Dr. Nidhi Chowhan

Calcium is an essential mineral in our diet, and makes up roughly 2% of an adult’s body weight. It is a critical aspect of our bone growth, development and maintenance throughout our entire lives, which is why a deficiency of this mineral is such a serious problem. Fortunately, there are many different calcium supplements on the market to ensure that we get the recommended amount of calcium that our body needs to function and support itself properly.

What are calcium supplements?

• Calcium supplements are ways to get your daily recommended amount of calcium up to its proper levels – roughly 1, 000-1, 200 milligrams per day for men and women. These calcium supplements are tablets or pills with concentrated levels of calcium, and tend to come in two forms: calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.
• Calcium carbonate is the more concentratedof the two, with each pill composed of roughly 40% calcium, but it requires stomach acid to be dissolved and absorbed by the body. Therefore, these pills need to be eaten with your meals.
• Calcium citrate is weaker, providing only 20% calcium in each pill, but they can be taken on an empty stomach, as they do not require stomach acid to be dissolved. Elderly patients suffering from calcium deficiency more commonly use calcium citrate, as stomach acid production slows down as we age.
• Since calcium can only be absorbed and used in small amounts by the body, most calcium supplements range from 150-500 milligrams and are taken 1-2 times per day, depending on how poor your calcium levels are, and how much calcium your typical diet includes. Many supplements also include other minerals in which people are commonly deficient, such as magnesium and vitamin d.
• Speak with your doctor about which of the following calcium supplements may be best for you.

List of calcium supplements:

1. Calcium carbonate

Tums 500os-cal 500caltrate 600viactiv calcium chewsgnc calcium complete

2. Calcium citrate

Cluebonnet calcium citrate magnesium and vitamin d3rainbow light mini-tabletsswanson calcium citrate and vitamin dsolgar calcium citratetwinlab calcium citrate caps

Why do you need calcium?

As mentioned earlier, calcium is required by the body for bone mineral density, and a deficiency in this mineral will increase the risk of osteoporosis, as well as osteopenia. Some of the common symptoms of calcium deficiency include fainting, muscle weakness, psoriasis, brittle nails, tooth decay, seizures, itching, problems swallowing and numbness in the fingers and toes.

Aside from bone strength and durability, calcium is also needed by the body for proper nerve communication and function, as well as for the contraction of muscles throughout the body. Calcium plays a role in protecting cardiac muscle, controlling blood pressure, strengthening the teeth and gums, transporting nutrients throughout the body and keeping the ph balance of the body in line.

Clearly, deficiencies in this important mineral must be taken seriously, due to their comprehensive effects on health.

Food sources of calcium

While supplements are always available to increase your daily intake of calcium, there are also many calcium-rich foods that are easy to incorporate into your daily diet.

Kaleyogurtcheesebok choysardineskefirwatercressfigsclamsgreen beanssesame seeds oranges almonds

Benefits of calcium supplements

Calcium supplements can be very effective for improving bone strength, particularly as you age, after a major injury, illness or surgery, or if you are already at high risk for osteoporosis (due to contributing health factors). These supplements can also help in the prevention of arthritis and to help maintain your weight. Furthermore, since so many calcium supplements include magnesium, vitamin d and other commonly deficient vitamins, use of these nutritional supplements can help your body in many other ways too!

Side effects of calcium supplements

The regular use of calcium supplements can have certain negative side effects, such as constipation, excess gas, nausea, irregular heartbeat, muscle pain, dry mouth, headaches or dizziness. These are mainly experienced when you suffer from hypercalcemia, which means your body is taking in too much calcium. When calcium is taken in large concentrations, the body is unable to process all of it at once, so it could begin depositing it in the wrong places.

This sort of excessive calcium in the body can lead to problems with the kidneys, muscles, stomach, bones and even the brain, causing irritability and even depression. If you experience ongoing symptoms of sore muscles and joints, pain in your back and spine, decreased appetite or excessive urination, you are likely suffering from too much calcium.

