Comments on: Chewin’ The Fat Friday http://blog.michellemoquin.net/?p=2986 Creative Discussions, Inspiring Thoughts, Fun Adventures, Love & Laughter, Peaceful Travel, Hip Fashions, Cool People, Gastronomic Pleasures, Exotic Indulgences, Groovy Music, and more! Wed, 09 Nov 2016 11:26:52 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Michelle http://blog.michellemoquin.net/?p=2986#comment-3984 Michelle Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:35:43 +0000 http://blog.michellemoquin.com/?p=2986#comment-3984 Like Loni said this story is not about having sex but I think you will find it interesting. It was in those days when I was a touch over weight. I spent a lot of time looking for the right diet regimen. In the mean time I carried a lot of granola bars.

It was lunch time but I stayed in my office. I had just reached in my purse without looking and to grab a granola bar when my boss walked in my office. We were talking for a few minutes as he kept giving me strange looks and looking at my hand. He left and I realize I hadn’t taken a granola bar out, but a tampon instead.

]]> By: Sandra http://blog.michellemoquin.net/?p=2986#comment-3983 Sandra Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:20:18 +0000 http://blog.michellemoquin.com/?p=2986#comment-3983 I couldn’t stop laughing when I read Colette’s story about her parents. I have one about a couple of Jewish parents, mine. I had just turned 16 and I got the courage to ask my mom if I could go to the movies alone on my first date with my new boyfriend. She said ok, which was surprising because she never lets me go anywhere alone. When I got to the theatre with him I saw my mom. She had saved seats for us.

My boyfriend sat quietly with us. He never called me again. At school all the girls and I had a good cry and laugh. We new our mother too well.

Sandra

]]> By: Loni http://blog.michellemoquin.net/?p=2986#comment-3982 Loni Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:11:13 +0000 http://blog.michellemoquin.com/?p=2986#comment-3982 Okay this is not about having sex but it still gives me a laugh when I think about it. When I was a teenager while driving some friends back from a party I said, “Did everyone see Lisa totally hanging off of Pat tonight?! It was hilarious!!”. There was a long silence, then one of my friends said “…you know Lisa is in the car, right?”

I almost died.

]]> By: Susan http://blog.michellemoquin.net/?p=2986#comment-3981 Susan Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:07:15 +0000 http://blog.michellemoquin.com/?p=2986#comment-3981 Jodi I got one that makes me laugh too when I think of my first time. It was about twenty years ago too. My boyfriend and I decided to have sex. I was a virgin and he wasn’t. About 30 seconds in he collapsed on me. I thought he was joking around and I started laughing. He wasn’t joking. He was done.

It took eight more tries with two other boys before I found a much older boy who showed me what enjoying sex meant.

