Real stories from real women about bone health

Don’t be afraid to look at alternatives

After being told by three different doctors that she needed Fosamax, Meghan, 63, knew it was time to find an alternative for her bones. She found Dr. Brown and worked on a plan to build back bone naturally. Not only has her DEXA scan improved, but Meghan feels much healthier overall! Here’s her story.

“It began about three years ago. What started as a few mentions of osteopenia, had turned into warnings about osteoporosis. Three different doctors told me I needed to go on Fosamax. One said I had to be on it for a year, one said five years and the other told me I had to take it for the rest of my life! I was really scared and didn’t know where to turn. Mentally, I knew Fosamax wasn’t for me. My mother had been on it in her later years and had difficulty with the side effects, especially relating to her esophagus. Physically, I’ve never been able to tolerate prescription medication — even antibiotics can make me sick.

“A friend of mine told me about Dr. Brown’s book, Better Bones, Better Body, and I read it cover to cover. I wanted to talk with Dr. Brown, so my husband suggested driving out to Syracuse to see her. After meeting with Dr. Brown and working with my primary care physician, we found out that my vitamin D levels were unbelievably low — bordering on rickets. And you can’t absorb calcium without vitamin D. So all the calcium I’d been taking wasn’t doing anything for me! The first thing Dr. Brown did was increase my vitamin D. It didn’t take long for my levels to come up to a normal range.

“Dr. Brown also informed me of the foods I could eat to improve my bone health. I was already eating a fairly healthy diet, but she gave me a list of alkalizing foods, and I began to add more salads and leafy greens into my meals. I take a multivitamin for my bones and try to walk every day. After a year of being on Dr. Brown’s Better Bones Program, I had a DEXA scan and had not suffered any more bone loss. In fact, I even gained bone in my hip! Not to mention the fact that I haven’t been sick in ages. Since my husband and I have been on the supplements, we haven’t had so much as a cold!

“When I started to think about what my doctors had told me about Fosamax, it really made me angry. I think too many people are indoctrinated by the medical profession. They get a prescription from their doctors and they fill it. I know medicine is a part of staying alive sometimes, and let’s face it, as we get older, we don’t know what’s going to happen with our health. But if you’re in a situation and you’re being told you have to be on a drug for the rest of your life, my advice is: don’t be afraid to look at alternatives. Don’t be afraid to investigate, to find a doctor who is willing to work with you. Read Dr. Brown’s book and ask questions! You can find a solution you’re comfortable with.”

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Last Modified Date: 05/26/2011