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Gabes-Apg
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Post by Gabes-Apg »

twirlitgirl
Beautifully said Gabes. I always feel uplifted reading your words. It made my day. thank -you. Life is a gift. I choose to look at possiblities not my many limits.. always a positive in the sea of negatives..
". stay well and keep smiling
quite often there is some irony in those things I write, generally it is the advice I need to be listening to and doing for my own life!
there have been some challenges in my life lately and I am not taking the mental and emotional time to process them.
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twirlitgirl
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Post by twirlitgirl »

Gabes-Apg wrote:twirlitgirl
Beautifully said Gabes. I always feel uplifted reading your words. It made my day. thank -you. Life is a gift. I choose to look at possiblities not my many limits.. always a positive in the sea of negatives..
". stay well and keep smiling
quite often there is some irony in those things I write, generally it is the advice I need to be listening to and doing for my own life!
there have been some challenges in my life lately and I am not taking the mental and emotional time to process them.
Be your own best friend and don't let those challenges win.... You are awesome and such a heart of gold.. take care. and be good to you!!!
You deserve it.. a fun way to put it... " color on" Ha! You are my inspiration and a warrior in this journey, thank you so much for all your time and thought in each thing you write
.. ...... keep that positivity flag flying... big hugs.. :pigtail:
diagnosed with LC by biopsy
in May 2013 , supplements B complex, Vit C ,Vit D3 Zinc, with a multivitamin, and magnesium to round out the pack.
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Post by HockeyMom »

I didn't get a call back from doctors office about blood draws last week so I logged onto the patient portal and pulled up my results. I don't know anything about thyroid results at all but mine all seem to be within acceptable ranges-> TSH 1.35, Reverse T3 20.9, T4 direct Thyroxine 1.61, Triiodothyronine 2.7...

So, maybe magnesium is what has been resposible for the high heart rate and sleeplessness eh?

One more question..maybe for Tex..the ground elk and the ground antelope (this is mostly what my friends have..) contains 5% beef suet (the processor asks what percentage you want and this is what they ask for). Since beef was in my 2+ category but the "least reactive" of those proteins..is this an issue? Suet is fat right?? Don't I react to the protein?

Laine
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
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tex
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Post by tex »

Laine,

Yes, your thyroid results appear to be fine.

And I agree that makes magnesium deficiency a stronger candidate.

Yes, suet is fat. You should be OK with the beef fat. Pure beef fat contains zero protein. I'm sure it won't be pure, but it should be close enough for all practical purposes. If we were talking about gluten, soy, or casein, it wouldn't work, because even a teeny-tiny crumb would contain enough cross-contamination to make most of us react. But beef protein is several orders of magnitude below those allergens in terms of reactivity. We're not likely to react to "crumbs" of beef. So as long as they don't get really sloppy when trimming fat, you shouldn't have an problems.

You can't change this year's mix of course, but for future planning, if you should happen to feel that you react to the beef fat, mutton (sheep) fat should also be available, and it should work just as well (and none of us react to mutton/lamb).

Enjoy.

Tex
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Post by HockeyMom »

Thanks Tex...

Like I said, I get this from friends and that is what they ordered...though my husband hunted with this guy and used the same processor so I assume all the ground elk and antelope I've eaten in the past few years that my husband hunted was probably the same mix.

Nice to know my thyroid stuff is normal, I received the heart monitor today that I wear for a month. I doubt it will show anything but I feel like I should do it
since I went to the doctors for this and I am still running higher than I should. Am sleeping somewhat better though.

Laine
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
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Post by tex »

The heart monitor may tell you how well your magnesium supplementation program is working. When I went to the ER because of my acute magnesium deficiency symptoms, an ECG showed that I had developed a right bundle branch block since the previous ECG. :shock:

About 4 months later, when I had another ECG, the guys in the white coats were mighty surprised that the right bundle branch block was completely gone. :thumbsup: The only thing I had changed was the amount of magnesium that I take daily, so it's pretty clear that the magnesium deficiency caused the bundle branch block in the first place, and additional magnesium resolved the problem.

At any rate, don't be overly alarmed if a bundle branch block (or something else) shows up, because obviously magnesium deficiency can cause such problems. And fortunately, magnesium can resolve such problems.

