Spooky
Bone Dance
Halloween made me think of spooks and goblins,
skeletons and boneyards more than jack-o-lanterns this year because a diagnosis
of osteoporosis weighed heavily on
my mind.
My
health is important to me, so I’ve eaten wisely and exercised well and never
dreamed I’d have osteoporosis! I was to have a tele-conference with my doctor
the day before Halloween. I had a few days to research and felt confident in
what I had gleaned from multiple reliable sources and my decision that a
natural path would be best for me.
I
read that there are several drugs on the market to treat the symptoms of
osteoporosis. According to a Consumer Reports summary, the buyer should beware
because the side effects can be as bad
as or worse than the disease.
Several
television ads for these potions always mention in a soft, hypnotic voice that
women had suffered bone fractures, just a possible side effect. The voices so
smooth it’s like they’re cooing to a baby or calming a person on their
deathbed.
Then
I came across a New York Times article that read, essentially: Pharmaceutical
companies spent more on advertising than researching these drugs and were
anxious to recoup their investment. Their response was to change the parameters
of testing and voila! More women were diagnosed with osteoporosis and needed
their drugs.
Needless
to say, when my doctor suggested I try a pharmaceutical remedy, I asked that
she offer me other options. I have taken supplemental calcium and vitamin D for
years. I am going to allow blood & urine tests to see how I am doing. If I need
to eat more green leafy vegetables and cottage cheese, walk more and take up
weight lifting, I shall.
Until
and unless I break a bone (which was the old way of diagnosing osteoporosis,) I
am going to be a dare devil and take my chances. Side effects like fibula and
hip fractures just feel like a spooky bone dance to me!
RMK
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