HealthBeat News

Category: Drugs and Alternatives

  • Hurry – Get An Antibiotic Before You Don’t Need It!

    By Nurse Mark

     

    “If we don’t use an antibiotic, that cold or flu will have a duration of about 7 to 10 days. If we do give an antibiotic it should start to clear up in a little over a week…”

     

    There is no doubt or question that one of the medical miracles of the 20th century is antibiotics – for they have truly saved lives in the face of overwhelming infections.

    From ancient times healers have employed a variety of plants and molds to successfully combat infections but it was the work of Big Pharma in the 1930’s to develop the first prescription antibiotics and their subsequent use during WWII that cemented their miraculous status. Prior to that time even a minor cut might become infected and wounds sustained in the filth of the battlefield were almost certain to develop into a life-threatening septicemia – but no longer.

    Unfortunately, antibiotics are their own worst enemy too – for they are easily overused and inappropriate use diminishes their power and value as a life-saving drug.

    Part of the problem is human nature: we tend to take our health for granted when we feel well, and when we are ill and feeling miserable it is easy for us to believe that our own is the most severe of infections, requiring the most powerful of drugs – for surely mother nature can be no match for this illness!

    Consider the following letter – Dr. Myatt and I have each heard this, and variations of it, literally thousands of times over our careers:

    Dr Myatt,

    Enjoyed your monthly issue of Healthbeat News as usual, which brought me to ask a question regarding the article you included on antibiotics.

    I have had a head cold for almost 2 weeks, which never did go to my chest as they usually do when my 12 year old brings home a new cold for me to share with him.

    I seem to get one or two of these each year and normally I develop severe sinus pain which prompts me to go to the local primary care doc.

    Each time without fail, I am prescribed antibiotics which often require 2 doses to knock the “sinus Infection” out.

    I am not crazy about taking the antibiotics that often but nothing else seems to help and the sinus pain can be severe.

    Any thoughts on that topic?
    Thanks!
    Andrew

     

    Here is what Dr. Myatt had to say to Andrew:

    Hi Andrew:

    In answer to your question, go to our website at www.drmyattswellnessclub.com and look up your medical concern under “health conditions” in the right-hand side drop-down box. There is a wealth of health information with my full “generic” recommendations to be found there. For example, take a look at all the info I have posted about sinus infections: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/sinusitis.htm

    90% or more of people with recurrent sinus infections have a yeast overgrowth in their sinuses, gut or elsewhere. Repeat courses of antibiotics make this condition worse and virtually guarantee that you will continue to have recurrent sinus infections! Clearing up the yeast problem (and possibly food allergies, but this is far less common) is the main way to stay sinus infection free.

    Hope this helps and I hope you’ll go to the website and try our great “Help Yourself To Health” information available to you there!

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

     

    Big Pharma has us really well-trained!

    Big Pharma has us conditioned to believe that there can be no relief from any illness without a drug of some sort.

    What they don’t want us to know is that usually by the time we feel miserable enough to visit our prescription drug provider – aka doctor – Mother Nature is looking after us just fine and we are actually on the mend anyway.

    Here’s how it goes:

     

    The first day, you feel that little niggle – maybe a funny feeling in the back of your throat, maybe a few sneezes, or maybe a bit of watery eyes – but it’s no big deal, right? So you dismiss it…

    On the second day, you definitely feel something – your throat might be a bit raw, you are sneezing, maybe a bit achey. “Aw, darn,” you say to yourself – “I wonder if I’m coming down with something?”

    When you wake on the third day, you know that there is something wrong – the symptoms are so obvious, you’ve had this before – “I hope this isn’t a bad one” you think to yourself.

    On the fourth day you are starting to feel miserable – aching, feverish, nose running, throat sore, maybe a cough, and you begin to think about symptomatic relief – aspirin or ibuprofen for the aches and fever, antihistamines for the runny nose and chest congestion, maybe a cough suppressant, maybe even one of those “night-time relief” medicines to help you get some sleep, ’cause after all you still have to get to work…

    ‘Round about day 5 you are feeling awful: beyond just aches, you’re dizzy and have fuzzy thinking, you’re coughing and can’t go anywhere without a box of tissues, you are feeling like your head might just explode. You are starting to think “this is gonna be bad one…” and you might even have to take a day off work if you have the sick time. “I sure hope this one is over soon!” you think to yourself…

    By day 6 you have had enough – this darn cold / flu has lasted long enough and you are in agony – it feels like you have been sick forever! So you take some time off work and stop by to see your doctor or drop into the urgent care clinic. “This feels like the worst cold I’ve ever had!” you tell the doc, “I sure hope I don’t get that bronchitis / pneumonia / pleuresy / sinusitis again like I had a few years ago – boy, I was sick for weeks that time!”

