I enjoy reading your posts PD You seem to be doing your homework. I've learned quite a bit from some of your articles and links. Thanks for your hard work.

Now on Calcium, since I'm on the senior end now-a-days, I've done a bit of study here. The best info says (and I can't quote them, it's a cumulative study) Calcium with a citrus base is best as it is hard to assimilate with out leaving deposits in the joints and bones or just washing on through. It should be taken with Magnesium and Zink and a low dose of vit C. Also it's best taken on a relativly empty stomach in the late PM as it helps your body rest.

Food wise, there is a lot of calcium in DARK green veggies, Kale, romain, spinach, lamb's quarters (it's a green), dandilion ,mustard and other greens etc. If you juice these are easy to sneek in. Also almonds, brazil nuts and sesame have a lot of Calcium. Other nuts have some traces. Cheddar is the highest in the cheese bunch and usually the easiest to digest in small quantities because the aging is an enzyme process.

Weight bearing exercise builds bone density. Stand on one foot while talking on the phone. It works.

> Yes, I'm sure they will help in many ways.
> But the thing is, there are a few things you
> need to understand about vitamins:

> 1. They need to be taken with your meal
> because enzymes found in the food you eat
> are needed to process the nutrition found in
> them.

> 2. If you eat a good and balanced diet,
> majoring on raw vegetables and fruits, and
> cut back or even out the sugar, refined
> foods, processed and caffeine, your body
> will be getting what it needs through those
> foods, unless you have a health condition
> that would require an extra supplement in a
> certain area. Most people unfortunately do
> not have good enough diets to supply their
> bodies daily with enough of the vitamins and
> nutrients they need, so a supplement does
> help.

> 3. You must know the company that produces
> the vitamins you eat, its sources, how it
> processes, what is going into the vitamin. I
> would not trust a Walmart brand, or a
> cheaper brand, because chances are they are
> being produced by a company that doesn't
> specialise in health and nutrition, so
> chances are not that much is being donated
> to the development of quality vitamins.
> There could be synthetic materials, or
> vitamins produced from non-organic crops, it
> may say it uses 'ginseng' or something, but
> what kind of ginseng, from what part of the
> world, in what quantity, and how is grown,
> and what part of the ginseng is used, some
> parts of a plant are more effective than
> others. With lavender, the power is in the
> flower, not so much the leaves, with
> dandelion, the root holds certain nutrients,
> while the leaves hold another, and the
> flower another.

> Before you start taking a supplement, always
> ask yourself what the purpose is and why are
> you taking it. I personally take a daily
> 'green' supplement, with spirulina, barley
> grass concentrate, and a few other things,
> for energy, and a natural sulfer supplement
> for my immune system and hair, nails and
> skin, plus a capsule with thyme,
> frankincense, orange and clove oil, to aid
> on keeping my body's age youthful. But I am
> going to add a calcium supplement cause I am
> sorely lacking in calcium, I don't like
> milk, don't eat much cheese, and don't like
> sardines, so a supplement is a good choice
> for me. When I'm run down I add a few other
> things into it, but those are my basics.

> Hope that helps a bit.

> One last thing is that you probably won't
> see a miraculous 'Oh my God! That vitamin
> really did the trick!' overnight wonder.
> These things work with your body over time,
> if you are taking calcium now, it will help
> your body not to develop ostereoperosis,
> often found in the elderly when bones
> deteriorate. If you major on anti-oxidants
> now, as you grow older you will find your
> body staying young and healthy while other
> people may be having problems, etc. You have
> to view your health as long-term and stick
> to your plan.