Best Calcium Supplement

Home Made Calcium/Magnesium Tonic is a rich source of natural calcium and magnesium.

Two teaspoons a day of our natural home made calcium supplement will provide you with the equivalent amount of calcioum in a glass of milk, or a handful of sesame seeds.

A handful of sesame seeds has about 1200mg of calcium and magnesium. whichis thought to be a reasonable dose for healthy people.  If you have celiac disease, then you really need twice this amount.

This is where an extra dose of something like the home made calcium tonic comes in useful, as you can easily obtain the rest of your calcium requirements from taking a teaspoon or two of this each day.  A teaspoon of dolomite powder gives you double the quantity of calcium and magnesium.

Calcium Protects against Cancer: Calcium is an essential component in the diet. Deficiencies of calcium can lead to cancers developing. Research has shown that diets rich in calcium foods help protect against cancers, especially cancer of the colon, which is an extremely common type of cancer.

Calcium Builds Stong Bones and Teeth, Hair and Nails. Calcium is, of course, essential for the building of strong bones and teeth, hair and nails, and is important for the  functioning of the central nervous system. Good calcium absorption in the body helps build a strong immune system, which protects you against disease and sickness.

Home Made Calcium/Magnesium Tonic: The best calcium/magnesium  supplement is one which you can make yourself, at home, with the most basic of ingredients. These ingredients are:

  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Egg shells from organic, free-range eggs.

All you do is take your egg shells, after your family have eaten that great egg omelette, and put them into a screw top jar. Crumble them up a bit, so that they break down more easily.

Cover the crumbled egg shells with pure, organic apple cider vinegar. Put the lid on the jar, and wait for your home-made calcium/magnesium tonic to mature.

You can begin to use the mixture after a day or so, when the apple cider vinegar will have dissolved much of the calcium and magnesium from the egg shells.

Take a couple of teaspoons night and morning, or more if you have a condition such as osteoporosis, where calcium has already begun to leach out of the bones.

The egg shell calcium tonic with cider vinegar is the best liquid calcium supplement. It is the perfect way to take extra calcium, as it is  easily assimilated, and is rich also in magnesium, which helps your body to assimilate calcium properly. It also contains traces of zinc and other trace elements which are essential for good health.

Keep the mixture in the fridge for up to a week, and then make up some fresh calcium/magnesium tonic.

Importance of Copper

COPPER is important in the daily diet. The importance of Copper cannot be underestimated, as copper has many functions. Some of the functions of copper are discussed below, to give some idea about the effect of copper on the body and the brain.

Copper is essential for the absorption of iron in the body. Copper also  helps to form strong red blood cells which prevent you from becoming anaemic.
Healthy blood cells prevent fatigue.
Copper helps in the formation of bone and muscle tissue.
It helps build strong cartilage which aids the smooth functioning of the joints.

Copper helps to prevent osteoarthritis.
It helps to prevent osteoporosis, because it is instrumental in building good cartilage around the vertebrae along the spine.

Copper plays an important part in keeping the connective tissue healthy in the arteries, capilliaries and veins, hence it helps keep the heart healthy and also helps to prevent varicose veins.
Copper, along with Vitamin C,  is needed to combine collagen and elastin which form the connective tissue: these tissues are also used to form the brain, so keeping your copper levels maintained helps keep the brain healthy. It is important, therefore, for expectant mothers to ensure that they have plenty of carrots in the diet, or some other food which is plentiful in copper.

Copper helps to regulate brain impulses. Good brain impulses are important for your memory function, and  for the discernment and judgement faculties of the brain.
It helps to keep the hair healthy and assists in maintaining your natural hair color.
It helps keep skin healthy and unblemished, as it aids in the pigmentation of the skin.
It helps keep the nervous system healthy and strong.

During pregnancy it is usual for Copper levels to increase within the body so that the new born child will have a plentiful supply through the mother’s milk.

In some women, the body continues to behave as if it is still nurturing an unborn child, and this can lead to excess copper levels, which can cause post-natal depression. Hormones in food and toxins in the environment can cause this deception.  Plenty of non-acidic Vitamin C – say 1000 mg morning and night for a few days, then cutting back to one 1000 mg dose in the evening, should help the problem. Extra zinc and magnesium are needed also, to counteract post-natal depression.

Taking the contraceptive pill can cause the body to mimick a pregnancy:
Escess copper: The birth control pill can cause a build up of Copper in women in amounts which are far in  excess of normal.  Symptoms can be erratic behaviour which mimic mental conditions such as schizophrenia and depression.
Extra Vitamin C, Zinc and Magnesium are needed to counteract an excess of Copper in the body.

