Kanata Chiropractic Centre

Calcium is Calcium, right?

Posted by: Marcelle

I had a  client the other day who asked my why the calcium supplement she was taking wasn’t as good as the one I recommended.  Her calcium was 1,000 mg of  calcium.  My recommended type of calcium was only 400 mg if calcium.

I can understand her concern as osteoporosis is a major factor in the elderly.  Broken hips are a leading cause of death due to the  blood clots that result, not to mention broken ankles and fractured vertebrae.

We need calcium, but there is a difference between one type of calcium and the next.  It is not what is written on the bottle that makes for a good calcium, and the packaging, while it may be very attractive has nothing to do with how good it is for you.

That’s right,  dose and fancy packaging mean very little to your body.  What does count is the calcium’s bio-availiblity, or is it an absorbable form of calcium.  I have seen most forms of calcium in the drug stores and health food stores to be of an inferior type of calcium.  Typical absorption rates by the body are from 1% to 5%.  That means that when you take 1000 mg of calcium, you are really only taking between 10 mg and 50 mg.

And don’t get fooled by the price tag.  As a rule, more expensive supplements tend to be better, but not always.  You need to ask someone who knows, and that may not be the clerk at the local store.

But that is a lot like life, isn’t it.  “Seperating the wheat from the chaff” as the expression goes is more important these days than ever.  This is oh so true when it comes to nutritional supplements, but I have found that it applies to many areas of life.

When people want to empower thier lives, reach goals, and breakthrough their barriers, there are lots of avenues out there.  But once again, what is all hype and what really works.  That is why we are hosting the Get Unstuck workshop on October 14 in Ottawa.  Come and check out what we have to offer, and then decide for yourself.

Tony Brunelle

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