Antacids May Increase Your Risk of Osteoporosis

By: Dr. Patterson

The importance of proper digestion cannot be overemphasized. Antacid medications are one of the leading over-the-counter drugs sold. In fact, in 2009, Nexium was the number two pharmaceutical drug sold in the United States.

Every day I see patients in my office who are taking these medications. Some patients have taken these medications for so long that they have become immune to the fact that they have a digestive disorder, or they feel because it may be an over-the-counter medication that there is no harm in it. I guarantee that it if you have symptoms of heartburn, indigestion, or reflux, it is not because you are suffering from a Nexium or other antacid deficiency. These medications are treating your symptoms, not the cause of your problems.

There are many potential problems with the long-term use of antacids. Today I want to focus on osteoporosis. Studies in recent years have indicated that use of these antacids, either for more than one year or in high doses, increases the risk of osteoporosis in people over 50. University of Pennsylvania researchers found a 44% increased risk of hip fracture in people taking proton pump inhibitor types of antacids. These are commonly known by names such as Nexium, Aciphex, Prevacid, Prilosec, Protonix and Zegerid.

In May 2010 , the FDA finally came out with a warning about the possible increased risk of spine, wrist and hip fractures with the use of antacid medications. They reviewed seven published studies. Six of the seven studies showed an increase risk of fracture.

As a Doctor of Chiropractic and Internal Health Specialist, these findings come as no surprise. Calcium can only be absorbed in an acidic environment. When you reduce the acidic environment of the stomach, calcium will have a more difficult time being absorbed into your system. The good news is that we can improve digestion with the use of enzyme replacement nutrition and diet modification. Specific testing can be performed to determine what your body is having trouble digesting, and we can treat the cause vs. treating the symptom.

If you would like information on how to be tested, please contact our office.

Tags: acid heartburn reflux, acid reflux, acid reflux causes, acid reflux diet, acid reflux symptoms, acute sciatica, alleviating back pain, Alternative Medicine, american chiropractic, antacids, arthritis, auto injuries, back decompression, back injuries, back pain, back pain chiropractic, bad heartburn, bloating, bones, calcium osteoporosis, cervical decompression, cervical spinal stenosis, chiro, chiropractic, chiropractic acupuncture, chiropractic adjusting, chiropractic adjustments, chiropractic back, chiropractic decompression, chiropractic doctor, chiropractic doctors, chiropractic kansas city, chiropractic offices, chiropractic physical therapy, chiropractic practice, chiropractic rehab, chiropractic therapy, chiropractic treatments, chiropractor, chiropractor back pain, chiropractor doctor, chiropractor doctors, chiropractor kansas city, chiropractor treatment, chiropractors kansas city, chronic sciatica, constipation, cost of back pain, decompression spinal therapy, decompression table, decompression therapy, decompression treatment, diarrhea, diet, Digestion, disc decompression, disc herniation, disk decompression, doctor of chiropractic, Dr. Robert Patterson, epidural injections, Ergonomics, exercises for sciatica, facet, find a chiropractor, find chiropractor, food allergies, food sensitivities, gas, gastroesophageal reflux, gaviscon, headache, health, health care, heartburn, heartburn cause, heartburn foods, heartburn gerd, heartburn idigestion, heartburn relief, heartburn symptoms, heartburn treatment, herniated disc decompression, indigestion, Johnson County Chiropractic, joints, Kansas City Chiropractic, Kansas City chiropractor, low back pain, lower back pain, lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar stenosis, neck decompression, non surgical spinal decompression, nutrition, osteoporosis, osteoporosis bone density, osteoporosis bones, osteoporosis spine, osteoporosis treatment, Overland Chiro, Overland Chiropractic, Overland Park chiropractic, Overland Park chiropractor, prevention, reflux, reflux disease, reflux symptoms, sciatic, sciatic pain, sciatica, sciatica back, sciatica causes, sciatica cure, sciatica exercise, sciatica exercises, sciatica help, sciatica leg, sciatica leg pain, sciatica nerve, sciatica nerve pain, sciatica numbness, sciatica pain, sciatica pain relief, sciatica pain treatment, sciatica problems, sciatica relief, sciatica stretches, sciatica stretching, sciatica surgery, sciatica therapy, sciatica treatment sciatica symptoms, severe sciatica, short leg, spinal back pain, spinal canal stenosis, spinal chiropractic, spinal decompression, spinal decompression machine, spinal decompression table, spinal decompression therapy, spinal lumbar stenosis, spinal stenosis, spinal stenosis diagnosis, spinal stenosis lumbar, spinal stenosis surgery, spinal stenosis symptoms, spinal stenosis treatment, spinal surgery, spine therapy, sports chiropractic, sports injuries, stenosis, stenosis spinal, stenosis treatment, stress, symptoms of sciatica, treating sciatica, treatment for acid reflux, treatment for osteoporosis, treatment of osteoporosis, wellness

You are here: Home » Alternative Medicine » Antacids May Increase Your Risk of Osteoporosis

This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 12:17 pm and is filed under Alternative Medicine, Cause of Headache, Diet, Nutrition and Well Being, Digestion, Emotional Balance, Enzyme Replacement Nutrition Therapy, Ergonomics, Exercise, Extremity Adjusting, Foot and gait mechanics, Injury and Treatment following motor vehicle accidents, Mechanisms and Treatment of Low Back Pain, Rehabilitation Exercises and Protocols, Stress Reduction, back pain, headache treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.