Calcium & Magnesium. Functions. Balancing Opposites. How to Avoid Osteoporosis. Dosage & Need. Make Your Own Supplement.
I. INTRODUCTION
Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg) are two important minerals. It is not only a matter of getting a sufficient amount of them, but to get them in the right balance. Calcium can become destructive, even dangerous, if it is not accompanied by a corresponding amount of Magnesium. Ideally, the ratio Calcium/Magnesium should be 1000/500 - 1000/400, which means that with every 1000mg Calcium you take, you need 400-500mg Magnesium. A little too much Magnesium, however, is harmless, so it is better to lean into that direction. But do not overdo it, very high intake of Magnesium can give Magnesium coma, a serious condition.
Normally there is a little more than 1kg Calcium and (surprisingly little) 35g Magnesium in a human body of 70kg. Most of the Calcium is bound in bones and teeth, but it cannot bind there without a pituitary gland in good order. This endocrine gland, which is attached to the base of the brain, is totally dependent on Magnesium. Actually, Magnesium deficiency gives the same symptoms as a removal of the pituitary gland.
One symptom of low pituitary gland activity is overproduction of adrenaline (the suprarenal glands become too active), which leads to aggressiveness, irritability, and agony; often to depression and mental problems - even to suicidal inclination. Magnesium plays a role in the treatment of such conditions.
Synthetic vitamin D (often added to industrial milk) tends to bind Magnesium. Thus it can cause a Magnesium deficiency, or symptoms of pituitary gland dysfunction.
The most common cause of Magnesium deficiency, however, has to do with agriculture. Artificial fertilisation has left the soil poor in Magnesium in relation to Calcium. Few foodstuffs keep a proper Ca/Mg balance, and fewer still keep a surplus of Mg. When food is then refined (like sugar or white flour), Magnesium and Calcium are removed even further.
The result is an almost universal Magnesium deficiency in the populations of a large part of the world.
Both Calcium and Magnesium activate various enzymes. They affect metabolism and digestion, immunity and hormones. Calcium is important for the blood to coagulate, while Magnesium prevents thrombosis (blood clotting). Further, Calcium can help to prevent lead poisoning.Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg) are two important minerals. It is not only a matter of getting a sufficient amount of them, but to get them in the right balance. Calcium can become destructive, even dangerous, if it is not accompanied by a corresponding amount of Magnesium. Ideally, the ratio Calcium/Magnesium should be 1000/500 - 1000/400, which means that with every 1000mg Calcium you take, you need 400-500mg Magnesium. A little too much Magnesium, however, is harmless, so it is better to lean into that direction. But do not overdo it, very high intake of Magnesium can give Magnesium coma, a serious condition.
Normally there is a little more than 1kg Calcium and (surprisingly little) 35g Magnesium in a human body of 70kg. Most of the Calcium is bound in bones and teeth, but it cannot bind there without a pituitary gland in good order. This endocrine gland, which is attached to the base of the brain, is totally dependent on Magnesium. Actually, Magnesium deficiency gives the same symptoms as a removal of the pituitary gland.
One symptom of low pituitary gland activity is overproduction of adrenaline (the supra-renal glands become too active), which leads to aggressiveness, irritability, and agony; often to depression and mental problems - even to suicidal inclination. Magnesium plays a role in the treatment of such conditions.
Synthetic vitamin D (often added to industrial milk) tends to bind Magnesium. Thus it can cause a Magnesium deficiency, or symptoms of pituitary gland dysfunction.
The most common cause of Magnesium deficiency, however, has to do with agriculture. Artificial fertilisation has left the soil poor in Magnesium in relation to Calcium. Few foodstuffs keep a proper Ca/Mg balance, and fewer still keep a surplus of Mg. When food is then refined (like sugar or white flour), Magnesium and Calcium are removed even further.
The result is an almost universal Magnesium deficiency in the populations of a large part of the world.
Both Calcium and Magnesium activate various enzymes. They affect metabolism and digestion, immunity and hormones. Calcium is important for the blood to coagulate, while Magnesium prevents thrombosis (blood clotting). Further, Calcium can help to prevent lead poisoning.
II. BALANCING OPPOSITES
As we saw with blood coagulation, Ca and Mg often work as balancing opposites.
Every heartbeat consists of a contraction and a relaxation. The power of the contraction is determined by Calcium, the efficiency of the relaxation by Magnesium. The same goes for other muscles than the heart, the vessels, and other tissues. There must be a sufficient amount of these two minerals all the time, and they must be present in a proper ratio. Too much Ca in relation to Mg makes everything tense, blood pressure increases, and the heart will not get proper rest. With too little Ca in relation to Mg, muscles and tissues will get weak and lose elasticity.
There is a similar effect on the nervous system, whose impulses are dependent on the Ca/Mg balance as well.
