Re: Questions about Calcium

[Guest guest]

Ellen, I have a lot of confidence in my endochrinolist. So much so

that some day I will take the time to learn how to spell

endochrinologist :-) He told me CitricalPlusD is the best thing to

take. I can say that it plus hrt and a prescription strength vitamin

d supplement markedly improved a low calcium problem I was having.

The prescription vitamin d is probably just pertinent to me, since

for some reason I don't use vitamin d efficiently.

[Guest guest]

Hi Ellen,

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to all of this but here are my

thoughts....

are you sure you need 1500mg of elemental calcium a day? or should you body

see around 1500 mg of calcium a day so that it can dip in and grab what it

needs when it needs it?

remember that as well as popping a tablet you'll be getting calcium from

your food

250ml glass of ordinary milk has about 300-350mg Ca for example.

I'm inclined to think it's better not put your eggs in one basket and rely

on a pill to give you your calcium. Taking calcium through out the day

will also vary absorption rates, so milk on cereal may not give you the

same amount as milk at bedtime but this may be better than taking a single

pill at the wrong time. Using a pill as a top up though is not a bad idea

if you think your diet isn't giving you enough but you wont need 1500mg in

pill form.

I know you have trouble with your bones so calcium is an important part of

your diet (important for the ticker too!) But I'm also pretty sure 1500mg

is only a ball park figure some chaps in white coats have tried to work

out. Going slightly under or slightly over this figure shouldn't be a

problem on any single day - it's more of a target to aim for rather than an

absolute science. Only my opinion of course but just look at all the

different dosages we take in our meds - Calcium will be the same, some

folks will need to see more than others to get their balance right.

It does all get rather complicated - I've read that you need to balance

your calcium:magnesium ratio as well (at around 2:1 but I've read in some

places 1:1 ! ). And you need good doses of Vit D so Ca can be absorbed...

etc. etc.

I think the bottom line is try to eat as healthy as possible maybe take

some top up pills if you think they are required and try not to worry too

much about it, simple, right

P.S.

hope your toe is turning the right colour.

--

D

[Guest guest]

, , Trudy, et al:

If it weren't for this broken toe of mine, I wouldn't be doing all

this reading <g> Listen to this and give me the benefit of your wise

mind:

" Tenormin/Atenolo could prove troublesome with the following:

Tums; Rolaids; Titralac; Calcium Rich; Caltrate 600; Citracel; Oscal;

Posture "

also suggested that Potassium could have a bad affect on the

heart as does too little. This new Calcium that I bought yesterday

has 90mg. But what about the additional Potassium that I get in

foods such as bananas, etc. - If I go ahead with this Calcium , do

you think I would be overdoing it?

I eat a very healthy diet with lots of fruits and *fresh* veggies. I

love *fresh* - and except for a good steak every once in a blue moon,

I do not eat meat. I have never had a taste for meat. The doctors

have told me that I have absolutely no plaque on my arteries and I

have to attribute that to my meatless diet, as well as the exercising

that I have done all my life.

However, despite my good eating habits (except maybe for sweets), the

doctors are adamant that I get in 1500 mg of calcium (of course, with

the D and Magnesium.

And lately, with everything I have been reading, I am careful not to

take this with that and that with this <g>. What a struggle this is

<g>.

One more thing - do you know anything about calcium citrate and

calcium carbonate? OK, just two more questions - what about this

*elementol* thingamigjig??

Thanks everyone,

Ellen

(SNIP) " Calcium *Carbonate* provides 40% elemental calcium, meaning

that a 1,250 mg of calcium carbonate yields 500 mg of elemental

calcium. Advantages of calcium carbonate are that it has the highest

percental of elemental calcium and it has a track record of

effectiveness. It is best taken with meals to be properly absorbed. "

>

> Calcium Citrate provides 20% elemental calcium. Studies using

calcium citrate show that it is an easily absorbed calcium

supplement. It can be taken at any time without regard to food. The

disadvantages are that it has a relatively lower percent of elemental

calcium than calcium carbonate and therefore you have to take more

tablets of it to equal the same amount of elemental calcium in

calcium carbonate. "

>

> I just visited my local Vitamin store and spoke to what I thought

was a knowledgeable Manager. He informed me that it was just the

opposite - that the Citrate provides the 40% and the carbonate

provides the 20%(snip).

