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I just brought my 83 year old Mom back from the hospital today where she was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. She has taken synthroid, prednisone for arthritis, maxzide for the blood pressure that the prednisone gives her and folic acid, methotrexate on Mondays as well as vitamin E, centrum silver, ginkogen, garlic and glucosomine. I've been giving her calcium citrate also which looks like it has magnesium in it but I don't know how much. I take calcium and magnesium separately in a ratio of 2:1. Her bottle lists magnesium stearate as the 7th ingredient in the bottle labeled Longs Calcum Citrate supplement with Vitamin D. Each serving of 2 tabs supplies 400 I.U. of Vit. D and 630 mg of calcium. I was giving her 1 tablet in the morning with breakfast and a Tum each at lunch and dinner. Her doctor had prescribed a long time ago the Tums 3 times a day with meals. I had heard that the calcium citrate was better for bones, teeth, etc. from a very nice elderly gentleman whose dentist had told him the spaces between his gums and teeth had decreased and his teeth were tighter in his gums. I didn't want to change her over to straight calcium citrate from Tums too fast so as not to upset her system. Anyway, how much Magnesium should I be giving her with the Calcium and what type - the magnesium citrate?????? And now I wonder if she'd had the magnesium would she have ever needed the digoxin. They gave it to her in the ER today and within minutes her heartbeat was regular. I guess she is stuck taking it for the rest of her life. And, what will that do to her?!! Thanks to whomever responds.
In Reply to: Mom just diagnosed today with A Fib posted by Susan Wilson on August 05, 2000 at 23:23:53:
Hi, Susan.
Ignorance is rampant in the land! Only a monopoly could get away with selling such ignorance as a product to the public!
First of all magnesium citrate is used as a laxative BECAUSE it is so poorly absorbed! It is added to cheap products since it makes people think there is an additionial item in the product AND it is dirt cheap!
This is not YOUR or your mother's fault. You just have been brain washed to think your doc knows SOMETHING about nutrition!
Next, TUMS prevents your system from absorbing ALL minerals. Any freshman medical student knows THAT. Taking any antiacid, routinely, guarantees that the person will eventually become deficient in minerals.
I could go on for a long time about your note but the longer I type the madder I get at the "standard of practice"
in this country!
I need some time to calm down!
Walt
In Reply to: Mom just diagnosed today with A Fib posted by Susan Wilson on August 05, 2000 at 23:23:53:
Hi Susan,
I'm sort of serious about my calcium/magnesium intake so I thought I'd respond. It is very frustrating that most doctors don't know enough to give their patients good advice in this area. Look carefully at the ingredients in all of your mom's vitamins - many of them probably have fillers in them and some of them probably have the wrong form of the mineral for the body to actually break down and absorb.
If you continue giving the calcium with the D in it you could perhaps get another form of calcium without the D in it so that you can be sure she is getting enough calcium - and not too much D. Yes, basically give 2 parts calcium for 1 part magnesium. You need decent vitamins here, though. Magnesium glycinate is the best form of magnesium. I also use Magnesium Asporotate which is a formula containing Magnesium Aspartate, Magnesium Citrate and Magnesium Orotate. Don't bother with Magnesium oxide or Magnesium citrate.
I've used Cal citrate before but last time out I found the "twin" for my Mag Asporotate - its Calcium Asporotate and it is caalcium as Calcium Aspartate, Calcium Citrate and Calcium Orotate, all in one capsule.
Try giving your mom at least 2 daily doses. I don't know what the requirements are for her age but as I understand it you cannot go wrong giving a larger dose (but not on the vitamin D). Unless Walt writes back again and suggests more, why don't you try 800mg calcium/400 mg magnesium 2 times a day. Even though this appears to exceed the so-called RDA, bear in mind that she may not be able to absorb and utilize all that she takes. Have her take this with some food and perhaps stop those Tums lest they interfere with absorbing the good minerals you'll be giving her.
The increased mag should help the AF in time. If you are interested in some different approaches to some of her other health challenges use the glossary or search feature - I'm sure they've all been talked about here. Hope this helps.
June
In Reply to: Re: Mom just diagnosed today with A Fib (Archive in philosophy.) posted by Walt Stoll on August 06, 2000 at 09:22:43:
About the Tums thing: (Why Tums result in reduced mineral absorption and ultimately mineral deficiency)
The stomach is supposed to have stomach acid in it. If you use antacid all the time, then the stomach is not acidic enough to break up the foods far enough for the minerals to be released and later absorbed into the bloodstream in the intestines. With reduced absorption of the minerals, you eventualy have a mineral deficiency.
Is it that simple and straightforward?
Tums... Treating the symptoms only and causing unexpected side-effects! How would we have known???
RHJ++
In Reply to: Re: Let's see if I got the Tums thing right... posted by RocketHealer Jim++ on August 06, 2000 at 12:33:18:
RHJ,
Let us hope the Tums people do not see their logo posted here with bad news under it!
In Reply to: Re: Mom just diagnosed today with A Fib (Archive in philosophy.) posted by Walt Stoll on August 06, 2000 at 09:22:43:
Dr. Stoll,
I was reading this thread & your answer. You probably remember my son cannot break down gluten & has had lots of malabsorption problems due to that. Anyway, he has too much lead, too much copper & too much caladium (spelled?) in his body & the Pfeiffer Treatment Center is having us chelate it out with vitamin therapy & also giving him other vitamins prescribed for him.
Anyway, I read your answer here. Pfeiffer had us switch to distilled water (so as NOT to get minerals, as his body holds on to too much minerals & that causes behavior problems). What do you think of maybe giving my son Tums like one day a week, or something so that he won't absorb the minerals that he has too much of anyway? I'll have to find his hair test to read exactly about his minerals, but he was high on most toxic metals & too high on many minerals.
I just wondered if this would help him not absorb the minerals he ingests.
We will be doing new testing to send to Pfeiffer this week, so I should wait until we get the results back, anyway to see what his metals & minerals look like. Hopefully we will have increased his absorption of vitamins, which will help his body get rid of the excess metals & minerals, since we have eliminated gluten, but I just don't know. we have been doing Pfeiffer Treatment Center vitamin therapy for nearly two years.
Thanks for any insight you have on this.
Straw
In Reply to: Re: Let's see if I got the Tums thing right... posted by RocketHealer Jim++ on August 06, 2000 at 12:33:18:
Thanks, RHJ.
You are precisely right! Minerals are the main things that an acid stomach is absolutely necessary for absorbtion!
However the manufacturers of Tums make millions advertizing (to take advantage of the Calcium craze) that "Tums has calcium; something your body needs anyhow." I cringe every time I see that ad.
Walt
In Reply to: Dr. Stoll, my son has too many minerals, can I use Tums for him? posted by Straw on August 06, 2000 at 17:02:55:
Hi, Straw.
Would that it would be so simple.
The Tums would tend to prevent absorbtion of ALL minerals and there are at least 70 trace minerals that he needs.
Without knowing WHY he tends to hold some minerals, it would be a mistake to try this.
Sorry, Walt
In Reply to: Re: Dr. Stoll, my son has too many minerals, can I use Tums for him? posted by Walt Stoll on August 07, 2000 at 10:17:02:
Thanks for your reply, Dr. Stoll. I thought it sounded too simple, too, but just in case it would work, I thought I'd check.
It is my understanding that his malabsorption problems (of nutrients) from Celiac prevented his body from naturally leaching out the minerals (this is my paraphrase, I'm not sure the medical term would be leaching).
Anyway, I tried to put 2 + 2 & get 4. Instead, I guess I get 3 :( . It was worth a shot, though.
Straw
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