Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with calcium

calcium supplement

tom123 — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:33:02 -0800

1) Can someone recommend a good calcium supplement (the ones with chocolate preferable) to be taken during pregnancy. 2) At which trimester should calcium supplements be taken ? 3) Does age have any relevance to the amount of calcium to be taken during pregnancy. My girl friend is in her mid 30's. Does she need more than normal ?

tea, calcium, stones

parallax7d — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:16:20 -0800

Will drinking 4 cups a day of green tea, and taking calcium supplements with it give me kidney stones? From what I understand, most kidney stones are caused by oxalate (some in green tea) and calcium combining. But there is much confusion on the nets on this topic.

flushing out a 4.5mm kidney stone?

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:10:50 -0800

4.5mm kidney stone - what can I do between now and the urologist's visit in two days to get rid of it? I've read that most 4mm and smaller stones pass on their own. Mine's 4.5mm. I want to get this little mineral bugger out of my system if possible.

What can I do on my own to maximize the chances of passing this stone?

I was diagnosed on Friday following moderate flank pain and abdominal discomfort starting last Monday. CT scan confirms stone diagnosis, and I'm seeing a urologist on Wednesday.

More info: white male, moderately active, middle age. CT scan shows 4.5 mm stone in kidney. This is my first stone. Took 100% RDA in calcium supplements (calc. carbonate) for the past year. Also a moderate cola drinker (24 oz / day) and black tea drinker (1 - 2 cups / day). I don't drink coffee or alcohol, and I don't smoke.

I was much more active a year ago. I was bike commuting daily. Given the calcium supplements and the reduction in exercise, which I've read leads to bone loss and subsequent increased levels of calcium, my educated guess is that this is a calcium-based kidney stone.

In the past week, I've stopped drinking cola, cut back on tea, and stopped taking calcium. I've also begun drinking at least 3 liters of water a day.

I'd like to do the maximum to pass or reduce this stone before the urologist visit. Beyone the diet changes above and the increase in water, what can I do?

I know that you are not my urologist. I'm just looking for suggestions that go beyond the advice in all the 'so you've got a kidney stone' pages.

Should I be more physically active? How far can I take this (i.e. jogging, jumping jacks)? And if this is a calcium-based stone, what can I injest to encourage it to break up or slim down?

Cleaning scale from pool tile

TungstenChef — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:51:14 -0800

How can I best clean hard water scale from pool tile? We have a pool with ceramic tile at the waterline that is getting badly covered with hard water scale. How can we remove the stuff most efficiently? This page says that you can use muriatic acid in a spray bottle to help clean it, but I don't want to be spraying undiluted acid at basically eye level! What dilution can you use to loosen the stuff, and do you want to let it set or scrub immediately? Also, what tool is best to use for scrubbing? That link mentioned a putty knife, in other places I've seen a pumice stone recommended. Any other tips would be very helpful.

How do I remove this parking-deck-drip stain from my car's paint and windshield?

Askr — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:57:24 -0800

How can I get this parking-deck-drip-residue off of my car's paint and windshield? Do you park in a parking deck regularly? Has it dripped on your car from its cement ceiling when it has rained? Has it left this faint whitish residue on your car? Have you found anything that will get it off of either glass or paint?

A guy at the carwash told me this stuff is not unusual for people in parking decks. He didn't know how to get it off though and didn't mention what it was, e.g. something leeching out of the cement, paint from the parking space stripes, etc. It's like it's some kind of mineral stain, faint and just a hair this side of transparent, just ever so slightly white, if anything.

I've tried all the normal kind of cleaners on it such as windex, car wash soap, even (if I remember) CLR (Calcium/Lime/Rust), at least on the windshield. I was afraid to try that on the paint.

WTF is this stuff and how can I get it off?

Lots of questions about calcium

otherwordlyglow — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:09:54 -0800

What the best formula for Calcium supplements? I'm trying to get at least 1000 milligrams of calcium every day both through dairy products and calcium supplements but I'm confused about the best way of taking calcium. I'm 40 and pregnant. First of all calcium comes in lots of different forms (cal citrate, liquid cal, cal carbonate......). I seem to recall hearing the calcium from coral wasn't a good idea because of impurities but what about all the rest? Do some absorb better?

And then there's the accompanying supplements. Quite often, calcium is mixed with Vitamin D which I guess helps with absorption but if I'm already taking a multivitamin with plenty of Vitamin D, can I skip it? I usually take calcium in the morning and the multi at night so the Vitamin D isn't taken at the same time but I know D is fat soluble so it'll get stored so i don't need to take it at the exact same time as the calcium, right? I'd like to avoid taking too much D, if possible. Other calcium comes with magnesium and does that do the same thing for absorption?

And if I want to take 1000 mg entirely as a supplement (if I know I haven't been having enough dairy lately), should I take it all at once or stagger it? Somewhere I read something about your body not being able to absorb more than 500 mg at once.

Help me have strong bones!

Help my toddler enjoy milk

Xazeru — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:40:15 -0800

How can I get my toddler to drink milk? My son is a happy and healthy little guy, but for some reason he won't drink cows milk. Although he eats cheese and yogurt, I'm concerned that he isn't getting enough calcium.

We've tried giving regular milk, organic milk, rice milk, soy milk, strawberry milk, chocolate milk, skim milk, 2% milk, whole milk, cold milk, warm milk, milk and cereal, and milk in a silly cup with one of those twisty straws. At most, he will take a sip, make a face, and then ask for juice.

Any ideas for getting him to partake?

