In an all too familiar trend of dangerous side effects from pharmaceuticals, a news article on NPR this week has disclosed the startling incidence of rare fractures which can occur as a result of the very medications intended to protect bones. Since 2006, there have been documented cases of these unusual fractures in patients taking bisphosphonates (Fosomax, Actonel, Boniva, Reclast) , but in spite of the mounting evidence, these drugs are still viewed as a necessary preventative for hip fractures. A recent study performed in Canada and published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that subjects taking bisphosphonates for longer than 5 years had 3 times the risk of these unusual fractures.
Oddly, there has been little research on the potential influence of diet on development of osteoporosis. Dairy products, long touted as necessary to build strong bones, are highly acidic in the body, creating an acid pH which requires the body to rob bones of calcium in order to bring pH into balance! Could reducing dairy product consumption offer protection from osteoporosis? Certainly seems worth the effort. Many women are instructed to take calcium supplements to protect their bones, but the body is not able to adequately process these mineral supplements and they often deposit in organs and joints causing conditions like arthritis, gallstones and kidney stones to name a few. Plant medicines on the other hand contain bone-building minerals like silica. Silica is transmuted by the body into calcium, in the way nature intended. The best minerals for increasing bone density are silica, magnesium and phosphorous, not calcium. Not surprisingly, these minerals are readily available in plant sources. A daily bone-remineralizing tea beverage can easily be made from the following herbs and seeds:
- Boneset
- Nettle
- Comfrey
- Horsetail
- Chia or Hemp seed (for phosphorous)
Plants provide all the healing properties the body requires, without the harmful side effects! Now there is a lucky break.
