I see them in my office all the time:women with bones so brittle they could snap.Yet the astonishing thing is that thesewomen have not neglected their bones.

On the contrary, they’re doing every-

thing they’re “supposed” to do to strengthentheir bones. They’re taking fistfuls of calci-um and other supplements. They’re eatingdairy and soy. They’re doing weight-bearingexercise. They’re putting wild yam cream ontheir thighs.

Yet despite taking supplements, despiteexercising, and sometimes despite tryingdrugs, they’re finding very little improve-ment in their bones. Why?

I’ve told you about the problems withcalcium supplements in past issues. Next tocalcium, women are now falling for what Icall the 3 Biggest Myths About Osteoporosis.

Today, I’m going to expose those myths.But more importantly, I’m going to tell youhow to reverse osteoporosis.

And I do mean reverse. You can literallyregain the bone mass you had 10 or 20 yearsago. You can do the things you enjoy withoutfear of a slip or fall that could land you in ahospital or nursing home.

So let’s get started …

Myth # 1:Bone Density Tests Predict YourChances of Developing Osteoporosis

The truth: Only to a point. You see,bone density is a “statistical test.” The testlooks at the density of your bones, and then

In this IssueSome alternative doctors will tell you to avoid prescription osteoporosis drugs. But here’s when they can work miracles ............................ p. 3One of the most popular supplements on the market can cause cancer and heart attacks. Here’s how to use it correctly ...................................... p. 4My secret remedy for preventing digestion problems — this one is sure to surprise you................ p. 6Do Splenda and other artificial sweeteners contribute to pancreatic cancer? ...................... p. 8

Coming Next Month• In the past, I’ve told you how to prevent

cancer. Now I’m going to tell you what to do if you already have cancer. You won’t read this anywhere else.

• The common food additive that causes Parkinson’s — you can even find it in many health foods.

The 3 Biggest MythsAbout OsteoporosisPlus, what you can do to have the bone strength you had years ago!

Dr. Frank Shallenberger’s

Vol. 7, No. 6 June 2008

compares that number to the statistics forsomeone your age and sex. The problem isthat each person is different. What’s“strong” bone for one person isn’t necessari-ly the same for another.

Another weakness of this method isthat it’s difficult to compare two bone densi-ty tests. The technician must aim the X-rayat the exact same spot on the same bone. Ifyou’re just one-sixteenth of an inch off, youcan get different results even if your overallbone health hasn’t changed.

I see this all the time when I look atprior bone density tests of my new patients.The tests show that the density went up infour different places — but also went downin four different places.

The bottom line is that you should takeyour bone density measurements with agrain of salt. The test can’t tell you howstrong your bones are, and the results maynot be all that accurate.

Yet most doctors use only bone densi-ty tests to diagnose osteoporosis orosteopenia. And that’s a shame. There arenewer, better ways to truly check the den-sity and the strength of your bones. Theproblem is, many doctors haven’t evenheard of these tests.

The solution: Ask your doctor to run an N-telopeptide test. It’s a urine test that measures how much bone you’relosing. If N-telopeptide is too high in theurine, it means your rate of bone loss is too high. And one good thing about this test is that you can do it every few weeks if you want.

Another good thing about this test isthat if you begin therapy right away, you’llsee an improvement in four to six weeks.With bone density tests, it takes a year ormore to see a difference.

The N-telopeptide test is relativelyinexpensive, and almost all labs can run it.However, a lot of doctors still don’t knowabout it. And because of that, many doctorsprescribe osteoporosis drugs that theirpatients may not need.

Which brings us to…

Myth #2: You Should Never Use Prescription Drugs

The Truth: Long-term use of prescrip-tion drugs is dangerous. But over the short-term, they can be a quick way to build bonetissue.

You’ve probably heard about the dan-gers of bisphosphonate drugs like Fosamax,Zometa, and Actonel. The most serious dan-ger is that these drugs have been linked to abone disease called osteonecrosis of the jaw.In this condition, the gums and jawbonestop generating new tissue. The jawbone“dies.” The teeth fall out. Sometimes thedead or decayed portions of the jawbonehave to be removed by a surgeon.