As we can see, there is a general principle at work here. Calcium strengthens, activates, and increases elasticity; Magnesium is calming, relaxing and resting: they determine the balance of activity and rest.
III. OSTEOPOROSIS
Osteoporosis, loss of Calcium from bone, is a common condition, often associated with increasing age. This is not a natural process, however, but a consequence of lifestyle errors.
An deficiency of Calcium can be a contributory cause, but more often it is due to a deficiency of Magnesium – or on Ca/Mg imbalance. So proper nutrition is essential.
Gradual build-up of lead and aluminium in bones can be in the way of Calcium, thus preventing natural mineralisation. It is important to minimise the build-up of these toxic metals.
Another factor, too much protein in the diet, causes acidity. The body compensates that by releasing Calcium to neutralise the pH, and in the end it leads to loss of Calcium through the urine. This is a very common cause of Calcium deficiency in populations with a diet rich in protein. If you belong to such a group and do not want to eat less protein - then you need extra Ca/Mg supplementation.
Physical exercise is extremely important for the mineralisation of bones, and lack of it is a major contributory cause of osteoporosis. Exercise need not be hard. Walking half an hour every day can be enough to prevent loss of Calcium.
There is a remarkable example of how even very little exercise can help. In a group of very old people who were just sitting and not moving at all, daily lifting the foot and stretching the leg, twenty times for each leg, actually reduced their loss of Calcium. So, if for any reason you cannot move much, do it a little, just as much as you can. It is not meaningless!
By proper nutrition and physical exercise, it is mostly possible to reverse loss of Calcium and re-mineralise the bones. The exercise, however, would need to be harder for re-mineralisation than when it is just for keeping an actual level.
IV. DOSAGE & NEED
A healthy adult needs 800-1500mg Calcium per day. Pregnant and lactating women can go up to 2000mg, as can those over the age of 70. Magnesium should follow in the amount determined by the ratio (see above).
Calcium absorption requires presence of vitamins C and D; further it is improved by vitamin A, Manganese, Magnesium, Lysine (an amino acid) and lactobacilli.
Magnesium absorption improves by Calcium and vitamins C, D, and B6.
Oxalic acid and phytin can block Calcium absorption, and a high intake of them increases your need for dietary Calcium.
A very high level of phytin is found in wheat bran and barley.
Oxalic acid tend to form salts, oxalates, with certain substances, most notably Calcium. In the body these salts can crystallise and contribute to the formation of stones in bladder or kidneys, possibly in other places of the body as well. Such oxalates can be dissolved by Magnesium or lactic acid (or by fermented whey).
Oxalic acid is found in several vegetables and plants. Especially rich sources are tomatoes, spinach and rhubarb.
For healthy people oxalates are not normally a problem, but it can be wise to avoid too extreme intake.
Some natural sources of Calcium: dried figs, raisins, cabbage, broccoli, rose-hip, nettles (and many green leaves), seeds from sunflower and sesame, nuts, etc. Milk and cheese, but with reservations for milk in the diet.
And some sources of Magnesium: brewer's yeast, wheat germ, green leaves, nuts, peanuts, honey, buckwheat, beet roots, carrots, and pumpkin seeds. Among animal sources, shellfish and eggs are the best.
V. MAKE YOUR OWN SUPPLEMENT
A common Calcium/Magnesium supplement is dolomite. It is a mix of Calcium carbonate and Magnesium carbonate. Carbonates are inorganic and absorption is bad. Actually, carbonates can block the absorption of these minerals from other sources too.
As it happens, dolomite is a cheap source of Ca and Mg, and it is easy to make it possible to absorb its minerals by altering it chemically, get rid of the carbonates and get certain organic salts instead.
You need dolomite powder, and an organic acid like citric acid or ascorbic acid. Both can be bought as white crystalline powder. (Sometimes available in food stores as preservatives.)
Put 2cm water in a glass. Add 2g of the crystalline powder (citric or ascorbic acid), and stir until it dissolves.
Then add 5g dolomite powder and stir until the chemical reaction ceases (you will notice that). A teaspoon contains approx 5g. (It is not important to keep to 2g and 5g exactly, look at it as approximative guidelines.)
Fill the glass with water, stir until it looks clear, and drink.
What you have in your glass is Calcium and Magnesium citrate (if you used citric acid) or ascorbate (if you used ascorbic acid). Organic salts that are easy to absorb.
If you used ascorbic acid, you also have pH-neutral vitamin C. A cheap and practical way to get that.
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Not Only Beta-Carotene: Carotenoids (Carotenes & Xanthophylls)
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Vitamin D – Underrated Vitamin?
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Wow 😮 that’s really a great article I think you are doctor 🥼 right ? You tell us very important knowledge about calcium or Mg. both things are important for our body