Re: calcium supplements and effect on iron absorption

[Guest guest]

Hi Ange,

This is a common problem whereby one single minerals is prescribed and this causes a domino effect of problems.

You didnt say why you were prescribed it?

Firstly if you are hypothyroid you tend to have HIGH levels of tissue calcium...you may be low in serum and bone calcium . Hypothyroidism and high tissue calcium go hand in hand and both cause problems with magnesium.

Magnesium is the antagonist of calcium; these two must be in balance like yin and yang.

Commonly western diet is high calcium and low magnesium and hypothyroidism exacerbates that situation further. This causes many many problems with our body down at the cellular level. It is also disruptive of sodium and potassium and further causes adrenal fatigue.

I personally would stop all calcium supplementation for the time being. This should be reviewed in about 1year.

Take magnesium, citrate, taurate or gluconate...they each have slightly different effects so look them up and see what you think you need. You can also bathe in Epsom Salts...get it in big tubs from equine suppliers....put in the bath and soak in it..magnesium oil can be rubbed on the skin too....so whichever form you need to get your magnesium levels higher.

What magnesium does is to force calcium to behave as it should do for the benefit of the body/cells/organs. so for a start it forces it to be stored in teeth and bones not soft tissue. It allows it into the cells to form an electrical charge and then forces it out of the cells in a rhythmic was. This is essential for good cell function. If magnesium is depleted there is chaos in the cells due to calcium behaving badly.

Then our poor old adrenals, our brain and heart muscle indeed many many enzymatic function in our body too are dependant upon magnesium so deficiency will impact on us in sooooo many ways.

If you take any minerals supplement you should take a multi-mineral supplement alongside it too....for the greastes effect.

As well as NAX I would/do take a multitude of other vits and minerals to support adrenals .......they are busy little organs necessary for life and good function of our body and need looking after.

sally xx

Hi Everyone,Am new on this site. I have a little query. i was really prety well on DT and Nutri- Adrenal+ but over the last few months became increasingly more tired. I switched across to Erfa (from Westhroid) about two months ago as I thought I would improve. I increased the dose on Erfa as itis slightly less T3 than in the Westhroid. I crashed a few dasy ago and have been laid up- even went to my GP because I felt so rubbish! Anyway Sheila sent me some great articles through on vitamins & minerlas and their effects. I noticed she talked about calcium supplements preventing iron absorption. A NHS consultant put me on Adcal which has equivalent of 600mg of calcium in each tablet. Told me to take it twice a day at two meals -lumch and dinner. Looking into what Sheilas article further I found that research has shown that at a dose of 300- 600mg calcium it prevents 50-60% of uptake of iron. Imagine I have been doing that twice a day for the last

two years..... The solution they recommend is to take the calcium away from food (the opposite of what the Consultant told me!) Link to research is:-http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0887/is_n3_v10/ai_10600750/

[Guest guest]

Hi Sally,

Thank you -that was really informative and helpful -a wonderful source! Bless you!

I was prescribed calcium supplements (Adcal) for low vitamin D. I have severe vitligo so cannot tolerate being in the sun. I have resolved the low vitD by looking at the Vitamin D Council and supplementing according to their guidelines. I do eat lots of seeds high in magnesium every day. I also naturally have a rich source of calcium in my diet so it did seem surprising to be prescribed more calcium I hadn't been absorbing calcium before because of my low vitamin D levels the consultant explained. I really should have looked into this more thoroughly before rather than trusting in a doctor......I should know better!

[Guest guest]

Hi Ange and Sally

Hope you don't mind me jumping in here! I have low serum calcium, low vit d and

low rbc magnesium. I'm also osteopenic (result of being hypot and coeliac). My

endo has me on adcal d and vit d injections. I've added the magnesium. The nhs

is very insistenet that I *must* take my calcium. How do I know if I genuinely

need calcium? (I can't eat dairy btw). Should I just keep taking the calcium but

take more magnesium? I definitely have symptoms of low magnesium, so this is a

big concern to me, but I don't know how to get the balance right. I do also get

symtpoms of low calcium (tingling and pain in my hands).

