Calcium Toxicity

Calcium toxicity typically results from the intake of bad form of calcium, i.e. biounavailable calcium, or from your body not being able to utilise calcium properly, due to thyroid weakness, stress, acidosis, adrenal gland weakness, etc. (1)

Often excess calcium in the body is at the same time combined with calcium deficiency.

This seems contradictory but is not when it is understood how most calcium toxicity conditions develop. When the body is not able to utilise calcium properly, it will get deposited in the body's tissues in a form that is toxic. As enough of the calcium is not utilized by the cells, a calcium deficiency develops at the same time as calcium toxicity in tissues. (1)

The lack of utilization of calcium is epidemic, Robert Morse states. (2) And Charles Walters writes that calcium always shows up as the least utilized mineral, the key being magnesium to mobilize calcium for utilization. (3)

Dr. Lawrence Wilson explains that the problem of biounavailable calcium is the number one killer of adults today, because it contributes to hardening of the soft tissues (e.g. arteries), acidification of tissues, destruction of the bones and joints, nervous system problems due to calcification of the brain tissue (e.g. dementia), venous problems, sclerosis of the organs, etc. (1) David Wolfe discusses this same problem as a key part of his Longevity Now program.

He explains that the body links calcium to proteins or amino acids in the stomach, which makes it more absorbable. Sodium and potassium, also, are important to enable calcium to remain soluble in the blood. Potassium especially has been shown to be critical for bone strength and density. Proper thyroid function is important for healthy calcium balance, too. Vitamin D assists the absorption of calcium and good adrenal gland activity, infrared and full-spectrum light, vitamin A, boron and copper are involved in the calcium metabolism as well. (1)

Jump to Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency
Calcium Shell in Mineral Test Report
Toxic Forms of Calcium
Good Forms of Calcium
Why Most People Need to Supplement with Calcium
What Causes Calcium Toxicity and Deficiency

Symptoms of Calcium Toxicity

According to the Nutritional Balancing Science, developed by Dr. Paul Eck and further developed by Dr. Lawrence Wilson, there are certain qualities associated with calcium, such as: stability, hardness and rigidity. Excess calcium can manifest these qualities in excess both physically and emotionally. Calcium is also a sedative mineral and it inhibits the sympathetic nervous system. (1)

Symptoms of Calcium Toxicity: Calcium toxicity symptoms may include fatigue, depression, defensiveness, muscle weakness, pain, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, kidney stones, gall stones, bone spurs, rigidity, slow metabolism, constipation, social withdrawal and spondylitis (rigidity and inflammation of the spine). In addition the personality can become defensive, 'hard' and rigid. (1)

In excess, calcium reduces cell membrane permeability which causes problems where certain nutrients can't get into the cells and some toxins can't get out as easily. This slows down the oxidation of nutrients in the cells which is how our bodies create energy. The result is low energy levels, malfunctioning cells, toxicity and malnutrition.

A very high level of calcium toxicity, usually linked with very slow metabolism, can develop into 'calcium shell', according to the Nutritional Balancing Science. This seems from what I've read to be a kind of a defence mechanism of the body, where calcium is deposited in cells and the normal functioning of hormones, nervous system and emotions is hindered. Symptoms may be associated with psychological withdrawal, depression, suppression of emotions, and a kind of 'hiding' behind the 'shell' of calcium from the world. One's awareness level can be lowered and sexual numbness can also result. (1)

This seems like a fantastical idea but I did recognise some of these symptoms in myself at the same time a 'calcium shell' was shown on my hair mineral analysis. I write more about this below. I am keen to find out more about why calcium toxicity can have such an emotion-suppressing effect - perhaps it is because it inhibits the sympathetic nervous system too much?

In many cases this excess calcium/ calcium toxicity in the body is caused by the fact that calcium is not properly utilised, as discussed above. In this case symptoms of calcium deficiency are very common as well together with symptoms of calcium toxicity.

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Symptoms of Calcium Toxicity
Calcium Shell in Mineral Test Report
Toxic Forms of Calcium
Good Forms of Calcium
Why Most People Need to Supplement with Calcium
What Causes Calcium Toxicity and Deficiency

Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency

When deficient in bioavailable calcium one is lacking some of the qualities associated with calcium above. The deficiency symptoms may include: osteoporosis, rickets, slow healing of fractures, tooth decay, irritability, insomnia, poor posture, teeth problems and other bone abnormalities, muscle cramps, irritability, hyperkinesis, hyperacidity, bruising, high blood pressure, fight-or-flight reactions, fast oxidation, lead and cadmium toxicity. (1) Dr. Wilson even makes a link to cancer but I am not sure how that connection is made.

