magnesium/calcium advice needed

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

So far, the only supplement I'm taking is cod liver oil. A week and

a half ago or so, I started adding magnesium. Since I tend toward

constipation, I thought I'd start w/magnesium first and then add in

calcium.

I started w/200mg once a day for several days, then upped to 400 mg

for about 2 days. I didn't have any changes in my stools. Then I

went to 600 mg mag and at the same time added 200 mg calcium and did

that for 2-3 days. The day after getting to that level, I had

extremely loose stools, but not very much. I felt constipated. This

continued for 3 days -- *very* loose stools, but not very much.

So I stopped both mag & cal for 3 days and decided to start again

going a little more slowly.

Monday & Tuesday I took 200 mg mag and 150 mg calcium -- and I

planned to stay at that amount for 5-7 days. But both Tues and today

when I woke up, I felt constipated/heavy. So, I didn't take any

mag/cal today, deciding to give my body a break and also get any

advice/guidance from this group.

I'm anxious to add in the supplements and it's frustrating to have so

much trouble from the get-go.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi All,

>

> So far, the only supplement I'm taking is cod liver oil. A week

and

> a half ago or so, I started adding magnesium. Since I tend toward

> constipation, I thought I'd start w/magnesium first and then add in

> calcium.

>

> I started w/200mg once a day for several days, then upped to 400 mg

> for about 2 days. I didn't have any changes in my stools. Then I

> went to 600 mg mag and at the same time added 200 mg calcium and

did

> that for 2-3 days. The day after getting to that level, I had

> extremely loose stools, but not very much. I felt constipated.

This

> continued for 3 days -- *very* loose stools, but not very much.

>

> So I stopped both mag & cal for 3 days and decided to start again

> going a little more slowly.

>

> Monday & Tuesday I took 200 mg mag and 150 mg calcium -- and I

> planned to stay at that amount for 5-7 days. But both Tues and

today

> when I woke up, I felt constipated/heavy. So, I didn't take any

> mag/cal today, deciding to give my body a break and also get any

> advice/guidance from this group.

>

> I'm anxious to add in the supplements and it's frustrating to have

so

> much trouble from the get-go.

>

> Thanks,

==>, while magnesium may help with constipation it won't cure it,

so you cannot expect fast results. If you started on the diet too

quickly, by lowering your carbs too fast, it will cause

constipation. That is why it is important to start on the diet step

by step as outlined in my article " Curing Candida, How to Get

Started " ; http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/intro1.php

If you had constipation before starting on the diet it will take time

to correct it - it takes 1 month of natural healing for every year.

The timing starts once you are completely on the diet and

taking " all " of the supplements because they all work together to

provide you with the basic nutrients required for healing.

It isn't a good idea to play around with calcium and magnesium. If

you want to use magnesium to help constipation you should still be

taking the normal doses of 1:1 cal/mag as recommended, and in

addition take extra magnesium as listed in my Constipation

article:http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/dig1.php

When you take magnesium without calcium it depletes your body of

calcium, and vice versa. All of the supplements are important, so do

not leave any out.

I think taking megadoses of vitamin C is better than magnesium.

Bee

[Guest guest]

--- " Bee " <beeisbuzzing2003@...> wrote:

> ==>, while magnesium may help with constipation it won't cure

it, so you cannot expect fast results. If you started on the diet too quickly,

by lowering your carbs too fast, it will cause

constipation. That is why it is important to start on the diet

step by step as outlined in my article " Curing Candida, How to Get

Started " ; http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/intro1.php

Thanks, Bee. Though I'm new to posting here I've been eating a

strict non-processed, whole foods diet for 5 years with only soaked

millet or quinoa for grains, no dairy, little to no sugar and ghee

and olive oil as my only fats. It's been a fairly high fat diet, but

not as high fat as I eat now. This past October, I removed potatoes,

all grains. Beginning of December I removed nuts, fruit and whatever

else was left to be on your program! I was thankful for the long

history of a non-processed diet because it made both the physical and

mental adjustment to your program much easier.

> If you had constipation before starting on the diet it will take

time to correct it - it takes 1 month of natural healing for every

year. The timing starts once you are completely on the diet and

taking " all " of the supplements because they all work together to

provide you with the basic nutrients required for healing.

Yes, I've had this problem for a long time!

> It isn't a good idea to play around with calcium and magnesium. If

you want to use magnesium to help constipation you should still be

taking the normal doses of 1:1 cal/mag as recommended, and in

addition take extra magnesium as listed in my Constipation

article:http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/dig1.php

I was hoping that the 150mg calcium & 200mg magnesium was close to

the 1:1 ratio with a little extra magnesium. I would have gone

exactly 1:1, but with the 2 supplements I'm taking, this worked. I

can try, though, to get closer to 150 mg with the magnesium. (The

calcium capsule is 150 mg; the mag is a powder 1tsp= 200mg.)

> I think taking megadoses of vitamin C is better than magnesium.

I guess you're saying I might be better off adding Vit C first and

then the cal/mag after that?

When I do add the cal/mag -- trying for a 150 mg 1:1 ratio at first,

do I just keep taking it as long as it takes for my bowels to adjust,

ie, just keep going no matter what? When my bowels are " normalized "

(to my " normal " constipation rather than a worsening of it!), then

I'd increase the amount?

Re: the Vit C. Does the baking soda in the sodium ascorbate lessen

the stomach acid? That is, do I need to take the sodium ascorbate

away from meals? Is Arm & Hammer baking soda fine to use or are

there higher quality baking sodas that should be used?

Thanks again,

[Guest guest]

Bee wrote, for constipation: I think taking megadoses of vitamin C is

better than magnesium.

>

> I guess you're saying I might be better off adding Vit C first and

> then the cal/mag after that? When I do add the cal/mag -- trying

for a 150 mg 1:1 ratio at first, do I just keep taking it as long as

it takes for my bowels to adjust, ie, just keep going no matter

what? When my bowels are " normalized " (to my " normal " constipation

rather than a worsening of it!), then I'd increase the amount?

==>You can start on both cal/mag and vitamin C at the same time at

the total amounts recommended. There is no need to gradually add

them, so you'd take 300 mg of each twice a day = 600 mg of each per

day. If you buy calcium and magnesium citrate separately it is

easier to regulate equal amounts, otherwise you can cut up capsules

as needed to get closer to the 1:1 ratio.

At the same time start with 4,000 mg vitamin C and 1,000 mg every

hour until you get loose stools, which is called the " bowel tolerance

level " . If you do not get loose stools at 1,000 mg every hour take

2,000 mg every hour. Stay at the level that creates looser stools,

but if they are too loose take a little less.

>

> Re: the Vit C. Does the baking soda in the sodium ascorbate lessen

> the stomach acid? That is, do I need to take the sodium ascorbate

> away from meals? Is Arm & Hammer baking soda fine to use or are

> there higher quality baking sodas that should be used?

==>Take sodium ascorbate 1/2 hour before meals or in between. Yes

plain old Arm & Hammer is okay - baking soda is baking soda so there

aren't higher qualities.

Bee