***********************

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/18/2001 9:20:10 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

Failteg@... writes:

<< Tenormin/Atenolo could prove troublesome with the following:

Tums; Rolaids; Titralac; Calcium Rich; Caltrate 600; Citracel; Oscal;

Posture "

also suggested that Potassium could have a bad affect on the

heart as does too little. This new Calcium that I bought yesterday

has 90mg. But what about the additional Potassium that I get in

foods such as bananas, etc. - If I go ahead with this Calcium , do

you think I would be overdoing it? >>

Ellen,

I think that potassium can be dangerous mainly when it is taken in

pill/supplement form rather than food because it would be easier to get too

much that way. However, at 90 m.g. per pill, you would have to take about 40

pills to get the adult requirement. Since potassium appears in small

quantities in the majority of foods we eat, I've received the impression that

it would be quite difficult to overdose on potassium in food since the adult

daily requirement is about 3,490 m.g. One potassium rich food, blackstrap

molasses, for example, contains 349 m.g. in two tablespoons.

I didn't know that Tums could " prove troublesome " with Atenolol/Tenormin!

Perhaps that was my problem with Tums since I was taking Atenolol at the time

I tried the Tums on the advice of my doctor! Oh well, I guess doctors can't

know everything either.

Coincidentally and ironically, I am suddenly finding myself in the position

of needing a calcium supplement after touting the value of getting needed

calcium from natural foods like milk. Yesterday I visited a

gastroenterologist for the first time in my life in an ongoing effort to find

the connection between my afib and my worsening stomach problems. (I KNOW

there must be a connection.) My afib was ruled out as a cause for the

stomach problems because I was in afib in his office, but my pulse was only

80. (It's a rapid heart rate, not afib itself, that causes stomach

distress.) He didn't think it was such a great idea that I am drinking so

much milk, and he has me scheduled now for all sorts of horrible sounding

tests, one of which is a lactose tolerance test which will last for three

hours. He told me that he doubts that anything serious is wrong with my

stomach, but the problem could be the result of a nuisance condition called

lactose intolerance, a kind of allergy to milk, I guess. Of course, as I

mentioned here before, I have been drinking copious amounts of milk and

eating yogurt, ricotta, and cottage cheese. Basically, I have been getting

not only calcium but all of my protein requirements from dairy products. (I

never eat red meat either, and eat fish and chicken infrequently. Eating and

drinking so many dairy products is exactly what I shouldn't be doing if I

indeed have this problem with lactose, according to the doctor. As a result,

today I bought both calcium carbonate (from those lead-filled oyster shells!)

and calcium citrate and will try them both to see which agrees with my

stomach more favorably. (I'm not worried about getting a specific amount of

calcium because I think my bones must already be made of cast iron since they

have survived the traumas caused by my dog.) I have stopped drinking and

eating all dairy products as of today to see what happens although

technically I would not have to discontinue the lactose until five days

before my test on Aug. 6. I figure this might be a fairly simple solution to

the gastronomic distress which, I believe, has been recently responsible for

my afib schedule.

I mention this here because it might be helpful to someone else who is

experiencing intestinal problems as a cause of afib. Like me, you might

never have suspected that a wholesome food like milk could be a culprit in

digestive distress which precipitates afib. Of course, in my case, milk is

still innocent until proven guilty, and the investigation has just started.

I will report on the outcome of the investigation and let you know if my

milkless days disrupt my current 11-14/60-62 afib schedule. Meanwhile, it's

calcium carbonate or citrate for me, since the proliferation of leafy, green

vegetables suggested by the doctor's nurse as an alternative calcium source

would probably destroy my INR level. Here I go again, embarking on yet

another experiment to find a solution to afib, but this time with my doctor's

approval!

in Seattle (happily back in sinus for the next 8-11 days)

[Guest guest]

>

> I have stopped drinking and

> eating all dairy products as of today to see what happens although

> technically I would not have to discontinue the lactose until five days

> before my test on Aug. 6. I figure this might be a fairly simple

> solution to

> the gastronomic distress which, I believe, has been recently responsible

> for my afib schedule.

