About Calcium
Calcium is a chemical element that is critical for our
physical and mental health. It is necessary to build strong, dense bones early
and throughout life. About 99% of the body's calcium is stored in the bones and
teeth. The remaining calcium is used in varied physiological functions,
including muscular exertion and electrical conduction of heart muscles. It is a
critical chemical involved in the release of neurotransmitters, chemicals that
serve as messengers between cells within the nervous system. Excessive amounts
of calcium or deficiencies of calcium can be linked to various problems,
including depression.
Sadly, most people do not ingest nearly enough
bioavailable calcium because when dairy products are pasteurized and
homogenized, the calcium they contain is made less available to the body. Also, few other foods contain much calcium
today.
Functions of
Calcium in the Body
Calcium helps regulate cell permeability, is critical for
maintenance of acid-base balance and assists many other body activities as
well. These include male and female
hormone secretion, cell division and osmotic balance. It stabilizes cell membranes, helps muscles relax
and slows nerve transmission and the heart rate. Calcium also helps prevent fluid loss from
cells and from the blood.
Calcium inhibits thyroid-releasing hormone and increases
insulin secretion. It inhibits the
sympathetic nervous system. It is
required for phosphorus metabolism and energy production in the krebs cycle.
Calcium is also important as a detoxifier, preventing the
uptake of lead and cadmium. Blood
clotting and fat digestion depends on calcium.
Calcium is extremely alkaline-forming and helps maintain the pH balance
of the blood.
Stability, hardness and physicality are qualities of
calcium. When deficient, one becomes
weak and fragile. When calcium is in
excess one becomes rigid and immobile.
Its opposite elements are phosphorus and sodium, elements that activate
and dissolve things. Calcium personality
types are earthy, plodding, steady and blunt.
They often move slowly and awkwardly and are unpolished in their
language and mannerisms. They develop
slowly and have a great potential for love and spirituality.
Calcium Deficiency
Long-term deficiency of calcium can contribute to
rickets, poor blood clotting and osteoporosis. Short-term, mild deficiency
causes nerve sensitivity, twitching muscles, brittle nails, palpitations, and
mood and behavior disturbances including irritability, anxiety, depression,
dysphoria (mild depression) and insomnia. More severe deficiencies can cause
muscle cramps, numbness, stiffness of hands, abnormal heartbeat, tingling of
the extremities and depression. Calcium deficiencies have also been associated
with mania.
People at risk for calcium deficiency include the
elderly, athletes, people on high-protein or high-fiber diets, people who don't
eat dairy products or other calcium-rich foods and people who drink a lot of
alcohol. People who eat a lot of high-phosphorus foods such as meat, cheese,
processed foods and sodas are also at risk of calcium deficiency.
Calcium Excess
There are several different possible causes of excessive calcium.
Over consumption of calcium supplements could produce noxious effects, but
generally excessive calcium will be the result of a problem with the
parathyroid glands. The parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone, which
regulates calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus levels within the blood and bone.
When blood calcium levels are low, the parathyroid gland releases parathyroid
hormone, which causes calcium to be taken from the bone and released into the
blood stream. It also enhances the efficiency with which dietary calcium is
absorbed by the intestines and kidney. In a condition called
hyperparathyroidism, the parathyroid gland produces too much parathyroid
hormone, which causes too much calcium to be released into the blood stream.
Effects of hyperparathyroidism include back pain, bone and joint pain, blurred
vision, increased thirst, itchy skin, muscular weakness, personality change,
fatigue and depression.
One of the recent reports from clinical psychologist Dr.
Richard Malter who is the Director of the Malter Institute for Natural
Development in Illinois, stated that serious psychological problems can indeed result
from extended use of calcium supplements, causing calcium excess in the body.
Other adverse conditions associated with calcium supplementation might include
fatigue, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, panic attacks headaches, paranoid
feelings, loss of memory and concentration, headaches and insomnia.
Another factor associated with too much tissue calcium is
susceptibility to viral infections. Studies have shown that when calcium is
added to tissues containing dormant viruses, the virus will become more active
and proliferate readily.
