ok
with the 1000mg of calcium you need to be taking 1000mg of magnesium minimum to get any sort of bone health benefit from the calcium. calcium does not rebuild bones (and teeth) things like Vit D3 and magnesium is what does it.
that coupled with other medications you are taking, the current dosage of magnesium is not enough.
another thing linked to high blood pressure is magnesium deficiency.
gluten sensitivity is almost surely the biggest cause of long-term bone density loss that we face these days. And, as you have already discovered, throwing calcium at it just seems to make it worse. In fact, the countries that have the highest dairy consumption, also have the highest rates of osteoporosis, and the two seem to be linked proportionately. As you have concluded, vitamin D seems to play a vital role in the utilization of calcium for the production of new bone tissue. An adequate supply of magnesium and phosphorus also seems to be an essential part of the process.
i note that you have not had gluten since being diagnosed. but for some of us, the damage with things like this happens well before the MC kicks in
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
What about calcium? Magnesium stimulates the hormone calcitonin, which helps to preserve bone structure by drawing calcium out of the blood and soft tissues back into the bones. This action helps lower the likelihood of osteoporosis, some forms of arthritis, heart attack and kidney stones.[2] So, if you’re taking lots of calcium and not much magnesium, you are susceptible to these conditions.
Almost half the population of the U.S. (almost 70 percent of adult women) uses dietary supplements containing calcium.[4] In general, we absorb less than half of the calcium we ingest. Some researchers warn that calcium supplements are responsible for an increase in calcification. Calcium causes constipation and builds up in the body in soft tissues where it can harden (calcify). The sites of calcification include artery walls, kidneys, gall bladder, muscles and breast tissue.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Gabes, does it matter what type of Magnesium? I take 400mg of the glycinate plus 500 mg of oxide in the other supplements for a total of 900mg. Also I take 7000 IU of D3.
I have taken the Calcium for many years. We had a mobile unit at church and they tested my bone density. It was mild to moderate and so that's why I started taking the Shaklee Osteomatrix. I had regular blood tests and bone density done at the Oncology office. After taking the calcium tablets, I was diagnosed with good bone density. So I have continued with them. Is it okay that the magnesium is mixed and do I need much more? Am I okay on the D3?
So far the only bones I have broken are in my big toes when I have rammed into a doorway. By the way, I'm 86. Not sure what that has to do with anything! I really appreciate your expertise!
Thanks, Jean
You might think you understood what I said but what you don't realize is that what I said was not what I meant!
BTW, I am on four different blood pressure meds. One of them was changed and it raised up my blood sugar. I don't like taking that many. And why has no doctor told me about Magnesium (or any other supplement)
I have diabetic neuropathy in my feet and for several months my right leg has felt warm. No doctor knows why nor do they care. I am again so very thankful for this forum!!!
I also have CTCL and take UVB treatments twice a week for that.
Jean
You might think you understood what I said but what you don't realize is that what I said was not what I meant!
I just read some more on the note you made about calcification. That is really scary. The magnesium tabs are more current but the calcium goes way back. It seems I should cut back - maybe by half? What do you think?
Jean
You might think you understood what I said but what you don't realize is that what I said was not what I meant!
I'm sorry about all these bits and pieces. I'm still reading and trying to digest. There is a wealth of information on here! I stopped my cholesterol pills a while back because of several reasons including my leg cramps. Perhaps it is more from the lack of magnesium and that is more recent that I started taking the new supplements. So I most likely need to increase them. Also should it be the glycinate? I had read that form is better. And now I don't know if I should go back on the cholesterol pills. I know my cardiologist was not happy that I quit. I have had quite high cholesterol for most of my life and the pills did lower it. Or is there a better solution. Sorry about all of this!
Jean
You might think you understood what I said but what you don't realize is that what I said was not what I meant!
In my opinion almost everyone has enough calcium in their diet. They simply need vitamin D (you are taking plenty) to absorb it and magnesium to work with insulin to transport it to the cells where it is needed. You should stop taking magnesium oxide. We can only absorb 2 % of the magnesium in magnesium oxide. The rest stays in the intestines where it is likely to act as a laxative.
High doses of calcium have been found to be associated with heart attacks in cases where not enough magnesium is available. I don't consider it to be a safe practice to take that much. But that's just my opinion.