Thanks

Susie

>

>

>

> Hi Ange,

> This is a common problem whereby one single minerals is prescribed and this

> causes a domino effect of problems.

>

> You didnt say why you were prescribed it?

>

> Firstly if you are hypothyroid you tend to have HIGH levels of tissue

> calcium...you may be low in serum and bone calcium .  Hypothyroidism and high

> tissue calcium go hand in hand and both cause problems with magnesium. 

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Susie,

You do need calcium in your diet and the vitamin D so it can be absorbed or you will develop soft bones -can't remember the technical name. Very low vit D stops you from absorbing calcium -which is what happened to me so my body was very low on calcium. I have lots of calcium already in my diet so am sure I don't need the Adcal after two years of consuming it -have probably overcooked the calcium the other way now! You will be all right to take your Adcal but take it way from your food (so it doesn't interfere with your iron absorption) and also keep it away from your thyroid meds (at least by 4 hours).

Sources of calcium other than dairy are:-

Leafy green vegetables

Broccoli, kale, spinach

Fruits

Oranges

Beans and peas

Tofu, peanuts, peas, black beans, baked beans

Fish

Salmon, sardines

Miscellaneous

Sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses, corn tortillas, almonds, brown sugar

Hope this helps Susie,

Ange

-- Re: calcium supplements and effect on iron absorption

Hi Ange and SallyHope you don't mind me jumping in here! I have low serum calcium, low vit d and low rbc magnesium. I'm also osteopenic (result of being hypot and coeliac). My endo has me on adcal d and vit d injections. I've added the magnesium. The nhs is very insistenet that I *must* take my calcium. How do I know if I genuinely need calcium? (I can't eat dairy btw). Should I just keep taking the calcium but take more magnesium? I definitely have symptoms of low magnesium, so this is a big concern to me, but I don't know how to get the balance right. I do also get symtpoms of low calcium (tingling and pain in my hands).ThanksSusie>> > > Hi Ange,> This is a common problem whereby one single minerals is prescribed and this > causes a domino effect of problems.> > You didnt say why you were prescribed it?> > Firstly if you are hypothyroid you tend to have HIGH levels of tissue > calcium...you may be low in serum and bone calcium . Hypothyroidism and high > tissue calcium go hand in hand and both cause problems with magnesium. > >

[Guest guest]

Hi Susie,

You do need calcium in your diet and the vitamin D so it can be absorbed or you

will develop soft bones -can't remember the technical name. Very low vit D stops

you from absorbing calcium -which is what happened to me so my body was very low

on calcium. I have lots of calcium already in my diet so am sure I don't need

the Adcal after two years of consuming it -have probably overcooked the calcium

the other way now! You will be all right to take your Adcal but take it way

from your food (so it doesn't interfere with your iron absorption) and also keep

it away from your thyroid meds (at least by 4 hours).

Sources of calcium other than dairy are:-

Leafy green vegetables

Broccoli, kale, spinach

Fruits

Oranges

Beans and peas

Tofu, peanuts, peas, black beans, baked beans

Fish

Salmon, sardines

Miscellaneous

Sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses, corn tortillas, almonds, brown sugar

Hope this helps Susie,

Ange

>

> Hi Ange and Sally

>

> Hope you don't mind me jumping in here! I have low serum calcium, low vit d

and low rbc magnesium. I'm also osteopenic (result of being hypot and coeliac).

My endo has me on adcal d and vit d injections. I've added the magnesium. The

nhs is very insistenet that I *must* take my calcium. How do I know if I

genuinely need calcium?

[Guest guest]

Hi Ange,

I'm glad to help and glad it was useful.

