The bones of the drug-marketing issue

I've been railing for a long time about how drug marketing causes an increase in the diagnosis of illness. Slick, prime-time TV commercials for this drug or that one spiel off vague lists of symptoms that almost everyone suffers from to try and prompt folks into self-diagnosis. After that, their invitations to "Ask your doctor for more information about (insert disease-of-the-day here) and NEW (insert drug-of-the-moment here)" spur people who didn't even know they were sick to flock to their doctors�?

By then, it's all over but the prescription writing.

Recently, an Associated Press article really hammered home to me just how effective drug marketing can be. According to the article, data from 2003 shows that osteoporosis diagnoses have increased SEVENFOLD since 1994. Doctor visits for the condition have jumped nearly 5 times over the same period.

Now I realize that osteoporosis had indeed become more common as an ailment over this period (largely because of the vilification of sunshine) �?but 7 times over in just 9 years? That's coercive drug marketing at work and nothing more. Need proof?

The AP story states how the increase in osteoporosis diagnoses has conveniently coincided with the high-profile releases of new drugs to treat the condition in 1995, 1997, and 1998.

Now do you see how the drug business fuels the "increase" in certain diseases?

This same thing is happening with all sorts of other conditions. I'd love to see similar statistics on the boom in diagnoses of depression, ADD, asthma, high cholesterol, and erectile dysfunction over the last decade. These are all diseases aggressively targeted by drug marketing �?and they all have increased stratospherically in the last ten years.

That's not to say that these diseases aren't prevalent, or that a certain number of the cases being diagnosed aren't legitimate.

It's just that drug ads have us all convinced that if we're not operating at our absolute pain-free peak every waking moment,

we must be "sick" and in need of medication. Remember, as we age, it's perfectly normal to get the blues every once in while, or to experience some aches and pains, congestion, or occasional challenges in the bedroom. It doesn't mean you need a prescription.

In fact, if you're suffering from any of these things (and more), there are effective alternatives to drugs. That's especially the case with osteoporosis. Keep reading�?nbsp;

Fooling fractures with folate

..... just because "Big Pharma" is fanning the flames of osteoporosis diagnosis doesn't mean that the condition isn't prevalent or increasing in frequency. It just means that drug companies have found a way to position themselves as the solution to the problem.

But recent evidence shows that some natural substances �?certain B vitamins, to be specific �?can be quite effective (as effective as prescriptions drugs, I'll wager) in preventing the most common effects of osteoporosis: Broken bones.

According to a recent ABC News online item (reprinted from the Associated Press), a European report found a positive association between the occurrence of osteoporosis-related bone fractures and blood levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, long known to cause an increased risk of heart disease. The research showed that both men and women with homocysteine levels in the top 25% of subjects endured twice as great a risk of fractures as those in the lowest 25% bracket. A U.S. study yielded this same finding. The research couldn't pinpoint why homocysteine contributed to fractures, but some theorize that the amino acid interferes with chemical bonds in bone tissue.

So what's the best way to naturally slash your homocysteine (along with your heart disease and osteoporosis risk)? Good old folate, or folic acid, a B vitamin of the most powerful order. There are three "Bs" that have been found necessary in the control of homocysteine: B12, B6 and of course folate. Besides supplementation (always a good idea), certain fruits like apricots and cantaloupes are high in folate �?broccoli and other "green leafies" are, too, but don't overdo it. You should also make sure you're getting plenty of dairy products (preferably raw) and nuts like almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts. 

Fringe benefits of consuming plenty of full-fat milk and cheese are calcium and Vitamin D, both known to aid in osteoporosis prevention. And for goodness sakes, get out in the sun! There's nothing like sunshine for boosting vitamin D levels (not to mention your mood).

Conversing, not coercing, William Campbell Douglass II, MD