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There is an increased risk for hypertension, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and bone fractures associated with the use of Avandia. It inhibits the formation of new bone and increases of bone breakdown.        

Birth control pills (BCPs) reduce bone density in a dose related relationship, but the effects are small and only develop after two years of use. Long term studies have not been done. A woman's risk of fractures later in life is influenced by the bone mass she gains in her teens through her 20s and this age group has the highest use of oral contraceptives....

  A study at the Henry Ford Hospital found that epidural steroid injections for back pain increased the risk of fracture by 29% with each steroid injection. They compared 3000 patients with severe back pain who had at least one injection with 3000 control patients without an injection. Steroids decrease absorption of calcium in the GI tract and increase...

Patients with COPD who use inhaled corticosteroids to improve breathing for more than 6 months have a 27% increased risk for bone fractures. The risk goes up as the dosage increases. It was previously assumed that inhaled steroids would have a predominantly local effect, but now we know this is not true. Treatment should consist of lowering or discontinuing inhaled...

  According to a Mayo Clinic study published in November of 2012 in the journal, Hospital Medicine, the use of sleeping pills such as Ambien (zolpidem) quadruple the risk of falls. These drugs, which stimulate GABA brain receptors, have side effects such as dizziness, ataxia, hallucinations, and even sleep walking, may be much of the reason why. Falls...

Older adults suffer from bad habits and this leads to unnecessary pain. We lose muscular strength as we age so we must treat ourselves as athletes. Moving like a baby and working on the ground or in a chair. Feldenkrais has about 2500 types of movement and there are many exercises that can help elderly, Dr. Frank Wildman describes ways to help the elderly remain...

Lately there have been reports about the bisphosphonates used to treat osteoporosis, are causing fractures of the femur and other bones in the body.  The drugs most commonly prescribed are Actonel, Fosamax, Reclast, and Boniva to name a few.  These drugs are powerful and cause dramatic changes in bone physiology.  It may be true that these drugs...

  The little understood protein, osteocalcin, plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. It is made by osteoblasts, the cells that lay down new bone. Osteocalcin cannot be absorbed into bone in the absence of adequate vitamin K, which comes from eating green leafy vegetables. This is a particular problem in people taking Coumadin for protection...