Since my post on osteopenia received several hits, I thought it might be prudent to add some more information. Please note that I do not claim to have any legitimate medical knowledge—I’m simply reporting my own experiences.
Since my initial diagnosis, I have talked to several professionals in the healthcare field:
• An orthopedist said (off the record) that he would rather see me do regular weight-bearing exercise than take medication.
• An endodontist said that women who take the drugs recommended for osteoporosis and osteopenia are more likely to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). ONJ is a disfiguring and disabling condition where the bones of the jaw suffer literal bone death through infection and rotting that can result from exposure to bisphosphonates found in these meds.
• The tech who performed my bone scan explained that bones continue to grow throughout one’s lifetime. The old bone cells slough off and new bone cells grow in to replace them. (To keep this process running smoothly, the body requires calcium and vitamin D.) Some of the meds on the market do nothing more than keep the sloughed-off bone from breaking away, making the bones appear, on a scan, to be stronger than they really are.
If nothing else, all of this information is worthy of further inspection.
Ageless Style 