Create a problem to sell a solution. This July 12, 2018 article (7 minute read) by Canadian drug policy researcher Alan Cassels published in Common Ground, “Osteoporosis Screening – The Fast Track to Dubious Drugs”, reveals the truth about bone mineral density testing.

Tests for osteoporosis are sold by the same drug companies who profit from the sale of the drugs designed to “treat” this disease.

“BMD testing is often inaccurate, can’t predict with any validity who will go on to break a bone and applies a label that leads to inappropriate drug therapy. Further, the test directs funds away from measures that could actually significantly reduce the rate of hip fractures, such as promoting weight bearing exercise, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol and the intake of sleeping pills and increasing access to Vitamin D and calcium.”

PR firms have worked to widen the definition of osteoporosis and have marketed the diagnosis to conjure fear and vulnerability in a target market for the drugs. No mind is paid to the side effects or natural alternatives.

“This class of drug can cause throat or chest pain, difficulty swallowing and heartburn. About 10 percent of patients have some kind of irritation of the esophagus. The more serious stuff includes abnormal heart rhythm, wrenching bone, joint and muscle pain, bone loss in the jaw (osteonecrosis) as well as an increased risk of thighbone fractures.”

Canadians often feel pressured to take the drugs prescribed to them because they come with the stamp of approval from Health Canada. But this stamp of approval doesn’t always mean that the drug is safe or effective in treating a chronic health issue. Canadians are also made to believe that natural medicines are only safe and effective when they have received a natural product number (NPN). The landscape has become more difficult with manufactured demand for stricter regulation, that is to say this “stamp of approval”. The trend to demand stricter regulation of NHPs is meant to undermine the value and efficacy of natural health product options.

The Charter of Health Freedom protects Canadians and their ability to choose how to prevent, support, and treat their own health matters.

Read more about how Canadians are facing their biggest threat to health freedom ever.