The Marketing of Osteoporosis

By Bonnie C. Minsky, Conscious Choice

Most Americans are unaware that standard medical practice is often based on politics and medical industry pressures. Sadly, drug makers and companies that manufacture equipment to measure bone density have reached a full crescendo of politicking and putting financial interests first in the marketing of osteoporosis.


The true definition of osteoporosis is a "condition of fragile bones following a low impact fracture." Osteoporosis is indeed a health problem for many elderly women and even men. However, the majority of us should never need drugs to prevent or cure it. The new definition of "low bone density" came about in 1994 when the Dual Energy XRay Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan became commercially available to measure mineral content of bone. According to Gill Sanson, the author of The Osteoporosis Epidemic: Well Women and the Marketing of Fear, "The World Health Organization unit that was formed to redefine osteoporosis was funded by three drug companies that stood to make more money with the new definition."

The osteoporosis literature being poured into the media today is often misleading, inaccurate, and drug advertising in disguise. Despite contradictory evidence published in prestigious medical journals, the osteoporosis industry has convinced doctors and patients that osteoporosis has reached epidemic proportions and that immediate intervention with yearly diagnostic screenings and prescription drugs are necessary Dr. Mark Helfand, a member of the National Institutes of Health osteoporosis panel that met in March 2000 stated in a Washington Post article, "I think even people who agree that osteoporosis is a serious health problem can still say it is being hyped. It is hyped. Most of what you could do to prevent osteoporosis later in life has nothing to do with getting a test or taking a drug."

Following are some preventions and cures showing questionable results:

●In the 1970s, synthetic estrogen and progesterone (Premarin, Proven, and Prempro) were marketed for female vitality heart health, and osteoporosis prevention. By 2002, critical reports from other countries and our own Women's Health Initiative concluded that taking synthetic hormones after menopause was no longer recommended because the risks far outweigh the benefits.


.

● In the mid 198os, Wyeth Ayerst, the world's biggest producer of hormone replacement therapy (Bar), launched a promotional campaign to make osteoporosis a major women's health issue. The scare tactics worked. Women became fearful and willing to take HRT and anything else necessary to prevent the dreaded disease.

● In the early l980s, fluoride treatments were thought to restore bone loss. Bone density was somewhat increased with fluoride, but the bone produced was fragile and actually fractured more easily

●In the 1990S, the DEXA scan became the gold standard for measurement of bone loss and gain. However, the scan doesn't accurately predict bone fracture risk, bone strength, or rate of bone turnover. It relates only to quantity, not quality of bone. Urine testing for bone resorption should also be standard.

●Beginning in the late 1990s, bisphosphonate drugs (Fosomax) and selective estrogen receptive modulators (Evista) were advertised as non-hormonal methods for preventing and curing bone loss. These drugs may in- crease bone density but the new bone is more fragile. Minimal data for long- term safety unimpressive ability to reduce fracture rates, and up to a o percent increase in menopausal hot flashes make the bandwagon use of these drugs questionable.

●In 2000, the U.S. government published a one-size-fits-all recommendation of 1200-1500 milligrams of calcium and at least 400 international units of vitamin D to all post-menopausal women. To reach these levels, heavy promotion of milk by the dairy industry began. There is, however, no evidence to support bone health claims for cow's milk intake, according to a review of 57 studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In fact, large worldwide population studies show that countries consuming the most milk have some of the highest rates of osteoporosis. Poor choices of calcium supplements and excess calcium intake have also led to increased health problems including constipation, kidney stones, bone spurs, and calcification in artery walls.
Low bone density does not equal osteoporosis. It is rare for healthy women to fracture fragile buries. According to Christiane Northrup, M.D., a women's health expert, "When it comes to osteoporosis prevention in healthy women, we should heed the old adage, if it ain't broken, why fix it—especially when there are risks associated with the so-called repair process" A healthy, active body will be naturally resistant to fractures.