Biounavailable
Calcium
In many instances,
calcium is biounavailable. This means it is present, but cannot be used
properly. This condition causes symptoms
of deficiency and excess at the same time.
Calcium Regulation
in your Body
If calcium levels fall too low, then the body responds by
excreting a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH), into the blood. PTH
functions by increasing the absorption of calcium from the kidney(s). At the
same time, PTH allows the kidney to shed phosphates in the urine. This helps to
retain calcium. The reason PTH works on the kidney to retain calcium, is simply
because calcium is transported throughout the body, via the blood. Some of the
calcium in the blood is removed by the kidney and excreted in the urine. When
the kidney begins to remove too much calcium, then PTH is secreted to stop this
calcium loss. PTH is produced in the 4 parathyroid glands, which lie behind the
thyroid gland.
PTH also increases the production of
1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. This is the scientific name for the active form
of vitamin D. And as you may know, the function of this vitamin is to help in the
uptake of calcium from the intestines (when you eat a meal). The active form of
vitamin D also causes some of the calcium stored in your bones to exit the
skeletal space and enter the blood. This brings the blood level of calcium back
to normal. Keep in mind, that bones not only support your body and protect you,
but also store extra calcium, for times when you need it. Since, your body is
aware that it needs more calcium, it releases this PTH, and PTH goes to work,
causing vitamin D production, and affecting the kidney to conserve calcium.
It's that simple.
If we happen to have too much calcium in the blood, the
body tries to alleviate this situation by doing several things. First of all,
as you can figure, PTH, and vitamin D are no longer needed because they will
only mobilize more calcium in the blood and we don't want that. We want it
lowered, since it's too high now. The body reacts to this situation by
secreting yet another hormone, called calcitonin and is secreted by special
cells of the thyroid gland. Calcitonin decreases the desorption (taking away)
of calcium from the bone and increases the loss of calcium and phosphate in the
urine. By excreting excess calcium in the urine, the body is getting rid of the
extra. This brings calcium levels back down to the normal range.
Calcium and Premenstrual Syndrome
Premenstrual syndrome afflicts millions of women. Ovarian
hormones such as estrogen vary during the menstrual cycle, affecting levels of
calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. Estrogen influences calcium metabolism,
calcium absorption and parathyroid secretion, causing calcium levels (and
vitamin D levels) to rise and fall during the menstrual cycle.
Hypocalcaemia---low levels of blood calcium---produces mood and body symptoms
that are remarkably similar to symptoms of PMS. As reported at
NewsGroups.Derkeiler.com, evidence suggests that women in the luteal phase of
PMS experience hypocalcaemia---a deficiency of blood calcium---which then
triggers hyperparathyroidism. The parathyroid gland attempts to compensate for
the deficiency of blood calcium by overproducing parathyroid hormone. Possible
effects include irritability, anxiety, fatigue, mild personality change and
depression.
Effectiveness of Calcium Treatment
Several clinical trials of women with PMS, described at
NewsGroups.Derkeiler.com, found that supplementation with calcium can improve
many of the mood and somatic symptoms associated with PMS. For example, a 1989
study led by Dr. Penland found that 73% of women taking calcium supplements had
significant improvement in their symptoms. These women reported a 50% reduction
in their PMS symptoms. Another study found that women who took 1,336 mg of
calcium daily along with manganese showed significant improvement in PMS
symptoms including mood, behavior, pain and water retention. In yet another
study of 2000 women conducted in 1998, women who took a daily calcium
supplement of 1,200 mg had a 48% reduction in symptom scores on negative
affect, water retention, food cravings and pain.
Calcium and Depression
As described above, deficiencies of calcium are
associated with irritability, anxiety and depression, and excesses of calcium
are associated with depression. While research has been conducted that shows
the effectiveness of calcium supplementation in alleviating depression
associated with PMS symptoms, there is little research that directly examines
the effectiveness of calcium supplementation in alleviating other forms of
depression. Calcium deregulation is but one of many possible causes of
depression, so calcium supplementation has not been a primary focus of
depression research.
Still, it has been proven by clinical researchers that
calcium plays an important role in neuronal activity, and the list of neuronal
processes found to be mediated by calcium continues to grow. Because neuronal
activity influences cognitive and behavioral variables, the discoveries of the
different neuronal effects of calcium are of great significance to the sciences
of mind and behavior. This is especially evident in the instances that calcium
affects neuronal processes specifically associated with particular mental or behavioral
phenomena. One such instance is represented by the finding that calcium
influences the activity of the neurons that are theorized to mediate mood.
Monoaminergic neurons have been theorized to mediate mood and emotions. There
is a variety of evidence that suggest the involvement of these neurons in mood
and emotions.
If you have a depression that is potentially associated
with hypocalcaemia, or that is symptomatic of a hyperparathyroidism, then
calcium supplementation could potentially bring relief. If you suspect you have
a calcium deficiency or excess that contributes to a depression, consult with
your physician, who can evaluate your blood calcium levels, evaluate your
parathyroid functioning and make recommendations regarding supplementation.
Given that either too much or too little calcium can contribute to depression,
it is prudent to consult with your physician before using a calcium supplement.
Dietary Sources of
Calcium
Excellent calcium foods include raw milk, raw cheese and
raw yogurt or kefir. The next best may
be fresh or even store-bought carrot juice.
Everyone should drink about 10-12 ounces of this daily for its calcium
content. Children need proportionately
less. Another excellent source is the
bones of animals that are boiled, preferably, for a number of hours to separate
the calcium from the bone. One then
drinks the soup stock made of bones.
Other good sources are sardines, caviar, cod roe, and
good quality egg yolks that are not overcooked.
The next best sources are kelp, yeast and toasted almond butter. Other seeds such as sesame, sunflower and
pumpkin are other decent sources if one eats enough. We do not recommend many seeds in the diet,
however. Cooked or better juiced dark
green vegetables such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens,
comfrey and carrots are also good sources.
Corn tortillas or corn chips prepared in the traditional
way with lime are other good sources.
However, most corn chips do not contain lime and are not a good source
of calcium. Neither is corn bread or
corn eaten as a vegetable.
Strict vegetarians often develop a calcium
deficiency. Although they eat
greens, nuts and seeds, the calcium from these sources is less available than
in eggs and raw dairy products. Their
diets are also low in calcium synergists such as vitamins A and D.
Calcium
Supplements
The best calcium supplements may be considered carrot
juice, bones such as found in some cans of sardines and salmon, bone broth and
kelp. Some products made from raw dairy
products may be goods sources as well, but this is variable. These sources, in theory, combine a very
usable form of calcium with other vitamins and minerals needed for calcium
utilization. Those with a hyperthyroid
condition may have trouble with the iodine in kelp, in which case they should
just reduce the amount used daily.
Non-food Calcium Supplements
Many good forms are sold.
However, our experience is that most of them are not nearly as effective
as the food forms of calcium supplements.
I am not sure why this is so.
Among those often sold are calcium citrate, calcium chelate, calcium
lactate and calcium gluconate. Bone meal
used to be popular and is an excellent supplement if it is not contaminated
with lead. Microcrystalline
hydroxyapatite crystals (MCHC) is another excellent form of calcium. Other forms that are less common are calcium
orotate and aspartate.
Calcium carbonate, phosphate, dicalcium phosphate and
tricalcium phosphate are not well absorbed as the phosphorus binds tightly to
the calcium. Calcium carbonate is common
chalk. It is extremely alkaline and
found in Tums, other anti-acids and coral calcium. People who are too acidic may benefit from
it. Unfortunately, stomach acid is
important for digestion and reducing it too much interferes with digestion.
Warning Note
As noted above, both conditions, associated with calcium
deficiency and calcium excess are undesirable. Do not attempt to self-medicate without
consulting your primary physician and never fall victim to the theory or
practice that includes "More is Better!"
Sources and
Additional Information:
