Researching a 2nd Opinion Site

Well I could spend the next 2-3 hours laying out all the logical flaws and half truths in that "why I don't get bone scans" article but instead I'll pick one common sense point. The problem with possible misuse of bone scans lies mainly with what you decide to do after getting the scan results, not with having the scan. Getting a test gives you information. The information can be used wisely or foolishly. It is unfortunate that it can be quite complicated to weigh all the factors involved in bone health. And sifting through the evidence and making decisions is not easy. But not having basic information is not going to help you make better decisions. And it's not just about taking meds - how many of us are going to take exercise as seriously if we don't know we have bone loss going on? I've been an avid exerciser during a number of periods of my life but knowing my DXA score sure as heck encourages me to exercise consistently and intensely and carefully.

If I followed this writers kind of thinking I wouldn't get all kinds of testing done. Forget xrays or blood tests, why even have physical exams. With this logic I wouldn't even go to my dermatologist and get annual checks for skin cancer for fear that she would prescribe some drug or surgery. Rather than follow that kind of thinking what I do is get that checkup every year and then I decide what I want to do based on my dermatologist suggestions and my own research and logic. I want to know if I have a cancer or pre-cancer or a growth that looks a bit suspicious.

Not knowing what's going on does not seem like a solution to me.
Taking responsibility for one's health doesn't end with getting a test. It may start there and then it takes a lot of effort and thinking to evaluate the whole situation. Not getting a bone scan is more akin to burying your head in the sand.

Final point, that info on radiation is one of her many half-truths. The radiation dose from a DXA is so low - it was amazing to me that it's lower by far than almost any other xray. So yeah I don't want to get a chest xray (lots of radiation) every time I have a cough but I do want to get screened to know how my bone density is going. Then if you have low bone density and need to track if it is actively thinning or to see if an intervention is working, getting an annual DXA is a very reasonable thing to do while in that situation. I consider it a blessing that DXA's are so low in radiation that they can be used in that way.

Thank you.

Did you ever find a name of a knowledgable
Doc at the Cleveland Clinic?

I used to see Dr. Chad Deal who was the head of the Osteoporosis Dept. at Cleve Clinic. I have since moved but would go back to him in a heartbeat!