its osteoporosis drug Fosamax, the second loss for the company after several earlier trials. 

A federal jury on Tuesday ordered Merck & Co Inc to pay $285,000 in a lawsuit over the risks of its osteoporosis drug Fosamax, the second loss for the company after several earlier trials.
The eight-person jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan found that Merck failed to warn plaintiff Rhoda Scheinberg's doctors of the risks associated with Fosamax. The jury rejected the plaintiff's argument that Fosamax was a defective product.
More than 4,000 lawsuits are pending in federal and state courts arising out of injuries allegedly caused by the one-time blockbuster medication. Seven cases have now gone to trial, and Merck has won five and lost two.
This latest trial was one of the so-called "bellwether" cases in the Fosamax litigation. Judges order bellwethers in mass litigation to assess trends and outcomes that could play out in similar lawsuits. A string of wins by plaintiffs could, for example, give them a stronger hand in settlement talks with defendants to end all of the cases.
Lawyers for Scheinberg, a 69-year-old New York resident, contended Fosamax caused her to suffer delayed healing and a bone disease of the jaw after a tooth extraction. The jury found that Merck's failure to warn of the drug's risks was a cause of her injury.
"With this victory, this litigation has a renewed purpose and a renewed focus," Tim O'Brien, a lawyer for Scheinberg who also represents other plaintiffs in Fosamax lawsuits, said in a statement.
Merck said in a statement that it disagreed with the verdict and noted that the jury returned a mixed verdict.
"Merck provided appropriate warnings, and the plaintiff was at increased risk for dental and jaw problems regardless of whether she was taking Fosamax," said Merck lawyer Chilton Varner of law firm King & Spalding.
The lawsuit, filed in 2008, was one of 975 pending before U.S. District Judge John Keenan in New York after a judicial panel consolidated Fosamax cases alleging jaw-related injuries.
Another 842 lawsuits alleging femur injuries are pending in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey. Other lawsuits are pending in state courts.
The only other Fosamax case that Merck has lost at trial resulted in a $8 million verdict by a federal jury in Manhattan in June 2010 for Shirley Boles, a Florida woman who alleged she developed osteonecrosis of the jaw after taking the drug.
In October 2010, Keenan reduced the verdict to $1.5 million. Merck is appealing the case.
Fosamax had annual sales of $3 billion until its U.S. patent lapsed in 2008 and generic versions flooded the market.
Merck shares were up 53 cents, or 1.3 percent, at $41.38 on the New York Stock Exchange in late afternoon trading.
The case is Scheinberg v. Merck & Co, Inc., U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 09-4119.
(Reporting By Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Martha Graybow, Leslie Adler and Carol Bishopric)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/us-merck-fosamax-idUSBRE91416H20130205

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Why do many women have osteopaenia or osteoporosis?

Modern eternal war is the perfect
business model.
The other "Eternal War" is the one
to enslave the bodies
of womanhood

One of the most frequent inquiries coming my way is from women mostly over 40 who have been told by their doctor that they have weak bones.

It is needless terrorism

Some arrive on my doorstep in tears after being told they have either osteopaenia or osteoporosis.  This is a very serious thing to drop on an otherwise healthy woman; especially when the only solutions offered condemn them to a life time of drugs, mega-doses of harmful synthetic vitamins and minerals (vitamin D and calcium) and constant worry that they may trip and break a bone.

In many cases this is irresponsible, alarmist rubbish!

If there is an osteoporosis epidemic, then where are the hospital wards full of women with broken bones?  There aren't.  Yes, there is osteoporosis and some women do unfortunately fall and break a hip; but there is not an epidemic of fractures.  If a woman has low bone density, as many may, this is actually a poor predictor of fracture risk (There are articles linked later in this article which explain this).  Being on heart medication is a better predictor of fracture risk than a Dexa Scan.  

Did you know that "bone sparing" medication actually increases fracture risk after two years use!  Did you know that there are now more than 2,000 law suits pending in the New Jersey courts alone for osteonecrosis and hip fracture, allegedly caused by the use of Fosamax?  (Fosamax is just one of many kinds of "bone-sparing" drug of the bisphoshonate class).

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=fosamax+law+suits&aq=f&oq=fosamax+law+suits&aqs=chrome.0.57j62.15154j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Hardly any woman over the age of 50 will not be declared anything less than being osteopaenic following a scan.  This is simply the way it works: It is a test that is based on dodgy science using a scaling system that almost guarantees a diagnosis of low bone density.

The motivation is purely for commercial gain: In my opinion:

• The Dexa Scan is a high value service for the clinic that is quick and easy to operate.
• It gives the "evidence" for justifying a woman sacrificing her body for the cause: The war on osteoporosis which includes subjecting oneself annually to yet another source of cancer-causing radiation consuming expensive patented vitamins and minerals which will actually accelerate bone loss, arthritis and fatigue!
• And has them enroll in the clinic's profitable "bone strengthening" programme (A waste of money and effort if not combined with a proper drugs-free nutritional balancing programme).
• It has them coming back for an annual screen (A captured population and ongoing profitability).
• When this does not work, as it surely won't, then the clinic can put them on an even higher value "bone-sparing" drug like Fosamax which is guaranteed to destroy a woman's health, thus requiring even more high value drugs and medical procedures.

Screening programmes like these are a form of costly medical entrapment that has nothing to do with health.  In my informed opinion. Where's the published peer reviewed evidence of long term benefits such as improved life expectancy and improved quality of life?  I haven't found it yet.  

Incidentally, the Dexa Scan is now being extended to measure body fat: Yet even more cancer-causing radiation.  As if there wasn't too much already! This is totally contradictory in terms of  good health practice.

Real health has been hijacked and distorted 

for the purposes of commercial profit

A parallel health issue with equally dodgy motives and lack of credible evidence is the cholesterol lowering industry: http://blog.garymoller.com/2013/05/can-statin-cholesterol-lowering-drugs.html.  A further outrageous example of the hijacking of health for profit is the highly successful seasonal flu vaccine: http://blog.garymoller.com/2013/04/is-seasonal-flu-vaccine-actually.html and here: http://blog.garymoller.com/2013/02/the-flu-shot-dr-oz-is-getting-his-are.html

The osteoporosis industry reminds me of the Halliburton model for the "Business of War".  The next obvious move in the war on osteoporosis is to target men, similar to what the cosmetics industry has done after exhausting its supply of women for business growth.

Sex sells: Terror sells even better!

Here are a series of articles that you will find relevant to this discussion:

• Does calcium prevent osteoporosis? http://blog.garymoller.com/2012/01/inconvenient-truth-about-osteoporosis.html
• Calcium and heart disease: http://blog.garymoller.com/2010/08/study-finds-link-between-calcium.html
• http://blog.garymoller.com/2010/04/i-am-60-year-old-woman-diagnosed-with.html
• http://blog.garymoller.com/2009/09/how-much-calcium-do-we-need-in-our.html
• http://blog.garymoller.com/2008/08/i-am-29-year-old-female-very-active.html
• http://blog.garymoller.com/2007/06/spontaneous-fractures-and-fossy-jaw.html
• http://blog.garymoller.com/2012/09/anti-osteoporosis-drugs-evidence-mounts.html
• http://blog.garymoller.com/2010/05/would-rebounding-be-counter-indicated.html
• Vit D articles https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=gary+moller+vitamin+d&aq=f&oq=gary+moller+vitamin+d&aqs=chrome.0.57j62l3.10025j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
• Fosamax etc https://www.google.co.nz/search?newwindow=1&q=gary+moller+bisphosphonates&oq=gary+moller+bisp&gs_l=serp.1.0.0i22i30.139412.141861.0.144294.4.3.0.1.1.0.255.694.2-3.3.0...0.0...1c.1.11.serp.7UwUBSByEao
• Gillian Sanson http://blog.garymoller.com/2012/09/the-myth-of-osteoporosis-revised.html  and http://gilliansanson.wordpress.com/ (Highly recommended!).

Cochrane Reviews on osteoporosis:

http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/details/browseReviews/577511/Osteoporosis.html?page=1

Sadly, I can't find convincing evidence of benefit from these drugs in terms of life expectancy or morbidity when adjusted for "all causes".

You will realise there is good cause to be cautious about any health matters in which Big Business has a controlling hand . You may also appreciate why I decided to separate myself from the "system" some years ago. 

I am not winning any popularity contests for calling out aloud that the Emperor has no clothes but it is difficult to remain silent following the tearful visit from a healthy woman who has just been told she has a terrible disease that, in her case, may actually be an unsubstantiated  concoction of myth for commercial profit and she is given little in the way of treatment choice other than spending the rest of her life on harmful drugs.

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Test your doctor's knowledge about Bisphosphonates: Updated

In response to my recent articles about bisphosphonate drugs, some readers have questioned their doctors about side effects of taking these. The responses have been astonishing: "No knowledge of any adverse reports", or that any side effects are "extremely rare", or merely "bothersome".

I guess that having your jaw drop off is "bothersome".

When it comes to your health, there is no margin for error. Unlike your car, you can not replace your body if your doctor blunders.

So, here is a short test of your doctor's knowledge about Bisphosphonate Drugs:

• What is the estimated half life in the body for these drugs if I stop taking them today?
• Answer: As long as 10 years
• What is the name of the cells in the bone that the drug inhibits
• Answer: Osteoclasts (Not Osteoblasts).  But it does eventually kill off the osteoblasts as well, so the answer should probably be "Both".  Read this:  http://blog.garymoller.com/2010/02/new-warnings-about-dangers-of-leg.html and:  http://blog.garymoller.com/2006/06/lets-place-granny-on-suds.html
• What is "Fossy Jaw"?
• Answer: Jaw bone death related to this class of drug. In the 19th Century match factory workers were found to develop "Phossy Jaw" or "Fossy Jaw", the death of bone tissue in the jaw that led to hideous deformation, a draining of disgusting and smelly pus, and an inability to eat or talk, that led to death unless the jaw was surgically removed (a remedy that didn't always work). This disease was so terrible that many people killed themselves. Fossy Jaw was related to the phosphorus from the matches that found its way into the bony structure of the jaw, inhibiting bone turnover, and causing death of the bone cells (medical term: osteonecrosis of the jaw).
• Have there been any reports recently of spontaneous fractures of the femur related to this class of drug (bisphosphonates)?
• Answer: Yes.  Read here:  http://blog.garymoller.com/2009/08/fosamax-doubles-risk-of-subtrochanteric.html

If your doctor can not answer all of these questions correctly I suggest that you change doctors.

I will be writing more about exercise and nutrition for bone health in future articles so keep a watch for them.

Do you have a question?
Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.