Calcium

Calcium

“Its not about how much calcium you put in, it’s how much you hold on to”.

These days calcium is advertised everywhere!  Calcium, no doubt, is extremely important.   There is never a shortage and we will never run out that’s for sure. You see it advertised on T.V., as an additive to foods, and on and on.  As we will see in this article, “It’s not about how much calcium you put in, it’s how much you hold on to”.

The daily recommendations for calcium are from 1200 to 1500 milligrams per day.  Most people who take a calcium supplement make sure that they meet the daily requirements.  Add this to the calcium from the foods we eat and we take in more than enough calcium each day.

If we take in all this calcium then why are the rates of bone related diseases such as arthritis, osteoporosis and osteopenia constantly rising?  The U.S. consumes the highest amount of milk and has the highest rates of osteoporosis, why is that?

The answers for theses questions are many but most of them relate to our digestive process and how we assimilate our foods and supplements if we take them.

Most problems start in the north and then travel to the south. With that in mind let’s start in the stomach.  The most common problem in the stomach is a lack of proper acidity.  This acidity is derived from hydrochloric acid or HCL.   The environment in the stomach should be very acidic.  This acidity serves a purpose; it acts on the foods that we eat.  This is more so in the case of the protein in our food.   Proteins are the building blocks of the body and the areas with the highest amount of protein are the lining of the joints.  This area is called the “synovium”.   The synovium contains 20 times the amount of protein.  When the joints break down and the body is low in stomach acids the protein is not digested properly and thus the joints are not repaired.  It’s ironic that one of the most commonly prescribed and over the counter drugs used today are the acid blockers?

If the stomach acids are low this means that the body is becoming more alkaline which is the opposite from acidic.  In an alkaline environment the body will try to buffer itself by pulling calcium from other tissues and attempt to plug these defective areas in the joints with calcium deposits in the form of bone spurs and calcifications.  This calcium also deposits itself in other areas that it doesn’t belong like the arteries in the form of arteriosclerosis, the kidneys in the form of kidney stones, and the gallbladder in the form of gallstones.

The next stop for calcium is in the small intestine where it is absorbed into the blood.  In order for calcium to be absorbed from the intestine or other tissues to the blood stream, Vitamin D is necessary.  Vitamin D deficiency is very rare.  However if it does occur it will be seen in places like New England during the winter months when we are unable to spend much time outside.  Vitamin D is produced inside the body via sunlight exposure on the skin, 20-30 minutes a couple of times per week is satisfactory.

Next are the cells of the body where calcium is needed.  In order for it to get from the blood to the cells Vitamin F is needed.  Vitamin F consists of the essential fatty acids: linolenic, linoleic and aracadonic acids.

Vitamin D and F have an antagonistic tug-of-war affect towards one another, pulling calcium into and out of the tissues respectively.

The symptoms of excess exposure to the sun like sun blisters or burns are really vitamin D intoxication and vitamin F deficiency.  A good preventative measure before sun bathing is to make sure that the vitamin F and calcium metabolism are adequate.

The type of calcium supplement is just as important as whether or not you’re utilizing it.

Here in our office we utilize calcium lactate.  Calcium lactate is metabolized or ionized into the blood in one step.  If other forms of calcium take more work or energy on behalf of the digestive system, that may already be impaired, why hamper it more with a less efficient product?

The signs and symptoms or the effect of a calcium utilization problem are many, including: arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney stones, gallstones, calcification of the arteries as seen in arteriosclerosis, tissue starvation in the skin as seen in hives, dermatitis, or allergic itchiness. 

All of the above are related to the body’s attempts at buffering and protecting itself.  These situations, most of the time, come about from problems beginning in the north such as poor dietary habits, low stomach acidity, and stress.

Here in our office we utilize” Nutrition Response Testing”, a specific program for detecting calcium imbalances and the other most common factors that hinder the body.   This is a system that enables us to evaluate the body’s nutritional status and whether or not there are barriers suppressing it.