Tiffany writes:
Stuart, I have just seen your latest blog about Osteoporosis on my mobile phone.I have taken a break from Dance Classes and Eastbourne and am visiting my old Drag Queen friend “Horatio Fellatio” in Brighton for the Bank Holiday Weekend.
Last night he showed me how to swallow a whole Bavarian Sausage, without gagging !!!
What a hoot !! You really must come down so I can show you my new found skills.
Stuart writes:
NO !! I will not be coming down. I am vegetarian.
Earlier this year we got the news that Julie’s cancer had spread to her back, two golf ball size tumours had sprung up and one appeared in her liver. We are dealing with that as a separate issue, and all is going well so far.
Anyway, the knee jerk reaction to this was to book a cruise around the Mediterranean..!! Unfortunately, this is not available on the National Health, but we went private.
In order to increase my stress levels we also decided to take along my mother “I’m 82 you know” and her mate Sheila who is NOT 82 but much younger (mid 70’s I think!)
I have known Sheila for several years but never really had a proper conversation with her due to the fact that there was always something going on and the opportunity never really presented itself.
Midway through the cruise one lunch time my mother decided to have a “refreshing” Tequila Sunrise. She liked it so much that she had three more in quick succession. Needless to say she decided to have an afternoon nap and Julie took mother to retire to the cabin.
This gave Sheila and I a couple of hours to chit chat about nothing in particular. During the course of our quiet time she told me that a few years ago she had had a triple heart by pass. Of which I had no idea. Furthermore, she was currently being treated for osteoporosis. A condition which is not uncommon amongst women of a certain age.
She then told me that her Doctor was prescribing Calcium Supplements to strengthen her bones and to counteract the osteoporosis.
She volunteered this information because she knew that I was interested in bone health because of the history of cancer in Julie’s spine and that we were always looking into ways of improving her situation.
As it turned out this could be a conversation that would inadvertently help Sheila’s health more than Julie’s.
Over the last five years I have read up on the work, ideas and practical application of Pioneering Medics who have proposed radical solutions to cancer and disease in general in order to help Julie. Just a few, for example, below :
But the one that sprung to mind when talking to Sheila was the recent work of Thomas Levy who had previously focused on Vitamin C, as had Linus Pauling, but more recently had concentrated on the effects of Calcium on the body and our bones, culminating in his recent publication in 2013 “Death by Calcium”.
Obviously, I have an interest in this work because of the relationship between cancer, calcium and bone strength. Sheila, equally, has an interest in the same relationship between Calcium and bone strength because of her osteoporosis.
In my opinion, all of the research published by Thomas Levy is quite remarkable. In his latest book he shows that while calcium is essential for health, you only need a certain amount. If you take more than that amount it is deposited in places where it can be harmful. Calcium deposits in the arteries, for example, are not a good thing and can result in arteriosclerosis. So, in Sheila’s case where she has already had a triple by pass this was alarming news.
Furthermore, ironically, excess calcium is one of the culprits in osteoporosis asserts Dr Levy. He effectively blows the whistle on the effects of excess calcium from dairy foods and calcium supplements.
As a cardiologist and one of the world’s leading experts on Vitamin C, he states that calcium is essential to our health, but outside of our bones, we only need a small amount. If we get beyond the small amount needed, excess calcium starts to deposit in our tissues and in our cells and this is how cells become malignant.
Calcium has long been regarded as something that is good for you, without question, and in the last five years his work and new studies have demonstrated that it is not as good for you as we have been led to believe.
We have been taught all our lives to drink milk and associate it with good health. His view is that we have been duped by the milk marketeers, in the same way that big pharmaceutical companies dupe the general public as to the benefit of their products and research methodology.
Always for the same reason MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.
His advice is to enjoy a little cheese, sour cream, yoghurt, milk etc, but sparingly.
However, do NOT supplement with calcium.
A summary of his hard-line reasoning for this is that:
Conversely he recommends:
Sheila and I talked about all this in the time it took my mother “I’m 82 you know” to absorb four lunchtime tequila sunrises.
