Pharmacological calcium blockers

We follow the work of Dr Joseph Mercola with interest. He has a lot to say about calcium and in this piece he explores the medicine that causes problems with bones.

Mercola calls these the “silent thieves” – calcium blockers that are drugs which are commonly taken by a large part of the population but rob the body of precious vitamins and minerals.

In his post he lists the following and describes the dangers:

Statin Drugs

One in four Americans 45 and older take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. But doctors often fail to warn patients that statins interfere with vitamin K2’s bone-building functions in your body and increase your risk of deficiency.

Most Antidepressants

If an antidepressant drug acts by altering your serotonin levels, it may lower your bone density, according to a recent review of current evidence.

Osteoporosis Drugs

Contrary to what you’ve been told, most osteoporosis drugs actually weaken your bones. Bisphosphonate bone drugs impact your normal bone repair process by killing off your osteoclasts, and do make your bones denser, but because the osteoclasts are killed the bone is actually weaker as it is not remodeled properly.

Before starting any type of prescription drug for your bone health, I strongly recommend you consider less risky, more natural approaches first, such as diet, exercise, and safe bone health supplements!

Undiagnosed Gluten Intolerance

Could the grains you’re eating be contributing to less-than-optimal bone health? If you have undiagnosed gluten intolerance, you may not be absorbing the nutrients you need for bone health.

When study subjects followed a gluten-free diet for one year, their bone density improved.

Smoking and Drinking

Smoking increases your rate of bone loss, and consuming more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb calcium, slowing new bone formation.

Soft Drinks

Animal studies show that phosphorus in soda weakens your bones by promoting the loss of calcium. And diet sodas might even be worse.

Researchers found that human parathyroid hormone concentrations rose strongly following diet soda consumption, leading to a greater release of calcium from bone.