So why am I saying that these drugsare OK to take over the short-term?Because every single case of necrosis of thejaw occurred when the person was eithertaking the drugs for many years, or was tak-ing the more potent versions of the drugs(which are usually used in chemotherapy).

The solution: If you have severeosteoporosis, bisphosphonate drugs may bea good stopgap measure to increase yourbone mass quickly. Studies show that overthe short-term, these drugs do, in fact,result in stronger bone.

If you do use these drugs, you shoulduse them for only a year. That’s long enoughto get the benefits, but not long enough tosuffer the serious side effects.

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Real Cures (ISSN 1062-4163) is published monthly bySoundview Publishing, LLC. Publisher: Wallis W. Wood;Editor: Frank Shallenberger, MD. Subscriptions $49 peryear; foreign addresses add $13 U.S. per year. Send newsubscriptions or changes of address to our Business Office:P.O. Box 467939, Atlanta, GA 31146-7939, 800-728-2288 or770-399-5617. Real Cures is a newsletter containing gen-eral comments on health, nutrition, and medicine. Readersare advised to consult with their own physician beforeimplementing any health idea they read about, whetherhere or in any other publication. Copyright © 2008 bySoundview Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.Unauthorized reproduction of this newsletter or its con-tents by xerography, facsimile, or any other means is illegal.

— 3 —

Myth #3 Hormone Therapy Is Dangerous

The (Surprising) Truth: You’ve seenall the news stories about how hormonereplacement therapy can increase your riskof heart disease and cancer. But here’s whatthose stories fail to mention: All these dan-gers come from synthetic hormones, notnatural ones.

You probably know that Premarin, themost commonly prescribed estrogen, comesfrom horses. (The name “Premarin” actual-ly stands for “Pregnant Mare Urine.”)Indeed, Premarin contains over 49 differenthorse estrogens, not one of which is natural-ly found in humans. Of course it’s going tocause problems when humans take it!

And as bad as Premarin is, it’s notnearly as bad as Provera, the synthetic prog-esterone (progestin) doctors prescribed foryears. In fact, the oft-quoted HRT studiesshow that women who took Premarin alonedidn’t fare that badly. It’s when they addedProvera that their rates of cancer and heartdisease skyrocketed!

Yes, Provera is dangerous. I never pre-scribe it for my patients. But natural hor-mones are different. There’s never been astudy to show any kind of danger fromthem. In fact, the opposite is true. Studiesshow that they actually help prevent breastcancer.

The Truth About NaturalHormones

Unlike synthetic hormones, naturalhormones are structurally identical to thehormones that we produce in our own bod-ies. That’s why we refer to them as “bio-identical” hormones. These hormones exact-ly mimic what your body produces on itsown (or used to produce on its own). Thechemical reactions are the same.

I’ve seen them work miracles on mypatients. My colleagues have seen the samething. And studies prove our experience. Infact, clinical studies have shown that supple-mental natural progesterone increases bone

density by 7% in the first year, by 12% aftertwo years, and by 15% after three years!

Yes, that’s new bone! Natural proges-terone can help you rebuild the bone you’vealready lost. And natural estrogen is just asimportant.

You see, progesterone stimulates cellscalled osteoblasts. These cells build bone.Estrogen, on the other hand, slows theactivity of cells called osteoclasts. These cellsbreak down bone. Osteoblasts and osteoclastswork together to keep your bones healthy.

When you don’t have these hormones,this process of renewing and rebuildingdoesn’t happen. With nothing to slow themdown, the osteoclasts break down old bonetissue quickly. And the osteoblasts don’t pro-duce new bone tissue. The inevitable resultis osteoporosis.

What to Do if Your HormoneLevels Are Low

To find out your estrogen and proges-terone levels, find a doctor who uses bio-identical hormones. You can find one atwww.worldhealth.net.

