Calcium Paradox

[pamojja]

I'm still not sure what to make of the whole calcium situation since calcium and phosphorus were high on my HTMA. I don't eat much calcium from diet since it usually causes muscle twitching.

Do you take any vitamin D or know serum levels - which needed for calcium absorption?

 

[learning]

Do you take any vitamin D or know serum levels - which needed for calcium absorption?

I have tried vitamin D in the past. It seemed to make my symptoms worse. Especially this crackling sound in the back of my neck. I really should have my vitamin D levels checked. Unfortunately doctors in Canada don't test for that. Any idea how I could get it checked without having to drive to the US?

 

[pamojja]

Here it's easy. I just go to a local laboratory and get it checked and paid out of my pocket what I can't get through my GP. However, my GP after some years learned of the importance of having it checked with high supplementation. And now does it at least once a year.

On the other hand, it is wasted money in your case. As Canadian with disease you can be pretty certain to be very low or deficient. Therefore I would start supplementing about 5000 IU/d for 2-3 month, and then afford the test and adjust dose from there:

https://grassrootshealth.net/document/serum-25ohd-vs-vitamin-d-supplement-intake/

That site also sells vitamin D serum tests.

 

[learning]

I ordered the test. Thanks for the advice.

 

[frozenborderline]

I think the Association Induction hypothesis is highly relevant to any discussion on calcium.

There's Gilbert Ling's explanations of it, but I also think that the book "Cells, Gels, and the Engines of Life" might be really relevant

 

[SherDa]

Your body can take calcium from your bones as needed. So having low serum calcium for two years is strange. How much calcium do you ingest on a daily basis now? And how much vitamin D?

The body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium from the diet but also needs vitamin D to make parathyroid hormone, so taking vitamin D allows the body to take calcium from the bones.

If someone starts taking vitamin D, they can have poor calcium intake and still raise serum calcium by stealing from the bones, and I don't think there's much of a way to determine whether serum calcium increases from improved absorption or from bone resorption (unless someone has poor calcium intake, and then you can probably assume they're breaking down bone), but my point is that the body can't take calcium from the bones when vitamin D is low.

 

[robinhood12345]

Best source of calcium is egg shells and bones. Egg shells are 25-35% calcium + other minerals, and proteins. Bones are 25% calcium, 11% phosphorous + other minerals in the bones. I eat 2 egg shells, and some bones every few days. Brisket bones used in bone broth become soft after cooking them so I eat them. Bones are cheap at supermarkets, and butchers.

 

[robinhood12345]

The RDA of calcium is 1000mg. Milk has 100mg per 100g. So unless someone is drinking 1 litre of milk a day (preferably raw if not raw then at least un homogenized or it causes heart attack) then eating egg shells/bones is a better source of calcium.