Tex
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.
In line with Tex's reply above I would encourage the following -
stop the calcium
increase intake of GOOD magnesium. stop the magnesium oxide, have good quality glycinate orally spread through the day up to 400-500mg per day and increase daily intake via topical application (oils/lotions and or epsom salt foot soaks)
it will take 6-8 weeks of topical application (once calcium supplementatio is stopped) to start to correct the current very likely major magnesium deficiency you have
why dont doctors tell you about this? well most doctors only do one semester of nutrition study in the duration of their degree. once they leave uni, ongoing compulsary education is provided by big pharma, where medications are prescribed to band aid symptoms. it does not treat root cause. Doctors follow the system that pays them.
the articles i provided links to are by FUNCTIONAL doctors, who have spent years doing study on nutrition, ie balanced nutrition and how this helps root cause of these health issues.
Western A Price was talking about minerals and diet for health back in 1920's - 1940's but was outcast by mainstream colleagues. Big pharma has had its chokehold on the health system for over 60 years.
I have not eaten dairy for over 8 years, and have never supplemented with calcium. I do not have any calcium issues. namely because I dont have Vit D3 and magnesium deficiency
Since fixing key things like magnesium deficiency (and other nutrient deficiencies) and reducing toxin load in my body I have got off medicaiton for high blood pressure / tachycardia. resolved chronic fibromyalgia, and fixed life long hormone issues, life long allergy/asthma/histamine issues, stabilised teeth and gum health issues.
so far as the cholesterol pills - what are your exact choleterol results?? is it good cholesterol that is high or bad cholesterol that is high??
and so far as your specialist(s) not being happy with you stopping the medication, my reply is - it is your body, your life, you have the right to decide what you do.
statins to reduce cholesterol also deplete CoQ10 which is one of the key things for gum and tooth health.
there are many diet/lifestyle based ways to moderate cholesterol without negative impact on other health issues (unlike medications)
breathe, relax, keep reading posts/articles etc here you will see it is common topic discussed amongst people here.
and majority of people who embrace these suggestions get resolution of the health issues and are able to reduce/taper off some medications.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Wow, such a plethora of information. You folks are great! As to the magnesium, I have taken it for quite awhile but it's just recently that I found out that it should be Glycinate and not Oxide. So when I bought them recently I made sure it was Magnesium Glycinate. Those are 400 daily with 200 in each tablet. I am now reading again on my Osteomatrix bottle that it contains Magnesium for a total of 400 mg but it says it is from oxide, citrate and gluconate. (not glycinate). BUT if I quit taking those pills then it doesn't matter anymore. And I already pulled them from my pillstrips. That leaves me with 100mg of the Oxide in my two-per-day capsules. I can't remove that unless I quit taking those pills. Is that a problem? So now, I will have 400glycinate + 100 oxide per day. Will that work? Should I take 3 of the glycinate for a total of 600+ the 100. Wow, Tex, that was scary about the heart attack danger.
When I was taking the cholesterol meds I took them a long time before a friend told me I should take coQ10. NO doctor had ever told me that! . I had read about the statins could cause diabetes and so perhaps that's why I got it. I started statins around 40 years ago and have had Diabetes around 12 years. I will happily stay off of the statins. I had a Holistic doctor for several years and she put me on quite a few of the supplements. Gabes, I had changed doctors around 45 years ago and the older doctor had seen my cholesterol tests that he apparently took but he did not tell me about it because he didn't believe in it. When I changed doctors, the new doctor had a fit when he saw the records (that I did not see) and he put me on cholesterol pills and I stayed on them for years. At that time, my total number was 486. The HDL was too low and the LDL too high. It has fluctuated but always the LDL and triglycerides were too high. In June 2015 the total number was 362 so I was apparently off for a while then. It did go down to 221 on pills but then it's back up again I'm sure.
I figured out long ago that doctors favored drugs over supplements because the drug companies don't peddle the supplements but they are very good salesmen for Drugs.
I've been frustrated about still having muscle cramps and weak muscles so now it makes sense that my supplements are off track.
so what's the bottom line. Can I still take my multivitamin? and question two, should I take an additional 200 mg of Magnesium? or anything else that I missed.