When you visit the doctor, he’ll giveyou a saliva test to determine your hormonelevels. This test will tell you if you’re defi-cient in estrogen, progesterone, and/ortestosterone. (Yes, women’s bodies producetestosterone, too.)

If the test determines that any of yourhormones are deficient, your doctor can setup an individualized hormone replacementplan for you. I do this for my patients, and itworks far better than a one-size-fits-all plan.

How to Reverse OsteoporosisEven Faster

I hope that you’re now convinced thathigher levels of hormones are the only wayto reverse osteoporosis. But now let meshow you my secrets for supercharging yourosteoporosis regimen.

First, take a look at your diet. Iknow that’s not sexy. But it’s vital to good

— 4 —

This Supplement Causes Cancerand Heart Attacks

I’ve been telling anyone who would listenfor the past 13 years to avoid taking a popularsupplement. That’s right — there’s a supple-ment that’s extremely dangerous. But no onewants to listen.

I’ve pointed out that study after studyshows that you don’t need to take this sup-plement. Very few people in this country aredeficient. And the prestigious Women’sHealth Initiative study shows definitivelythat taking this supplement does absolutelynothing to improve the strength of bones.

By now, I’m sure you know that I’mtalking about calcium. And the news aboutcalcium is getting even worse. It nowappears that the supplement might cause

cancer and heart attacks!

We know that calcium supplementssuppress vitamin D formation. When youcombine this with the fact that low levels ofvitamin D cause cancer, and the fact thatthose with the highest calcium intake havethe highest incidence of cancer (all publishedinformation), you see the connection.Calcium supplements may cause cancer!We’ll have more on this in future issues.

And, since calcium does not go to thebones, where does it go? Several studies haveshown that it goes just where you don’t wantit to go — to your arteries. But does anyonelisten? I hope so, but most people seem tothink I’m crazy for doubting the wonderful“benefits” of calcium supplements. Nowmaybe they’ll listen.

health. Here are a few things to focus on:• Make sure you don’t drink a lot of

soft drinks or coffee. These will leach calci-um from your bones.

• You also need to make sure you’reeating a lot of protein and vegetables. Thisway you’re sure to eat plenty of the traceminerals that are so important to bonehealth. These include zinc, boron, calcium,magnesium, etc. Notice I list calcium here.While you don’t need as much of it as mostdoctors say you do, you still need a little.And you’ll get plenty from a diet rich in pro-tein and vegetables.

Next, add the right supplements.

Some patients are particularly low inzinc and need to take an extra supplement. Irecommend 15 mg of zinc picolinate daily.

In fact, the only supplements youngpeople (premenopausal) need to take are zinc,vitamin C (500 mg daily), and vitamin D.

Vitamin D is critical. I’ve alreadyshowed you why. But there’s more. Vitamin

D is actually a hormone, so you can see whyit’s so important for your bones. It’s soimportant that a deficiency makes you morelikely to suffer stress or hip fractures, orother crippling bone injuries. Withoutenough vitamin D, once-healthy bonesbecome thin and brittle. Worse, even thickbones can become so soft, they bend andbreak as easily as thinner bones!

Vitamin D is stimulated by sunlight, sopeople in Northern climates usually don’tget enough. In fact, several studies out ofEngland show very clearly that during thewinter, serum vitamin D levels are one-fifthwhat they are in the summer. And fair-skinned, thin, blue-eyed Scandinavian typesstatistically get more osteoporosis thandark-skinned types.

I used to think that people living insunny climates didn’t have to worry abouttheir vitamin D levels. But every patientthat I test for vitamin D, regardless ofwhere they live, is deficient. So I tell all ofmy patients to start with 5,000 IU of D3 perday during the winter. Start taking it around

— 5 —

A study published just this lastFebruary (2008) revealed some stunningnews about calcium. Women (and probablymen) who take calcium supplements aremore than twice as likely to have heartattacks than those who leave the stuff alone.

The study was a prospective, randomized,controlled study. That’s the most convincingkind. The researchers studied 1,471 post-menopausal women, none of whom were takingcalcium supplements. The average age was 74.They randomly assigned 732 of them to takecalcium supplements. The other 739 receivedplacebo pills. They then followed these womenover the next five years to see the results. Theresults are startling.

In the placebo group, 14 women had heartattacks, compared to 31 women in the calciumgroup. The use of calcium supplements morethan doubled the heart attack rate. But it gets

even worse. The researchers found that heartattack wasn’t the only problem. It turned outthat there were 101 cases of strokes or deathsin the calcium women, versus 54 in the placebogroup. Not only did calcium supplements causetwice as many heart attacks, but they alsocaused twice as many strokes and deaths. I callthat astounding!

So please, if all of the other studies outthere about the dangers of calcium supplementshaven’t yet convinced you to stay away fromthem, please let this one get through. A modestamount of calcium is fine (less than 500 mgdaily) — the amount that you get in your diet,or in herbal supplements. But please avoid cal-cium pills.Bolland MJ, Barber PA, et al. Vascular events in healthy olderwomen receiving calcium supplementation: randomized con-trolled trial. British Medical Journal. 2008 Feb 2;336(7638):262-6. Epub 2008 Jan 15.

Thanksgiving and go until tax day (April 15).Make sure you’re taking vitamin D3,

not the inferior vitamin D2, which is foundin most grocery stores and pharmacies.Vitamin D2 is a synthetic vitamin — andsynthetics aren’t effective.

If you’re going through menopause orif you’ve already gone through it, you alsoneed to take vitamin K1. Vitamin K1reduces the rate of calcium loss from thebones by activating the hormone calcitonin.Calcitonin de-activates osteoclasts, the cellsthat break down bone. Even small amountsof vitamin K1 can make an enormous differ-ence. For example, just 1 mg of vitamin K1 per day reduces the loss of bone calciumby 35-50%. Larger doses have an evengreater effect.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble molecule. Soif you’re on a low-fat diet, you may not begetting enough. Additionally, vitamin K ismost commonly found in green vegetables,and most people don’t include enough greenvegetables in their diets.

Finally, make sure the bones that

break most often — the hips and back— are strong. The best way to do thisis with a gentle program of a weight-bearing exercise. It doesn’t have to bemuch. Women who exercise by walking fastfor only one hour, three times per week canincrease their spinal bone density by 4.4%per year.

Even 30 minutes of walking threetimes a week will yield results. I recommendwalking outside in the sunlight to stimulatethe production of vitamin D. However, on aday when that’s not possible, walking on atreadmill, in the mall, or even on a smallexercise trampoline will be just as effective.

The trampoline is my favorite piece ofindoor exercise equipment for osteoporosis.When you land on it, it gives your bones aslight compression, which is a good form ofstress that builds your bones. After you godown on the trampoline, it shoots you up,giving you a second compression. You getmore bang for your buck if you’re runningin place on the trampoline instead of run-ning in place on the floor.

You can also use something calledpower plates. You stand on them and theyvibrate. If you ever attend a health show ortrade show, you’ll see them there. NASAuses these for astronauts in space travel tokeep their bones in shape. There is a lot ofdata on them showing that they really work.You can find them on the Internet.

That’s the basic plan for keeping yourbones in great shape. If your hormone levelsare high, this plan will help keep them highas you go through menopause. If your hor-mone levels are low, you can add these toyour natural hormone-replacement regimenand it will supercharge the hormones towork even faster.

Get Started NOW!

As you can see, you can reverse osteo-porosis. I’ve seen excellent results using thisprotocol in every woman (and man) I’vetreated. It doesn’t matter if they’ve hadbreast cancer or not. In fact, all of mypatients who follow this plan completelyreverse their bone loss. They even build

healthy new bone tissue. And they increasethe strength of their bones.

Best of all — with every year, theirbones get better and stronger. After years ofstruggling with weak, brittle bones theynow have stronger, healthier bones thanthey did 20 years ago! So get started now!Make an appointment with a doctor whouses bio-identical hormones. And begin toenjoy strong bones that will stay strong forthe rest of your life!

One final note: Natural hormonesand exercise will reverse osteoporosis in justabout every case. But if you have osteoporo-sis and don’t want to take natural hor-mones, you can still follow the other recom-mendations in this report and see improve-ment. However, you’ll have to work a lotharder. You’ll have to exercise more, cleanup your diet completely, and make sureyou’re vigilant about taking all the supple-ments I’ve mentioned. I can’t guarantee this will reverse osteoporosis. But it willlikely stop its progression or at least slowit down.

— 6 —

Last month, I showed you simple andvery effective ways to knock out your diges-tive problems. But those solutions workonly if your digestive problems stem fromfood sensitivities or infection.

If none of those solutions clears upyour digestive problem, it’s possible youhave a serious health issue. At least, that’swhat your doctor will tell you. Many doctorswill tell patients who don’t respond to treat-ment that they have colitis, irritable bowelsyndrome (IBS), or even Crohn’s disease.

While this is true in a few cases, far toomany doctors jump to these diagnoses with-out considering one other possible cause ofdiscomfort — a yeast infection calledCandida albicans. Symptoms of a candida

overgrowth include changes in your stool,constipation or diarrhea, bloating, gas, andstomach or intestinal cramps. And sufferersfind they can’t eat certain foods.

These symptoms are similar to symp-toms of colitis, IBS, and Crohn’s disease, soit’s easy to understand why doctors wouldmisdiagnose it.

If your doctor says you have Crohn’sdisease, but he hasn’t done a biopsy, walkout of his office and find a new doctor.Crohn’s disease is a severe autoimmune dis-order. Your doctor can diagnose it accuratelyonly with a biopsy. As a result, many casesof Crohn’s disease are false diagnoses.

But if someone comes to me and tellsme their doctor says they have colitis or

How to Knock Out DigestiveProblems Once and For All, Part 2

— 7 —

IBS, I’ll first treat them for a yeast over-growth. And for most patients, this works.

So how do you treat a chronic yeastovergrowth? There’s no standard regimenrecommended for a chronic yeast over-growth, because it’s not a recognized med-ical condition. That’s why your doctor willoften overlook it. If your doctor does suspectcandida is an issue, he’ll probably prescribea long-term regimen of oral antifungals,along with changes in your diet.

Unfortunately, the solutions offered by most alternative-minded doctors don’twork very fast. Solutions such as garlic and caprylic acid can take months to kill the yeast.

But you can easily kill the yeast in justtwo to three weeks. It might take a bitlonger to ensure the yeast will stay awayonce it’s gone, but it’s nothing like themonths other natural remedies require toclear up the problem. And it’s a whole loteasier than a lifetime commitment to “man-age” the colitis or IBS that you probablydon’t even have!

The first step is to eliminate all carbo-hydrates. And I mean literally no starches,sugars, grains, beans, or fruits for the firsttwo weeks. This is tough at first. But you’lleventually get used to it. And since it’s foronly two weeks, most patients can make it.

The second step is to take a prescrip-tion antifungal — either Nystatin orDiflucan. I recommend these antifungals fortwo reasons: They’re completely safe andthey work quickly. Diflucan wipes out theyeast in two weeks — Nystatin requires anextra week to do the job. And they’re bothso safe. In fact, you’re more likely to havean adverse reaction to a vitamin! Most doc-tors will gladly give you a prescription forthese drugs. And most insurance will coverthe cost according to your prescription drugcoverage.

Your final step is to re-promote normalbacteria that will permanently hold theyeast in check. I give people a high-quality,multi-strain lactobacillus supplement. One ofmy favorites is Advanced Probiotic Formula

offered by Advanced Bionutritionals. Pleasecall 800-728-2288 for more information.

In addition, I tell people to take thecapsule form of saccaromyces buoulardii – abeneficial yeast. Take four capsules twice aday for six weeks.

This three-step program is so effectivethat any symptoms should be completelycleared up within two weeks.

Even Better Than a Cure —Prevention

Of course, one thing that’s better thancuring chronic gastric distress is keeping itfrom ever happening. And there’s one pre-ventative that works against all the issuesI’ve discussed in this report: the regularingestion of coconut oil.

Coconut oil? You may have heard that“tropical oils” are bad for your healthbecause they contain triglycerides.

Well, the truth is that coconut oil con-tains something called medium-chaintriglycerides. These aren’t the same as theunhealthy triglycerides, which are long-chain fatty acids.

Study after study has proven thehealth benefits of the medium-chain triglyc-erides found in coconut oil.

For example, coconut oil has anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. It killsboth Candida albicans and helicobacterpylori. Coconut oil also contributes to heal-ing of the stomach lining.

Worried that your heart may suffer foryour stomach’s good? Don’t be. Medium-chain triglycerides lower the risk of bothatherosclerosis and heart disease. And theyhave no negative impact on cholesterol levels.

So, if you don’t already suffer fromstomach trouble, now you know a simpleand safe way to prevent it.

But if it’s too late for prevention, there’sstill no need to suffer with chronic gastricdistress. Relief can be simple, inexpensive,and permanent. You just have to know howto find and treat its root causes.

— 8 —

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Q. Do Splenda or other artificialsweeteners contribute to pancreaticcancer? — Vicky C., via e-mail

Dear Vicky,According to most studies, artificial

sweeteners are completely safe when takenin normal amounts. Researchers have givenall of them, including aspartame, to animalsin doses that far exceed what you wouldnormally use. And they’ve never shown thatany of them cause problems for humans.

Early studies on saccharin showed anincrease in bladder cancer in rats with veryhigh doses. Other studies have suggested anincrease in leukemia and lymphoma in miceand rats from aspartame. Happily enough,however, when researchers applied theresults of the studies to human cancerdevelopment, they discovered that this wasa problem for rats and mice only.

In one study of half a million people,there was no more cancer in aspartame usersthan in those who avoided the sweetener.And many of the aspartame users drankexcessive amounts of soda sweetened with it.

Still, most of these sweeteners areeither chemicals or processed foods withadditives. So I’m not a big fan of them.While they don’t appear to cause cancer, wecan’t tell for sure what other problems theymight cause.

The only sugar substitute I recommendis Stevia, which you can find at any healthfood store and on the Internet.

Q. My grandson is three months oldand has neuroblastoma on his adrenalgland. All of the doctors say to donothing. Do you believe this is the cor-rect way to go? — Pamela F., via e-mail

Dear Pamela,I don’t think “do nothing” is good

advice for any cancer. However, as far asconventional medicine is concerned, I agree

— for now. Neuroblastomas can behavestrangely. Sometimes the cells die withoutany cause and the tumor disappears. This ispart of a normal process known as pro-grammed cell death (apoptosis), the normalprocess that occurs when cells die. This ismuch more common in very young infants,such as your grandson, than in older chil-dren. So there’s reason for hope.

But these cancers can do somethingelse that is rather strange. The cells canmature spontaneously to normal ganglioncells and stop dividing. This causes thetumor to become benign (non-cancerous).So, it makes good sense to watch as long aspossible to see if this is going to happen.

If it doesn’t, there’s still reason forhope. Every child with neuroblastoma canbe treated. The type of treatment useddepends on the stage of the cancer and thechild’s age. Treatments include surgery,chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy.Doctors may combine two or all three ofthese treatments for some children.

If my child had this disease, I wouldhave a consultation at the Burzinski Clinicin Houston, Texas. This clinic follows theguidelines of Dr. Stanislaw Burzinski, whohas been a revolutionary force in the battleagainst cancer, particularly childhood cancers of the nervous system (such as neuroblastoma). You can contact the clinicat www.burzynskiclinic.com or by calling713-335-5697.

But whatever you do, never give up.You can beat this form of cancer.

Got a Question?Do you have a question for Dr.

Shallenberger? If so, please send it (typedonly) to him c/o Soundview Publications,P.O. Box 467939, Atlanta, GA 31146-7939 or feedback@RealCuresLetter.com. While hewon’t be able to respond personally, he’ll tryto answer as many questions as he can inthese pages.