Speak to your doctor or nutritionist before adding calcium supplements to your daily intake; if your diet already accounts for the daily recommended amount of calcium, there is no need to take supplements.

Things to consider while taking calcium supplements

Before you choose to take calcium supplements, there are a few things to consider, namely your age, diet, pre-existing medical conditions and prescribed medications.

1. Age: depending on how old you are, as well as your gender, you may require more or less calcium. Women under 50 and men under 70 only require 1, 000 milligrams a day, where as women over 50 and men over 70 require approximately 1, 200 milligrams per day. As your age changes, if your diet doesn’t, you may want to consider supplementing with calcium to keep your bones strong.

2. Diet: while there are many different foods that can deliver calcium, certain dietary choices and styles may inherently keep your calcium content low. Vegans tend to lack calcium, as they don’t include dairy products in their diet, which is a great and consistent source of calcium. Furthermore, people who consume foods that are high in protein or sodium tend to lose more calcium through urination, which can lead to osteoporosis, even if your intake of calcium seems acceptable.

3. Medical conditions: certain diseases and conditions demand more calcium from the body, prevent calcium absorption, or cause excessive calcium loss. If you have suffer from chronic inflammation, crohn’s disease or celiac disease, the condition may be preventing calcium absorption in the gut, and calcium supplements may be a good thing. However, if you are at high risk for kidney stones or prostate cancer, high levels of calcium could heighten that risk.

4. Medications: the use of corticosteroids is quite common for chronic disease, and this can lower the body’s ability to absorb calcium. Furthermore, if you are taking antibiotics, it can interfere with how your body takes in calcium, so supplements may be required.

5. Other mineral deficiencies: some of the body’s receptors for nutrients are shared, so calcium, iron and zinc are often in competition in the gut to be absorbed and used. If you have other mineral deficiencies, it may be wise to space out your supplements, rather than taking them all at once, so that your body can properly process each of them.
 

300 Calories is the average calorific value of our daily sugar intake. It's no wonder then that dietician and weight loss (Learn more about weight loss) gurus across the world will advise you to quit added sugar as the first step of a weight loss program. Added sugar refers to processed sugar in the form of cubes, sugar crystals or powdered sugar and does not include natural sugars found in fruits, vegetables etc. Apart from cakes and sweets, we eat added sugar in a number of ways including a number of packaged foods like sauce and salad dressings.

If you consume a lot of sugar on a daily basis, quitting added sugar could leave you with withdrawal symptoms. Quitting added sugar is not easy, but here are a few reasons it is well worth the effort.

1. You'll have fewer pimples: Sugar has inflammatory properties. This can trigger systemic inflammation leading to the acne. Thus quitting sugar can instantly reduce the number of pimples on your face and give you clearer skin (Learn more about Healthy Skin).
2. It improves the health of your heart: Added sugar can raise insulin levels. This activates the sympathetic nervous system and increases blood pressure and heart rate. Stopping your consumption of added sugar can lower cholesterol levels and decrease the amount of triglycerides in the body. This lowers blood pressure and boosts cardiovascular health. (Know more about blood sugar level)
3. A friendly weight scale: Replacing toffees with dry fruits will considerably reduce your calorific intake. Similarly switching packaged salad dressing for fresh homemade dressing can also make your salad healthier. Given that we eat added sugar in so many forms, making a conscious decision to quit added sugar can have a big impact on your daily calorie intake. Studies show that this simple step can lead to a weight loss of up to 10 pounds in six months.
4. It'll make remembering names easier: Added sugar can hinder learning and memory. Over time, it can also damage communication between brain cells. Quitting sugar can boost both your short term as well as long term memory. You will also find it easier to focus on will be able to be attentive to something for longer periods of time.
5. A good night's sleep: You don't just need 8 hours of sleep a day; you need 8 hours of restful sleep at the right time. Sugar makes blood sugar fluctuate and the crash that follows a sugar high can make you feel sluggish around mid-day. Many people find that if they have an afternoon nap, it becomes more difficult for them to fall asleep at night. Sugar also releases cortisol that interferes with sleep. Thus quitting added sugar can keep you alert through the day and help you fall asleep easier at the end of the day.

