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Post by MsAli on Mar 4, 2018 15:01:49 GMT -5
Interesting article I have severe leg cramps at night and started drinking Lifewater or Smartwater and it has made a huge difference. Avoid Gatorade and other high sugar drinks with electrolytes. Me too! as soon as they start I stand up and take a magnesium pill. walk around for a bit and they go away. It is one of the worse things ever.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2018 15:30:46 GMT -5
I have severe leg cramps at night and started drinking Lifewater or Smartwater and it has made a huge difference. Avoid Gatorade and other high sugar drinks with electrolytes. A friend who has a similar problem insists that drinking a glass of water with cider vinegar mixed in lets her get through the night. Cheaper than the remineralized bottled water, but probably she just needs more magnesium, calcium and potassium in her diet, and is getting some of that from the cider vinegar. Sounds like it wouldn't be good teeth, though, unless brushing right after drinking.
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Post by MsAli on Mar 4, 2018 16:20:25 GMT -5
I have severe leg cramps at night and started drinking Lifewater or Smartwater and it has made a huge difference. Avoid Gatorade and other high sugar drinks with electrolytes. A friend who has a similar problem insists that drinking a glass of water with cider vinegar mixed in lets her get through the night. Cheaper than the remineralized bottled water, but probably she just needs more magnesium, calcium and potassium in her diet, and is getting some of that from the cider vinegar. Sounds like it wouldn't be good teeth, though, unless brushing right after drinking. I hate Apple cider vinegar so I stick with the water. One of the best things for it is pickle juice.
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Post by vegasjames on Mar 4, 2018 19:16:49 GMT -5
Interesting article I have severe leg cramps at night and started drinking Lifewater or Smartwater and it has made a huge difference. Avoid Gatorade and other high sugar drinks with electrolytes. The most common reason for muscle cramps/spasms is an elevated serum calcium level. Calcium is a muscle contractor. Magnesium helps in most cases because it is a muscle relaxant by antagonizing calcium. Same reason can help lower blood pressure in the most common cause of hypertension, calcium induced hypertension. Basically the magnesium is acting kind of like a natural calcium channel blocker. There are different forms of magnesium. Magnesium oxide is the most common supplemental form and is total crap. Manufacturers just use it because it is the cheapest magnesium source available. Magnesium oxide converts to slightly caustic and poorly absorbed magnesium hydroxide in water. It also dangerously reduces stomach acid, which is essential for various things including aiding in digestion and absorption and protecting us from ingested pathogens including cancer pathogens. Stomach acid levels decline with age making absorption more difficult with age since the reaction of stomach acid and magnesium oxide forms the more absorbable salt magnesium chloride. I prefer magnesium malate since it is well absorbed and very effective in increasing ATP levels. My second choice would be magnesium citrate. If taking magnesium to prevent muscle cramps or high blood pressure the daily intake of magnesium should be slightly higher than daily calcium intake. Other common causes of cramps include dehydration or lack of the electrolytes sodium or potassium. I agree to avoid the high sugar electrolyte drinks. If a person needs electrolytes a little trace element salt in water or the sugar free electrolyte packs you can find in health foods stores that you add to water are good choices. They are generally flavored and sweetened with stevia.
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Post by vegasjames on Mar 4, 2018 19:20:17 GMT -5
Older adults with decreased kidney function...<clip>...face a heightened risk of hyponatremia. Interesting. I'm an "older adult with decreased kidney function" and my nephrologist wants me to severely restrict my sodium intake in an effort to prolong the useful life of my kidneys. Look in to nettle leaf and schisandra berry. Both are great for strengthening the kidneys and improving kidney function.
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Post by vegasjames on Mar 4, 2018 19:34:21 GMT -5
I have severe leg cramps at night and started drinking Lifewater or Smartwater and it has made a huge difference. Avoid Gatorade and other high sugar drinks with electrolytes. A friend who has a similar problem insists that drinking a glass of water with cider vinegar mixed in lets her get through the night. Cheaper than the remineralized bottled water, but probably she just needs more magnesium, calcium and potassium in her diet, and is getting some of that from the cider vinegar. Sounds like it wouldn't be good teeth, though, unless brushing right after drinking. Magnesium and potassium help with cramp prevention. Calcium can make things worse in some cases since calcium is a muscle contractor. As an example normal muscle movement involves calcium influxing in to the muscles to contract the muscles and influxing of magnesium to relax the muscles. When a person dies there is an influx of calcium in to the muscles but magnesium no longer displaces the calcium so the muscles go in a state of strong long term contraction (rigor mortis) until enzymes eventually break down the muscles allowing them to relax again. Common causes of muscle cramping are hypercalcemia (high serum calcium levels) from hyperparathyroidism, pseudohyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism (often induced by thyroid medications). Some cancers, and excessive intake of sodium or vitamin A or D are several other reasons for elevated serum calcium.