All I want for Christmas is my old front teeth

rosemere — Sat, 26 May 2007 22:11:46 -0800

Coke Zero, or some other acidic drink, may have done a number on my teeth, or maybe I just have lousy Québecois teeth. About one third to one half of each of my incisors and canines (from the biting edge inwards) appear slightly translucent. My dental hygienist confirmed today that there appears to be some demineralization. Is there any effective treatment to remineralize them? Someone I know swears that taking 1000 mg of calcium citrate supplements every day remineralized his teeth and made them completely opaque again. My hygienist disagrees, and suggested I try a special (and expensive) toothpaste with bio-available calcium and phosphate instead, saying that topical application would be more effective, although she also said that the remineralization would not necessarily result in a visible change to my teeth.

Has anyone here successfully reversed the visible translucency in their teeth?

Sensible (numerical) weight loss plan, followed meticulously, seeming to not produce results after 16 weeks.

Anonymous — Fri, 25 May 2007 19:15:57 -0800

Sensible (numerical) weight loss plan, followed meticulously, seeming to not produce results after 16 weeks. I'm still maintaining it just as consistently, but I'm starting to feel discouraged and somewhat lost. Inside are four potential problems. Which do you think are holding me back? I'm now starting the 17th week of a simple weight loss plan, in which I've supposedly totaled a 77,300 calorie deficit -- i.e., a 22-lb. loss -- over the first 16 weeks. I don't weigh myself regularly, so I'm not measuring in numbers -- but subjectively, I don't think I feel a significant change in my body so far.

POSSIBILITY A: I'M WRONG ABOUT MY MAINTENANCE CALORIE LEVEL, AND THEREFORE ABOUT MY DEFICIT CALCULATIONS.
Using a form on the web, I found that as a young female, my weight (205, last measured about a month before this plan's start) and height (5'7") suggest my maintenance level if sedentary is c. 2160/day. For calculating my daily deficits, I decided to call this 2000. Could it be a lot lower? (Is there any way I could test my actual metabolism, that's free or nearly free for someone without health insurance?)

POSSIBILITY B: THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF I DO MORE SERIOUS/SUSTAINED EXERCISE.
Rather than trying to track calories burned, I'm just keeping my daily calories to either 1300 if I did minimal activity such as a little walking; 1400 if medium activity such lots of walking & light exercise; or 1500 if heart-pounding exercise for 45 minutes straight. Fewer than 20% of my days so far have been the last category.

POSSIBILITY C: I'M EATING TOO MANY CARBS.
I'm eating what seems to be a very good diet, very consistently, but I'm not tracking carbs. Should I be? My diet is full of fresh produce and meets my RDA of protein & calcium, I drink 80 oz of water a day, and I eat small amounts across the day. (I'd say my calorie tracking is very accurate: I'm measuring carefully and I'm almost completely avoiding prepared foods for which I'd have to estimate calories.)

POSSIBILITY D: I'M JUST MISSING THE BODY CHANGE.
It's true that going from c. 205 to c. 185 wouldn't be a huge change, so I might just not feel it yet. (I don't think it's just a mental block; I certainly started out trusting this plan would work, although I'm losing a little faith at this point).

I've found many helpful mefi threads, but I would really appreciate any specific insights (especially since "ask your doctor" is not simple without insurance). I don't have consistent internet access, so the commonly-suggested online nutrition trackers wouldn't work work for me. I can't afford any social thing like Weight Watchers. I have no other obvious factors -- no medical conditions (to my knowledge), no medications, have never used hormonal birth control. This is not a significant diet change for my body (just a change in amounts and a reduction in fats/oils) and I've been about the same % overweight since childhood.

Finally, my disinterest in weighing myself daily might seem funny given how methodical I am about other things, but that's the way I want to go. (I might consider getting a scale if there's a strong consensus here that it's important.)

HyperPTH and PUD

reverenddrjice — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 06:03:14 -0800

The incidence of peptic ulcer disease in hyperparathyroidism is increased, presumably due to hypercalcemia leading to increased gastrin secretion. Why does calcium stimulate G-Cells to secrete calcium? I am trying to find a precide physiologic reason. Is there another reason for this link between HyperPTH and duodenal ulcers. Thanks!

How to get rid of calcium build up.

nickerbocker — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 10:51:28 -0800

How would you go about cleaning calcium build up off a metal bucket? There are some limitations. First of all, the bucket is full of calcium build up in hard to reach places. I can fill it full of something, but most of the volume I can't reach so I probably can't scrub too well. Secondly, the only way I can drain the bucket is by washing it out with water so it fills up to the top and drains out of the "spill over" hose. I can also use a shop-vac to suck out anything.

I remember getting this stuff off the top of aquariums with paper towels soaked with vinegar. I've thought about filling this bucket with vinegar and letting it sit over night. Any other recommendations?

Osteopenia diet and exercise

naturesgreatestmiracle — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 04:33:16 -0800

I have just been diagnosed with osteopenia in my femur and lumbar spine. Any tips on increasing bone density? [unlike my bones, more is inside] I am a 33 year old woman and after a particularly long and vigorous walk / jog, I ended up with an insufficiency fracture of my right femur. So I am concerned that my bone density has already decreased quite a bit. I have done some research, and all the advice is general: increase calcium intake and engage in weight-bearing exercise. So, to that end, I have some specific questions.

1. I know I must monitor my calcium intake every day, and increase consumption of yogurt, spinach, etc. Any other ideas for good foods to include? (I got some great yogurt tips from this thread.)

2. Also, can you suggest any good exercises to strengthen the bones, especially in my legs and back? Jogging and vigorous walking are not a good idea right now, since that is what I was doing when I injured myself.