Dr. Price’s Cal-Mag Vites 30 Pkts

What is Calcium?

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and is of paramount importance for the proper functioning of the body. Having the right amount of calcium is crucial for building and maintaining strong bones, as the body will actually take calcium from bones if there are low calcium levels. Cellular functioning, blood clotting, muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, and healthy teeth formation are all affected by calcium levels in the body. Calcium can also bind to other minerals and assist in eliminating them from the body. 

Calcium naturally exists in many foods including dairy products, seaweed, quinoa, beans and nuts. Yet some people suffer from a disorder known as hypocalcemia, a calcium deficiency in the blood. The most common cause of hypocalcemia is vitamin D deficiency, due to poor diet or lack of exposure to the sun. This is because adequate amounts of vitamin D are required for proper absorption of calcium. 

Calcium supplements exist in different compounds including calcium citrate, calcium carbonate, calcium gluconate, calcium lactate, calcium sulfate and calcium phosphate. Although all of these provide calcium, their compound value depends on different factors like concentrations and absorption capabilities.

Health Benefits:

Aside from maintaining strong bones and teeth, calcium is required for muscle contraction, nerve conduction, the beating of the heart, blood coagulation, glandular secretion, energy production and immune function. 1 to 2% of an adult’s body weight is calcium, but the body loses calcium every day. The replenishment of calcium lost is critical, because the body takes calcium from the bones when it does not have enough to support other body functions: this could lead to osteoporosis.
While calcium is best known for its role in your bones, it can aid in many other areas as well: weight loss, lower blood pressure, healthy teeth, and decreased risk of certain cancers. Calcium citrate may boost the effects and potency of drugs used to treat osteoporosis. Calcium citrate can also help you maintain a healthy metabolism. Keeping up with your calcium requirement can help avoid breaks and strains on your bones. Don’t wait until you are having problems to consider managing your calcium intake – think about your bone health from an early age.

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium plays an integral role in more than 300 metabolic reactions in the body. Magnesium is required in protein, fat and nucleic acid synthesis. It also helps the body use glucose, and it is a key player in the body’s energy transport system. Magnesium is also necessary in inhibiting muscle contractions and blood clotting. Because of this, Magnesium can be used as a muscle relaxant. Magnesium is also helpful in maintaining tooth enamel, and it is of paramount importance to the proper functioning of the immune system.

Cal-Mag Vites is among the best supplements that can help maintain adequate magnesium in the body.
Magnesium is commonly used as an antacid, which works by neutralizing the acid in the stomach, and is often prescribed to help treat and relieve acid indigestion, upset stomach, sour stomach, and heartburn. Magnesium is an essential and naturally occurring mineral crucial for many systems in the body, especially the muscles and nerves.

Additionally, Magnesium is also important to heart function. People who do not have enough magnesium manifest noticeable changes in the walls of their arteries and capillaries, which choke and compress in the absence of the mineral. This can result to increased blood pressure which could later on develop as a full blown cardiovascular disease. As such, supplements of Magnesium can prevent hypertension and heart disease. Food sources of magnesium include nuts, whole grains, legumes, tofu, green leafy vegetables, wheat bran, soybean flour, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, and black walnuts, and seafood. In the average diet, these foods are often not consumed in adequate amounts to meet the body’s need for magnesium. In such cases of deficiencies, taking supplements of Magnesium are warranted, especially when conditions related to magnesium deficiency are present. These conditions may have symptoms such as muscle weakness, mitral valve prolapse, ADHD, depression, anxiety, constipation, and asthma. 

Magnesium may also be a beneficial and welcome addition in the supplement regimen for specific groups that are at risk of magnesium deficiency, particularly the elderly, diabetics, and those who rely on diuretics. Women who use oral contraceptives may benefit from extra magnesium as well. In addition, symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) respond to supplements of Magnesium because of the mineral’s calming effect on the body. Because calcium and magnesium work synergistically, Magnesium supplements should be taken in doses that equal a one to two (1:2) ratio of magnesium to calcium respectively. For example, an individual taking 75 mg of Magnesium should take a corresponding 150 mg of calcium. Magnesium functions as a mild laxative as well. While this is often the desired outcome, it can also be an unwanted side effect of taking Magnesium supplements. Taking adequate amounts of calcium in addition to Magnesium can counter this effect.