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Post by vegasjames on Mar 4, 2018 19:35:37 GMT -5
A friend who has a similar problem insists that drinking a glass of water with cider vinegar mixed in lets her get through the night. Cheaper than the remineralized bottled water, but probably she just needs more magnesium, calcium and potassium in her diet, and is getting some of that from the cider vinegar. Sounds like it wouldn't be good teeth, though, unless brushing right after drinking. I hate Apple cider vinegar so I stick with the water. One of the best things for it is pickle juice. Pickle juice is believed to help due to the fluid and sodium salt (electrolyte).
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Post by MsAli on Mar 4, 2018 21:52:56 GMT -5
Interesting article I have severe leg cramps at night and started drinking Lifewater or Smartwater and it has made a huge difference. Avoid Gatorade and other high sugar drinks with electrolytes. The most common reason for muscle cramps/spasms is an elevated serum calcium level. Calcium is a muscle contractor. Magnesium helps in most cases because it is a muscle relaxant by antagonizing calcium. Same reason can help lower blood pressure in the most common cause of hypertension, calcium induced hypertension. Basically the magnesium is acting kind of like a natural calcium channel blocker. There are different forms of magnesium. Magnesium oxide is the most common supplemental form and is total crap. Manufacturers just use it because it is the cheapest magnesium source available. Magnesium oxide converts to slightly caustic and poorly absorbed magnesium hydroxide in water. It also dangerously reduces stomach acid, which is essential for various things including aiding in digestion and absorption and protecting us from ingested pathogens including cancer pathogens. Stomach acid levels decline with age making absorption more difficult with age since the reaction of stomach acid and magnesium oxide forms the more absorbable salt magnesium chloride. I prefer magnesium malate since it is well absorbed and very effective in increasing ATP levels. My second choice would be magnesium citrate. If taking magnesium to prevent muscle cramps or high blood pressure the daily intake of magnesium should be slightly higher than daily calcium intake. Other common causes of cramps include dehydration or lack of the electrolytes sodium or potassium. I agree to avoid the high sugar electrolyte drinks. If a person needs electrolytes a little trace element salt in water or the sugar free electrolyte packs you can find in health foods stores that you add to water are good choices. They are generally flavored and sweetened with stevia. Can your calcium be high if you don't take calcium? I dont get any other than from cheese and i guess some other food sources. Rarely drink milk.
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Post by vegasjames on Mar 4, 2018 22:46:56 GMT -5
The most common reason for muscle cramps/spasms is an elevated serum calcium level. Calcium is a muscle contractor. Magnesium helps in most cases because it is a muscle relaxant by antagonizing calcium. Same reason can help lower blood pressure in the most common cause of hypertension, calcium induced hypertension. Basically the magnesium is acting kind of like a natural calcium channel blocker. There are different forms of magnesium. Magnesium oxide is the most common supplemental form and is total crap. Manufacturers just use it because it is the cheapest magnesium source available. Magnesium oxide converts to slightly caustic and poorly absorbed magnesium hydroxide in water. It also dangerously reduces stomach acid, which is essential for various things including aiding in digestion and absorption and protecting us from ingested pathogens including cancer pathogens. Stomach acid levels decline with age making absorption more difficult with age since the reaction of stomach acid and magnesium oxide forms the more absorbable salt magnesium chloride. I prefer magnesium malate since it is well absorbed and very effective in increasing ATP levels. My second choice would be magnesium citrate. If taking magnesium to prevent muscle cramps or high blood pressure the daily intake of magnesium should be slightly higher than daily calcium intake. Other common causes of cramps include dehydration or lack of the electrolytes sodium or potassium. I agree to avoid the high sugar electrolyte drinks. If a person needs electrolytes a little trace element salt in water or the sugar free electrolyte packs you can find in health foods stores that you add to water are good choices. They are generally flavored and sweetened with stevia. Can your calcium be high if you don't take calcium? I dont get any other than from cheese and i guess some other food sources. Rarely drink milk. Yes, you can get hypercalcemia for a variety of reasons. Made a partial list in another post: "Common causes of muscle cramping are hypercalcemia (high serum calcium levels) from hyperparathyroidism, pseudohyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism (often induced by thyroid medications). Some cancers, and excessive intake of sodium or vitamin A or D are several other reasons for elevated serum calcium." Ironically dairy is not a good calcium source. Presence of calcium does not mean it is bioavailable. In fact the biggest consumers of dairy in the world are the US and Finland and these same countries also gave the highest rates of bone disorders. The reason for this is quite simple. Milk is high in protein, which is well known for blocking calcium absorption. This is why they add vitamin D to milk to try and compensate since vitamin D may help with calcium absorption offsetting protein's blocking. I say "may" because there are different forms of vitamin D. The vitamin D added to dairy is only inactive