Calcification can occur in almost any part of the body. Calcium is a significant cause of disease when it gets out of hand. Calcification happens when calcium builds up in body tissue, blood vessels, or organs. This buildup can harden and disrupt our body’s normal processes. It is one of the very few natural nutritional elements that can poison the body.
Calcium is transported through the bloodstream and is found in every cell. According to the National Academy of Medicine, about 99 percent of our body’s calcium is in our teeth and bones. The other 1 percent is in the blood, muscles, fluid outside the cells, and other body tissues. Though many cardiac patients take many drugs, none reverse the calcification of the arteries.
Unabsorbed calcium can lodge anywhere in our body. A central question for medical science is why do we find ourselves with calcium in all the wrong places, even when our calcium levels are normal? Why does calcium, an essential mineral, cause us so many problems? Most doctors downplay the toxicity of calcium, and one of the main reasons for this is that they downplay the necessity for magnesium supplementation.
Magnesium deficiencies, which are endemic in modern populations, make calcium more toxic. Magnesium controls calcium, making calcium more absorbable and less likely to lodge anywhere in the body. Magnesium increases the solubility of calcium. Magnesium controls the fate of calcium. Calcium will be deposited in the soft tissues (kidneys, arteries, joints, brain, etc.) if magnesium is insufficient.
Calcium is essential to health, yet it holds hidden danger. Calcium is the most promoted nutrient by conventional, nutritional, and alternative medicine proponents. This is a tragic mistake. They should have been promoting magnesium. In the face of growing magnesium deficiencies, calcium becomes increasingly more toxic to human physiology.
A healthy cell has the right calcium-magnesium balance – high magnesium and low calcium levels. Calcium causes serious harm if not balanced with magnesium, which regulates the action of calcium. For instance, excess calcium buildup around your bones and joints mimics arthritis. Calcification or calcium poisoning can manifest as heart disease, cancer, wrinkled skin, kidney stones, osteoporosis, dental problems, bone spurs, cataracts, and many other health problems.
Calcium and magnesium are opposites in their effects on our body
structure. As a general rule, the more rigid and inflexible our body
structure is, the less calcium and the more magnesium we need.
Dr. Garry Gordon wrote, “If you have compromised cell membranes or low ATP production for any reason, then the cell has trouble maintaining the normal gradient. This is because the usual gradient is 10,000 times more calcium outside of cells than inside; when this is compromised, you will have increased intracellular calcium, which seems to always happen at the time of death. Whenever intracellular calcium is elevated, you have a relative deficiency of magnesium, so whenever anyone is seriously ill, acute or chronic, part of your plan must be to restore magnesium.”
About 20% of plaque volume contains calcium, which is measurable providing a marker for the total plaque burden. The calcification of atherosclerotic lesions is due to active calcium deposition in plaque that utilizes metabolic pathways similar to those found in normal human bone. Calcium accumulates steadily over long periods of time in plaque.
Countries with the highest calcium-to-magnesium ratios (high calcium and low magnesium levels) in soil and water have the highest incidence of cardiovascular disease. Australia is at the top of the list. In contrast, Japan’s low cardiac death rate cites a daily magnesium intake as high as 560 milligrams.
Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the heart muscle. Those who die from heart attacks have deficient magnesium but high calcium levels in their heart muscles and blood vessels. Calcium causes muscles to contract, while magnesium helps them relax.
Magnesium and calcium are paired minerals. Several studies have reported that increasing calcium significantly reduces magnesium absorption. Calcium intakes above 2.6 grams per day may reduce the body’s uptake and utilization of magnesium and increase magnesium requirements.
Up to 30% of cells’ energy is used to pump calcium out of the cells. The higher the calcium level and the lower the magnesium level in the extracellular fluid, the harder it is for cells to pump the calcium out. The result is that the mitochondria gradually calcify, and energy production decreases. The ratio of magnesium to calcium within our cells could theoretically determine our biochemical age.
