Americans consume more calcium supplements than any other people on earth.  And if that’s not enough, additional calcium is added to our cereals, our fruit juices, our crackers, our antacids and many other processed foods.  Yet, ironically, the U.S. ranks among the nations with the highest incidence of osteoporosis; a painful and debilitating disease marked by calcium loss and bone deterioration.  Are we missing something?

About 40 years ago, doctors began routinely prescribing calcium to many men and almost all women over the age of 40 in order to prevent or stop the progression of osteoporosis.  The conventional wisdom was that bone loss is due to calcium deficiency.  Yet, after 40 years, it is evident that taking calcium alone does not prevent or even slow the progression of osteoporosis.

Magnesium is actually the key to the body’s proper assimilation and use of calcium.  Magnesium helps to regulate calcium in the body and allows the body to use calcium as needed.  If we consume too much calcium and without enough magnesium to balance it, the excess calcium is not utilized correctly and actually may become toxic, causing many painful conditions in the body.

Magnesium is responsible for over 350 biochemical reactions, all necessary for proper health.  Magnesium plays a vital role in digestion, energy production, muscle contraction and relaxation, bone formation and cell division.  In addition, magnesium is a key nutrient in the proper functioning of the heart, kidneys, the adrenals, and the entire nervous system.

Most cal/mag supplements contain a ratio of 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium.  The logic behind this ratio is based on the relative amounts of these nutrients used in the body every day.  But research shows that most people over 30 actually need the reverse ratio. Typically, the body holds onto calcium and either stores it or recycles it again and again.  But magnesium is either used up or excreted and must be replenished on a daily basis.  So, even though our daily need for calcium is greater, we are much more likely to become deficient in magnesium.

If you suffer from two or more of the following symptoms, you may have a magnesium deficiency:

- insomnia or restless sleep

- muscle tension or spasms

- muscle cramps

- constipation

- headaches

- heart palpitations

- PMS

- calcification of tissues or joints

- nervousness or irritability

I recommend magnesium citrate or malate as the preferred forms. Or magnesium in the form of an amino acid chelate. If you believe you might be deficient in magnesium, I suggest taking magnesium alone (without calcium) for several  months.  Some manufacturers are now producing these minerals together in a ratio of 1 to 1 which I recommend for the longer term.  And remember, if you are taking these minerals in the above forms,  you may not need to take as much because you’re absorbing more.  The body can only absorb a small amount of these minerals at one time. So, if you plan to take more than 100 mg of magnesium, it’s best to take two or more small doses per day than a large dose all at once. For most people, a modest supplementation in the 200 mg range of magnesium will help to maintain adequate levels, and more important, the correct balance of these important minerals.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805

As an acupuncturist in Portland, Oregon, I am constantly reminded of the fact that the healthcare system in the U.S. is badly broken. Currently, the U.S. has per-capita health care costs many times higher than other industrialized countries. At the same time, the general health of our citizens is declining. We rank 6th in infant mortality and 1st in obesity. The answer is not in universal health insurance or reducing doctors compensation or capping malpractice liability. The answer lies in public education and a return to public responsibility. We as citizens must take a greater role in our own health.

My whole philosophy is to teach and support my clients to become more independent regarding their health care. I spend a lot of time emphasizing diet, lifestyle, home remedies and physical therapy that my clients can do on their own in order to improve their overall health and well being.

Over the last 40 years, westerners, and Americans in particular, have become lazy with regard to their health care. They’ve become dependent on practitioners and pharmaceutical drugs to solve all their problems. And the Naturopathic movement that has emerged over the last 25 years, seems to have fallen into this same established rut, merely substituting herbs and supplements for pharmaceutical drugs. The underlying belief is that we don’t really need to change the way we live and our relationship with our bodies. All we need to do is to take a bunch of pills and we can continue with the same self destructive patterns to which we’ve become accustomed.

For these same reasons, I’ve become increasingly skeptical of the supplements as a way to address health issues. Supplements are now approaching a trillion $$ industry and the mark up on many products is indefensible. In spite of all this huge amount of money and energy going into “Natural Healing”, I don’t see people getting any better. True herbal medicine certainly has a place in health care, as do pharmaceutical drugs. But these are for short term application, in order to correct a specific imbalance. Not for long term use, or a substitute for proper lifestyle and nutrition.

If we are to create a sustainable public health program, it will depend on mass education about health maintenance and disease prevention. This means understanding about proper nutrition and the importance of exercise as well as learning to avoid things that we now know are toxic such as tobacco, drugs, excessive alcohol, trans fats and sugars.

But education alone is not enough. Health care professionals will have to change the way they provide care. They’ll have to spend more time with their patients and not rely on expensive tests to take the place of old fashion physical examination and diagnosis.

Government and health care administrators will have to find more ways to incorporate alternative and complimentary medicine such as acupuncture, herbal medicine and naturopathic modalities. These natural methods have been used for centuries to address many health problems and are very cost effective. Greater use of alternative medicine, where it has proven to be effective, could save billions $$ every year.

Congress will have to get involved and tackle the difficult task of rationing medicine, allocating our resources where it best serves the public interest. From a legal perspective, we need a no-fault liability system so that people are adequately compensated for medical mistakes without putting undue stress on the providers.

All of us as citizens and health care professionals have to collectively take responsibility to see that our health care dollars are spent wisely. As a nation, we don’t have the resources to administer health care as we have in the past.

Whether a sustainable model can emerge in the next decade is anyone’s guess. But the consequences of failure are enormous and will impact our freedom and well being as a nation.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have questions about acupuncture and shiatsu, or if you have a specific health concern, please contact me at:

Bart Walton, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Portland, Oregon
503/939-5805