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Calcium And Magnesium Supplementation
Originally published in Natural Living Magazine Volume 1 - Issue 4Calcium and Magnesium are two of the most commonly found minerals in the world. These minerals are in the earth’s crust, the food we eat and the human body. These common minerals are essential for the proper function of human physiology but are unfortunately deficient in our diets. Scientific studies have shown that these mineral deficiencies are related to a number of current health problems.
Calcium and Magnesium are essential for the development and maintenance of a strong healthy body. These minerals are extremely important in bone development and growth, muscle contraction and the function of nerve cells. Lack of Calcium and Magnesium is associated with slow bone growth, brittle nails and hair, depression, hyperactivity in children, high blood pressure, tachycardia or rapid heart beat, the inability of blood to clot, insomnia, irritability, osteoporosis, rickets, muscle cramps, and the so-called growing pains that adolescents may experience. Calcium taken with Vitamin D has also been shown in clinical studies to decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. The following health habits may interfere with Calcium and Magnesium absorption or increase the excretion of Calcium from the body: smoking cigarettes, drinking caffeinated beverages, consuming large amounts of sugar, consuming products high in phosphorous (red meat, soft drinks), taking Calcium with a high fibre meal, lack of Vitamin D, lack of exercise, and a decrease in estrogen.
The most common topic regarding low Calcium in the diet today is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is the result of bones losing Calcium at an accelerated rate due to a diet lacking the proper amount of Calcium or other health habits (listed above) which will increase the rate of Calcium and Magnesium loss. It is normal for the bones of the body to lose Calcium after approximately age 20. Accelerated Calcium loss, however, will lead to brittle bones which may be easily fractured. These fractures result in painful slow-healing injuries. Although Calcium loss is a normal part of human physiology, there are additional risk factors such as being Caucasian, an Oriental female, having small bone structure, the rapid loss of estrogen (such as after a hysterectomy), or the gradual loss of estrogen due to age.
Exercise plays an important role in Calcium being absorbed by the body. Simply put, exercise will increase the absorption of Calcium in the body according to Wolf’s Law of Physiology. Wolf discovered that the physical stress of exercise increases the absorption of Calcium and thus makes the bones stronger. Exercise can be as simple as a 30 minute walk three to four times a week, or it could be as strenuous as running; both will stimulate Calcium buildup in the bones.
As women age, their production of estrogen decreases which in turn decreases Calcium absorption and bone strength. The type of estrogen replacement therapy used is a women’s choice and can involve synthetic estrogen or plant estrogen called phytoestrogens. A few herbs contain phytoestrogens and have been found to have fewer side effects. The following herbs contain the plant form of estrogen: Black Cohosh, Dong Quai, Licorice Root, and Wild Yam. These herbs are found in Sangster’s Meno-Ez and Ultimate Women’s Formula. There are many supplement forms of Calcium and Magnesium, and taking them has no side effects.
By Daryl Bourke DC ND
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