Injections given to older folks for osteoporosis every six months to “strengthen the bones” are becoming more popular. But these shots are actually having the opposite effect. In 2024, the FDA added a large box warning after finding these injections trigger dangerously low blood calcium in people.
Rather than rebuild bones, osteoporosis injections interfere with the minerals and cells that naturally repair the bone, while doing nothing about the real reasons bones become fragile: chronic inflammation and poor digestion of minerals, vitamin D and K2 deficiency. Often times hormonal imbalances, inactivity, and other acid-blocking drugs the person is taking is contributing to their low minerals.
Osteoporosis medications, especially the powerful injections, work by blocking RANKL. RANKL is a key signal that activate the production of osteoclasts—which are the cells that break down and remodel the bone. Turning the production of osteoclast cells down artificially can increase bone mineral density in the short-run, which can feel stabilizing at first. But it is very damaging in the long-term. This is yet another example of how modern medicine always promises to cure the symptom, but is really making the root cause of the problem even worse.
Bone is a living tissue. Bone strength depends on the quality of bone cell turnover and repair, not just the density. When you suppress the body’s natural bone remodeling with these drugs, you raise bone density at the cost of making the bones less strong and functional. A material can be very dense, but also brittle if not constructed properly. It is the same in the human body. If you make concrete more dense, but remove the rebar it will not hold up against stress.
The osteoporosis medications are removing the body’s rebar, which is calcium. A study of 2,804 patients being treated for osteoporosis with these injections developed severe calcium loss 41.1% of the time. That is an extraordinary risk to take, with very little benefit to show for it. This is because the root cause of bone loss is not just a density issue. The weakness is almost always due to low mineral absorption from inflammation caused by chronic infections.For testing of infections that are known for causing bone inflammation, we recommend scheduling a full body scan and developing a customized therapy plan based on the infections found.