Robert Morse lists the following additional short- and long-term calcium deficiency symptoms: spasms, pounding heartbeat, connective tissue weakness including varicose and spider veins, hemorrhoids, hot flashes, hot and cold syndrome and arrhythmias. (2)

Emotionally and physically one can become weak, spacey and too flexible in one's thinking and reasoning without adequate calcium, says Dr. Wilson. (1)

Calcium functions as a psychological buffer element and the lack of adequate calcium in properly-utilised form can result in too much sensitivity to stressors of all kinds, e.g. noise. ADHD children often show low calcium levels in hair tissue and are overly-sensitive and easily made nervous. (1)

Calcium is also a very alkaline mineral and its deficiency can cause acidity problems. Optimum calcium levels are also important for good hormone balance, thyroid function, blood clotting and fat digestion, etc. (1)

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Symptoms of Calcium Toxicity
Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency
Toxic Forms of Calcium
Good Forms of Calcium
Why Most People Need to Supplement with Calcium
What Causes Calcium Toxicity and Deficiency

'Calcium Shell' in Mineral Test Report

I was diagnosed in my first and second hair mineral analyses as having a 'calcium shell'. This was linked with numbed emotions and feeling stuck in life. (Correspondingly, the Chinese Doctor said I had a too much emotional energy, i.e. blocked emotions.) It was literally as if I had a protective shell made of calcium in my body. It showed as a lot of calcium in the hair sample because the calcium wasn't being utilised by the body as it should have, but it was deposited as 'bad calcium' and also dumped in hair instead of being made use of.

My first and second mineral analyses showed high levels of calcium toxicity, and 'calcium shell pattern'. In the third and fourth tests the levels were below the 'calcium shell' threshold but calcification was still present.

"A fascinating area of hair tissue mineral analysis interpretation involves how minerals effect emotions and behavior. Minerals are associated with specific neurotransmitters and some settle in specific parts of the brain.

"Your elevated calcium level is often referred to as a 'calcium shell'. This may be associated with feelings of withdrawal, defensiveness, depression and introversion. Excessive tissue calcium has a depressing effect on the central nervous system. An elevated hair tissue calcium level may also serve to buffer one from excessive stress."

- Hair Mineral Testing Report

Initially I didn't find this part of the hair mineral analysis that interesting, probably because I wasn't quite sure whether the emotions cause the calcium to show in the hair, or if the calcium imbalance causes the emotions to appear. Will Houghton, the nutritionist collaborating with Dr. Lawrence Wilson, elaborated on this further:

"Calcium shell - numbs you and makes you unaware. Stress puts you there and then it's a case of being unaware of the amount of emotion that is behind the shell. When one comes out of it many more feelings are acutely felt for a time until the person adapts to being much more aware of feelings. However that is not to say that one doesn't feel to some degree in a calcium shell. Often one is less anxious but has a blanket of negativity and fatigue."
- Will Houghton in an email

In my third mineral analysis, some eight months after the last test, the calcium level in the hair was high as well but because of the levels of other minerals, it could be seen that this was now bad calcium being excreted from the body so the calcium shell was being dissolved. (Although this does seem contradictory!) In addition, it could be seen that the body had now started utilising calcium as a nutrient in a proper way.

"On retests during a nutritional balancing program, other factors can raise the hair calcium such as the release and elimination of biounavailable calcium from the body tissues." - Dr. Wilson (1)

According to the report I am now less defensive, less stuck in life, and not 'hiding' behind a calcium shell anymore. These changes, I think, were at least partly caused by changed life circumstances: I changed jobs, my financial situation improved a little bit, I moved out of the city and my life got more calm in many ways. In addition I improved my nutrition, took supplements, and did more meditation, mental work, exercise, yoga, relaxation, etc.

Did these life changes dissolve my calcium shell? Or did it get dissolved by the supplementation that was given for that purpose? Or because I received acupuncture from the Chinese Medical doctor and because I was releasing blocked emotions and strengthening my liver through herbs? (Liver is the emotional organ.)

It seems to all go round in circles and everything affects everything. But if I had to make a guess, the main underlying problems would probably be related to lifestyle: malnutrition, stress, lack of exercise... but also to mineral deficiencies.

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Symptoms of Calcium Toxicity
Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency
Calcium Shell in Mineral Test Report
Good Forms of Calcium
Why Most People Need to Supplement with Calcium
What Causes Calcium Toxicity and Deficiency

Toxic Forms of Calcium

Dr. Lawrence Wilson explains in his book: "Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis: A New Science of Energy" that the following forms of calcium can be toxic:

Calcium carbonate (dolomite), phosphate, dicalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate are usually toxic as they are not well-absorbed. Calcium carbonate is common chalk.

