Many doctors use the words ‘no treatment is required for this disease’. Though these words should not be used, what the doctor really means is that he would not like to give drugs.

Often while writing or teaching we use the words "non-pharmacological treatment". For example in a patient detected to have mild hypertension, loss of a few kilograms of weight, regular brisk walk for one hour daily and low salt diet may be advised for few months or more, before resorting to drug treatment.

Another example is management of osteoporosis. We tell the patient to lose weight and do regular exercise, stop drinking and smoking, have exposure to sun for few minutes daily and this maybe the only treatment advised.

However, in case of patients who have undergone DXA studies, and the DXA-T score is -1 or -2 i.e. <-2.5, in addition to the above, the patient is prescribed calcium and Vitamin D tablets to be taken permanently. Yet these allopathic drugs do not come under pharmacotherapy. Only when the DXA score is > - 2.5, for example -2.8 or -3 or -4, the patient should be given specific treatment with HRT, bisphosphonates, reloxifin or calcitonin. In day to day terms, these drugs come under the label of pharmacotherapy for osteoporosis, while calcium and vitamin D do not.