I get frustrated by docs particularly just associating Calcium together with vitamin d magnesium is very much involved here too.....of course due to the deficiency I described previously; we need supplements of magnesium as whilst its good eating healthy nutritious foods, they keep us healthy but they are not adequate to improve a deficiency, we really do need supplementation of magnesium. (it is responsible for more than 350 different enzymatic effects around the body; truly amazing but that means when we are deficient then its truly not amazing how ill we feel!

Tehe, you are right of course NEVER listen to a doc without checking out/researching what they say, especially about nutrients and thyroid/adrenals!!!! tehe...xx

I was prescribed calcium supplements (Adcal) for low vitamin D. I have resolved the low vitD by looking at the Vitamin D Council and supplementing according to their guidelines. I do eat lots of seeds high in magnesium every day. I also naturally have a rich source of calcium in my diet so it did seem surprising to be prescribed more calcium I hadn't been absorbing calcium before because of my low vitamin D levels the consultant explained. I really should have looked into this more thoroughly before rather than trusting in a doctor......I should know better!

[Guest guest]

For absorbing calcium, you need a good source of calcium along with Vit-D3, Vit

A and some phosphorus. Boron will also help with this process.

snip

Looking into what Sheilas article further I found that research has shown that

at a dose of 300- 600mg calcium it prevents 50-60% of uptake of iron. Imagine I

have been doing that twice a day for the last two years..... The solution they

recommend is to take the calcium away from food (the opposite of what the

Consultant told me!)

>

snip

[Guest guest]

Thanks -am not worried about my calcium levels now more about all the hypo symptoms that have returned despite being very well medicated on DT & adrenal+. Have wondered if the calcium that I was advised to take with food was interfering with iron uptake and now is interfering with thyroid hormone conversion. Sadly as per usual the docs didn't do FT3 test or ferritin which would have ben most helpful..... Hey ho will need to ask again!

Ange

-- Re: calcium supplements and effect on iron absorption

For absorbing calcium, you need a good source of calcium along with Vit-D3, Vit A and some phosphorus. Boron will also help with this process. snipLooking into what Sheilas article further I found that research has shown that at a dose of 300- 600mg calcium it prevents 50-60% of uptake of iron. Imagine I have been doing that twice a day for the last two years..... The solution they recommend is to take the calcium away from food (the opposite of what the Consultant told me!) > snip

[Guest guest]

Hi Sally

Thanks for all your help!

I did have a hair test about 3 years ago. I know that's a long time ago, but I

would be interested in what you would have to say about the results, as I didn't

receive any interpretation with it. It actually had my calcium, magnesium and

iron as HIGH. As my blood tests show I'm deficient in all of these, I thought

either: a) hair test is rubbish or my body is throwing away these minerals in

the supplements I'm taking and not using them.

I'd be interested to know what you think!

Many thanks

Susie

[Guest guest]

Well Suse,

They are different tests and that is why I suggest them. the serum blood tests measure what is ciruclating at any one millisecond, in your blood stream. this is very different to what is happeining in your tissues.....the hair analysis measures what is happeneing in yur tissues.

I personally would repeat your hair analysis as you say 3years is well out of date. I use mineral check hair analysis. they send a graph with details of your results and then a long explanation of the graph results. they further include lifestyle and dietary recommonedations personal to your results and also a list of supplements they recccommned to take. They give a diagnosis such as low thyroid low adrenal function too... well worth £50 honestly. I have mine done annually. It gives me a good guide as to what I need to do about the vits minerals supplements personal to me.

sally xx

I did have a hair test about 3 years ago. I know that's a long time ago, but I would be interested in what you would have to say about the results, as I didn't receive any interpretation with it. It actually had my calcium, magnesium and iron as HIGH. As my blood tests show I'm deficient in all of these, I thought either: a) hair test is rubbish or my body is throwing away these minerals in the supplements I'm taking and not using them.I'd be interested to know what you think!