Coral calcium supplements, despite their popularity, are not recommended by Dr. Wilson because they often contain iron, aluminium and strontium. The latter two of these, he says, are poisons, and most people are toxic in iron as well, having too high levels of it stored in their livers.

Note that in 'normal' dairy, i.e. pasteurized and homogenized dairy, calcium availability declines greatly. Thus most types of milk, cheese and yoghurt are poor and probably toxic sources of calcium because the calcium is not easily bioavailable. (1)

In addition, Charles Walters writes in 'Minerals for the Genetic Code':

"Women with osteoporosis are given a bone density test and told to take 1,200 milligrams of calcium. They never tell patients what other minerals are needed to get calcium into the body and into the bone structure, or how to get it out of the kidneys when they're through using it. Yet the literature reveals that 1,200 mg of calcium without the necessary companion dietary supplements is a ticket to real sickness. The result is constipation and more bacteria, fungi and aberrations growing in the intestinal tract than nature's design can accommodate. An acute magnesium crisis can be expected, as can faulty periods, feet cramps, leg cramps, headaches, eyelids twitching, heart palpitations, loss of sleep and back problems." (3)

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Symptoms of Calcium Toxicity
Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency
Calcium Shell in Mineral Test Report
Toxic Forms of Calcium
Why Most People Need to Supplement with Calcium
What Causes Calcium Toxicity and Deficiency

Good Forms of Calcium in Both Food and Supplements

The best sources of calcium according to Dr. Lawrence Wilson are:

• Carrot juice, carrots
• Kelp, which also has additional minerals to improve calcium utilisation.
• Raw, organic dairy products if you are not sensitive to dairy.
• Seeds and nuts, e.g. almonds and almond butter.
• Greens can be an excellent vegan source of calcium if one eats or drinks enough of them.
• Sardines
• Caviar
• Roe
• Smelt (fish)
• Egg Yolks
• Soups made with bones
• Brewer's yeast
• Calcium lactate
• Calcium citrate
• True calcium chelates
• Gluconate
• Bone meal if it's not contaminated with lead
• Microcrystalline hydroxyapatite crystals (MCHC)
• Calcium orotate
• Calcium aspartate

The ARL Laboratories, whom Dr. Wilson collaborates with, have a supplement called 'Paramin' for calcium and magnesium. It's calcium is in the form of 'calcium hydrolyzed rice protein chelate' and 'calcium citrate', 250mg per capsule, combined with 'magnesium hydrolyzed rice protein chelate' and 'magnesium citrate' at 150 mg, Vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol at 133 IU and boron, from 'boron amino acid chelate', at 500mcg. This is the supplement I will be taking as part of the Nutritional Balancing Programme, dosage: three capsules per day.

David Wolfe as well as David Jubb say that the body doesn't need calcium, but silicon and other minerals will be enough, because they can be converted by the body into calcium. Dr. Lawrence Wilson also seems to agree, as he refers to Dr Louis Kervan's book 'Biological Transmutations', explaining that silicon can be transmuted into calcium by the body (1). But since calcium seems to be such an abundant and important mineral in the body, I suspect it might be difficult to get enough silicon from foods to convert into calcium. In any case this conversion process requires other minerals as well (follow the link above).

On the other hand, Robert Morse, a Fruitarian nutritionist, is of the opinion that only natural plant-based sources of calcium are safe. (2)

Regarding dairy...
I just read an article in the latest Hippocrates Health Institute's 'Healing Our World' -magazine that dairy consumption has been linked to prostate cancer. I don't know if this was specific to pasteurized and processed dairy and if raw organic dairy would have shown a different result, but I have personally noticed myself that dairy - pasteurized or raw - does not work well with my body. It causes mucus and also spots when consumed in large quantities. The Chinese Doctor I have been seeing does not recommend dairy products at all and my additional research on the benefits of quitting dairy is summarized here. For these reasons I currently don't think it is a good idea to use dairy as a calcium source.

More speculation on good and bad forms of calcium here: Is Calcium in Spring Water Bad for You?

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Symptoms of Calcium Toxicity
Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency
Calcium Shell in Mineral Test Report
Toxic Forms of Calcium
Good Forms of Calcium
What Causes Calcium Toxicity and Deficiency

Why Most People Need to Supplement with Calcium

Dr. Lawrence Wilson says that all people need to supplement with calcium, with the exception of males whose hair mineral analysis (by ARL labs) shows an excellent calcium level. The reasons why most people need to supplement, according to him, are as follows:

• Most people don't obtain enough calcium from their diets.
• Calcium and magnesium help to relax the sympathetic nervous system.
• Many people, especially slow oxidisers, have some biounavailable calcium (i.e. toxic calcium).
• All women and possibly some men benefit from extra calcium to help prevent and correct osteoporosis.
• Calcium is protective against several toxic metals that are common in the environment.
• Calcium and magnesium supplements help many people relax and sleep better.

