The uncultivated food plants and wild game commonly available to Stone Age humans would supply 1600 mg at basal energy intakes and between 2,000 and 3,000 mg of calcium at the energy levels required to support hunting and work.

During the 20th century, American adults have a calcium intake of only one-fifth to one-third as much as did Stone Age humans. The National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey 11 reported a median calcium intake for American women of between 300 and 508 mg per day and only 680 mg for men.

Other nutrients that are rich in the American diet aggravate the national calcium deficiency. Diets rich in salt and protein (phosphates) result in an increased calcium "cost", that in effect increases the requirements for calcium. As protein (phosphate) intake is doubled the output in urinary calcium increases 50 %.

There are no less than 147 deficiency diseases that can be attributed to calcium deficiency or imbalances. The most recent clinical research clearly points out that the entire scope of American diets are critically deficient in calcium and that the only practical way to get enough calcium is through supplementation (the allopaths doing the study failed again by recommending five cups of broccoli a day as a valuable source of calcium - try to get a kid or president to eat that!).

The more common calcium deficiency diseases are easy to recognize and run from poor clotting time of the blood when you nick yourself shaving (calcium is a co-factor in the clotting mechanism), arthritis (which the allopaths treat with pain killers), to the well known osteoporosis.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, the average male has 1,200 grams and the average female has 1,000 grams ' makes up one to two percent of the body weight (water makes up 65 to 75 %) and up to 39 percent of the total mineral reserves of the body (ash); 99% is found in the bones and teeth, the other one percent is found in the blood, extracellular fluids, and within cells where it is a co-factor and activator for numerous enzymes.

Calcium in bones is in the form of hydroxyapatite salts composed of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate in a classic crystal structure bound to a protein framework (put a chicken "drumstick" bone in vinegar for 10 days and the calcium will be leached leaving a protein matrix). Similar types of hydroxyapatite are found in the enamel and dentin of teeth, however, little is available from teeth to contribute to rapidly available Ca to maintain blood levels.

In addition to being a major structural mineral, Ca is also required for the release of energy from ATP for muscular contraction, blood clotting (ionized Ca stimulates the release of thromboplastin from the platelets, converts prothrombin to thrombin bin -thrombin helps to convert fibrinogen to fibrin - fibrin is the protein web that traps RBC's to make blood clots); Ca mediates the transport function of cell and organelle membranes; Ca effects the release of neurotransmitters at synaptic junctions; Ca mediates the synthesis, secretion and metabolic effects of hormones and enzymes; Ca helps to regulate the heart beat, muscle tone and muscle receptiveness to nerve stimulation.

Calcium is mainly absorbed in the duodenum, where the environment is still acid. Once the food in the intestine becomes alkaline, absorption drops. Calcium is absorbed from the small intestine by active cellular transport and by simple diffusion Metallic calcium absorption may be limited to 10 percent or less and is affected by many substances in the gut. Calcium may be absorbed in the organically bound plant derived colloidals and in the water-soluble forms.

Lack of vitamin D results in calcium deficiency, as well as deficiency of stomach acid (hypochlorhydria results from a restricted NaCI intake); lactose intolerance, celiac disease, high fat diet and low protein intake and high phytate consumption (phytic acid is a phosphorus containing acid compound found in the bran of grains and seeds as well as in the stems of many plants, especially oatmeal and whole wheat which combine to form calcium phytate which is insoluble and unavailable to humans) all result in calcium deficiency; oxalic acid in rhubarb, spinach, chard and greens combines with Ca to form an insoluble calcium oxalate which is not absorbed; fiber itself, besides the phytate content, prevents calcium absorption; alkaline intestine, gut mobility (too rapid-too much fiber, too much fruit, etc.), pharmaceuticals (anti-seizure drugs, diuretics,etc.) result in decreased absorption and retention; excess of caffeine from coffee, tea, colas, etc. will leach calcium from the bones.

Parathormone secreted by the parathyroid gland and calcitonin secreted by the thyroid gland maintain a serum calcium of 8.5 to 10.5 by drawing on calcium reserves from the bones. The parathormone can also affect the kidney so that it retains more calcium and the gut to be more efficient in absorption; when the blood calcium begins to rise from too much parathyroid activity, calcitonin reduces availability of calcium from the bones.

In 1980, McCarron, et al, theorized that chronic calcium deficiency probably led to hypertension. More than 30 subsequent studies supported the original theory of calcium deficiency as the cause of hypertension, additionally recent studies have shown that serum ionized calcium is consistently lower in humans with untreated hypertension. In a recent review article, Sowers, et al, noted that the association of calcium intake and blood pressure is most clear in people with daily calcium intakes of less than 500 mg a day.

