Can Heartburn Drugs Cause Osteoporosis?

According to a major medical study in England, that was conducted onheartburn and acid reflux, researchers found that Proton PumpInhibitors such as Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid are exposing millionsof users to the increased risk of Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is acondition in which your bones become weakened and then are more likelyto fracture. If left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlesslyuntil a bone breaks.

Any bone in your body can be affected,but of special concern are fractures of the hip and spine. A hip orspine fracture almost always requires hospitalization and majorsurgery. It can impair a person's ability to walk without help and maycause permanent disability or even death.

The study showedthese drugs �inhibit the natural absorption of calcium� from foodproducts, such as milk and cheese, which are a well-known source ofcalcium. However, some people are allergic to dairy products and evenmore people, are lactose-intolerant, leaving them unable to consumedairy products. However there are many other good food sources ofcalcium such as kelp, wakame and hijiki; nuts and seeds (like almondsand sesame); blackstrap molasses; beans; oranges; amaranth; collardgreens; okra; rutabaga; broccoli; dandelion leaves; kale; and fortifiedproducts such as orange juice.

Calcium is essential in musclecontraction, oocyte activation, bones and tooth structure, bloodclotting, nerve impulse transmission, regulating your heartbeat, andfluid balance within cells. It is a fact that between 50% and 75% ofadults do not get sufficient calcium in their diet. Adults require adaily dose of between 1,000 and 1,300 mg of calcium.

When thebody is not absorbing enough calcium through our diet it will leech themineral it requires from our teeth and bones putting them in a weakenedstate. Once our bones start to deplete their calcium, we exposeourselves to �Osteoporosis� and the increased risk of hip and otherbone fractures such as the wrist.

Hip fractures in the elderlyoften lead to life-threatening complications. Doctors should beconvinced, their patients have a good reason to stay on heartburnmedications long-term, said the study co-author Dr. Yu-Xiao Yang fromthe University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

The studyalso went on to explain that H2 Blockers such as Tagamet and Pepcidalso have a similar but slightly smaller risk of causing people todevelop Osteoporosis, which exposes them the possibility of hip andother bone fractures. People who have taken any of these drugs for morethan a year have a 44% higher risk of hip fractures than non-users ofheartburn medications.

Millions of people around the world areat risk, although women are four times more likely than men to developthe condition. Yes it�s true, men also suffer from osteoporosis andput themselves at risk for hip, spine or wrist fractures.

Heartburn drug manufacturers put an insert in your package of drugswhich clearly states in most cases that these meds are only to be takenfor a short period of time. That period of time is usually two weeks,not for the rest of your life like some doctors are saying.

William Lagadyn is a medical researcher and was the first person tounravel the mysteries of heartburn and acid reflux problems. Hisnatural healing methods were first discovered over 20 years ago, andsince that time he has helped 1000's of people completely solve theirdigestive problems. For more information on how to solve your digestiveproblems such as heartburn, acid reflux or GERD without the use ofpotentially dangerous drugs forever, please visit his website atwww.cureyourheartburn.com

Copyright 2007 William Lagadyn