    Now, that’s all the doc needs to hear – he can see you are miserable, and that you want something done about this right now. So he whips out his prescription pad and scribbles down the name of some antibiotic. “Here” he says, “take this – you’ll feel better soon!” And truer words were never spoken!

    On the seventh day of this ordeal you really aren’t feeling any better – even though you started that antibiotic as soon as you got home from the pharmacy the evening before. “What’s going on here” you think, “I sure hope that doc knows what he is doing – I hope he gave me a strong enough antibiotic…”

    The morning of day 8 dawns to find you feeling just a little bit better – “Thank goodness” you think, “the antibiotic has finally kicked in – and I must have been really sick for it to have taken so long!”

    The ninth day has you congratulating yourself for going to see the doc to get an antibiotic – “I feel a whole bunch better today” you think, “I knew that was a bad one – I guess I really did need that antibiotic!”

    From day 10 and onward you see more improvement – and remembering how miserable you felt a few days ago you sure are glad for the miracles of modern medicine – that antibiotic surely saved you from tragedy or a lingering infection! So, you finish antibiotics but wonder why you still have that nagging cough – it just seems to not want to go away, and your sinuses are still blocked and hurting. So back to see the doc you go, then back to the pharmacy with another prescription. Sure enough, that one does it – a couple of weeks later the cough is all gone, your sinuses are clear and don’t hurt any more and you feel great, all except for the diarrhea or constipation or stomach upset you’ve had ever since you started that antibiotic…

    But let’s back up to day 6 and do it the natural way:

     

    Let’s say you didn’t go to the doctor and didn’t get that prescription for the antibiotic. Let’s say you just bundled up, kept warm, took it easy, made chicken soup, drank plenty of fluids, used your vitamin C, your Bromelain, and your Grape Seed Extract – and maybe some Immune Boost, B.A.M., and Energy Rehab if you had them on hand. How do we suppose this nasty, miserable cold might pan out?

    Well, on the seventh day of this ordeal you really aren’t feeling any better – even though you have been doing all the things we told you about. “What’s going on here” you think, “I sure hope those Wellness Club people know what they are doing – maybe I really do need an antibiotic after all…”

    The morning of day 8 finds you feeling just a little bit better – “Thank goodness” you think, “maybe all that natural stuff really does work!”

    The ninth day has you congratulating yourself for not going to see the doc to get an antibiotic – “I feel a bunch better today” you think, “I knew that was a bad one – but I also knew that if I looked after myself I really wouldn’t need an antibiotic!”

    From day 10 and onward you see a continued improvement – and remembering how miserable you felt a few days ago you sure are glad you stayed the course and took your vitamins and natural remedies – avoiding a visit to the doctor and an expensive and useless antibiotic was worth it. Sure, you’ll likely have a bit if a snuffly nose and a cough for a week or so more, but that’s normal. What you won’t have is an upset gut, candidal overgrowth, or antibiotic-resistant bugs developing in you from the un-needed antibiotic.

    The Great Flim-Flam Act Of Big Medicine And Big Pharma

     

    “But wait,” you say “I started to feel better after just a day or two of taking the antibiotic – it must have been working!”

    Folks, this is one of the biggest and best carnival tricks in conventional medicine.

    You see, there is a saying among those of us who deal with folks who have  colds and flu:

    “If we don’t use an antibiotic, that cold or flu will have a duration of about 7 to 10 days. If we do give an antibiotic it should start to clear up in a  little over a week…”

    And that is so very true that the doc really can’t go wrong – he could prescribe almost anything and sure enough on about day 8 or 9 you are likely to be starting to feel better.

    Or, as one doctor I worked with liked to say “We’d better hurry up and give ‘em an antibiotic before they go and get better on their own!”