Calcium and Aortic Stenosis
Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common disorder affecting heart valves and is characterized by thickening, fibrosis, and mineralization of the aortic valve leaflets. Aortic stenosis is a heart valve disorder that causes the aortic valve opening to narrow, hindering blood flow out of the heart. The condition makes the heart work much harder, causing damage over time and, if left untreated, can eventually lead to death. Aortic valve calcium score has been shown to correlate with the severity of aortic stenosis (AS).
According to the American Heart Association, aortic stenosis is one of the most common and severe heart valve problems. About 29 percent of people 65 years and older have it, and 2 percent to 9 percent of those over 75 have a severe case.
With aortic stenosis, the valve becomes stiff, and the left ventricle can’t pump enough blood out of the heart and into the aorta. The heart has to work harder to pump enough for the body to receive a sufficient supply of oxygen-rich blood. As the heart works harder, the muscle becomes stretched and can no longer contract properly, eventually leading to heart failure.
Medical authorities claim that a high calcium intake can prevent the widespread incidence of osteoporosis and tooth decay in Western countries. However, Asian and African populations with a low intake (about 300 mg) of calcium daily have very little osteoporosis. Bantu women with an intake of 200 to 300 mg of calcium daily have the lowest incidence of osteoporosis globally.[i] In Western countries with a high intake of dairy products, the average calcium intake is about 1,000 mg. With a low magnesium intake, calcium moves out of the bones to increase tissue levels, while a high magnesium intake causes calcium to move from the tissues into the bones. Thus, high magnesium levels lead to bone mineralization. Magnesium is essential for proper calcium absorption and is an important mineral in the bone matrix.
Dr. Karen Kubena, associate professor of nutrition at Texas A&M University, says, “Let’s say you have just enough magnesium and too much calcium in your blood. If calcium is excreted, the magnesium goes with it. All of a sudden, you could be low in magnesium,” says Dr. Kubena.[ii]
Calcium competes with zinc, manganese, magnesium,
copper and iron for absorption in the intestine and a
high intake of one can reduce absorption of the others.
“Bones average about 1% phosphate of magnesium and. teeth about 1% phosphate of magnesium. Elephant tusks contain 2% phosphate of magnesium, and billiard balls made from these are almost indestructible. The teeth of carnivorous animals contain nearly 5% phosphate of magnesium. Thus, they can crush and grind the bones of their prey without difficulty,” wrote Otto Carque (1933) in Vital Facts About Foods.
William R. Quesnell, author of Minerals: The Essential Link to Health, said, “Most people have come to believe nutrition is divisible and that a single substance will maintain vibrant health. The touting of calcium for the degenerative disease osteoporosis provides an excellent example. Every day, the media, acting as a proxy for the milk lobby, sells calcium as a magic bullet. Has it worked? It has definitely worked for milk sales; however, for American health, it has been a disaster. When you load up your system with excess calcium, you shut down magnesium’s ability to activate thyrocalcitonin, a hormone that under normal circumstances would send calcium to your bones.”
Dr. Carolyn Dean makes this clear when she says in her book The Magnesium Miracle, “To understand how you can create a calcium/magnesium imbalance in your own body, try this experiment in your kitchen. Crush a calcium pill and see how much dissolves in 1 oz of water. Then, crush a magnesium pill and slowly stir it into the calcium water. When you introduce magnesium, the remaining calcium dissolves; it becomes more water-soluble. The same thing happens in your bloodstream, heart, brain, kidneys, and all the tissues in your body. If you don’t have enough magnesium to help keep calcium dissolved, you may end up with calcium-excess muscle spasms, fibromyalgia, hardening of the arteries, and even dental cavities. Another scenario plays out in the kidneys. If there is too much calcium in the kidneys and insufficient magnesium to dissolve it, you can get kidney stones.”
