ASK DR. PAM - PART II

by Dr. Pamela A. Popper

Dear Dr. Pam: I have heard you say that bone scans are useless tests. Do you recommend an alternative to these scans?

It is true that DEXA scans are not useful tests, for a number of reasons. The loss of bone mineral density is a normal function of aging; labeling this as a condition that requires medical treatment is a practice we refer to as "disease mongering" - expanding the diagnostic criteria for a condition to include the largest number of people possible, which builds a large market for drugs and procedures. Another important consideration is that studies have established that bone mineral density is not a predictor of the risk for fractures.

The best option for insuring optimal health for your bones is to practice dietary excellence (a Wellness Forum-style diet), to engage in regular exercise, get exposure to sunlight every day possible, and to make sure your gastrointestinal tract is in great working order.

Dear Dr. Pam: What do you think about the health care bill just passed by the US Senate?

The bill recently passed by the US Senate is not a health care bill. It is a health insurance reform bill, which is quite different. The senate bill is considerably different than the one passed by the house, so the two will be reconciled though a conference committee. In other words, we really do not yet know the details of the final bill and will not know until the conference committee is finished with its work.

Unfortunately, neither the House nor the Senate bills dealt with true health care reform. Both bills focus on increasing access to health care, and determining who is going to pay for it; there is no discussion about evaluating the services currently offered by health care professionals and the safety and efficacy of those services.

For the record, I am in favor of making sure that every U.S. citizen has access to health care, provided that the care that is being delivered has been proven to work, meaning that it prevents, stops the progression of, or reverses disease. So far, this issue has not been addressed in any of the proposals that were debated in Congress. In my opinion, the movement toward true health care reform has not yet begun.

Dear Dr. Pam: I have a question about aspartame. Some people say that much of the research on aspartame has been conducted on animals and that we cannot conclude that because animals have adverse effects, that the same thing would happen with humans. Do you think this is true and what are your thoughts on aspartame?

I agree that studies performed on animals can be quite misleading, and I support efforts to eliminate animal testing because there are better ways to gather data. However, there are situations in which studies performed on animals have predicted outcomes in humans; the research performed at Cornell on rats and animal protein were aligned with later studies examining the effects of animal protein on humans.

I think the discussion about aspartame is a bit misdirected. There are no studies showing that aspartame helps individuals to lose weight or helps diabetics to control blood sugar levels. The only plan of action proven to accomplish those goals is dietary excellence and optimal habits. Since there is no proven benefit, there is no reason to consider consuming it, safety issues aside.

Additionally, the FDA does such a miserable job regulating EVERYTHING that we cannot count on this agency to accurately evaluate safety and efficacy prior to approving products, or to remove them once on the market. The General Accounting Office recently concluded that the FDA has no mechanism for taking harmful products and drugs off the market once they are approved.

So, this all makes the discussion about animal studies somewhat irrelevant.

Article printed with permission from Dr. Pamela A. Popper and taken from Newsletters Vol 8 Issue 2 January 11, 2010.  Dr. Popper is the founder and Executive Director of The Wellness Forum, a chain of health and wellness centers located throughout the United States and the Far East.