    “But” you say, “I keep getting this same thing, over and over – and the only thing that helps is an antibiotic!”

    That may be so – and it is also very likely that the repeated antibiotic use has damaged your body’s normal, protective flora (yes, you have bugs and bacteria in your body that protect you from other, bigger, badder bugs!) and you are now more susceptible to the superbugs that you are creating with course after course of increasingly powerful antibiotics.

    Wouldn’t it be better to get to the bottom of the problem, and to clear up the cause – candidal overgrowth, bacterial overgrowth, food allergy, weakened immunity, toxicity, whatever the root cause may be – than to keep on throwing drug after drug after drug at it to gain temporary relief?

    We sure think so!

    Want to break free from the cycle of antibiotics and illness? Read more at www.DoctorMyatt.com, or better yet, book an Alternative Medical Consultation with Dr. Myatt. You’ll be glad you did!

  • Dying For A Good Night’s Sleep?

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Are you Dying For A Good Night’s Sleep?

     

    If you take even a few sleeping pills a year the answer may be “Yes!”

     

    To sleep, Perchance to dream… Has been the sometimes elusive goal of mankind for millennia. Most people will have trouble sleeping at some time or another – usually it’s temporary, and often related to a particular stress or upset. That is normal, and it won’t be a problem for long. Good sleep will return.

    For some others, sleep becomes an almost impossible goal – many become so desperate as to be willing to try almost anything to achieve a few hours of blessed unconsciousness. Michael Jackson comes to mind… he is resting now.

    Millions of Americans fall somewhere in between the two extremes – and for them a quick trip to the doctor and then to the drugstore to fill a prescription for sleeping pills is something that starts innocently enough but grows into a ritual that is ever-more difficult to escape. Yet escape they must.

    That’s because now in addition to the long-known problem of habituation, recent research has given us clear evidence that even infrequent use of sleeping pills results in a significantly increased risk of death and frequent or regular use of these drugs results in a massive increase in death risk, including risk of death from cancer!

    “Habituation” is a medical term which simply means that not only does the person find it increasingly difficult and even impossible to sleep without drugs, the drugs themselves must be taken in larger and larger doses to achieve the same effect.

    Habituation is an important effect to consider, because the study, reported in the prestigious British Medical Journal made the following points:

    • Patients receiving prescriptions for zolpidem, temazepam and other hypnotics [aka “sleeping pills”] suffered over four times the mortality as the matched hypnotic-free control patients.
    • Even patients prescribed fewer than 18 hypnotic doses per year experienced increased mortality, with greater mortality associated with greater dosage prescribed.
    • Among patients prescribed hypnotics, cancer incidence was increased for several specific types of cancer, with an overall cancer increase of 35% among those prescribed high doses.

    For those interested in further reading (this is a very dense article) the study, titled “Hypnotics’ association with mortality or cancer: a matched cohort study,” can be found here: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000850.full

    Fair warning – if you use sleeping pills, even occasionally, you are going to feel very alarmed and worried after you read that report.

    Here’s a quick breakdown of the numbers:

    People who used sleeping pills more than 132 times each year were FIVE TIMES more likely to die during the study period. To make that number of uses easier to understand, that 132 times a year works out to 11 times a month, or less than 3 times a week.

    People using between 18 and 132 doses each year were four times more likely to die. These are the people who only use a sleeping pill less than twice a month to 11 times a month – which is not very often!

    But here’s the most scary finding: Those people who only took 18 or less doses per year were still more than 3.5 times more likely to die than people who took no sleeping pills at all.

    Let’s say that again: according to the study, if you take as little as one or two sleeping pills a month you are statistically three and a half times more likely to die than someone who takes none.

    So what can you do if you are having trouble sleeping?

    First, it is well worth working with a doctor who understands sleep difficulties and is willing to look beyond the simple and easy “out” of just prescribing a sleeping pill. There are as many reasons for sleep problems as there are people who aren’t sleeping!

    Is the problem “primary insomnia” – the “I can’t slow my thoughts down and get to sleep” kind of insomnia? (This is the “Michael Jackson” kind of insomnia)

    Is the problem “secondary insomnia” – the “I come awake in the small hours of the night and can’t get back to sleep” kind of insomnia? (This is more common in older people and people with unstable blood sugar or hormone imbalances)

    Or, is it some combination of the two?

