
Are you one of the many women who are taking a calcium supplement 'because you should'? How can you tell whether you really need to take extra calcium in a tablet, or whether its just travelling through your body; or worse, actively interfering with your magnesium absorption?
Its true that osteoporosis is a silent disease, only revealing itself when you fall and break a major limb. The subsequent xrays then uncover that your bones have been becoming more brittle for years. It makes sense for older people to check their bone density, particularly if they don't do much exercise, or smoke, or take certain medications.
But if you haven't been diagnosed with osteoporosis, and you haven't had an x-ray bone density assessment, how can you tell whether you really need to take a calcium supplement?
A SIMPLE URINE TEST CAN HELP YOU DECIDE
There is a functional pathology test available now that measures the amount of cross-linked N-telopeptide type 1 bone collagen in your urine. Our bones are constantly remodelling themselves, removing old bone cells and building new bone; but in osteoporosis there's more bone removal than rebuilding, hence the levels of bone collagen in your urine may rise.
Your naturopath can arrange this testing for you. (Or if you're in the Murwillumbah area, make an appointment with me for a consultation.)
THE DOWNSIDE OF TAKING CALCIUM WHEN YOU DON'T NEED TO
Watch out for the competition: Many minerals compete for absorption in your digestion. Calcium competes with magnesium, the relaxation mineral. Some people develop muscle cramps at night a few months after starting a calcium supplement. This can indicate that you're elbowing the magnesium you need out of the way by taking in too much calcium.
And are you absorbing that calcium anyway? To absorb calcium, your gastric pH must be within a narrow range of acidity. Many older people are deficient in the digestive enzymes that enable calcium absorption. So it just goes in one end (your mouth) and out the other. Pretty pointless, eh?
So if you're taking calcium 'just in case', why not arrange a urine test for your levels of bone collagen, and find out for sure whetheryou really need it. Oh, and while you're in your practitioner's office, find out whether the calcium supplement you're taking is actually absorbable. You could save yourself a lot of money and effort in the long term!





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