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Writer's pictureGary Moller

Does the use of ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers affect bone loss?

Updated: Apr 6


skeleton

The short answer is "Yes!"


Even if the published scientific evidence is weak, I've been in the health game for 50 years and that's long enough to pick patterns and connect the dots to come up with answers to health mysteries.


For example, I've noticed the acceleration of arthritic conditions in the years following the prescribing of drugs such as ACE Inhibitors for the management of high blood pressure. While I've been observing this trend for many years, it isn't without support in the literature:


Take Note:

Studies that contradict the success and reliability of a medicine tend to be tucked away, and scientists and their research staff may face budgetary issues for their further studies. This means that research and publications often lean towards endorsing drug treatments while minimising any negative outcomes, such as worsening osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. It's important to keep this in mind when examining research papers.


So, yes, a person in her 50's may have some joint wear and tear, but they're getting on with life fine and with good mobility. Then they're placed on blood pressure meds, usually a combination such as a betablocker, and ACE inhibitor, and often a statin. Within a few years, their hips and knees are going on them so much that the only remedy is joint replacement surgery.


The process we're seeing going on here is the acceleration of calcium and other minerals out of the bones. "So, where does all that calcium go?" You might ask.


The answer, sadly, is that, while much is lost from the body, some ends up depositing in the soft tissues – everywhere – including the arteries, joints, and organs such as the eyes (cataracts, for example, are calcified tissue). While the bones weaken, calcium dries and hardens and weakens soft tissues, including the hair, skin, and nails. Calcification increases tissue inflexibility, and, in the case of joints, accelerated wear and tear. Blood vessels that normally have the consistency of silicone tubing become calcified, thus more like inflexible copper piping. In the case of this progressive hardening of blood vessels, blood pressure rises, straining the heart, and the medical response is to increase the potency and number of blood pressure drugs. And so the cycle of bone loss strengthens and the downward spiral into poor health further accelerates!


HTMA Chart
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis indicating calcium loss

The remedy - the key to a long and healthy life - is to identify the root causes that may be increasing blood pressure and other health issues, then deal with them. Medicating conditions like elevated blood pressure never addresses the root causes - they're merely responding to, and pasting over symptoms, and therefore, are doomed to fail.


No matter your age - be it 15 or 85 - it's good to know that many negative biological processes can be reversed. Take calcium, for example. It can be shifted from soft tissues into bones. However, this process is slow, and it'll take many years to stop and reverse demineralisation. The best way to approach a long journey is to break it down into small steps and focus on each one individually. It's like a journey of a thousand miles - it's best to take it one step at a time.


The first step in your journey back to excellent health is to complete a hair tissue mineral analysis and follow the lab's guidelines faithfully for six months then repeat the test and take it from there. If you have medical complications, including being on medication, it would be helpful to have a consultation to review the HTMA report's recommendations.


Please read this article and act on it:


2 commentaires


anayasmiley
16 déc. 2023

Wondering what you think the mechanism is for this Gary? Do you think it is mediated by ACE negatively impacting the gut biome and therefore compromising nutrient uptake causing issues in your tissues downstream?

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Gary Moller
Gary Moller
16 déc. 2023
En réponse à

Anaya, that's a good question. I think it's complicated. For example, a drug may suppress thyroid (and adrenal and liver) function, as may the the case with ACE Inhibitors. When the thyroid weakens, the parathyroid becomes dominant and there's the shifting of calcium from the bones.


Here's this mechanism, for example: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35598638/


So, what I do is treat what I see without getting too hung up on the mechanisms, review progress now and then , andrespond accordingly.


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