Do you agree with Missy's comment about staying on magnesium but not calcium?
Here are some things to consider:
"It is interesting to note that some physicians are beginning to recognize that vitamins and minerals are a necessary adjunct to building bone. What they do not recognize is that it is important to use the full spectrum of minerals when trying to build bone. Calcium alone is not sufficient. If one takes calcium long term without balancing it with magnesium, serious imbalance between the minerals will occur. The same can be said of taking magnesium without calcium. A frequent side effect of this imbalance will be muscle cramps, especially during the menstrual cycle. Other minerals such as zinc, manganese, silicon, and boron are also helpful for building bone and usually available in a good bone building supplement formula."Annals of Internal Medicine June 1, 1999 volume 130
"...studies have shown that calcium supplementation alone over extended periods has resulted in decreased calcium retention, or has had only minor beneficial effects. The causes of osteoporosis are numerous. Many nutritional factors can contribute to the osteoporotic process other than calcium deficiency. Calcium supplementation has even been shown to contribute osteoporosis when other minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, and copper are deficient. As an example, magnesium is deposited on the surface of the bone, and if a person?s magnesium status is marginal, then calcium supplementation can further contribute to a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency will produce cortical thinning of the bone with resulting fragility. When the neuro-endocrine factors are included, there are over 30 mechanism can be involved in contributing to osteoporosis. This may explain why the etiology of osteoporosis is controversial."(1) Harrison M, Fraser R, Mullan B: Calcium Metabolism in Osteoporosis: Acute and Long Term Responses to Increased Calcium Intake. Lacncet ii, 1961.
(2) Schwartz E, Panariello A, Saeli J: Radioactive Calcium Kinetics During High Calcium Intake in Osteoporosis. J. Clin. Invest. 44, 1965.
(3) Watts DL: The Nutritional Relationships of Calcium. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 5:2, 1990.
(4) Wynchank S, Saltman PD: Trace Elements and Osteoporosis. S Afr Med J 87:4, 1997.
(5) South China Morning Post 10/7/99
"Chelating factors in various foods can prevent mercury absorption, including citric acid, tartaric acid, and cysteine, (22), selenium (29), garlic (46), chlorella (also an anti-inflammatory) (101), and cilantro (64). Methyl mercury can bind with L-cysteine and be transported across the blood brain barrier. L-leucine inhibits this transport. A balanced leucine/cysteine ratio is found in Whey Protein (71). Calcium and magnesium are also protective against mercury and methyl mercury toxicity (81)."(22) Endo T, Nakaya S, Kimura R. "Mechanisms of absorption of inorganic mercury from rat small intestine. IV: Effect of chelating agents and cysteine on absorption of mercuric chloride in situ and in vitro." Pharmacol Toxicol 1991, 68(3): 171-6.
(29) Goyer RA. "Toxic and essential metal interactions." Annu Rev Nutr, 1997, 17: 37-50.
(46) Lee JH, Kang HS, Roh J. "Protective effects of garlic juice against embryotoxicity of methylcercuric chloride administered to pregnant Fischer 344 rats." Yonsei Med J 1999, 4(5): 483-9.
(64) Omura Y, Beckman SL. "Role of mercury (Hg) in resistant infections and effective treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis and Herpes family viral infections (and potential treatment for cancer) by removing localized Hg deposits with Chinese parsley and delivering effective antibiotics using various drug uptake enhancement methods." Acupunct Electrother Res, 1995, 20(3-4): 195-229.
(71) Quig, David. "Cysteine Metabolism and Metal Toxicity." Alternative Medicine Review, 1998; 3(4): 262-270.
(81) Singh CB, Singh SP. "Protective effects of Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ on mercury and methylmercury toxicity to a cyanobacterium." Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 1992, 23(1): 1-10.