    Is sleep being interrupted by something like snoring, sleep apnea, muscle cramps or urinary frequency?

    Are there external factors like noise, light, a restless bed-partner, pets, too hot, too cold, or uncomfortable bedding?

    Are there internal factors like unstable blood sugar, mood or emotional disorders, or neurotransmitter or hormone imbalances?

    All these things must be considered and either ruled out, eliminated, or treated if healthy sleep is to be restored. The help of a good holistic physician can literally be a lifesaver!

    Dr. Myatt has a webpage where she discusses insomnia and some common recommendations here: Insomnia

    For those who just want to jump ahead to the “short course” here are some of our most effective supplements to promote healthy sleep.

    Maxi Multi: 3 caps, 3 times per day with meals. Optimal (not minimal) doses of  B complex vitamins and magnesium (both found  in Maxi Multi) are particularly important for insomnia.

    Melatonin: this hormone decreases with age. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant that helps regulate Circadian Rhythms. It should be used in almost all cases of insomnia. Melatonin is also an an “anti stress” hormone.

    Some people complain that they tried melatonin and it didn’t work for them. We usually find that they tried it in a form that they swallowed, as a tablet. Melatonin is not well-absorbed this way, and we recommend that it be take sublingually – that is, dissolved under the tongue. This allows the hormone to enter the bloodstream more directly and without being altered by stomach acids. Rarely, others complain that melatonin helped them sleep, but left them feeling groggy the next day. If this occurs, try taking a smaller dose – a half or even a quarter-tablet to start with.

    L-5-HTP (5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan) 100 mg: 1 cap, 3 times per day, twice with meals and once before bed. Dosage may be increased to 2 caps, 3 times per day after 2 weeks if response is inadequate. L-5-HTP is a neurotransmitter precursor; most neurotransmitters decrease with age.

    Magnesium (amino acid chelate): 2 tabs, 45 minutes before bedtime. (In addition to what is contained in Maxi-Multi) Magnesium is a “calming” mineral.

    Lavender Essential Oil: Used as aromatherapy, lavender has a balancing, relaxing and uplifting effect. Apply several drops to a cotton ball or diffuser to help drift peacefully off to sleep.

    Here is a trick that was taught to me as a young Nurse by an old, very experienced European Nurse: It is common practice in some European hospitals to put a few drops of lavender oil on pillows to help relax patients and promote sleep. I know why lavender was held in such high value by our ancestors – it works!

    Kavinace – This is our “secret weapon” for treating insomnia. Kavinace potentiates GABA, one of the main inhibitory neurotransmitters. Higher GABA levels can relieve anxiety and promote restful sleep. Kavinace works amazingly well as a sleep aid and anti-anxiety formula for people who are low in GABA. Usually 1-2 capsules taken at bedtime (or better, a half-hour before bed) will promote a fine, restful sleep. Three capsules can be used, but may result in a “hangover” sleepiness or “just feeling too well-rested” the next day for some people. Yes, it really is that effective!

    Finally, there is a new product that we are trying with a few select patients: Lavela WS 1265 Lavender Oil Capsules.

    We have seen very convincing evidence in peer-reviewed medical journal articles regarding it’s effectiveness in reducing anxiety and promoting sleep, and there are very positive reports from those patients who have tried it. It is safe, well-tolerated, non habit-forming and non-sedating. It’s once-a-day dosing is convenient and effective.

    We are not actively stocking this product yet as we are still assessing it – but we have a limited number of sample packets available that provide 10 days of treatment – that is probably double what is necessary to achieve a good effect, from what we are seeing so far.

    We will not send these samples out to anyone who is not using the more proven sleep aids of both sublingualMelatonin and Kavinace – but if you are serious about getting a good night’s sleep and want to try a 10 day sample course of Lavela WS 1265 Lavender Oil Capsules then please request it when you order your Melatonin and Kavinace – we will of course ask you to please record and report back to us your experience with this new product.

    ‘Till tomorrow, Pleasant Dreams…

  • FDA Puts New Warnings On Cholesterol Drugs

    Are You Still Taking A Statin For Your Cholesterol? Shame On You!

     

    FDA Puts New Warnings On Cholesterol Drugs

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    It’s been all over the news headlines and the television news reports for the last couple of days – the FDA has finally had to acknowledge that statin drugs are far more dangerous than they had ever admitted before.

    But don’t worry the FDA assures us, ever the good little lap-dogs of Big Pharma, the benefits of driving your levels of a natural substance essential to life to dangerously low levels far outweigh any silly little side effects like memory loss or confusion or diabetes…

    I suppose they figure that they can just prescribe another drug for the confusion, and more drugs for the diabetes, and the memory loss – what memory loss? If it was really important you would have remembered it, right? Just as long as you don’t forget to fill that prescription…

    And remember how they used to warn you that there was a danger that these drugs could cause liver damage? It was so well-known that even the FDA recommended that doctors keep an eye on it with regular blood tests. Well, no more! Don’t worry, says the FDA – it doesn’t happen that often, and there isn’t much we can do about it if it does happen, and all those tests didn’t really give us any warning anyway, so just keep on taking your statin drugs and hope there is a liver available for you when yours goes kaput. They really are getting good at those transplants, and besides, what a great opportunity to put someone on a lifetime regimen of expensive anti-rejection drugs!

    Okay, okay, I’ll turn off the sarcasm now… But this really is serious business.

    Here is an excerpt from the “Safety Announcement” at the FDA’s website:

    Monitoring Liver Enzymes
    Labels have been revised to remove the need for routine periodic monitoring of liver enzymes in patients taking statins. The labels now recommend that liver enzyme tests should be performed before starting statin therapy and as clinically indicated thereafter. FDA has concluded that serious liver injury with statins is rare and unpredictable in individual patients, and that routine periodic monitoring of liver enzymes does not appear to be effective in detecting or preventing serious liver injury.

    Adverse Event Information
    Information about the potential for generally non-serious and reversible cognitive side effects (memory loss, confusion, etc.) and reports of increased blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels has been added to the statin labels. FDA continues to believe that the cardiovascular benefits of statins outweigh these small increased risks.

    I don’t know about you, but these little paragraphs frighten me. Just as much as the “small increased risks.”

    It’s just my opinion, but to me any memory loss or confusion or other “cognitive side effects” are serious – even if they claim that they are “reversible.” Can you imagine the conversation? “Golly officer, I don’t remember getting onto the freeway going in the wrong direction – and all those honking horns and flashing lights, well I just didn’t comprehend them. I was a little confused I guess…”

    Remember, the drug companies are pushing doctors to prescribe these drugs to schoolchildren, prophylactically. That is, “just in case they might be at risk to get high cholesterol” – this truly is a conspiracy to keep America dumbed-down, sick, and dependant on Big Pharma!

    We have written about the dangers of statins again and again in these pages. Here is a review:

    The Truth About Cholesterol Pt.I

    The Truth About Cholesterol Pt.II

    Meanwhile, Big Pharma and conventional medicine continue to push these toxic drugs on anyone they can – from toddlers to seniors – despite their proven dangers.

    When will the insanity end?

  • More Risks From Acid Blocking Drugs (PPIs)

    More Risks From Acid Blocking Drugs (PPIs)

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Our various articles about heartburn, G.E.R.D, acid reflux, esophagitis, and all the other similar digestive problems have been some of our most popular. For a more detailed look this problem see out webpage

    What’s Burning You? The REAL Cause of Heartburn, Indigestion and GERD and “Sour Stomach”

    Healthy digestive function is obviously a huge concern for many people, as can be judged by the massive sales figures of the various prescription and non-prescription “acid blockers” and O.T.C. antacid preparations. The “little purple pill” (Nexium, son of Prilosec) and it’s many proton pump inhibitor cousins are some of the most popular and profitable drugs available legally today – and they are every bit as addictive as the equally profitable and dangerous illegal drugs.

    Addictive? Did Nurse Mark just accuse Big Pharma of being pushers of addictive drugs? You’re darn tootin’ I did! We have written about this before: Help – I’m Hooked On Acid Blocking Drugs! – and we stand by that article today.

    These are nasty drugs, with plenty of dangerous side effects – like pneumonia: Would You Like Some Pneumonia With Your Acid Blocker Pill? There are even more dangerous side-effects for these various “acid blocking” drugs – far too many to list here. Those who really want to frighten themselves can easily and simply “google” a search with the name of the drug they are taking and the words “side effects.”

    Because these are such frequently prescribed drugs, we receive questions about them, well, frequently.

    Here is one such recent question:

    Hello,
    I was found with Hiatal Hernia/esophageal inflammation and received a ppi (since 1 Dec I had 40mg pantoprazol/day.) QUESTION: Before taking The Gastric Acid Function Self-Test, for how long I have to be without medication? Thank you very much for your time and help.
    Simona

    Here is Dr. Myatt’s reply:

    Hi Simona:

    If your PPI Rx. is limited — meaning the doc said take it for some limited time period (which is supposed to be how it is used) — then wait until you are done before testing.

    However, most docs today leave patients on PPI’s indefinitely. This is a bummer because it will decrease your ability to absorb nutrients, especially minerals, over the long-term.

    There are instructions in the Gastric Acid Function Self-Test for how to wean yourself off a PPI and what to use instead to heal the tissues (L-glutamine).

    After you have done this, and it may take a month or so, then you may be safe to test.

    Since you have had a problem in this area, I recommend that you work with an holistic physician to get your GI tract back in shape. You need to find out about any food allergies you may have and eliminate them. If you are eating poor-quality foods that contribute to reflux, those need to be stopped.

    If you are overweight, achieving a normal weight goes a long way toward curing hiatal hernia.

    Hope this information helps and here’s wishing you a healthy, happy 2012.

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

     

    Even the FDA now admits these are dangerous drugs.

    Though they have couched their warnings in the most soothing of language (“don’t worry, be happy, and certainly don’t stop taking the drugs”) their press releases and warnings of May 25th, 2010 make it quite clear that there are some serious problems:

    “There is a possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine if you take certain drugs for heartburn, acid reflux, or ulcers, warns the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”

    Here is the information, straight from the FDA itself: Possible Increased Risk of Bone Fractures With Certain Antacid Drugs

    So, who wants an acid blocking pill when it really is so easy to truly correct the problem? After all, nobody suffers a natural deficiency of proton pump inhibiting drugs!

    “But that pill made my heartburn stop!”

    One of Dr. Myatt’s former patients recently wrote to say “My local MD. told me to start using Prilosec on a regular basis. No more Heartburn. Just thought I’d give you a heads-up.”

    Notice I said “former patient” – because no current patient of Dr. Myatt uses these nasty drugs.

    No more heartburn? Yup, and no more stomach acid either – which means greatly diminished digestive function, increased risk of Clostridium difficile (C-diff – that nasty gut infection that can cause diarrhea at best and death at worst) infection, vitamin B-12 deficiency, magnesium deficiency, heart rhythm problems, and more. But no more heartburn! Wow – what a trade-off!

    Then there are the “infrequent adverse effects” like rash, itch, flatulence, constipation, anxiety, and depression. Hey, sign me up! NOT!

    But don’t take my word for all this – after all, we are just naturopathic medics (not “conventional,” drug-pushers) so what would we know? You can read more about the Proton Pump Inhibitor class of drugs here at Wikipedia.

    Maybe what you see there will help you to decide to do something healthy about that heartburn – instead of just popping a “little purple pill.”

  • What Do You Need For Healthy Bones?

    Bone Health Or Bone Death?

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    We get a lot of questions about osteoporosis – it is a very confusing and rightfully frightening subject for older people.

    Big Pharma takes advantage of that confusion and fear to offer a variety of drugs that are so dangerous that if they were subjected to the same intense scrutiny by the FDA that mere vitamins and supplements are they would be instantly banned!

    Big Medicine is a willing accomplice to Big Pharma, using such things as “bone density tests” to terrorize women into agreeing to take some variety of a bone-killing bisphosphonate drug.

    Did I just say “bone Killing“?

    Yes! These drugs “work” by actually killing one kind of bone cell – here is an explanation from Wikipedia:

    Bone undergoes constant turnover and is kept in balance (homeostasis) by osteoblasts creating bone and osteoclasts destroying bone. Bisphosphonates inhibit the digestion of bone by encouraging osteoclasts to undergo apoptosis, or cell death, thereby slowing bone loss.