Jean
You might think you understood what I said but what you don't realize is that what I said was not what I meant!
You're talking about such big numbers here that we need to be careful with what we change. With a normal total cholesterol level of 486, you almost surely need to be taking a statin.
If the magnesium oxide doesn't cause D, then it shouldn't be a problem, because you're not going to absorb much of it anyway. Look at the back label on the magnesium glycinate to make sure that it actually contains 200 mg per tablet. With Doctor's Best brand, for example, 200 mg is the labeled dose for TWO (2) tablets, not one. Labels can be deceiving — you have to read them carefully.
Are your kidneys working normally (EGFR>60)? If not, taking high doses of magnesium can cause heart issues, because your blood level of magnesium can get too high if your kidneys don't/can't remove the excess amount. Magnesium is an electrolyte, you know, which means that it helps regulate the heart, breathing, blood pressure, and various vital autonomic functions. Taking too much magnesium if you have compromised kidney function can lead to heart issues.
Tex
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.
Hi Tex, I've been looking through some old records. Don't be alarmed by that big number - that was about 45 years ago and it was before I knew or had heard anything about Cholesterol. I was put on meds as soon as the new doctor discovered that. But here are some numbers through the years. 9/21/2010-217; 12/30/2010-292; 8/31/2011-247; 8/8/2014-296; 11/20/2014-283; and my latest was 221. So you can tell when I went off them for awhile. Now I'm sure its quite a bit more since I quit them again.
I knew that Statins can cause muscle cramps but now find out that low Magnesium can also do that. So perhaps I do need statins again. What do you think?
As far as I know I think my kidneys are okay. I did find some records awhile back where I think the EGFR was 80. I don't know what it is now.
I'm wondering if I should cut back my multivitamins to 1 per day instead of 2. I know that I surely do take a lot of supplements. As to the Magnesium tabs I have, I certainly did check out the amounts. The front of the bottle says 400 but when I had looked at the back it said TWO tabs are classed as one serving and that serving is 400 so they are actually 200 each and I have been taking one in the morning and one in the evening which makes it 400 in ONE DAY. Do I need more or will it be okay since I have quit the calcium tabs? wow, this gets so complicated. I'm so glad that you have looked into this. Now if I can improve the cholesterol, the diabetes and the blood pressure and keep the CTCL at bay, I will be a happy camper! AND the colitis seems better now but it's hard to type with my fingers crossed!
Jean
You might think you understood what I said but what you don't realize is that what I said was not what I meant!
In my opinion, 400mg of magnesium should be plenty if you're not taking any calcium supplements. Taking more is more likely to trigger diarrhea. That doesn't mean that it will, just that it might.
Whether or not to take a statin is a tough decision. Does your family history include any heart attacks or ischemic strokes?
Tex
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.
My Dad had Mild heart attack and later on, he had a stroke and while in therapy he had a cardiac arrest. He was 73. My mother had a massive stroke and died. She was 59. A lot of my relatives died of strokes. My husband also had 2 strokes at the end but I don't think he had high blood pressure and no heart problem. My brother had very high BP but he died of a brain tumor. He was 69. Never heard of cholesterol back then.
Scary isn't it!
Jean
You might think you understood what I said but what you don't realize is that what I said was not what I meant!
i agree with Tex, lets walk before you try to run.
400mg magnesium glycinate orally is good dose, especially where you are will be reducing/stopping the calcium intake
doing topical magnesium to increase intake is safe to gut option
continue the statins for a while until you fix the magnesium deficiency, and keep up good doses of CoQ10
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Yes I also think that maybe you should continue with a statin. Here's the thing about statins: The fact that they bring down cholesterol levels seems to be irrelevant to longevity. And that's why so many people are against the use of statins. But the important point is that research shows that statins do indeed help to prevent heart attacks and strokes for people who are at risk of those issues.
If the statin you were taking causes unpleasant side effects, try a different brand. I once tried simvastatin and had to quit it because it caused stiff muscles. But since I had the stroke, I've been taking atorvastatin and it doesn't cause any noticeable side effects. I'm not pushing statins, but for some of us who are at risk of a heart attack or stroke, taking a statin is so much better than pushing up daises, IMO.
Tex
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.