Dr. H. Ray Evers writes, “The power plant of the human cell is called the “mitochondrion.” The mitochondrion is what generates energy for the cell to use. What everyone refers to as “energy” is derived from the oxidative reduction of the cellular respiration. This is done through the mitochondria. However, the problem arises when the cell is low in magnesium relative to calcium. Adenosine triphosphate, the cell’s energy currency, is magnesium-dependent. This means it is obvious that the calcium pump at the cell membrane is also magnesium-dependent. The cellular calcium pump slows down without enough “biologically available” magnesium. Thus, a vicious cycle is established. The low levels of available magnesium inhibit the generation of energy, and the low levels of energy inhibit the calcium pump. The end result? The mitochondrion, the powerhouse of the cell and the entire body becomes calcified. Every function of your body can be inhibited when the mitochondria calcify. It’s like going through life with the emergency brakes on. Calcium is the brake. Magnesium is the accelerator. To be in optimal health, there must be a balance between the two.”
The higher the protein you consumer the more magnesium is needed.
When large amounts of calcium are consumed, you need more magnesium.
A diet which is high in calcium increases the body’s need for magnesium.
Dr. H. Ray Evers
in arteries and organs, much in the same way as coral reefs form.
Coronary artery calcification is common and, when severe, is significantly associated with ischemic cardiovascular disease in adult end-stage renal disease patients. The amount of calcium in the coronary arteries reliably predicts heart attack risk and is measured by one’s calcium score. UCLA cardiologist Dr. Matt Budoff, a long-time champion of the Coronary Calcium Scan says, “The total amount of coronary calcium (Agatston score) predicts coronary disease events beyond standard risk factors.” The Coronary Calcium Score is a precise quantitative tool for measuring and tracking heart disease risk. It is more valuable and accurate than other traditional markers.
This image demonstrates coronary artery calcification.
The most common cause of death in dialysis patients is cardiovascular disease. This is due in part to the presence of excess vascular calcification, particularly in the form of extensive coronary artery calcification, which can be observed even in very young dialysis patients. The presence of coronary artery calcification in the dialysis population appears to correlate in part with the ingested quantity of calcium-containing oral phosphate binders.
According to Dr. Sarah Mayhill, Calcium and magnesium compete for absorption, so too much calcium in the diet will block magnesium absorption. Our physiological requirement for calcium to magnesium is about 2:1. In dairy products, the ratio is 10:1. So, consuming many dairy products will induce a magnesium deficiency.” Dr. Nan Kathryn Fuchs agrees, saying, “A diet high in dairy and low in whole grains can lead to excess calcium in the tissues and a magnesium deficiency.”
Calcium and Cancer
“There is reasonable evidence to suggest that calcium may play an important role in the development of prostate cancer,” says Dr. Carmen Rodriguez, senior epidemiologist in the epidemiology and surveillance research department of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Rodriguez said that a 1998 Harvard School of Public Health study of 47,781 men found those consuming between 1,500 and 1,999 mg of calcium per day had about double the risk of being diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer as those getting 500 mg per day or less. Those taking in 2,000 mg or more had over four times the risk of developing metastatic prostate cancer as those taking in less than 500 mg.
In 1998, Harvard researchers published a study of dairy product intake among 526 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and 536 similar men not diagnosed with the disease. That study found a 50% increase in prostate cancer risk and a near doubling of the risk of metastatic prostate cancer among men consuming high amounts of dairy products, likely due, say the researchers, to the high total amount of calcium in such a diet. The most recent Harvard study on the topic, published in October 2001, looked at dairy product intake among 20,885 men and found men consuming the most dairy products had about 32% higher risk of developing prostate cancer than those consuming the least. Dr. Panagiota N. Mitrou, of the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues found the same thing, that increased consumption of calcium and dairy products raises the risk of prostate cancer.
Treatment with Magnesium, Cavadex, and Sodium Thiosulfate
It should be evident from all the above that magnesium is central to calcification prevention and treatment but alone will not prevent plaque and will not disolve it once it is hardened. Cavadex, through stip mining chloresterol right out of vascula plaque ends up dissolving the calcium because with the chloresterol crystals gone the structural support of the plaque provided by the chloresterol is absent.
