Kudzuslipper
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posted
I know there is a calcium controversy... That what we really need is magnesium, which I am taking (remag) But I just had a bone density test, I've had a little thinning in the past 5 years. dr is recommending 1000mg calcium and at least 2000mg D3 (I have been taking 6000)
Do I just start taking a calcium supplement? Or does it need other things in there. any suggedtions on types or brands?
Getting older sucks... I thought the only advantage I had from being heavy was all the "weight bearing" is supposed to help your bones...
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Keebler
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- An intracellular blood test seems in order but that may not tell you everything you need to know. The articles here have much more detail for you on the full mineral balance, not just about magnesium.
I'd sure want to know more - the density test is not telling you WHY, and it's just the assumption many jump to calcium when there could be other things involved about whether your body is
1. getting what it needs
2. able to use it
Just read a great article about how calcium can be very excitatory to us.
Magnesium may actually be more important to bone density than calcium, although balance is important. And Boron and D3 must be on the scene, too.
Be sure magnesium is taken 3 x a day or it just won't work as it should
See the last post here first about the calcium being excitatory, just posted yesterday -- so if you do increase calcium, you will know how to guard your neuro cells against taking up too much - with magnesium timed just right.
I don't take calcium. It never agreed with me. I take Vit K2 and boron. I just added back my D3... Felt like I needed it.
I need to get the proper testing but can't right now.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Keebler
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- Yeah, funny how we wish there were some benefits to just carrying ourselves upright on our frame, eh?
Weight bearing exercise to help bone density is not really as much about weight . . . so much as the constriction and relaxation of the muscles as they lift even light weights.
True, the body has to support weight but it's that on & off squeeze / relax repeat that helps.
PILATES can work. Whatever you need not necessary be lifting weights if you have trouble with joints. If your hands, wrists, elbows are all good, though, light weights may be just great.
And whatever you find that will work in this capacity also need not be hard.
IF your inner / middle ear and if your neck / spine are good, you might try REBOUNDING lightly. That squeeze / release of muscles gets a workout even with feet barely leaving the mat.
IF any kind of inner ear turmoil, though, rebounding may not be right for you.
TAI CHI or QI GONG may have some surprises benefits to bone health, too, as there is a fair amount of that squeeze/ relax of muscles in that kind of exercise, too, with the frequent shifting of positions from one leg to the other.
Tai Chi & Qi Gong help in other ways, though, to also help with BALANCE. The better our balance, the less chance of a tumble.
Be sure to have expert instruction regarding body mechanics before even starting - so that no bad habits are learned. They are so hard to "unlearn". -
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Keebler
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Pilates is an exercise technique that conditions the entire body and can help build bone and muscle strength. You can learn Pilates by taking classes or on your own. . . . -
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Keebler
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White Beans Tofu Almonds -
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Keebler
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posted
- Soy (organic) can be a marvelous help to provide calcium. This article really opened my eyes. For years, I thought soy was bad. It is not - not if we have adequate iodine in our diet.
Some doctors suggest 12.5 mg iodine a day (not more, never more) for those who may be deficient or have no source of iodine in their diet.
Kelp / seaweeds contain some but also contain a natural MSG that can be very excitatory to those with nervous tissue issues (as those with lyme).
Not All Soy Products are Created Equal: Interpretation of Research Results Difficult
- by Walter H. Wainright - from the Townsend Letter - Oct. 2008
Excerpts:
[Key point]. . . shows soy only affects thyroid function in people who are deficient in iodine. . . .
. . . Without question, soy is controversial. Does soy have a dark side, or is it good? . . .
. . . Are some soy products better than others? Do the benefits of soy outweigh the undesirable side effects? How do we determine what is correct? Clinical studies generally give us insight in determining what is factual and what is not.
The problem is the soy studies have no uniformity when referring to soy products and components in the scientific literature.
In addition, there is a lack of statistical data, and that data involve poorly defined test substances.
There is also controversy over the validity of the research models and approaches. Some researchers worry that isoflavones at low levels (below 50 mg) may be estrogenic, whereas the whole soy with higher isoflavone levels is anti-estrogenic. . . .
. . . With glowing reports like this extolling the benefits of soy, why is there confusion on determining if soy is beneficial for the treatment of estrogen-positive breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers? . . . .
Full article at link above.] -
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Kudzuslipper
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Thanks for all the info Keebler.
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Kudzuslipper
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So, if possible the supp I find should have... Calcium, mag, boron, and d3 (possibly potassium too) right?
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Abxnomore
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New Chapter makes a very good calcium supplement:
It's best to get additional calcium from dark green leafy vegetables, as opposed to milk products.
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posted
I would personally pass on the calcium. I take each of those separately.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Abxnomore
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Calcium and other mineral are best obtained from whole food supplements, which is what New Chapter's calcium supplement is. That's what I have been told and what I have learned from what I have read.
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Keebler
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posted
- Remember that K2 that TuTu mentions as being a key, too, for the other nutrients to work.
IMO, as much as possible, it's best to have food sources of nutrients with supplements as just that supplemental but not as the primary mode of nutrient delivery.