You're very welcome,
Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by Vanessa »

I too had an abnormal ECG back in 2012 (thats how long I've been deficient) which prompted a CT scan of the heart to rule out a congenital abnormality that would result in sudden cardiac death if I went out on my next jog :shock: Everything checked out fine and the Dr.'s only explanation was hormones....he was close but not quite. I continued to have skipped beats and increase in HR before hormonal times. So glad I have my answer! Life is soooo much easier!
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Post by HockeyMom »

They did an EKG at my PCP's office and said it was the best one they'd seen in awhile....can tell you that my resting heartrate right now is 84...way better than 106.

Sleeping some better and am not noticing my heart beating out of my chest at work...good deal!!!

Laine
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
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Post by tex »

:thumbsup:

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by Gabes-Apg »

I was re-reading this article to share with another forum group and when I read this paragraph, this ongoing discussion came to mind
I became aware of the close association between vitamin D and magnesium after receiving emails from people experiencing magnesium deficiency symptoms after they began taking high doses of Vitamin D. Some doctors are prescribing 50,000iu of Vitamin D in the synthetic D2 form instead of the previous standard of 400iu per day.

It turns out that all the enzymes metabolizing vitamin D require magnesium as a necessary co-factor.[2],[3] When you take high doses of Vitamin D and if you are already low in magnesium, the increased amount of metabolic work drains magnesium from its muscle storage sites. That’s probably why muscles are the first to suffer magnesium deficiency symptoms — twitching, leg cramps, restless legs and charlie horses. Angina and even heart attacks affecting the heart muscle are all magnesium deficiency symptoms.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-d ... 40931.html
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Post by tex »

Hi Gabes,

My take on this is that yes, if you take vitamin D, then you should also take magnesium (for the reasons cited in the quote). But arguably the largest consumption (by far) of magnesium goes to the task of getting calcium out of the blood and into the cells (in the bones and other tissues), or disposing of excess amounts. This is true because the more vitamin D we take, the more calcium we will absorb (whether we need the additional amount of calcium or not). And because it's magnesium's job to get the calcium out of the blood (including the excess amounts that are unneeded at the moment), this is a critical process, so it will be given priority which means that the magnesium will be used without regard to holding back reserves. It's critical because if the level of calcium in the blood is allowed to stray too far above (or below) the so-called "normal" range, the risk of an adverse cardiovascular event (such as heart attack or stroke) can increase dramatically.

So the more vitamin D we take, the harder magnesium has to work, and the faster it will be depleted (mostly because of the effects of vitamin D on calcium absorption), as magnesium goes about the critical job of trying to maintain a "normal" blood level of calcium, in addition to the hundreds of other chemical processes for which magnesium is required in various body systems.

I haven't seen any research on this, but I have a hunch that if a study were done, it would show that virtually everyone who takes a calcium supplement has a magnesium deficiency. And the sad truth is, almost everyone would be better off without any calcium supplements. Chris Kresser apparently agrees with me on this point:
I’ve made the argument before that some supplements may be necessary even within the context of a nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet. Some nutrients are challenging to get through food alone, especially if you’re not digesting food optimally or you’re struggling with a disease that increases your need for particular nutrients. I routinely recommend supplements to many of my patients, and have seen the benefits of proper supplementation in my own life as well.

That said, there are several supplements that are commonly recommended by conventional doctors and healthcare practitioners that are unnecessary at best, and potentially harmful at worst. Perhaps the best example of this is calcium.

Calcium has become extremely popular to supplement with, especially amongst older women, in the hope that it will prevent osteoporosis. We’ve all seen the products on the market aimed at the “worried-well”, such as Viactiv and Caltrate, suggesting that supplementing with calcium can help maintain bone health and prevent osteoporosis, a serious condition affecting at least 10% of American women. (1) Yet the evidence that calcium supplementation strengthens the bones and teeth was never strong to begin with, and has grown weaker with new research published in the past few years. A 2012 analysis of NHANES data found that consuming a high intake of calcium beyond the recommended dietary allowance, typically from supplementation, provided no benefit for hip or lumbar vertebral bone mineral density in older adults. (2) And a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that calcium supplements don’t reduce fracture rates in older women, and may even increase the rate of hip fractures. (3)

Beyond being ineffective for bone health, calcium supplements are associated with some pretty serious health risks. Studies on the relationship between calcium and cardiovascular disease (CVD) suggest that dietary intake of calcium protects against heart disease, but supplemental calcium may increase the risk. A large study of 24,000 men and women aged 35–64 years published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2012 found that those who used calcium supplements had a 139% greater risk of heart attack during the 11-year study period, while intake of calcium from food did not increase the risk. (4) A meta-analysis of studies involving more than 12,000 participants also published in BMJ found that calcium supplementation increases the risk of heart attack by 31%, stroke by 20% and death from all causes by 9%. (5)

An analysis involving 12,000 men published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that intakes of over 1,000 mg of supplemental calcium per day (from multivitamins or individual supplements) were associated with a 20% increase in the risk of death from CVD. (6) Researchers suspect that the large burst of calcium in the blood that occurs after supplementation may facilitate the calcification of arteries, whereas calcium obtained from food is absorbed at slower rates and in smaller quantities than from supplements. (7) It is also suspected that extra calcium intake above one’s requirements is not absorbed by bones, but rather excreted in the urine, increasing the risk of calcium kidney stones, or circulated in the blood, where it might attach to atherosclerotic plaques in arteries or heart valves. (8)
https://chriskresser.com/calcium-supple ... ink-twice/

And yes it has long been true that "Some doctors are prescribing 50,000 IU of Vitamin D in the synthetic D2 form instead of the previous standard of 400iu per day." However, Dr. Dean failed to mention that the prescribed dose is typically 50,000 IU per week (not per day as some people might incorrectly assume). And D2 has been shown by published research to be far inferior to D3 for resolving vitamin D deficiencies.

That said, her point is right on target — taking vitamin D can definitely lead to a magnesium deficiency if magnesium is not also supplemented. And this can be critically relevant if a calcium supplement is taken, and/or one's diet contains a lot of calcium.

Thanks for the link.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by Gabes-Apg »

Tex
that was the original link posted by Pam in May 2014 that got me started on my Magnesium quest.
I had forgotten about the heart issues linked to this.
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Post by tex »

This line from the quote from Chris Kresser's article really jumps out at me:
A large study of 24,000 men and women aged 35–64 years published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2012 found that those who used calcium supplements had a 139% greater risk of heart attack during the 11-year study period, while intake of calcium from food did not increase the risk.
The evidence against taking a calcium supplement couldn't be much stronger. We know that more than two-thirds of the general population have a magnesium deficiency. Taking a calcium supplement can only make that magnesium deficiency more severe. If the people in that study had all been taking enough magnesium, the results probably would have been very different. But doctors continue to prescribe calcium supplements, and if they prescribe any magnesium at all to go with the calcium supplements, they never prescribe more than a fraction of the amount actually needed. Shame on them.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by Lou Ann »

My doctor says the only supplements I should ever take are D3 and calcium unless tests show otherwise 😏

Tex I do have a question....my regular mag test was normal , if I pay and do the RBC mag test and it's normal also, does that mean supplements are not needed?
Thanks in advance!

Lou Ann
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Post by tex »

The RBC magnesium test is not the best one available, but it's much, much better than the serum test that most doctors order. And it's almost surely the best one that you will be able to locate because very few labs offer the better tests.

Yes, if the test is done correctly I'm pretty sure that you can trust the results. Just be sure that on the day of the blood draw, you don't take any magnesium supplement or eat anything (that contains magnesium) before the draw.

But please keep in mind that blood tests are not the final word in vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Our bodies are the final judge. IOW all this assumes that you aren't having any of the obvious symptoms of magnesium deficiency such as constipation, leg or foot cramps during the night, hypertension, etc. And it also assumes that you are getting at least the RDA of magnesium in your diet and not drinking or ingesting anything that depletes magnesium (such as coffee or certain meds). IOW, if you drink coffee, you have to have more magnesium in your diet than the RDA, or your magnesium reserves will slowly decline.

The bottom line is, if your daily net magnesium intake does not at least equal or exceed the RDA, the test result won't mean much because your magnesium reserves will continue to decline. There are Internet sites where you can enter the foods (and the amount eaten) and accurately analyze the nutrient content of your diet. I believe that someone mentioned FitDay, for example, as a site where this can be done. Just remember that just because our diet contains a certain level of nutrients, doesn't mean that we are absorbing all of them. The absorption rate depends on our stage of healing and any meds we might be taking.

You're very welcome,

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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