Health Benefits of Magnesium:

Magnesium has been found effective in preventing formation of blood clots, lowering blood pressure, preventing diabetes-related complications, maintaining bone strength, and contributing to longer and healthier life by reducing the risk of heart disease and by limiting the effects of free radical damage. Magnesium is also a mineral essential to a wide variety of body processes, including energy production, protein formation, DNA production, and nerve conduction. It maintains normal levels of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, adrenaline and insulin, and also helps in keeping the bones and the heart strong and healthy. 

Magnesium stabilizes and relaxes the heart muscles to maintain a regular heartbeat, thus preventing sudden spikes in blood pressure. In fact, magnesium can be used to treat high blood pressure, angina, and arrhythmia. If given right away after a heart attack and for the succeeding weeks, magnesium has been demonstrated to speed recovery by decreasing the incidence of dangerous arrhythmia. Magnesium also protects the heart by raising HDL (good) cholesterol levels and also by inhibiting the aggregation (clumping) of red blood cells, which can lead to the formation of blood clots. 

Magnesium is essential for the development and maintenance of healthy bones. If taken in relatively high amounts, it works synergistically with calcium and vitamin D to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. Magnesium is also sometimes prescribed for treatment of migraines, asthma, and diabetes. Individuals with poorly managed diabetes may benefit from magnesium supplements because of increased magnesium loss in urine associated with hyperglycemia. People with diabetes often have low magnesium levels, and there’s some evidence that 200 to 300 milligrams of magnesium each day could help prevent and treat this disease. To help dissolve kidney stones, Magnesium is usually taken in combination with vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). 

Magnesium has been used as a treatment for other conditions as well, including Reynaud’s disease, skeletal muscle spasm from injury or trauma, gangrene, epilepsy, spastic colon, dry skin, nervous irritability, and lead toxicity. Magnesium supplementation may be indicated for persons with alcoholism. This is because low blood levels of magnesium occur in 30% to 60% of alcoholics, and in nearly 90% of patients experiencing alcohol withdrawal. Others who need supplemental magnesium are individuals with chronic malabsorptive problems such as Crohn’s disease, gluten sensitive entropathy, regional enteritis, and intestinal surgery may lose magnesium through diarrhea and fat mal-absorption. Also, individuals with chronically low blood levels of potassium and calcium may have an underlying problem with magnesium deficiency. With the help of Magnesium supplements, the potassium and calcium deficiencies can be restored to normal and optimal levels. Older adults also need supplemental magnesium since they are at an increased risk for magnesium deficiency. Add to that the fact that seniors are more likely to be taking drugs that interact with magnesium, this combination of factors makes older adults more susceptible to magnesium deficiency. As such it is very important for older adults to consume recommended amounts of dietary magnesium.

Purity and Concentration of Magnesium:

Cal-Mag Vites is a mineral supplement used to prevent and treat low amounts of magnesium in the blood. Magnesium is very important for the normal functioning of cells, nerves, muscles, bones, and the heart. Usually, a well-balanced diet provides normal blood levels of magnesium. However, certain situations cause your body to lose magnesium faster than you can replace it from your diet. These situations include treatment with “water pills” (diuretics such as furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide), a poor diet, alcoholism, or other medical conditions (e.g., severe diarrhea/vomiting, stomach/intestinal absorption problems, poorly controlled diabetes). Magnesium is not only one of the key nutrients required in both calcium utilization and protein synthesis, but it also plays a tremendous role in virtually every enzymatic reaction in our body. Since it’s impracticable to try and consume enough Magnesium in your daily diet, supplementation is generally recommended.