The Calcium Lie: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know Could Kill You
by Robert Thompson, M.D., and Kathleen Barnes
(InTruth Press, 2008, soft-cover, $19.95. See www.calciumlie.com for more.)
From an early age, we’re encouraged to drink plenty of calcium-rich milk to build strong bones. And once we hit 40, we need to take calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis. We do this because we’ve been taught that our bones are made of calcium. Right? Wrong! This is what medical doctor and Alaskan author Robert Thompson calls the calcium lie. And he can prove it. How? By reminding us of some very basic biochemistry: that bones are made not only of calcium, but of a dozen minerals (including calcium) that need to work in balance for our optimum health.
As Thompson writes, “Expecting to keep bones strong by giving someone calcium supplements is like expecting that you can make a loaf of bread from yeast alone. It simply won’t work and, in the case of calcium supplements, it can do great harm as crystallized excess calcium concretions make their way into arteries and joints and force the adrenals to compensate for calcium excess to their own detriment.”
Indeed, when it comes to America’s obsession with calcium, we need to switch gears and realize that more is not always better. In fact, many of us who think we need calcium supplements are actually already overloaded with calcium, thus causing what Thompson terms the “calcium cascade”, a domino-like effect of nutritional depletion that leads to some terrible body woes—including heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, migraines and more. What we need is not more calcium, but a better balance of minerals in our minerally-bankrupt bodies.
In this very easy to understand and helpful book, Thompson shares how he, too, bought into the calcium lie. As an obstetrician, gynecologist and reproductive surgeon in Soldotna and Anchorage, Thompson began researching the supplements and vitamins his patients were taking. This led him to herbs, homeopathy, and the importance of treating causes rather than just symptoms. And this, in turn, led to his discovery of the calcium lie.
Thompson also tells us what we can do to help the problem; namely, adding sea salt and organic foods (especially veggies) to our diet; getting a tissue mineral analysis for an exact picture of mineral levels in our body; along with the usual sane encouragement to drink plenty of healthy water and get some exercise. I highly recommend this book to anyone currently taking calcium supplements. It’s well-written, easy to follow, and offers a wealth of insights into how you can take charge of your body’s health once again.
~ Review by Keila Swan