Bone density loss does not progress as quickly as previously thought, so hold the drugs!

Scan scam

It seems so innocent. Your doctor just wants to check…just to get a baseline. So he recommends a bone scan. Easy enough.

But don’t buy it. That simple standard bone scan is actually the first step in an ongoing series of scans. And don’t be surprised when they’re followed with a dangerous Rx.

Mainstream has glommed on to the idea that healthy post-menopausal women need bone density scans every two years. You can see where this is headed.

After each bone scan, your doctor notices normal changes in density but just “to be safe” he wants you to start taking a prescription.

Unfortunately, it’s anything but safe…

Wait…don’t medicate

For most of us, our bones are not quite as dense at 55 as they were at 35. Your doctor might diagnose that as osteopenia. That’s a word they made up to describe slightly diminished bone density. It doesn’t mean you’re facing a health emergency. Not at all. Just about everyone experiences this as a normal part of aging.

Even so, your doctor is likely to prescribe an osteoporosis drug. And of course, with this new “condition” that you supposedly have, you’ll need frequent bone scans.

A New England Journal of Medicine study reveals what a complete scam this is.

Researchers found that women who show no bone loss, or very little loss (osteopenia!) in their first bone scan don’t need another scan in two years, or five years, or 10 years…

These women are safe in waiting as long as 15 years for their next scan!

Even women with moderate bone loss at their first scan don’t need another scan for another five years.

In this study of 5,000 women, about half were in a low-risk, near-normal bone density group at age 67. The lead researcher told NPR that they were surprised that a huge percentage of these older women with normal or near-normal bone density developed osteoporosis very slowly.

Just 10 percent of the women in this group were diagnosed with osteoporosis within 15 years.

Of course, one study is not going to revolutionize bone treatment. Medicare still covers scans every two years. And doctors will keep recommending that schedule.

But the scans are not the real problem. The problem is the medical mindset that a small loss in bone density is a crisis that requires medication. And that’s a HUGE problem.

As I’ve often mentioned, many osteoporosis drugs are potentially dangerous. They increase risk of fracture in some women. (You can read more about that here.) And if they’re not swallowed properly, they can even prompt esophageal cancer.

Women, please share this new information with your friends. And talk with your doctors about the results of this study. The standard of care won’t change until doctors make it change.

Sources:
“Bone-Density Testing Interval and Transition to Osteoporosis in Older Women” New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 366, No. 3, 1/19/12, nejm.org

“Many Older Women May Not Need Frequent Bone Scans” Richard Knox, NPR, 1/18/12, npr.org