]]> By: Health Info http://blog.michellemoquin.net/?p=2986#comment-3980 Health Info Sat, 21 Mar 2009 04:58:30 +0000 http://blog.michellemoquin.com/?p=2986#comment-3980 OVERUSE OF OSTEOPOROSIS DRUGS
Time was, osteoporosis was diagnosed only in frail, elderly people with brittle, easily broken bones. Then Big Pharma developed drugs to treat it and suddenly this so-called “disease” became much more common — and was seen to be endangering wide swaths of postmenopausal women. Over the years, the definition of osteoporosis was broadened to include even more women and greater awareness of osteopenia, a sort of “pre-osteoporosis” in which bone density is low but not so low as to constitute osteoporosis, was urged.
UNNECESSARY DRUGS WITH DANGEROUS SIDE EFFECTS?
Now it’s hard to turn on the TV (or open a newspaper or go on-line) without being bombarded with ads for drugs not only for osteoporosis, but also encouraging women to proactively ask their doctors if they should take these drugs if they are “at risk,” with hardly a mention of the very real side effects and dangers associated with them.
The drugs aren’t so benign, however. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a drug alert for bisphosphonates (a class of drugs that includes alendronate and ibandronate), warning that they can cause severe bone, muscle and/or joint pain. Other side effects of bisphosphonates include difficulty swallowing, esophageal problems, gastric ulcer and bone tissue death of the jaw. Raloxifene (Evista), another type of osteoporosis drug known as a selective estrogen receptor modulator or SERM, increases the risk of blood clots and stroke. Ironically, alendronate (Fosamax) has been linked to femur fractures. (For more on the dangers of these drugs,
MORE RISKS THAN BENEFITS FOR OSTEOPENIA
According to a recent report in the British Medical Journal (January 19, 2008), drug manufacturers regularly smudge the line between osteoporosis itself and osteopenia in order to sell more drugs. It’s true that these drugs can successfully reduce the risk of fractures, at least in the short term, in people who actually have osteoporosis… and now that we’re living longer lives, osteoporosis may become more common. But, says article coauthor Pablo Alonso-Coello, MD, a family practitioner affiliated with Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, Spain, the benefits of osteoporosis drugs are exaggerated for people who just have osteopenia. “This move to treat pre-osteoporosis raises serious questions about the benefit-risk ratio for low-risk individuals, and about the costs of medicalizing and potentially medicating an enormous group of healthy people,” writes Dr. Alonso-Coello. Not coincidentally, using current medical criteria, nearly half of postmenopausal women could be said to have osteopenia, which represents a huge and highly profitable potential new market for Big Pharma.
PLAYING WITH STATISTICS
In their research, Dr. Alonso-Coello and his colleagues looked at several studies on four drugs used by drug companies to demonstrate the benefits of such medications for women with osteopenia. They found that the results were expressed in a way that suggested the benefits were greater than they really are. Statistics can tell almost any story you want, after all.
Dr. Alonso-Coello gave me an example: Osteoporosis drugs are generally reported to reduce the risk of fracture by 50%… but it is important to look at “absolute” rather than “relative” risk. A woman with osteoporosis might reduce her absolute risk of a fracture from, say, 10% to 5% (which might be a clinically relevant benefit), while the risk for a person with osteopenia drops only from an already low 2% to 1% or even 1% to 0.5%. So calling it a 50% reduced risk in these cases inflates its clinical significance. He also warns that many study authors were employees of, or otherwise connected with, drug companies, pointing to a likely conflict of interest.
TAKE STEPS TO PROMOTE BONE HEALTH
Don’t be swayed by the advertising. There are a number of strategies you can follow to prevent fractures and keep your bones strong and healthy as you age — and they don’t all involve drugs.
Among the non-pharmaceutical steps recommended by The National Osteoporosis Foundation to promote bone health…
• Take in adequate calcium and vitamin D. Current daily guidelines for adults over 50 are 1,200 mg of calcium and 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D. D-3, or cholecalciferol, is the form of vitamin D best for bones. Taking a daily walk in the sunlight can also boost vitamin D levels.
• Engage in regular weight-bearing exercise such as walking and dancing, and resistance exercises such as using weight machines or resistance bands. Talk to your doctor before embarking on any exercise program.
• Don’t smoke at all and don’t drink alcohol to excess.
• Consider having a bone mineral density test if there is indication you need one. Dr. Alonso-Coello advises bone density testing not as a regular screening exam, but only for women who have had a previous fragility fracture or who have risk factors for a fracture (eg, a family history of maternal fractures). Early menopause may be another risk factor. (Watch for our upcoming story on a new way to determine who needs bone density screening in Daily Health News next month.)
Dr. Alonso-Coello additionally recommends instituting measures to prevent falls for older people. For example, use a walker or cane as necessary… wear supportive, low-heeled shoes… install grab bars on bathroom walls near the tub, shower and toilet… be sure your home is well lit… keep rooms free of clutter… and be sure carpets have skid-proof backing.
Osteopenia is not osteoporosis, and using drugs for prevention is not the same as using drugs for treatment. If you consider taking any drug solely as a preventive treatment — especially if the treatment is long-term and has potentially serious side effects, as with osteoporosis drugs for osteopenia — Dr. Alonso-Coello strongly advises that you seek a second opinion. Be sure to talk with your family physician and research treatment options before making your decision. With so many ways to keep bones strong naturally, medication should only be considered as a last resort.

Source(s): ??Pablo Alonso-Coello, MD, family practitioner, Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.

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