Last night I had a long overdue dinner with a very dear friend of mine. Over a platter of fresh oysters (yes, we were in clear violation of the "R rule," and it was well worth the gamble), she told me about the recent health problems her husband has been facing.

It seems he's been having some terrible issues with acid reflux -- he can't eat any of his favorite foods, and he has to sleep sitting up. Of course, I immediately suggested she have him get in touch with a doctor skilled in natural medicine rather than going the mainstream route of acid suppression...and absolutely insisted on it when I heard the next words out of her mouth:

"It's so bad, he's been taking a double dose of heartburn medication." She was, of course, talking about a popular over-the counter proton pump inhibitor (PPI) -- a class of drugs with which my readers are all too familiar.

Our team has informed you about their links to deadly infections ("Purple pill could invite killer bacteria,") as well as the research that proved that they could actually cause the very condition they're meant to eliminate ("Are Those Acid Reflux Drugs Really So Bad?,").

My conversation with my friend and the words of wisdom I've read in Nutrition & Healing were on my mind when I spent some time this morning catching up on health news I'd bookmarked online.

And of course I forwarded one article to my friend immediately, hoping it would remind her to talk to her husband about his use of PPIs.

Last year, the FDA added a new warning to the labels on PPIs, one that alerted users to a possible increased risk of bone fractures. Just a couple of months ago, they made the brilliant move of removing the warning from nonprescription PPIs, explaining that they're meant for short term use and the fracture risk was only seen in people using them long term.

I guess to the FDA, there is such a thing as keeping consumers TOO informed. Not to mention that they're conveniently ignoring the marketing that tells us to use these drugs whenever we feel the symptoms of heartburn, which for some people is just about every day.

A new analysis appearing in the Annals of Family Medicine has confirmed the bone fracture risk. Researchers reviewed 11 studies, finding that people taking PPIs were 29 percent more likely to develop bone fractures. Long-term users were 30 percent more likely, and people who take high doses (this is where it gets scary for my friend's husband) were specifically 53 percent more likely to get hip fractures.

The researchers concluded that using PPIs long term or frequently should be avoided.

Along with the article, I sent my friend some information about Dr. Wright's approach to indigestion and heartburn: that they aren't caused by TOO MUCH stomach acid, but by having TOO LITTLE. His treatment involves adding more acid. It's a treatment that must be monitored by a doctor. For more information, search the archives at www.wrightnewsletter.com and talk to a doctor skilled in natural medicine.

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