If you're like a 50 to 60 year old woman, your doctor has told you that since your bone mineral density (BMD) is low - you need to start taking medication to reduce your chances of bone fractures. Last year doctors wrote more than 20 million prescriptions for Fosamax to the tune of almost $2 million.
Knowing the associated risks of heart disease, stroke and breast cancer for hormones; ulcers of the esophagus and stomach, and jaw decay for Fosamax - who among us wants to follow our doctors' orders?
Last month a study in the New England Journal of Medicine reinforced our concerns. The study found a possible link between the use of Fosamax and atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat -- a finding also suggested in earlier research.
Many 50 and 60-ish women are a lot less at risk than someone in their parents' generation. Why should women continue to line the pockets of big pharma just because our doctors believe the brainwash that they're fed?
Low bone density is only one of several well-established risk factors for bone fractures. Age and fracture history are just as important. None of these factors alone is very good at predicting fracture risk. But some doctors don't appear to have gotten the message.
Many younger women whose bone density is borderline low are getting treated, although their risk of fracture in the next five to 10 years is fairly low. Leave it to the big pharma to start brainwashing the young.
Later this year, the World Health Organization plans to finish sifting data from several international osteoporosis trials and publish a new fracture-risk tool. The tool will combine bone density with about 10 other risk factors to gauge an individual's risk.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/11/AR2007061101927.html
