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The Calcium Calculation –Some Basic info.

This page serves a primer for the understanding calcium.

For further research, I suggest starting on Wikipedia and searching any type of calcium-

Carbonate, citrate-gluconate and hydroxyapatite.

If you need further ideas, please feel free to message me.

The most common question I am asked  when dealing with osteoporosis is how much calcium do I need?

Well, the answer is variable, based on age, diet etc but the simple answer is about 1000mg elemental calcium per day from real food.

Supplements, no matter how good, pure organic etc do not replace food.

You can obtain all the calcium, magnesium, etc you need form drinking a few cups of teas a day, especially Nettle (Urtica Dioca )or Oat straw (Avena Sativa )

Eating a sheet of nori seaweed a day or a ¼ of dulse will greatly increase you calcium as well.

Calcium is more readily available to the body through plants sources such as spirulina, nettles, dulse etc and dairy should not be relied on as a good source

Regarding calcium supplements:

Many supplements are touted as having high amounts of calcium but it is the only the elemental calcium that matters.

Many companies do not list the elemental rate on their label, only the weight so here is some fun info to help you see what you are paying for .

Elemental Calcium is an often confusing phrase received over the years.

What does the word elemental mean as it relates to calcium, anyway?

Calcium is an element like iron, oxygen, or hydrogen. It cannot be broken down into any other forms. That is where the word elemental comes from. Elements easily join together to form compounds, otherwise known as molecules. Calcium combines with carbon and oxygen, two other elements, to make the very common dietary calcium formulation known as calcium carbonate, which is the main ingredient in TUMS. So, the molecule known as calcium carbonate contains elemental calcium, elemental carbon, and elemental oxygen.

When calcium carbonate is digested, the calcium that is bound to carbon and oxygen breaks away to return to its elemental form. This quantity is known as elemental calcium. The percentage of elemental calcium in calcium carbonate that is available for our bodies to absorb, is 40 %. It is this number of milligrams (mg) of elemental calcium that we need to count towards meeting our daily recommended amount of calcium. Using calcium carbonate as an example, for every tab that contains 1000 mg of calcium carbonate, 400 mg (the 40 %) of that tablet is elemental calcium and becomes available for absorption in the digestive system. In case you were wondering what the other 60 % of the tablet is, remember that it is the other two elements, carbon and oxygen.

Other calcium supplements work the same way. They are all calcium compounds which contain different amounts of elemental calcium, depending on the particular formulation. Another common calcium supplement formulation, calcium citrate, works the same way. It provides 20 % of the elemental calcium. This means that, if we take a 1000 mg tab of calcium citrate, we will have available 200 mg of calcium by itself.

So, it’s important to read the labels on any supplement that you take. 

Here is an easy formula to help you calculate calcium amounts.

For instance, you spend $59.99 on a calcium supplements that claims to have 1000 mg of calcium citrate per 4 tablets.

First divide the calcium milligrams by number of pills

1000/4= 250 mg of calcium  citrate per tablet. This is the total weight of calcium in each pill.

Next multiply  the milligrams by the absorption rate and you have the amount of milligrams your body will actually utilize from each pill.

250 x .20 =50mg of calcium your body will actually use.

Now you need to take 20 tablets to obtain the 1000mg and since your bottle has 60 tablets you have enough for 3 days.

The rest of the non utilized minerals gets stored in the body and can lead to kidney stones, gallstones and other uncomfortable conditions

Elemental calcium absorption rate

Carbonate             40%        1000 x .40= 400mg

Citrate                   20%        1000 x .20=200mg

Hydroxyapatite      25%       1000 x.25= 250mg

The best form of calcium supplementation is clearly Microcrystalline Hydroxy Apatite which is actually part of the bone matrix.

It is the most readily utilized by our body.

Remember it is the quality, not the quantity you are looking for,

Calcium carbonate is basically chalk and turns the bone thusly. 

The other really important factor is that the body cannot absorb more than 250-300mg of calcium at one time regardless of what type of calcium it is. You should wait 6-8 hours when you take calcium in divided doses.

A n 8oz cup of nettle or oat straw tea will yield 300mg of usable calcium to the body plus  a plethora of other vitamins and minerals.

Drink up your teas, live well .

The book, Nutritional Herbology by Mark Pederson is viable reference for the amounts of minerals, vitamins and nutrients on over  a hundred different herbs and teas.

It is written for the lay person and is a wonderful addition to any library.

                     Oat Straw-The Anti Osteoporosis Herb

Genus and species: Avena sativa
Parts Used: green stalks, leaves and grain
Vitamins and minerals: (including calcium, magnesium ,Vitamin B complex, Vitamin A, C and E)
Properties:  nutritive - tonic
                         nervine - antidepressant
                         cooling - diuretic

The nutritive properties of oats and oatstraw are not very different, except that oatstraw is lower in calories and higher in Vitamin A (carotenes) and Vitamin C, than the grain alone.

Oatstraw is one of the best anti-osteoporosis herbs - the others are alfalfa, horsetail, nettles and red clover blossoms. Oats is rich in calcium and vitamins needed for building bones. Consistent use of oats and oatstraw in the diet reduces cholestrol and improves circulatory function, helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, brings about noticeable improvement in coordination, bone density, balance, memory, sensitivity to pleasant stimuli, clarity of thinking and overall calmness and centeredness.

Oatstraw is a nervine, that nourishes strong nerves, helps people deal with stress (Vitamin B complex), maintains restful sleep patterns and reduces the frequency and duration of headaches and useful for menopausal symptoms (particularly insomnia, depression, anxiety, memory loss, restless legs).

Oatstraw is also one of the best remedies for “ feeding” the nervous system , especially under stress. For depression it may be used with skullcap and mugwort.
The high levels of silicic acid in the straw will explain its use as a remedy for skin conditions, especially externally.

Growing and Harvesting Oat straw

Broadcast the oat seeds early in the spring and cover lightly. Keep moist till germinated. Likes cool weather .
Harvest oat straw when the oat seeds are at the milky stage and green and the stalks are still green. Harvest and dry everything down to the ground.

Recipes

Tea: infuse 1oz of dried herb

1 qt of boiled water

Pour over herbs-let steep 4 hour-8 hours. I let mine brew overnight.

If making 1 cup use 1 heaping tablespoon for 10 oz cup.

Infusions are teas that use more herbs and are steeped longer.

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Mineral (especially calcium) infusion: make an overnight infusion by pouring boiling water over 1 oz. of oat straw in a quart jar. Cap and strain in the morning. Drink 2 cups per day. Some other calcium rich herbs are: nettles, sage, chickweed, red clover - 250-300 mg. of calcium in a cup of infusion

Mineral vinegar: infuse vinegar (I usually use organic apple cider vinegar) with some of red clover blossoms, dandelion (leaves or roots), alfalfa ,chickweed, raspberry leaf, or nettles for a month and take at least 1 tbsp. a day and can be used in cooking. The acidity helps your body absorb the minerals.