Many women experience pain in their genitals intermittently or a few times during their lives which may be caused by varying factors. However, when pain in the vulva and the surrounding area occurs in regular cycles or constantly without any underlying reasons, it is known as Vulvodynia. This is characterized by pain in the vulva, the surrounding areas, the entrance to the vagina and the urethra. Let's look at some of the treatment options for Vulvodynia:

1. Topical or local anesthetics: As Vulvodynia is a condition due to the abnormal sensitivity of the area surrounding the vulva, using anesthetics will help to ease the pain. Treatments like ointment and sprays will numb the area and ease the symptoms. This can even be applied before sexual intercourse if it is a trigger for pain.

2. Injections that act as nerve blocks: Some women may experience sensitivity as they may have neural problems and due to this sensitivity in the nerves in the genital area, may suffer from Vulvodynia. This is usually treated with nerve blocks or medications that reduce the sensitivity of the nerves. This should be only after consultation with the doctor.

3. Biofeedback therapy: There are certain forms of physical therapy which can be employed to reduce pain from Vulvodynia. Biofeedback therapy primarily deals with this problem by teaching patients to relax muscles.

4. Physical therapy of the pelvic floor muscles: This is also a common therapy where the patients are taught to relax and control the pelvic muscles. These are the muscles which support the bowel, the bladder and the uterus and specific exercises will help relax them, reducing the symptoms as well as decreasing the incidences of intermittent Vulvodynia.

5. Medications: This is the most common treatment for Vulvodynia. Various medications can be prescribed to patients depending on the type of pain they experience, such as Antihistamines for itching, tricyclic antidepressants for chronic pain among others. Steroids and anticonvulsants are also used to reduce pain.

6. Surgery of the affected area: If your pain is chronic and can't be treated by any other method, then doctors might suggest surgery to remove the bits of tissue from the affected area to reduce sensitivity and pain. However this is done only in the rarest of cases. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist and ask a free question.

Ovaries are a part of a woman’s reproductive system. The primary function of ovaries includes producing ‘ova’ or eggs and secreting hormones such as progesterone and estrogen. Cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form the ovaries; they usually do not cause any symptom and are not painful.

There are primarily two types of ovarian cysts:

1. Follicle cysts: During a woman’s menstrual cycle, the egg develops in a sac known as the follicle. Under normal circumstances, the sac breaks open and releases the egg. When this doesn’t happen, fluids start accumulating in the follicle to form a cyst.

2. Corpus luteum cysts: Follicle sacs dissolve after releasing the egg, but in some cases, these sacs remain and the opening of the sacs gets sealed. It again results in fluid accumulation, leading to the formation of corpus luteum cysts.

Symptoms

Usually, cysts do not cause any symptom. If the size of the cysts increases, they may cause symptoms such as stomach pain, pain during bowel movements and sex as well as pelvic floor pain. The breasts may become tender and one may experience rapid breathing. Other symptoms of ovarian cysts are fever, nausea and dizziness. Usually, rupturing of a cyst leads to these symptoms surfacing; hence you would know when exactly to call the doctor.

Treatment

The treatment options for ovarian cysts are:

1. Laparoscopy: Laparoscopy is carried out if the cysts are small in size. An incision is made close to the navel, through which an instrument is inserted to get rid of the cyst.
2. Birth control pills: For chronic ovarian cysts, oral contraceptives are prescribed to stop the ovulation process in order to arrest the formation of cysts.
3. Laparotomy: In case of large cysts, this procedure is recommended. A relatively bigger incision is made in the abdomen, through which the cyst is removed.

Ovarian cysts, if left untreated, can certainly cause infertility. Pre-menopausal women and who suffer from frequent hormonal imbalances in the body are the most vulnerable to this condition. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist.