Women taking osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates to prevent broken bones were showing up with rare and serious fractures of their thigh bones. The fractures are highly unusual because they are occurring in the long bone of the thigh, when ordinarily thigh bone fractures occur near the hip socket. Further, because this area does not have a rich blood supply, the fractures are difficult to heal.
Annual sales of osteoporosis drugs have doubled to $8.3 billion since 2003, which is a solid indicator that many people are being kept in the dark about these serious risks. ABC News recently reported that the Food and Drug Administration asked Merck (the maker of Fosamax) to "add information about the report of femur fractures" to the medications' package insert back in 2008!
Fosamax also causes jawbone degeneration, a disease now known to oral surgeons as Bisphosphate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (BRONJ) or "Fossy Jaw" - a nasty side effect of Fosamax and related drugs that essentially causes your jawbone to rot and decay.
Bisphosphate drugs have been associated with:
- Serious eye inflammation and possible blindness
- Liver damage
- Atrial fibrillation
- Increased risk of ulcers
- Esophageal cancer
- Renal failure
- Skin reactions
- Hypocalcemia (blood calcium levels are too low)
A Safer Road to Bone Health...10 Steps
1. Increase your consumption of vegetables: try vegetable juicing.
2. Avoid processed foods.
3. Consume omega-3 fat and reduce or eliminate the amount of processed vegetable oils such as corn, canola, safflower, cotton seed oil that you consume.
4. Increase your calcium intake along with other related minerals
5. Avoid soft drinks and sugar.
6. Avoid steroids. Steroids increase your risk of osteoporosis.
7. Consider supplements with vitamin K2 if you are not getting enough from food alone eg. green leafy vegetables.
8. Optimize your vitamin D levels with sunshine, oily fish, egg yolks, fortified dairy
9. Exercise. Strength building exercises like weight training are especially helpful here.
10. Consider herbs to boost your hormones.
Source: New York Times March 24, 2010