Cavadex
Dr. James C. Roberts has a lot to say about Cavadex:
“Beta-Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin (which we will refer to as CD, available as Cavadex) is a novel, negligible risk, FDA cleared for human use, and a relatively low-cost approach to actively stimulate Reverse Cholesterol Transport RCT, attenuating ischemic symptoms rapidly while providing a favorable effect (in months, as opposed to years) on plaque size and extent. RCT is the actual removal of lipid material from the arterial wall. RCT will decrease plaque size and plaque vulnerability.”
“One molecule of cholesterol fits tightly within the lipid-soluble interior of one CD. One molecule of CD can “pluck” one molecule of cholesterol from the cell membrane surrounding a vascular cell. From there, the cholesterol-loaded CD can be excreted in the urine or CD can transfer its cargo (a single cholesterol molecule) to HDL (HDL can house 100s of cholesterol molecules). In this fashion, CD acts as a “shuttle” and HDL as a “sink”, a high-capacity cholesterol acceptor.”
“CD changes vascular anatomy (cholesterol depletion) and it also changes vascular physiology. The removal of cholesterol crystals greatly diminishes vascular wall inflammation (like taking colchicine). CD will also “pluck” diacylglycerols (DAGs) from the cell membrane. DAGs inhibit Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS), the enzymes responsible for NO generation and thus endothelial tone. Endothelial function improves, leading to vasodilation and (in the setting of occlusive vascular disease) collateral formation.”
“As the adequacy of blood flow relates to the square of the vessel’s radius, even small improvements in renal artery flow could significantly reduce Renal artery stenosis (RAS) pathophysiology.”
“Plaque regression can occur with CD in months as opposed to years, but ischemic symptoms (effort angina or claudication) often attenuate within weeks.”
“CD only slowly opens up narrowed arteries, via its mechanisms of action CD rapidly turns around abnormal vascular biology. CD rapidly disinhibits NOS (Nitric Oxide Synthase) turning one into a NO (Nitric Oxide) factory (why EndoPAT scores improve). Vascular wall oxidative and inflammatory stress all recede.”
Treatment with Sodium Thiosulfate
Sodium thiosulfate (STS) is a calcium-chelating agent with antioxidant properties.
Dr. Carlos E. Araya
Sodium thiosulphate results in the formation of calcium thiosulphate in the urine, a compound with much higher solubility than the other calcium salts (phosphate, oxalate). Thus, sodium thiosulphate could not only inhibit further nephrocalcinosis, but to some degree, it could contribute to the decalcification of renal parenchyma.
The beneficial effects of sodium thiosulfate (STS) are mainly due to its ability to enhance the solubility of calcium deposits. STS has a small molecular weight of 248 (Na2S2O3) and, in patients with normal renal function, has a serum half-life of 15 min. STS facilitates the mobilization of calcium from vessels affected by calcium deposits.
Intravenous STS seems beneficial, has mild adverse effects,
and is well tolerated in children and young adults.
STS dosage was 25 g/1.73 m2 per dose intravenously.
Dr. Carlos E. Araya
Dr. Carlos E. Araya et al. successfully used this relatively nontoxic substance, which has been reported as an adjuvant treatment for several conditions involving disorders of calcium homeostasis. Yatzidis described its benefits by decreasing the new kidney stone development rate in 34 patients with recurrent calcium urolithiasis. Prompted by these excellent results, intravenous STS was administered after hemodialysis to three patients with ESRD and tumoral calcinosis for a period of 6 to 12 mo. Two patients had regression of the calcified mass and improved motility of the affected joints. STS was given for a period of 9 yr to a patient with nephrocalcinosis as a result of renal tubular acidosis type 1. There was no further deterioration of his condition, and the recurrence of renal colic accompanied the discontinuation of the medication.
[i] http://list.weim.net/pipermail/holisticweim/2001-July/001023.html
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