Nettle leaf infusion for bone health

Hi Susun,
 
I have recently been put on Fosamax (sp) because they say I am at borderline osteoporosis.  I hate taking pills and have started drinking some of the teas that you mentioned on your website.  I have only taken 2 of the pills as of date but hate to take anymore.  Can I get to much calcium by taking the Fosamax plus drinking the infusions and a daily calcium plus D tablet?  I’ve heard that too much calcium can cause kidney stones and bone spurs.  Do you think I would get enough calcium by just doing the infusions and exercise or do you think I should continue to take the Fosamax?  I know you can’t tell me to stop anything really but I’d just like your opinion.  Thanks for your advice.
 

The fosomax and the calcium tablets are likely to contribute to brittle bones, which can cause fractures, while the nettles leaf infusion will offer a source of calcium and minerals that your body will be able to use for bone flexibility, health and wellness. We cannot tell you to not take the fosomax, you might want to have a look at what others who have taken it say about fosomax
 
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=20560&name=FOSAMAX
 
Here is another article you will want to read
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121609815
“To get large numbers of women on Fosamax, large numbers of women needed to get their bones scanned and be diagnosed with osteoporosis.”
 
“ Bone densitometry becomes increasingly available. And women start wanting it, and they hear their friends have had a measurement of bone density, and their friend was told that they have osteopenia, and they want to know if they have that condition. And then their friend starts getting treated with Fosamax or some other drug, and they want to know if they should be treated," Cummings trails off. "It's almost viral."
 
"It's well established that there is a clear correlation between bone mineral density and fracture risk," Strain says. "And by preserving and maintaining bone mineral density Fosamax lowers the risk of fracture." But, increasingly, bone scientists like Cummings say Fosamax — and drugs like it — are not a necessarily a win for most women with osteopenia. Studies in women with osteopenia show that while Fosamax and similar drugs reduce spinal fractures, the drugs may not reduce other types of bone fractures that are more common in women who have osteopenia, say Cummings and Susan Ott, an associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Washington.

"There was no difference in the number of [nonspine] fractures you had, whether you took the medicine or a placebo," says Ott. "It does make your bone density go up higher, but the number of fractures is what really matters, and that didn't really change"

There are no long-term studies that look at what happens to women with osteopenia who start Fosamax in their 50s and continue treatment long-term in the hopes of preventing old-age fractures. And none are planned.

So Cummings says treatment should start only when fracture risk is significant, bone density is low, or someone already has a spine fracture. He says the WHO is promoting a new tool called the FRAX, which looks at a variety of factors that influence the risk of fracture. This allows women and their physicians to more accurately estimate their risk of experiencing a disabling bone break. Ott agrees. And, she also worries that taking these medications long-term — over 10 years or more — might actually make bones brittle. Ott points to a very small number of case reports about spontaneous breaks in the upper leg, which — though very rare — could be important, she says, given what's at stake.

"Instead of preventing fractures you might get fractures," she says. "But it doesn't happen right away. It certainly doesn't happen in the first five years [of treatment]."

And, finally an article on bone health by Susun Weed
http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Bone_Health.htm
 
“My own experiences in helping women regain and maintain bone density and flexibility have led me to believe that lifestyle modifications work exceptionally well for motivated women who wish to avoid the risks and expense of long-term pill use. Nourishing herbal infusions, mineral-rich herbal vinegars, yogurt, and seaweed, combined with attention to tonification of the muscles, unfailingly increases bone density and creates flexible, healthy bones and women.”
 
Sending love,
Justine
www.wisewomanweb.com 

Comments

[Elly]

I was prescribed Fosamax after a bone scan showed Osteoporosis. It made me throw up! Never took it again. Have stuck to Nettle infusions and also take a a supplement called Osteocare that has the right balance of minerals and calcium and enables your body to process calcium correctly.