Hi - I'm no expert but you may want to consider tapering off your milk

intake. I think there a thing called 'acid rebound'?? It may be a shock to

you system. If you have been drinking lots of milk your stomach may be

producing lots of acid to compensate - this may be unpleasant if your are

not balancing it with the milk. I suppose if you have any trouble you could

always drink a small quantity of milk to get rid of the problem for a few

days to see if things settle....

Hope the experiment goes well...

--

D

[Guest guest]

Hi Sandy:

I am far from finished with my investigating of this Calcium, etc ........I

think I may schedule an appointment with a physician that's up on this

stuff. Off hand, I can't spell *Endrochronologist* - and too lazy to look

it up <g>

I am so sorry you are having episodes.......ask them about Dofetilide!!!

Please!!! You have the same doctors that I have..........

I have penciled in August 2nd and I will leave it open to drive you to your

Bone Density Test.........let me know what time and I'll pick you up.

There's strength in numbers <g>

Your Afib Buddy,

Ellen

68 with the same Foggy day as Sandy)

***********************************

Re: Questions about Calcium

> Ellen, I have many of the same questions about calcium. (snip) I was

going for a bone density test today, but am in afib and don't want to drive

to Duke and try to manage the dreaded parking deck (at least 4 times the

size of my home town), so I rescheduled for Aug. 2. (snip) Sandy, 54, foggy

NC

*****************************************

[Guest guest]

Ellen, I have many of the same questions about calcium. I take a supplement

that is 400mg magnesium/1000mg calcium carbonate. Later in the day, I take a

Citrical, which is 400mg of calcium citrate. So somewhere in there I hope I'm

getting the right amount of the right kind of calcium. I don't drink milk and

don't eat cheese because they reek havoc with my digestion, but I do eat a small

amount of yogurt almost every day with a banana. I was going for a bone density

test today, but am in afib and don't want to drive to Duke and try to manage the

dreaded parking deck (at least 4 times the size of my home town), so I

rescheduled for Aug. 2. Hope your toe is happy today. Sandy, 54, foggy NC

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/19/01 1:30:41 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

Starfi6314@... writes:

> Basically, I have been getting

> not only calcium but all of my protein requirements from dairy products.

> (I

> never eat red meat either, and eat fish and chicken infrequently.

,

From this description, you might benefit from eating fish more often (and/or

using flaxseed oil). Also, have you been taking supplements of taurine and

L-carnitine? As I recall, vegetarians can be deficient in both.

Best, Victor

[Guest guest]

Hi Ellen--my *dear* AFIB Buddy, and All my Fellow Afibbers,

How is the granddog sitting going? I hope you and *Maggie* have been able to

romp a bit outside today. I have never seen a more beautiful day in North

Carolina. Thank you for clearing your calendar on August 2nd and for offering

to take me to Duke Medical Center for my bone density test. You are very sweet

and I very much appreciate the offer. As it turns out, my husband has an

appointment more or less at the same time, so we can make this perilous trip

together. By the way, be sure to check out the web site Diann posted -- you can

search *calcium* and find a lot of good info.

I reverted the other day to nsr while meditating. This is something new for me,

and I can say it has been a very positive experience so far. My breathing had

both deepened and slowed considerably at the time I reverted.

Lee, I hope your IRS audit has drawn to a close. It is something I dread even

more than AFib.

And finally to , who pees for England, I can tell you that I [big P]eed for

the entire Eastern Seaboard the first few hours of my recent episode, to be

sure.

Back in nsr and loving it,

Sandy

Re: Questions about Calcium

Hi Sandy:

I am far from finished with my investigating of this Calcium, etc

I have penciled in August 2nd and I will leave it open to drive you to your

Bone Density Test.........let me know what time and I'll pick you up.

There's strength in numbers <g>

Your Afib Buddy,

Ellen