D2, which really does not help. If the liver is working properly though the D2 can be converted in to inactive D3. If the kidneys are functioning properly then the inactive D3 can then be converted in to active D3, which can then really help with calcium absorption. The reason dairy leads to bone loss is because milk is high in phosphorus, which is not blocked. When phosphorus levels increase this leads to a a perceived imbalance of calcium to phosphorus triggering the parathyroid glands to release parathyroid hormone (PTH). This is pseudohyperparathyroidism. The increased PTH release breaks the bones down to increase serum calcium to balance out the perceived calcium-phosphorus ratio imbalance. There is actually a lot more involved such as silica levels, the most important nutrient for bone health and strength, levels of other nutrients required for bone ( amino acids, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, strontium, natural fluoride, boron, copper, zinc, vitamins A, D, E and K and fatty acids and exercise levels since bones cannot mineralize without stressing the bone tissue. Greens are generally a good source of calcium, but again calcium can be blocked by oxalates in some greens. Although plants also contain silica and magnesium that increase calcium absorption so again it is a rather complex subject. Overall though it is not that hard to meet daily calcium needs. The normal recommendation of 1200mg daily is based in large part on the poorly absorbed calcium carbonate used in the studies. Less is needed with better absorbed calcium salts like malate or citrate or naturally chelated calcium. And keep in mind that the studies did not use things that increase calcium absorption such as silica, magnesium, vitamin D3, etc. And finally one of the other roles of PTH is calcium resorption by the kidneys to prevent calcium levels from dropping too low.
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Post by MsAli on Mar 4, 2018 22:58:25 GMT -5
Can your calcium be high if you don't take calcium? I dont get any other than from cheese and i guess some other food sources. Rarely drink milk. Yes, you can get hypercalcemia for a variety of reasons. Made a partial list in another post: "Common causes of muscle cramping are hypercalcemia (high serum calcium levels) from hyperparathyroidism, pseudohyperparathyroidism and hyperthyroidism (often induced by thyroid medications). Some cancers, and excessive intake of sodium or vitamin A or D are several other reasons for elevated serum calcium." Ironically dairy is not a good calcium source. Presence of calcium does not mean it is bioavailable. In fact the biggest consumers of dairy in the world are the US and Finland and these same countries also gave the highest rates of bone disorders. The reason for this is quite simple. Milk is high in protein, which is well known for blocking calcium absorption. This is why they add vitamin D to milk to try and compensate since vitamin D may help with calcium absorption offsetting protein's blocking. I say "may" because there are different forms of vitamin D. The vitamin D added to dairy is only inactive D2, which really does not help. If the liver is working properly though the D2 can be converted in to inactive D3. If the kidneys are functioning properly then the inactive D3 can then be converted in to active D3, which can then really help with calcium absorption. The reason dairy leads to bone loss is because milk is high in phosphorus, which is not blocked. When phosphorus levels increase this leads to a a perceived imbalance of calcium to phosphorus triggering the parathyroid glands to release parathyroid hormone (PTH). This is pseudohyperparathyroidism. The increased PTH release breaks the bones down to increase serum calcium to balance out the perceived calcium-phosphorus ratio imbalance. There is actually a lot more involved such as silica levels, the most important nutrient for bone health and strength, levels of other nutrients required for bone ( amino acids, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, strontium, natural fluoride, boron, copper, zinc, vitamins A, D, E and K and fatty acids and exercise levels since bones cannot mineralize without stressing the bone tissue. Greens are generally a good source of calcium, but again calcium can be blocked by oxalates in some greens. Although plants also contain silica and magnesium that increase calcium absorption so again it is a rather complex subject. Overall though it is not that hard to meet daily calcium needs. The normal recommendation of 1200mg daily is based in large part on the poorly absorbed calcium carbonate used in the studies. Less is needed with better absorbed calcium salts like malate or citrate or naturally chelated calcium. And keep in mind that the studies did not use things that increase calcium absorption such as silica, magnesium, vitamin D3, etc. And finally one of the other roles of PTH is calcium resorption by the kidneys to prevent calcium levels from dropping too low. Thank you I am kept slightly hyper for cancer suppresson VIT D I can barely keep over 18 Blame loss of my thyroid for alot of issues Plus I don't take my supplements like I should Streaking in the sun is still not an option
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Post by grumpybill on Mar 5, 2018 6:48:17 GMT -5
Look in to nettle leaf and schisandra berry. Both are great for strengthening the kidneys and improving kidney function. Thank you, sir. I'll look into those. Actually, my overall kidney function has been fine for the past few years...except for a protein leak of around 1.5 to 2 grams per day. Down from a peak of 10+ grams about 10 or 12 years ago. Kidneys are strange. From what I've read and been told by the doctors, they almost seem to be alien organisms that have invaded the body and set up a symbiotic relationship.