If you take the contraceptive pill, then you need to take supplements of  Vitamin C, and zinc and magnesium..
If you are pregnant, than Vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables, and those which contain Zinc and Magnesium should be included as part of the daily diet. Onions and garlic and Vitamin C foods help to balance out excesses of minerals and help to negate the effect of, and eliminate, toxins from the blood.

A good free-range diet is best for expectant mothers. Taking vitamin and mineral supplements can be helpful, but you should try to get your nourishment from eating good food.

Pre menstrual women can become deficient in copper. This can cause sleeping problems, with insomnia, or broken sleep
Deficiency of copper can result in fatigue: since copper is needed to assimilate iron, then anaemia can result if copper levels are low, and this contributes to mental and body fatigue. It is recommended that two milligrams of copper be taken each day to help prevent these problems during the menopausal  and post-menopausal times of life.
If you are taking extra zinc supplements, then you probably need to take extra copper daily as well, as
zinc tends to rob the body of some copper. One milligram of copper to 10 milligrams of zinc is recommended.

SMOKERS NEED MORE COPPER;
Smokers and alcohol users may need to improve their copper intake: copper helps to repair the damage done by smoking. Smoking causes the endothelial cells which line the inside of the blood vessels to become damaged. When these become damaged, which happens because of smoking or having  high blood cholesterol,  these damaged areas can build up cholesterol plaque and form blood clots.  Copper helps to heal this damage, along with Vitamins B6, B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Folic acid.
If you are a beer drinker, then your copper intake should be adequate, as one pint of beer apparently  contains about 600 mcg.

As discussed above, regarding post-natal depression, too much copper in the body can be just as harmful to the health as insufficient copper.  Sometimes abnormally high levels of copper in the blood can result  by drinking water which has come from copper pipes, or by drinking bore water which is unusually high in copper. This  can happen if you live near a copper mine.
Too much copper can cause arthritis,  high blood pressure,  heart attack and stroke.

Excess copper in the body  gives poor mental and emotional health:

Insomnia and anxiety can be symptoms of insufficient copper, and also of
excess copper in the body.
The contraceptive pill interferes with copper levels, and other mineral absorption.
People with an inherited condition called Wilson’s disease absorb too much copper into the liver.
Too much copper can also make children hyper-active and limit their attention span.
Supplementing the diet with foods rich in Vitamin C,  Zinc and Magnesium helps to balance out copper excesses.

COPPER – RDA 2-3 milligramms daily, or 2000-3000 mcg

Foods with Copper:

Lobster, crayfish, shrimps and oysters are naturally high in copper.

Avocado, and milk,  are extremely rich in copper.
Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, nuts, mushrooms, the pulses:

beans and peas, the outer bran part of grains, egg yolk and red meats are  all good sources  of copper. Carrots are very high in copper.

Cocoa is also a good source or copper.

One cup of whole milk contains 500 mcg of copper
One cup of non-fat milk contains less copper than whole milk, with  only 100 mcg
One egg contains 150 mcg
One tablespoonful of butter contains 70 mcg
25 grammes of cheese contains 200 mcg
One cup of apple juice contains 500 mcg of copper
One avocado contains 800 mcg
One pear contains 300 mcg
An apple or a banana or a peach will give you 200 mcg – 600 mcg if you eat one of each
One cup of pure orange juice gives about 200 mcg
Half a cup of cooked prunes gives 200 mcg
About two cups of watermelon or rockmelon will give you about 200 mcg
One slice of wholemeal bread contains about 50 mcg
Half a cup of cooked brown rice gives about 200 mcg
Half a cup of peanuts gives about 220 mcg
Half a cup of cooked yams contain 600 mcg
One large mushroom has 125 mcg
One potato, cooked and eaten with its skin gives 150 mcg
1 kumara, also with the skin on, gives 200 mcg
100 gms of cooked liver gives 3000 mcg of copper
One tablespoon of wheatgerm has 180 mcg
One tablespoon of Brewer’s Yeast has 300 mcg
One tablespoon of Molasses has 300 mcg

What Happens When Your Vitamin D Levels are Low

from Canon 266(1)Dramatic Photo By Lachlan

So – What happens when your vitamin D levels are low?

Vitamin D Deficiency can result in diarrhoea, insomnia, anxiety, nervousness and muscle twitches.

If Vitamin D levels are low over a long period of time, then you could risk becoming alcoholic, or drug-dependent, or suffer hypothyroidism or seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Your Vitamin D can come from the sun’s rays, or from the food you eat. Supplements may be necessary in some cases.

Too Much Vitamin D Is Harmful. Be aware that too much Vitamin D can result in the same problems as those related to Vitamin D deficiency. You won’t get too much Vitamin D from the sun, as the body will only process what is needed from the sun.  But be cautious if you are taking supplements,  and follow the recommended dosage.  Vitamin D is stored in the body.  Too much can result in liver and kidney damage.

Vitamin D is necessary for healthy thyroid functioning. When the thyroid is iodine-deficient, or Vitamin D deficient, then mood swings can result.  So to keep balanced mentally and emotionally, we need a helping of Vitamin D.

Excessive weight gain and heart problems could result if  your Vitamin D levels are low.   The sun’s rays help us to break down cholesterol.  Avoiding the sun completely can result in a build up of cholesterol which can cause us to  put on weight.

You might avoid skin cancer if you avoid the sun:  People with low Vitamin D levels have a lower risk of skin cancer than do people who get plenty of sun. However, there is a catch-22 with this.

Low Vitamin D Is Related To Internal Cancers: Research shows that sun lovers with a higher Vitamin D get fewer internal cancers  than the people with the low Vitamin D count who avoid the sun. You are more likely to develop breast cancer, or another internal cancer, if your Vitamin D levels are low.

Can coffee deplete Vitamin D levels?

This is a commonly asked question. The answer is yes.  Too much coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, and many medications can lead to Vitamin D being leached from the body.

Bones and teeth and Vitamin D Deficiency.  On-going deficiency of Vitamin D and other nutrients can cause rickets in children, and osteoporosis in adults. Weak, chalky and sensitive teeth might be what happens if  your Vitamin D levels remain low over a period of time. Vitamin D helps us to assimilate calcium: even if your dietary intake of calcium is adequate, the calcium will not be absorbed in the body if your Vitamin D levels are low.

Arthritis and Osteoporosis Can Occur With Low Vitamin D Levels: If  Vitamin D levels remain low over a long period of time, the body will start to leach the calcium it needs from the bones.  The outcome of this depletion is arthritis and osteoporosis, and chalky teeth too.

Vitamin D is also essential  for healthy hair growth.

Other Necessary Minerals: For healthy hair, bones, teeth and nails, heart and brain function, we need a balanced diet which includes the trace elements of

Iodine, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese  and Selenium.

Be careful of the sun in the North Island of New Zealand.  It has become dangerously hot here since around 2011, the time of the dreadful Japanes tsunami and nuclear disaster, and many of us cannot go out into the sun for more than a few minutes at a time now.

I believe that radioactive particles from the Japanes nuclear disaster are now all over the world, high up in the atmosphere. Wherever the ozone layer is sorely depleted, more of this radiation is brought down to earth with the sun’s rays, which poses a risk of a form of radiation sickness.  Sensitive people will be prone to it. This could be a good reason to move to cloudy Dunedin, I feel.  Spending even 15 minutes in the North Island summer sun these days can result in headaches, sun-stroke or radiation sickness for me. Symptoms can last for several days.  I am very sensitive to radiation, so I expect that my reaction will not be a general one, although quite a few of my friends are now complaining of the same symptoms after several minutes of summer sun exposure.

The ozone-layer, which is sorely depleted in parts of New Zealand, means that we burn very quickly. If you live in North Island NZ, then before 9 am or after 5 pm is the safest time to take a short sun-bath for the purpose of absorbing Vitamin D.

Do not wear sun-block when you are taking Vitamin D into the body for health purposes. Sun-block will block the Vitamin D from being absorbed into the skin. Remember that if your skin is slightly oily, then you will absorb more of the vital sun energy – Vitamin D. So it is best to take your sun-bath several hours after showering, to give your skin a chance to restore some of the natural oils to the surface.

Applying a little olive oil, or avocado or grape seed oil, can be useful in restoring oily moisture to the skin before you take a sun-bath. Also remember not to wash directly after the sun-bath: the oil on the skin is still processing the Vitamin D from the sun for several hours after the sun-bath. Leaving your shower or swim for a bit will help the skin to absorb the valuable vitamins being processed.

The foods which contain high amounts of easily assimilated Vitamin D are fatty fish, fish oils, eggs, liver, and butter. Sardines, tuna, mackerel, and especially salmon, are all good sources.

Vitamin D is stored in fatty tissues, which means that it is stored in the body. Care is needed, therefore, not to overdose on Vitamin D through supplement additions to the diet.

The recommended dose varies depending on whether you get enough sun, how good your diet is, and what conditions you are treating, but a safe dose seems to be about 400IU daily for most people.

Some sources give between 400IU and 800IU per day, but it is better to be on the safe side. A large dose of Vitamin D over a period of about six months or less will cause many of the symptoms which you experience when your Vitamin D levels are low. Do not over-do Vitamin D.