Osteoporosis is a devastating disease that affects more than 200 million people worldwide and one that here at Calton Nutrition we take very seriously. That is because, as you may know, Mira had advanced osteoporosis at the age of 30, and it was our research into what caused that
condition and ultimately how to reverse that disease, which started us down the path to developing our patented multivitamin and signature micronutrient therapies. The culmination of these years of research, personal success, client success, and devotion to solving the micronutrient crisis and lifestyle-driven metabolic challenges that underlie osteoporosis is crystallized in our life-changing 12-week osteoporosis protocol found in our new book, Rebuild Your Bones!
When Mira was first diagnosed with osteoporosis, she, like 190 million other people each year, was given a prescription for the most popular class of drug used for the treatment of osteoporosis called a bisphosphonate. Bisphosphonates (Fosamax, Binosto, Actonel, Reclast, and Boniva) are the most widely prescribed of the osteoporosis drugs and are taken by
approximately 190 million people globally. Luckily, we choose to forgo drug therapy using bisphosphonates and instead use our natural micronutrient therapy to reverse Mira’s osteoporosis- you can too!– but for the millions of people around the world who went down the drug therapy path, 2017 research by scientists at Imperial College in London, shows that bisphosphonates actually MAKE BONES WEAKER!
Researchers found that the use of bisphosphonates was associated with the development of “micro-cracks” in the bone of the osteoporosis patients being studied. The lead author of the study, Dr. Abel, described the outcome as “startling” as the bones of the subjects taking bisphosphonates had a larger number of these micro-cracks and less mechanical strength than
those who weren’t taking the drug. The study results revealed that the bones of bisphosphonate users had 24 percent more microcracks than non-bisphosphonate users with osteoporosis, and had 54 percent more than healthy aging bone.
Other Serious Side Effects of Bisphosphonates
While this new study brings the dangers of treating osteoporosis with drug therapy to the forefront, the adverse side effects of bisphosphonates are widely known. In fact, the list of side effects was one of the major reasons Mira decided to NOT take the drugs suggested by her medical doctors and instead search out a natural treatment for her osteoporosis. The list
includes osteonecrosis of the jaw – a severe bone disease where the jawbone becomes exposed and begins to weaken and die from lack of blood – as well as many other adverse side effects including severe musculoskeletal pain, gastrointestinal problems, cancer of the esophagus, fever, low calcium levels, and a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial
fibrillation. As you can see, the side effects of taking bisphosphonates are pretty bad— so bad, in fact, that a 2017 report in the medical journal BMJ found that approximately 1 in 5 people who started this drug cited adverse side effects as their reason for not continuing treatment.
More to our topic of micronutrient sufficiency, bisphosphonates also deplete calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, some of the very vitamins and minerals needed to produce and maintain strong bones, and are not advised to be taken by those who already have low calcium levels– despite this likely happening in many cases. As noted above, bisphosphonates compound this issue by lowering calcium levels!
And to make matters worse, once a person starts on bisphosphonates, even if they are made aware of these adverse side effects and decide to stop taking these drugs, they can remain in their bones for years afterwards, and those choosing to stop the prescriptions will actually increase their risk of fracturing. According to findings presented at the 2017 annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, women who discontinued use of bisphosphonates for more than two years after long- term use were up to 39 percent more likely to have hip fractures compared to those who continued treatment. So, according to this study, individuals who started taking bisphosphonates and want to stop because of their adverse effects or possible long- term disease risks actually increase their fracture risk further. This is a serious prescription protocol, and you need to think long and hard about this consequence before beginning it. For those already on bisphosphonates, the risks increase the longer you stay on, so speaking to your doctor about stopping should be a priority. The fact that these drugs are still prescribed by any doctors today is astonishing to us!
The Micronutrient Therapy Approach to Osteoporosis
Here at Calton Nutrition we believe that the root cause of nearly all of today’s most common health conditions and diseases, including osteoporosis, is a deficiency of your essential micronutrients including vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids and are therefore best addressed using Micronutrient Therapy. Micronutrient Therapy is different from drug therapy in that instead of exposing yourself to a long list of adverse side effects, Micronutrient Therapy uses essential vitamins, minerals, EFA’s and amino acids to fill in deficiency gaps and create a biological environment within your body that is conducive to healing. In our newest book, Rebuild Your Bones, we reveal forty healing habits that have been clinically proven to prevent and reverse bone loss to help you on your bone building journey, nested within a 12-week protocol to guide you. Along the way, we reveal exactly which foods you should eat for osteoporosis and, perhaps equally important, which foods you should avoid. We also cover the specific micronutrients that have been shown by peer-reviewed scientific studies to benefit bone health. For example, you need a lot more than just calcium and vitamin D to create strong, healthy bones. Our bone building protocol will give you all the information you need concerning diet, lifestyle and supplementation to successfully strengthen bone and prevent fractures for years to come.
Osteoporosis is preventable and reversible – Mira has proven that by being completely free of osteoporosis (and even osteopenia) for more than 10 years now! And many other women from around the world have also used our Micronutrient Therapy to improve their DEXA scan numbers. We hope that should you or a loved one discover that your bones are at risk of
osteoporosis, and a doctor suggest the use of bisphosphonates, you consider a holistic, micronutrient therapeutic approach before you put your bones at more risk than they may already be in.
