We asked the question in Part 1 of this subject, calcium deficiency and its symptoms, “Does supplementing calcium in people aged 50+ with osteoporosis cause an increased heart attack by 30% as researchers discovered?” Or could there be another hidden cause?
Understanding Calcium Deficiency – Use some common sense!
To begin with, this subject calls for some good old fashioned common sense! How much milk do you drink in a day? How much Cheese or yogurt do you eat in a week? How much broccoli, baked beans, chick peas, salmon, sardines, pasta, rice, bread, cheesecakes, and ice cream do you eat in a month???
The list goes on and on, and I`m presuming you eat some of these as staple foods, frequently. They all have a high calcium content, so do we need to supplement? Are the supplements better absorbed than these foods? Hardly!
Research has enlightened us that osteoporosis, bone fractures, high blood pressure, and heart disease have increased rather than decreased even although we have followed these international health guidelines to combat calcium deficiency. So something is amiss. It`s high time we took a look at some facts that are being constantly swept under the carpet.
Evidence shows that our bodies have access to an abundance. But despite that, as we age and even further boost our intake, it still leaches from the bones. The question is, what is causing it to do that?
The numerous sources that we are using to boost it are causing us to loose even more. First of all, milk, other dairy products, and meat are high protein foods and when we consume an excess, the processes needed to break it down in the gut cause large amounts of calcium to be excreted by the kidneys.
Robert M. Kradjian, M.D. stated that [quote] on a high-protein diet, more calcium is lost in the urine than can be deposited in the bones. On an extremely high-protein diet, you can take in as much calcium as you wish and you will still be in a negative balance.
And while we are on the subject of balance, our pH balance is greatly compromised on a high protein diet as it produces excess acid. Too much acid causes acidosis, a dangerous condition, so our bodies take calcium from our food and bones to buffer and neutralize the acid.
Milk is high in phosphorus an acid-forming substance. The problem is, the calcium it contains is not enough to balance the calcium needed to buffer the effect of the phosphorus. Milk is also a protein, and protein foods form acid. What do you think now? Do you think dairy products are beneficial to our health and can ward off calcium deficiency? Hardly!
Now let’s talk about the importance of maintaining the correct ratio of calcium and magnesium to regulate blood pressure and other functions.
The official RR (Recommended Ratio) in the UK and US to ward of deficiency symptoms is 2 – 1. Based on 100g, dairy products contain a great whacking ratio of 10:1! In meat, it is 2:1; Pork 1:1. Research has shown that the dominant mineral should be magnesium. It at least should be 2:1 magnesium to calcium.
Another excerpt from the Optimum Nutrition Bible goes on to say that magnesium deficiency signs include calcium deposited in soft tissue. One of the causes of magnesium deficiency is a higher intake of calcium.
That sure spells trouble to me! When it is found in arterial plaque, it means hardening of arteries of the body as well as in the heart. Blood clots are forming and breaking loose in the arteries! Kidney damage! …and the list goes on.
Take The Alternative
If you think you still need to supplement, take calcium citrate which is better absorbed by the body and keep it low. But make sure you balance it with an increase in magnesium too. Also, take note that common sense dictates to cut down on dairy.
Get your body pH balance slightly alkaline. You may need to cut down on your meat intake also to do that. Drink alkalized water, but again keep an eye on not overdoing it.
Increase in vitamin D to help the absorption of calcium. Don`t use so much sun block! You need the sunlight to produce vitamin D in your body.
Get enough vitamin K2 (the best form) that will help keep the mineral in the bones and teeth and not depositing in soft tissue. Cut down on sugars and fizzy drinks which also cause acidity putting a load on the buffering system. Take a good ionic organic trace minerals supplement that has all the minerals and traces minerals your body needs, balanced out for you.
Last, if the damage has been done and you want to help clear the debris from your arteries, take a good proteolytic enzyme formula. Nattokinase and other enzymes will help break up the deposits, clear it out, and help to keep the arteries clear of plaque.
Caution!
Talk to your doctor first before taking any steps to self-diagnose. Acting on a wrong diagnosis could cause you harm. See the disclaimer at the foot of this page.
Our bodies need minerals and trace mineral, Calcium being only one of them. Unfortunately, the farming methods have long depleted the soils, so our foods do not contain the nutrients they used to to maintain optimum health. By supplementing your diet with a balance of ionic minerals, you give your body a fighting chance against disease.