Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body.  99% of the body's calcium is stored in the bones and teeth, with 1% utilized for other bodily functions.  It accounts for 1.5 to 2% of our total body weight.  Calcium is very important because without it, your body would not function in any way.  Without calcium, your bones would break, muscles would not contract, heart would not beat, blood would not clot, food would not digest, blood pH would become dangerously acidic, your body would become puffy from water retention, you would have constant headaches, you would be in constant pain, unable to sleep, and would suffer from many nervous and mental illnesses.  In short, we should pay very close attention to whether our bodies are getting enough calcium.

Calcium must be taken in its Ionic form in order to be directly absorbed.  Otherwise, it must be broken down through digestion, which is very inefficient. Calcium absorption is  usually only 20 to 30 percent absorbed (1).  Some common, cheap brands are only about 5% absorable.  This means that you must take more than you need to make sure you are getting enough.  Calcium and phosporus must be present at least equally in the diet in order to give firmness to the bones; however, since the typical American diet is high in phosporus and low in calcium, supplementation with phosporus is not necessary and is not advised.  Calcium must, however, be taken with magnesium in the proper ratio, 2:1.  In other words, if you take 1000 mg of calcium it must be accompanied by 500 mg of magnesium.  If it is not, there will be an excess buildup of calcium in the muscles, heart, and kidneys.

Many studies suggest that calcium/magnesium supplementation can help lower blood pressure in the general population (2).  Individuals with impaired calcium metabolism were shown to have lower blood pressure when their diets were supplemented with calcium (3).  Pregnancy induced hypertension was also lowered through ingestion of oral calcium (4).

The primary source of calcium is dairy products.  Plant foods rich in calcium include tofu, kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens.  Calcium absorption from kale is superior to that from milk (5).

Calcium is usually well tolerated in dosages of 2,000 milligrams or less per day.  A minimum of 2,000mg per day is recommended for every man, woman and child.  Calcium is lost in significant quantities in the urine when caffeine, phosphates, alcohol, protein, sodium, and sugar are ingested.  For every gram of protein ingested, 10 milligrams of calcium are lost in the urine, so people who eat a lot of protein should increase their calcium supplementation.  Also, see  Why Soda Pop Drains You Dry  for more information on why calcium supplementation is necessary.  For every soda consumed, 20mg of calcium is withdrawn from the bones to combat the acid in the soda.

How does calcium heal?  Basically, by neutralizing the acidic nature of our blood, tissues and organs.  When too acidic, our DNA cannot replicate to form new tissue to heal us.   Acid drives out oxygen, so when you are too acidic you are literally starving your cells for oxygen, which gives cancer room to develop, because it thrives in an environment of high acid.  By simply raising your pH level, you can wipe virtually any degenerative disease.  If your doctor has told you that you are incurable or terminal, don't believe him.  Don't write yourself off yet.  What do you have to lose?  

You also need about 5000 IU of Vitamin D each day in order to absorb the most calcium possible, and two hours of direct sunlight on your face daily to make all your glands work properly, as well as convert the cholesterol in your skin to Vitamin D naturally.

Studies show that those who drink the most milk have the least heart disease, cancer, etc.  But it needs to be raw, unpasteurized, certified organic milk.  For a list of where to buy Raw Milk, see the Where Can I Find Real Milk website..

Item Number	Item Description	Price	Add to Cart
1060	Nutronix International Sango Coral Calcium with other essential minerals, 60ct	$28.95
208875	All One Calcium Complex Powder, 8.5 oz	$29.95
215168	Marine Biotherapy Liquid Coral Calcium Supplement, 32 fl oz	$38.95
23422	Schiff Calcium/Magnesium with Vitamin D, 100 softgels	$10.95
2462	Foodscience Laborataories Cocoa Cal Mag 60 chewables	$15.95
EcoFor	Ecological Formulas Tri-Salts 200g	$9.99

Ailments which might benefit from calcium supplementation:

Cancer
Allergies
Arthritis
Joint problems
Ulcers
Asthma
Anemia
Diabetes (8)
Hemophilia
Pernicious anemia
Fractures
Osteomalacia
Osteoporosis
Rickets
Colitis
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Epilepsy
Insomnia
Mental illness
Parkinson's disease
Meniere's syndrome
Cataracts
Fever
Arterioschlerosis
Atheroschlerosis
Hypertension
Celiac disease
Constipation
Hemorrhoids
Worms
Arthritis
Nephritis
Leg cramps
Allergies
Common cold
Tuberculosis
Tetany
Acne
Stomach ulcer
Pyorrhea
Tooth and gum disorders
Aging
Overweight and obesity
Sunburn   (6).
Pregnancy-induced hypertension (4).
 

In my own family, I have used calcium for leg cramps in my children, difficulty sleeping in myself and my children, calming heart palpitations and lowering blood pressure, reducing water retention, reducing nervousness and irritability, reducing pain, healing skin inflammations, getting rid of yeast infections, improving vision, improving and relieving leaky gut syndrome, and much more.  Pregnant women can benefit from taking extra calcium when in labor, because this helps to reduce the perception of pain.  I love my calcium supplement, and wouldn't be without it. I recommend Tri-Salts and Coral Calcium.
 

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(1)  Dunne, Lavon J. (1990).  Nutrition Almanac, 3rd ed.  New York:  McGraw-Hill, p. 67.

(2)  Cappuccio, F.P. et al. (1995).  Epidemiological association between dietary calcium intake and blood pressure:  A meta-analysis of published data. Am J Epidemiol 142, 935-945.

(3)  Strazzullo, P., Siani, A., Gugliemi, S., Di Carlo, A., Galletti, F.,  Cirillo, M.  and Mancini, M. (1986).  Controlled trial of long-term oral calcium supplementation in essential hypertension. Hypertension 8, 1084-1088.

(4)  Knight, K.B. and Keith, R.E.  (1992).  Calcium supplementation on normotensive and hypertensive pregnant women.  Am J Clin Nutr 55, 891-895.

(5)  Murray, Michael T. (1996).  The Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements. Rocklin, CA:  Prima Publishing, p. 149.

(6)  Dunne, as in (1) above, pp. 68-9.

(7)  Murray, as in (5) above, p. 157.

(8) Barefoot, Robert R. and Carl J. Reich.  (2002).  The Calcium Factor:  The scientific secret of health and youth.  Southeastern, PA:  Triad Marketing.