(101) Yasukawa K, Akihisa T, Kanno H, Kaminaga T, Izumida M, Sakoh T, Tamura T, Takido M. "Inhibitory effects of sterols isolated from Chlorella vulgaris on 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced inflammation and tumor promotion in mouse skin." Biol Pharm Bull, 1996, 19(4): 573-6.
NOTE: In the following article, read "Ca2+" as "calcium" and read "Mg2+" as "magnesium".
Protective effects of Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ on mercury and methylmercury toxicity to a cyanobacterium.Singh CB, Singh SP.
Algal Research Laboratory, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
"Toxicological investigations of the impact of inorganic mercury (Hg2+) and methylmercury (CH3Hg+) in terms of growth, NH4+ uptake, in vivo glutamine synthetase (transferase) activity, and regulation of toxicity by Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+ and Ni2+ in the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Nostoc calcicola Breb. have been completed. Photoautotrophic growth of the cyanobacterium was extremely sensitive to both mercury compounds, CH3Hg+ being 2.5 times more toxic than Hg2+. Although NH4+ uptake was 6 times more sensitive than in vivo GS activity against the two mercurials, both processes had a greater susceptibility toward CH3Hg+. On the basis of Km and Vmax, it is suggested that both mercury species inhibit such metabolic events noncompetitively. Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ did not change the nature of inhibition and effectively antagonized the Hg2+ and CH3Hg+ toxicities in the sequence Ca2+ greater than Mg2+ much greater than Cu2+ greater than Ni2+."Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 1992 Feb;23(1):1-10.
(In other words, both calcium and magnesium ["antagonize"] protect against mercury toxicity)
Following is the data sheet we produce on the supplement you purchased. You'll notice that it contains the other minerals besides calcium and magnesium mentioned in the articles above. This is one of the things I like about NSP supplements, they have formulas based on real research:
NSP SynerPro Calcium-Magnesium Supplement I would also like to say not to be discouraged if you have a bad day or even four in a row. Here's an example of why I say this.
I worked outside in my yard 2 days this extended weekend (Sunday and Monday). By Monday night, I had a lymph node blow up like a small marble (this is the same thing that happened to me while receiving DMPS injections [which I don't recommend]). I came down with allergy-like symptoms for the next 48 hours. My skin was very "puffed up". I was foggy minded and had several other symptoms identical to my old mercury symptoms I used to get daily before my amalgam removal. And here's the important part...
I had my amalgams removed almost 5 years ago (July 2000).
I expect to have days like this after physical exertion simply because all the mercury is not out yet. In fact, it will never be all out. The important part is that last year, my symptoms after a physically exhausting day like this were considerably worse. That's a sign of progress and it keeps me very optimistic about the future of my health and life. I can't wait till next year.
It's perfectly normal to have bad days (or even weeks) and good weeks the first several months or even years after removal, and although it's always good to see if the symptoms you're experiencing are related to something you're doing, most of the time they're probably related to the adjustment you're body is going through.
You may want to consider keeping a calendar. At the end of each day, rate the health quality (How "well" you felt overall) of the day from 1 to 10; 1 being horrible; 10 being great. Then see if patterns emerge.
You may find 7-day patterns. You may find patterns related to using cleaning chemicals in the house. You may find patterns related to eating certain foods. You may find patterns related to weather. No may find no patterns at all.
Either way, remember that mercury detox is a lifestyle and takes time. The journey there is often a rollar coaster ride, but it's well worth the trip.
To answer your question, if I were in your position, I would not stop the calcium/magnesium supplement. Remember to keep things the same over a period of time so you get an idea (an average) of what the "major trend" is in your health.
However, Missy does have a point. Because you are mercury toxic, you may need
extra magnesium so it is in a higher ratio to the calcium you're taking, but again, I wouldn't take magnesium without calcium. If you want to experiment, you could increase magnesium with a separate magnesium supplement and see if there is a noticeable change. Just remember to keep records over a period of time so you can get a clear and accurate idea of how the change is affecting you.
Hope this helps and please keep us posted on your progress. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