What Causes Calcium Toxicity and Deficiency

It is the correct balance between the body's four main electrolytes; calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium; which makes the cell's calcium metabolism and energy production function optimally.

"What occurs physiologically is that lower levels of sodium due to adrenal and thyroid weakness or generally lower energy production reduce the solubility of calcium and magnesium in the blood.

"Sodium and potassium [...] maintain calcium and magnesium in an ionized form. As the solubility decreases, more calcium and magnesium precipitate out of the blood and begin to accumulate in the soft tissues of the body. This causes a rise in the hair tissue calcium and magnesium, relative to the sodium and potassium levels."

During the first three tests my sodium and potassium levels went up as calcium and magnesium went down. On the fourth test they seemed to fall together with calcium and magnesium. I'm guessing that this might indicate that more of the bad calcium has been detoxified, i.e. that the solubility of calcium has now increased.

Stress causes calcium deficiency:
Those who have a lot of stress are in fight-or-flight state much of the time and constantly lose calcium through urine. This is because the body decreases calcium levels to allow for hyper-activity state of the nervous system, to make it extremely alert in case of danger. (1)

"High calcium in slow oxidation: As the body tires out, it goes into the exhaustion stage of stress. Here an entirely different calcium imbalance occurs. Calcium cannot be kept in a soluble enough form in the blood, due in part to reduced levels of tissue sodium and potassium, which are elements that solubilize or dissolve calcium. Calcium then begins to precipitate out of the blood and becomes deposited in a biounavailable form in the soft tissues. It may deposit in the hair, skin, arteries, joints, ligaments and to some degree organs such as the brain, liver, kidneys and others. Dr. Selye described this interesting phenomenon in his book, Calciphylaxis." - Dr. Wilson (1)

Other Causes of Calcium Toxicity:
Dietary sugars, including fruit sugars stress the adrenal glands and create hormone imbalances, which then upset the cell's calcium metabolism. So anything that weakens the adrenal glands also interfere with calcium levels. Phosphoric acid and some fruit acids may decrease calcium absorption, so soda pop with sugar, caffeine and phosphoric acid is one of the worst combinations. Toxicity in lead, cadmium and strontium can compete with calcium in binding sites, leading to less calcium utilization. Fluoride in large quantities competes with calcium for absorption and utilization and causes weakened bones and hip fractures. (1)

Phytates bind calcium and prevent its absorption, these are present in uncooked grains, soy products, improperly prepared bean dishes and occasionally other foods. Excessive oxalic acid from spinach, cranberries, rhubarb and tea can interfere with calcium utilization as well if these are taken in large quantities. (1)

"Low stomach acid and low protein diets impair calcium utilization. Calcium must be bound to amino acids in the stomach and intestines to be properly utilized." - Dr. Wilson. So, alkaline pH in the stomach impairs calcium utilization. That's why Dr. Lawrence Wilson does not recommend alkaline water machines, anti-acids or acid-blocking drugs. (1)

Sources

The information in each paragraph of this article was based on the following sources, as indicated:

(1) Dr. Lawrence Wilson: "Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis: A New Science of Energy" (2014)
(2) Robert Morse, N.D.: "The Detox Miracle Sourcebook" (2004)
(3) Charles Walters: Minerals for the Genetic Code (2006)

Books about Calcium Toxicity:

"Death by Calcium" by Thomas E. Levy, MD:

View on Amazon

"Calcium Lie 2: What Your Doctor Still Doesn't Know: How Mineral Imbalances Are Damaging Your Health" by Robert Thompson, MD, and Kathleen Barnes:

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David Wolfe: "Longevity Now: A Comprehensive Approach to Healthy Hormones, Detoxification, Super Immunity, Reversing Calcification, and Total Rejuvenation":

View on Amazon

"Calcification: The Phosphate Factor in Aging and Disease" by Mark Mayer:

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"Track Your Plaque: The only heart disease prevention program that shows how to use the new heart scans to detect, track and control coronary plaque" by William Davis, MD:

View on Amazon

"The Calcium Bomb: The Nanobacteria Link to Heart Disease & Cancer" by Douglas Mulhall and Katja Hansen:

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Dr. Lawrence Wilson: Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis - A New Science of Energy

View on Amazon

Jump to top of article
Symptoms of Calcium Toxicity
Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency
Calcium Shell in Mineral Test Report
Toxic Forms of Calcium
Good Forms of Calcium
Why Most People Need to Supplement with Calcium
What Causes Calcium Toxicity and Deficiency

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