We both appreciated that her Doctor’s diagnosis of Calcium Supplements was misguided at best because:
Sheila wrote her notes about what she had to do when she got back home on the back of our crossword.
We then sat back enjoyed the sunshine awaiting mothers return.
Maybe the odd cruise should be on the NHS as you never know. They could be life savers.
End of Message.
Tiffany writes:
Stuart, I am just about to go to my evening Dance Class down here in Eastbourne. I have just read your Magnesium blog. I love that you go to Pilates. You must be very bendy !! Maybe you could come down to Eastbourne and teach me a trick or two. I would bend over backwards to help you get in the right position. Let me know. Soon.
Stuart writes:
I will NEVER ever be coming to Eastbourne. I don’t even believe that you are a Dancer.Go away.!!
I was at Pilates this morning and the subject of magnesium came up.
No one realised its importance. I recall posting a blog about magnesium and Cancer some months ago. So, here to remind myself and hopefully help someone out there is my rough take on Magnesium for general health.
Have a read….
Magnesium – For Better Health
Magnesium is perhaps one of the most overlooked minerals. This is especially important because, an estimated 80 percent of the western world is deficient in it. The health consequences of deficiency can be quite significant, and can be aggravated by many, if not most, prescription drugs.
Magnesium—One of Your Most Important Minerals
Magnesium is a crucially important mineral for good health, performing a wide variety of functions, including but not limited to:
Nowadays few people get enough magnesium in their diet. Meanwhile, calcium tends to be overused via excessive dairy consumption.
This can cause more harm than good, as it’s important to have a proper balance between the two minerals.
If you have too much calcium and not enough magnesium, your muscles will tend to go into spasm, and this has consequences for your heart in particular.
“What happens is, the muscle and nerve function that magnesium is responsible for is diminished. If you don’t have enough magnesium, your muscles go into spasm. Calcium causes muscle to contract. If you had a balance, the muscles would do their thing. They’d relax, contract, and create their activity,” (Dr Carolyn Dean)
Magnesium is thus critical for heart health, as excessive amounts of calcium without the counterbalance of magnesium can lead potential problems.
How much Calcium and Magnesium ?
Over the past 30 years, women have been told to take calcium to avoid osteoporosis.
Many foods have also been fortified with extra calcium to prevent calcium deficiency among the general population. Despite such measures, osteoporosis has continued to climb.
“I’ve heard statistics like a 700 percent rise in osteoporosis in a 10-year period, even while taking all this calcium,” Dr. Dean.
“The myth that’s been created about calcium is that we need twice as much calcium as we do magnesium. Most of the supplements reflect this. We’ve got a situation where people are taking 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium and maybe a few hundred milligrams of magnesium.” (Dr Dean
In actual fact the ratios need to be about the same. For example 400mg of Calcium and 400mg of Magnesium.
Also Address Your Vitamin K2 and D Ratios
Calcium and magnesium also needs to be balanced with vitamin D and K2.
These four nutrients balance together, with one supporting the other.
Lack of balance between them is why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attacks and stroke.
Part of the explanation for these side effects is that vitamin K2 keeps calcium in its appropriate place. If you’re K2 deficient, added calcium can cause more problems than it solves, by accumulating in the wrong places.
Similarly, if you take vitamin D, you need to also take vitamin K2 and more magnesium. Taking mega doses of vitamin D supplements without sufficient amounts of K2 and magnesium can lead to vitamin D overload and magnesium deficiency symptoms, which include inappropriate calcification.
Magnesium and vitamin K2 complement each other, as magnesium helps lower blood pressure, which is an important component of heart disease. So anytime you’re taking any of the following: magnesium, calcium, vitamin D3, or vitamin K2, you need to take all the others into consideration as well, since these all work together with one another.
Dietary Sources of Calcium and Magnesium
Calcium. You can typically get enough calcium from your diet by eating nuts, seeds, deep green leafy vegetables, and dairy products. Homemade bone broth is another excellent source. Simply simmer leftover bones over low heat for an entire day to extract the calcium from the bones. (See my Blog Entry on Bone Broth)
Magnesium, on the other hand, tends to be a bit scarcer in our modern food supply.
