Cal/Mag/D supplements

Margie Lempert · 03-06-2008, 06:24 PM

Hey all,

I'm currently taking a cal citrate/D supplement, but was thinking I wanted to incorporate some magnesium into my life after reading posts on PM. Is a cal/mag/d supplement (taken with food for best absorption) a good idea? Or is is it better to take cal/D together and mag separately? Or ditch the D, go with cal/Mag and get out in the sun (following the advice given from Scott's post)?

Also, calcium citrate is the best form, yes?

sarena kopciel · 03-06-2008, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margie Lempert

Hey all,

I'm currently taking a cal citrate/D supplement, but was thinking I wanted to incorporate some magnesium into my life after reading posts on PM. Is a cal/mag/d supplement (taken with food for best absorption) a good idea? Or is is it better to take cal/D together and mag separately? Or ditch the D, go with cal/Mag and get out in the sun (following the advice given from Scott's post)?

Also, calcium citrate is the best form, yes?

Margie I have been using this magnesium product for years now (on and off), more on now thanks to support from Dr G!
Helps with sleep and elimination too. And if you are eating a bucket load of greens like I am several times a day you prob get way enough calcium!! Vit D--get outside!!

Mike ODonnell · 03-06-2008, 07:35 PM

Put lemon in your water to keep your ph balance more alkaline...overly acidic ph drains alkaline minerals like magnesium...calcium....

as for Vit D, take some cod liver oil and get outside....

I like ZMA for my zinc and mg

Margie Lempert · 03-06-2008, 07:49 PM

Yes, lemon is a good liver cleanser too... I take nordic naturals. Is cod liver oil more useful for D than other kinds of fish oil?

Sarena, you know I love the greens. I need extra calcium, though, so I try to get it in different forms to insure bioavailability. Not doing very much dairy, so I am opting for a supplement. Thanks for the mag tip!

sarena kopciel · 03-07-2008, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margie Lempert

Yes, lemon is a good liver cleanser too... I take nordic naturals. Is cod liver oil more useful for D than other kinds of fish oil?

Sarena, you know I love the greens. I need extra calcium, though, so I try to get it in different forms to insure bioavailability. Not doing very much dairy, so I am opting for a supplement. Thanks for the mag tip!

I also use a CLO from Dr G. This is product he recommends!!

Garrett Smith · 03-07-2008, 05:53 AM

I'm not a fan of the D3 in supplements. Get good sunlight (early hours, later afternoon, don't get burned) as much as possible, and supplement with some CLO to cover any holes.

Calcium will not be absorbed properly without proper levels of magnesium present. So, if people are eating well (ie. plenty of veg), I prioritize magnesium way before calcium. I really like Natural Calm, as Sarena mentioned.

Finding a whole food source of calcium would be the best idea, ie. New Chapter or Innate Response. Yes, their absolute content of calcium will be lower, however, they are much more bioavailable and useful to the body.

Margie Lempert · 03-07-2008, 09:36 AM

Thanks Dr. G - that is precisely the info I was looking for!

Greg Davis · 03-07-2008, 03:25 PM

What is appealing about Natural Calm's magnesium versus the plethora ZMA supplements out there?

Michael Miller · 03-21-2008, 05:38 PM

Wonder if this would be any good?
http://www.algaecal.com/order.htm

Garrett Smith · 03-22-2008, 07:21 PM

Greg,
It's one of those things where I had another doctor suggest it to me, I tried it myself and with some patients, and it made a significant enough impression on me that I started carrying and recommending it.

Many people don't have enough stomach acid, so digesting and absorbing minerals (like Mg), especially in tablets (like most ZMA) can be difficult. Natural Calm is a powder, and supposedly there is some pH tweaking that is done to make it even more absorbable.

From their website:

Quote:

Natural Calm is a water-soluble magnesium powder that provides the most absorbable, effective, fast-acting magnesium available anywhere.

The proprietary process that enables this to occur was discovered twenty-five years ago by nutritional researcher Peter Gillham and, according to users, has been producing "miracles" ever since. This is the reason why Natural Calm is the best-selling powdered or liquid magnesium. (Ref: SPINS data 2006)

According to Carolyn Dean, MD, author and certified clinical nutritionist, "The powdered form [of magnesium] is the best because you start absorbing it straight away, even in the mouth. So, powdered first, and then capsules, and then tablets. The tablets usually have a lot of binders and fillers and are harder to dissolve than capsules."