There are good reasons, though, to not take a calcium supplement while still, of course, being sure that diet is balanced.
I will never take a solo calcium supplement again (I'll get it from my food). Too excitatory to my tender brain cells.
I did not know this the last time I started on calcium tablets. While no stranger to such, a much more intense than usual seizure brought that to my attention.
I knew for years to avoid glutamic acid / glutamate in supplements. My dentist is the one who pointed out that a calcium supplement is not a good dance partner for me.
And . . . just the other day I stumbled upon the article in next post. Just for you, maybe?
Also, for those who might have a propensity toward hyperparathyroid issues, calcium supplements can just clobber.
Hyperparathyroid issues can cause many of the same symptoms as chronic infection: pain, fatigue, etc. So, it's just good not to invite that (excess calcium as in supplements can invite that but with in in diet, a better way).
Same for kidneys, excess intense (to the body) calcium pills are not as kind as calcium from foods.
I'm not at all saying do not be sure you get the calcium you need. You need it. We all do. But find out where you stand before making any major changes.
And, really, we may easily reach the levels (of calcium, anyway) we need through a variety of foods. After some time with this plan, you could have a repeat blood test to determine if you are absorbing enough. -
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Keebler
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. . . Let's look at the mechanisms first. Magnesium hangs out in the synapse between two neurons along with calcium and glutamate. If you recall, calcium and glutamate are excitatory, and in excess, toxic. They activate the NMDA receptor.
Magnesium can sit on the NMDA receptor without activating it, like a guard at the gate. Therefore, if we are deficient in magnesium, there's no guard.
Calcium and glutamate can activate the receptor like there is no tomorrow. In the long term, this damages the neurons, eventually leading to cell death. In the brain, that is not an easy situation to reverse or remedy. . . . (full post at link above)
Caution: Aspartate; Glutamine; and Phenylalanine (3 excitatory amino acids that can be wrong for us when added as supplements, beyond a normal dietary level) . . . -
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surprise
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posted
Yes, getting older does bite, pre- osto thinned bone here too.
Currently I am taking calcium gummies. Natural, no dyes. Separate D, K, magnesium, go off intuition how much, D tests okay.
Sunny CA walks on hills. In and out w/ doing weights, prefer walking lately.
I am dairy free so it does concern me some.
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posted
Get some K2 and lots of magnesium, surprise!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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surprise
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Thanks TuTu, I went back to edit at the same time!
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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Kudzuslipper
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I want one pill with everything I need! It's odd, I really don't think of myself as being as old as i am... So when these crazy dx's come up, I'm like " that can't possibly be right I'm only in my 30's... Oh yeah, I just turned 55... Lyme sure did rob the best years of my life.
Which brand calcium gummies are you using Surprise? I like the chewables, I feel I absorb them better.
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Kudzuslipper
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When is the best time to take calcium?
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Keebler
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- Most minerals just can't be taken once a day for the full daily requirement - usually. With most, that could damage the kidneys with too high of a dose and with most, they will also move out of the body too fast (that's why it can be hard on kidneys).
They are food and, as food, are necessary 3 or so times a day so that the body has full round the clock coverage. Pretty sure I've read this about calcium, too, as I was reading that this is true of magnesium -- so you might want to search that out as to calcium and other minerals you take.
Some minerals play well with others, some oppose each other and do better showing up at the playground at different times.
And, to keep all your pearly whites right where they are . . .
If you do use any chewable, be sure to really rinse mouth very well, swish with water. Wait 30 minutes but then brush AND FLOSS & swish again.
Dentists are finding that the sugars and acids in chewables can contribute to tooth decay as it really sticks in the teeth and it hard to remove because they are so gummy.
But, as acids & sugars in food can soften tooth enamel, it's best to rinse and swish really well and then wait at least 30 minutes before brushing. That wait time gives the enamel a little time to harden back up so as not to be brushed away.
Or just swallow it whole, I suppose and let it dissolve more slowing in the gut sounds better to me, if it will do that (so a little searching to figure out that answer, I suppose). -
[ 04-03-2015, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
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Keebler
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- About dairy. You mentioned you are concerned since you are dairy free. This is no need to be concerned as long as you enjoy at least one the many other foods that are calcium / mineral rich at each meal.
In the food list above, if you go into that link, each photo slide has full calcium amounts listed. It's pretty amazing & wonderful, actually.
And the Whole Foods website is an excelling site to find nutritional content of foods. -
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Kudzuslipper
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I saw that tutu. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The new chapter looks good.
I got 3 different products and I'm gonna rotate. And skip a day or two each week like I do with most things.
I got the new chapter (this is plant based) Pioneer chewable (this has right ratio of mag) And now nutrition gummies (pretty straight forward)
All have d3 so will have to take less than I was.
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Keebler
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- It's not so dire as "damned if you do and damned if you don't" regarding taking (or not taking) calcium supplements - as so many foods contain calcium in the kinds and doses that are best absorbed and used.
It's the supplemental form of calcium that is suspect, not as in foods (and dairy need not even be in the picture, there are so many other foods that offer us the benefit of calcium in the ways that will work for us). -
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