     

    This rather reminds me of that famous quote from the Vietnam War years: “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it” (that quote has transformed over the years into “We had to destroy the village in order to save it.”) It seems that Big Pharma has adopted that strategy, saying “We have to kill your bone cells in order to save your bones.”

    Yikes – what a strategy! A strategy only Big Pharma could get away with and only the FDA could approve of!

    Has Big Medicine never heard of “preventive medicine”?

    One of Dr. Myatt’s long-standing patients, Joyce, wrote recently to say that she was being pressured to accept one of the more recent bisphosphonate offerings and to ask Dr. Myatt’s opinion. Here is her question and Dr. Myatt’s answer:

    HI  I WANT TO ASK YOU A QUESTION. I was told that I have osteoporosis after having a bone density test, it is not real bad they did want to put me on more calcium and vitamin D3 but I think there is enough in my Maxi – Multi’s. They also wanted to put me on a once a year treatment of Reclast  given I V for 20 min. Because I don’t trust them I said no. Any way all I wanted to know is if there is enough calcium & vitamin D 3 in my Maxies.  Thank you Joyce.

     

    Hi Joyce:

    Wow… Here’s the scoop.

    Maxi Multi’s contain enough cal:mag for almost everyone except post-menopausal women.

    The recommendations for post menopausal females is 1200-1500 mg/day calcium, 500-800 mg/day.

    In order to achieve this dose, most women add 3 caps per day of Cal-Mag to their protocol.

    You might not need the additional if your diet contains enough extra calcium and magnesium.

    Also, strontium has been found to work as well as drugs for building bone.

    “Bone-building drugs” actually are bone-killing drugs. We’ve written about this in HealthBeat: The Ugly Truth About “Bone-Building” Drugs for Osteoporosis

    My complete recommendations for ensuring strong bones and preventing osteoporosis can be found on our website at this link: http://drmyattswellnessclub.com/osteoporosis.htm

    Please check this page out. It will give you complete instructions including amounts to take and why your idea of “no Reclast” is, in my opinion, a good decision.

    Hope this helps and here’s wishing you and yours a Happy Turkey Day!

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

     

    Now, just in case anyone thinks I am exaggerating the dangers of bisphosphonate drugs, I have taken the following information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine a government website that bills itself as “The World’s Largest Medical Library” and as a resource for conventional medical doctors:

     

    What side effects can this medication cause?

    Zoledronic acid may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

    • redness or swelling in the place where you received your injection

    • red, swollen, or teary eyes

    • constipation

    • nausea

    • vomiting

    • diarrhea

    • stomach pain

    • loss of appetite

    • weight loss

    • heartburn

    • mouth sores

    • excessive worry

    • agitation

    • depression

    • difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

    • fever, chills, and other signs of infection

    • white patches in the mouth

    • swelling, redness, irritation, burning, or itching of the vagina

    • white vaginal discharge

    • numbness, burning, or tingling in fingers or toes

    • hair loss

    Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

    • rash

    • hives

    • itching

    • swelling of the eyes, face, lips, tongue, throat, hands, arms, feet, ankles, or lower legs

    • difficulty breathing or swallowing

    • upper chest pain

    • irregular heartbeat

    • numbness or tingling around the mouth

    • sudden tightening of muscles

    • unusual bruising or bleeding

    • painful or swollen gums

    • loosening of the teeth

    • numbness or heavy feeling in the jaw

    • poor healing of the jaw

    • dull, aching pain in the hips, groin, or thighs

    Zoledronic acid may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

    Being treated with a bisphosphonate medication such as zoledronic acid injection for osteoporosis may increase the risk that you will break your thigh bone(s). You may feel pain in your hips, groin, or thighs for several weeks or months before the bone(s) break, and you may find that one or both of your thigh bones have broken even though you have not fallen or experienced other trauma. It is unusual for the thigh bone to break in healthy people, but people who have osteoporosis may break this bone even if they do not receive zoledronic acid injection. Talk to your doctor about the risks of receiving zoledronic acid injection.

     

    Please read the last paragraph again: “Being treated with a bisphosphonate medication such as zoledronic acid injection for osteoporosis may increase the risk that you will break your thigh bone(s).”

    Does this sound like a drug that anyone should be taking?

     

    References:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000306/#a605023-sideEffects

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphosphonate