You are correct to think that doctors are quick to dole out medications and treatments. It's what they are trained to do. Big Pharma is alive and well with these drugs providing billions of $ in revenue for these companies. An interesting read: NPR's How A Bone Disease Grew To Fit The Prescription.

Also another good read is the book "Overdiagnosed" by H. Gilbert Welch, MD. While it doesn't address osteoporosis, it's a real eye-opener nonetheless. Here's the book description: "Going against the conventional wisdom reinforced by the medical establishment and Big Pharma that more screening is the best preventative medicine, Dr. Gilbert Welch builds a compelling counterargument that what we need are fewer, not more, diagnoses. Documenting the excesses of American medical practice that labels far too many of us as sick, Welch examines the social, ethical, and economic ramifications of a health-care system that unnecessarily diagnoses and treats patients, most of whom will not benefit from treatment, might be harmed by it, and would arguably be better off without screening." (For the record, I am all for diagnostic tests like colonoscopies, mammos, DEXA, etc. but sometimes the medical community goes overboard.)

Many years ago I was prescribed a statin to control my cholesterol. I thought there had to be a better way. I went plant-based and ate one Brazilian nut a day. My cholesterol dropped 80 points in three months to an acceptable range. Brazilian nuts lower cholesterol levels (however you can't consume too many because of its high selenium content). So I decided to be my own test subject. Six weeks after eating one Brazilian nut a day (plus going plant-based) I had a cholesterol blood test at a local Minute Clinic and my cholesterol had already dropped 60 points. At my 3-month follow-up doctor's appointment, my cholesterol dropped 80 points. The doctor was so pleased that the statin was working and that my cholesterol levels were within normal range. When I told him I never took the statin and instead I went plant-based and ate a Brazilian nut once a day, his jaw literally dropped. He was absolutely stunned I achieved this with a diet change and eating a daily nut. Brazilian nuts combined with a plant-based diet did wonders for my cholesterol numbers. But statins, again, bring in billions of dollars so why the heck would these companies and/or doctors suggest anything as simple as consuming a nut on a daily basis or changing your diet. An interesting read: Brazil Nuts by NutritionFacts.org.

I'm all for medication if needed or when there's absolutely no other way or if it's critical. However, if there is another way, it's only up to us to find it. A doctor won't help other than write a script.