Magnesium has been farmed out of the soil much more than calcium. A hundred years ago, we would get maybe 500 mgs of magnesium in an ordinary diet. Now we’re lucky to get 200 mgs. So, you do need to supplement with magnesium
Industrial agriculture has massively depleted most soils of beneficial minerals like magnesium. If you find biologically-grown organic foods (grown on soil treated with mineral fertilizers), you may still be able to get a lot of your magnesium from your food.
Chlorophyll has a magnesium atom in its centre, allowing plants to use the suns energy. Seaweed and green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard can be excellent sources of magnesium, as are some beans, nuts and seeds, like pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds. Avocados also contain magnesium.
Juicing your own vegetables is an excellent option to ensure you’re getting enough in your diet.
However, most foods grown today lack magnesium and other minerals. Herbicides and pesticides block the plant’s natural uptake and use of minerals.
As a result, I believe it would be unusual for anyone to have access to foods that are rich in magnesium, which is why I believe it is wise to consider a magnesium supplement.
This is my personal strategy even though I am lucky to have access to highly nutrient rich organic food.
Which Form of Magnesium Is Best?
Be aware that there are several different forms of magnesium.
The best sort is Magnesium glycinate a form of magnesium that tends to provide the highest levels of absorption and is typically considered ideal for those who are trying to correct a deficiency.
The cheapest sources of magnesium are magnesium oxide supplements, which are poorly absorbed by your body. A mere four percent is absorbed when you take this kind. The remaining 96 percent goes through your intestines, which is why magnesium oxide tends to have a laxative effect, which can be useful if you are challenged with constipation.
Besides taking a supplement, another way to improve your magnesium status is to take regular Epsom salt baths. Epsom salt is a magnesium sulphate that can absorb into your body through your skin.
Magnesium oil (from magnesium chloride) can also be used for topical application and absorption.(Which I use – a lot !!)
The reason for the wide variety of magnesium supplements on the market is because the magnesium must be bound to another substance. There’s no such thing as a 100% magnesium compound supplement.
The substance used in any given supplement compound can affect the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and may provide slightly different, or targeted, health benefits:
| Magnesium glycinate is a form of magnesium that tends to provide the highest levels of absorption and bioavailability and is typically considered ideal for those who are trying to correct a deficiency | Magnesium oxide is a type of magnesium, bound to an organic acid or a fatty acid. Contains 60 percent magnesium and has stool softening properties |
| Magnesium chloride / Magnesium lactate contain only 12 percent magnesium, but has better absorption than others, such as magnesium oxide, which contains five times more magnesium | Magnesium sulphate / Magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) are typically used as a laxative. Be aware that it’s easy to overdose on these, so ONLY take as directed |
| Magnesium carbonate, which has antacid properties, contains 45 percent magnesium | Magnesium taurate contains a combination of magnesium and taurine, an amino acid. Together, they tend to provide a calming effect on your body and mind |
| Magnesium citrate is magnesium with citric acid, which has laxative properties | Magnesium threonate is a newer, type of magnesium supplement that appears promising, primarily due to its ability to penetrate cell membrane |
Prescription Drugs may reduce your Magnesium
Two major lifestyle factors that deplete your body of magnesium are stress and prescription drugs.
Unfortunately, the conventional medical approach for dealing with stress often leads to prescription drugs, making your situation progressively worse.
But they didn’t catch them; they caused them. And …So it goes…
The more you deplete your magnesium, the more out of control your cholesterol will get, because magnesium helps balance the enzyme that creates cholesterol in your body, helping your cholesterol levels. Interestingly, statins destroy the same enzyme that magnesium balances.
Magnesium deficiency is also a common symptom in diabetes, so drugs may inadvertently contribute to diabetes simply by depleting your body of magnesium.
In short.
Take 400mgs per day of Magnesium Glycinate for better health.
End of Message.
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