The worthless (and dangerous) test you’ll be told you must take
Once we women reach a certain age, we know we’re in a fight to save our bones.
That’s because one bad break could be enough to cost us our independence — or even our lives.
So when that reminder card shows up in the mail saying it’s time for a bone scan, most women don’t mess around.
But before you keep that next bone scan appointment, there’s a dark (and very dangerous) secret about the test that you deserve to know.
The DXA bone scan (sometimes called DEXA) first hit the market more than 20 years ago — and it’s been causing mayhem ever since.
You see, the scanner basically zaps your bones with x-ray beams, and then calculates your bone mineral levels based on the darkness of the shadow cast.
You’ll get something called a “T score” — and if it’s too low, your doc will be writing you a prescription for bone drugs so fast it’ll make your head spin.
The only problem? Experts say the DXA scan is just about the most unreliable medical test you can get.
And if you’re not careful, you could spend years on dangerous and potentially life-threatening meds you don’t need.
Here’s just how crazy this test is:
- Different brands of scanners can give results that vary as much as 20 percent. So one machine could say your bones are healthy — and the other would claim they’re as fragile as peanut brittle.
- The way your T score is calculated is a trade secret that the DXA scanner manufacturers don’t reveal. So your doc could end up prescribing you drugs based on a formula he doesn’t even understand.
- Seemingly small things, such as the x-ray technician’s technique, the way you lay on the table or even the kind of clothes you’re wearing will influence your score.
- Smaller bones show a lighter shadow, so you’ll get a lower T score — even if those bones are perfectly healthy.
Can you believe we actually put people on meds based on these tests?
And not just any meds, either.
I’m talking about bone drugs like Boniva or Prolia that may actually up your fracture risk. Plus, some bone pills have been linked to cancer, heart inflammation, bone death, and low calcium levels that can be life-threatening.
And even if you end up on these drugs accidentally, the DXA scan is so worthless it’ll take 10 years of scans for it to tell if the meds are working.
Now that’s precision, right?
Don’t subject yourself to all the worry and false results this test can cause, as well as the risky drugs it can get you going on.
What you really need to do instead is keep your bones strong in the first place. And there are some simple ways to do that. Ways that really work!
Regularly taking vitamin D is a very important one. Another is taking vitamin K supplements made from natto or nattokinase. Vitamin K works synergistically with D to protect bones. And adding K is especially important if you’re taking calcium.
And ditch the DXA scam — I mean scan.
Sources:
“Questioning medicine: DXA scan overuse” Sarah Wickline Wallan, MedPage Today, medpagetoday.com