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Post by 1dave on Mar 5, 2018 6:51:48 GMT -5
Doctors? Or symptomologists?
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Post by fernwood on Mar 5, 2018 10:55:57 GMT -5
1daveAwesome research, as usual. Very informative article. MsAliSalt may not be the thing you are lacking. Long post, but fits with the topic. My late fiance' was diagnosed with a severe sodium deficiency by his GP. Was "prescribed" 2 Tbs of salt daily, which could be from a direct source or additives to food. He was still weak at times, suffered severe leg cramps, after taking the salt for 6 months. He then remembered, he had the same thing while deployed to Korea in the 1950's. At the time, he was taking quinine tablets, which provided relief. Also was taking a powder made from crushed rock, which a local was giving him. He then started drinking a lot of tonic water daily. About 1/2 gallon, especially before bedtime. This helped some. I did some research and discovered that the rock powder was probably from Magnesium rich rocks. It was an old remedy used in the area of Korea where he was stationed. I also checked to be sure the magnesium supplements would not interact with any of his current meds, which were many. The magnesium worked for him. Along with a minimal increase in salt and drinking the tonic water. He was taking about 500 mg of magnesium, 1 pint of tonic water and about 2 tsps of uniodized salt daily, as the iodine would interact with his meds. This combo eliminated the leg cramps for the last 6 months of his life. Granted, he was in heart failure, used supplemental oxygen and had some other health issues, but he was glad to be able to sleep at night without the cramps. I would also do nightly muscle massages/range of motion exercises on his lower legs, where the cramps were. Might be something to look into.
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Post by NRG on Mar 5, 2018 11:11:41 GMT -5
Doctors? Or symptomologists? Or statisticians? They use blood tests to see "ranges" usually 2 standard deviations from the mean, and then divine a treatment from that. "Range" trumps the patients complaint. Within range means you suffer thru that complaint.
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wannabee
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Post by wannabee on Mar 5, 2018 11:26:17 GMT -5
Me too! as soon as they start I stand up and take a magnesium pill. walk around for a bit and they go away. It is one of the worse things ever. Bananas work for me. If I eat a banana a day, I have no more leg cramps. I've always thought it was the potassium.
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Post by MsAli on Mar 5, 2018 11:37:51 GMT -5
It is one of the worse things ever. Bananas work for me. If I eat a banana a day, I have no more leg cramps. I've always thought it was the potassium. Bananas are high in sugar so I eat them rarely and they never did work for me
The water with the Electrolytes work best for me
Funny enough; I went fishing yesterday and got a good hike in. Woke up at midnight dying of cramps. Haven't been drinking my water....off to the store I go
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Post by vegasjames on Mar 5, 2018 18:54:52 GMT -5
It is one of the worse things ever. Bananas work for me. If I eat a banana a day, I have no more leg cramps. I've always thought it was the potassium. Low potassium is another reason for cramps, but is not as common as cramps from high calcium and/or low magnesium. Because the body normally regulates its potassium levels pretty tightly this is mainly seen in people taking diuretics like furosemide (Lasix) that deplete potassium. A note on bananas. The riper they are the more potassium they have as the ripening process pulls potassium from the peel in to the fruit.
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Post by wannabee on Mar 6, 2018 11:28:09 GMT -5
Mar 5, 2018 11:37:51 GMT -5 alikat218 said: Bananas are high in sugar so I eat them rarely and they never did work for me
So you're saying I should not be dipping my medicinal banana in anti-oxidant rich dark chocolate before eating it? I'll never understand modern medicine.
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Post by MsAli on Mar 6, 2018 11:30:55 GMT -5
Mar 5, 2018 11:37:51 GMT -5 alikat218 said: Bananas are high in sugar so I eat them rarely and they never did work for me
So you're saying I should not be dipping my medicinal banana in anti-oxidant rich dark chocolate before eating it? I'll never understand modern medicine. I dip mine in extra chunky peanut butter
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wannabee
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Post by wannabee on Mar 6, 2018 11:31:19 GMT -5
Bananas work for me. If I eat a banana a day, I have no more leg cramps. I've always thought it was the potassium. A note on bananas. The riper they are the more potassium they have as the ripening process pulls potassium from the peel in to the fruit. My wife likes them green and crunchy, I like them very ripe, so they rarely go to waste in our house.
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