The phenomenon of salt sensitivity consists of a rise in blood pressure and sustained increased in urinary loss of calcium in response to salt consumption. Among black and elderly whites with "essential hypertension", restricted intakes of calcium and potassium, rather than elevated salt consumption is responsible for salt sensitivity. In a four-year study of 58,218 nurses, hypertension was more likely to develop in females who took in less than 800 mg of calcium per day.

In a 19-year observational study of 1,954 men, 49 cases of colorectal cancer were identified. Analysis of the results showed very clearly that the incidence of colorectal cancer increased 300 % as the calcium intake decreased from 160 mg/ kcal to 24,9 mg/100 kcal of diet.

Up to 75% of consumed Ca is lost in the feces, two percent is lost in the urine and sweat (15 mg per day is lost in normal sweating - this can double or triple in active athletes); in cases of excess urine loss of calcium (osteoporosis, NSH, excess P, etc.) kidney stones, bone spurs and calcium deposits will develop.

Bone spurs and heel spurs and calcium deposits always develop at the sites of insertions of tendons and ligaments during a raging osteoporosis. Bone spurs, heel spurs and calcium deposits can be reversed and eliminated by supplementing with significant amounts of water soluble calcium sources.

Not only are our soils and food deficient in calcium, additionally the American diet is rich in P, which is found in just about everything we eat (NPK fertilizers and food additives).

Calcium is an essential mineral nutrient and the most abundant mineral in the body. Calcium represents approximately 2% of the total body weight; about 98% of this occur in the bones and teeth. The small amount of calcium in body fluids and cells plays an important role in nerve transmission, muscle contraction, heart rhythm, hormone production, wound healing, immunity, blood coagulation maintaining normal blood pressure, and stomach acid production. Calcium promotes blood clotting through the activation of the fibrous protein FIBRIN, the building block of clots. It lowers blood pressure in patients with spontaneous hypertension (not caused by kidney disease) because it relaxes blood vessels, and it may also diminish the symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome).

High intake of saturated fat tends to raise LDL-cholesterol (the less desirable form) and to increase the risk of colorectal cancer. On the other hand, calcium binds saturated fats, preventing their uptake by the intestine; consequently, calcium-rich diets may reduce LDL-cholesterol. A high calcium intake also seems to reduce the risk of colon cancer.

If blood levels of calcium decrease in response to low calcium consumption, the body pulls calcium out of bones to use elsewhere. Thus bones are dynamic tissues, constantly releasing calcium and reabsorbing it to maintain their strength. The level of calcium in the blood is carefully regulated by hormones. Parathyroid hormone from the parathyroid gland stimulates bone-degrading cells to break down bone tissue to release calcium and phosphate into the bloodstream (a process called bone resorption). Parathyroid hormone also stimulates calcium absorption from the intestines by activating vitamin D, and stimulates calcium reabsorption from the kidney filtrate back into blood. This effect is counterbalanced by calcitonin, released from the thyroid gland when blood calcium levels are high. Calcitonin triggers bone-building cells (osteoblasts) to take up calcium from blood to lay down new bone.

During growth spurts more calcium is absorbed than lost. "Growing pains" is another manifestation of a calcium deficiency, since these growth spurts occur in adolescence. Therefore, adequate calcium intake in childhood and adolescence is critical for bone building. In addition, zinc, manganese, fluoride, copper, boron, magnesium, calcium and vitamin D, together with exercise, minimize bone loss after the age of 35. Calcium absorption requires the hormone calcitriol, formed from vitamin D.

An estimated 100 million Americans risk calcium deficiency. They include women who are pregnant or lactating, or who are post-menopausal. The average adult male obtains 75% of the calcium RDA; the average female, 50%. An estimated 87% of adolescent women and 84% of women between the ages of 35 and 50 are calcium deficient. Older people absorb less calcium and the calcium RDA should probably be increased for elderly persons.

Symptoms of prolonged calcium deficiency include insomnia, heart palpitations and muscle spasms, as well as arm and leg numbness. Chronic low calcium intake can lead to easily fractured bones due to bone thinning (osteoporosis), and possibly hypertension. Severe deficiency symptoms are not common: convulsions, dementia, and osteomalacia, rickets (bent bones and stunted growth in children) and periodontal disease.

In addition to age and heredity, many life-style and dietary factors increase the risk of developing calcium related problems: age; heredity; chronic emotional stress; lack of exercise; dieting; excessive caffeine, sodium, phosphorus (as found in processed foods and soft drinks) or dietary fiber; high-fat foods; possibly high protein diets; low vitamin D intake; long-term use of corticosteroids; and cigarette smoking. Conditions like inflammatory bowel syndrome, low stomach acidity, lactose enzyme (lactase) deficiency, kidney failure and diabetes increase the need for calcium, while mineral oil (laxative), lithium carbonate (the water-insoluble form of lithium) and some diuretics (water pills) block calcium uptake.