Infomercial Calcium and Magnesium - Fibromyalgia Message Board

sujenke · 01-16-2002, 12:20 PM

I don't know if I can name this product or not - it is that powdered calcium and magnesium solution that you mix with hot water and drink as a tea. I think it is called CalMax. I was wondering if anyone has tried it, and if it worked. It's shown on TV during an infomercial, is expensive, but of course they give you lots of reasons why theirs is so much better than the stuff you'd buy at Wal-mart or GNC.

During the infomercial they mentioned Fibromyalgia as an illness that this supplement will help. They also said that it "makes you sleep like a baby". Sounds too good to be true, but I thought I'd see if any of you have tried it.

Thanks,
Susan

korken · 01-16-2002, 12:44 PM

There are a lot of snake oil treatments out there. This one I have heard works for some but, may not work after a while. It may be a remission that we have now and then. I long for the ones I had when I was younger. They now seem farther apart and less in freqency.

Remember what works for one may or may not work for another. Good luck.

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Take care ~Kim & Gary~

rhody · 01-22-2002, 08:20 PM

Hi,

I'd been meaning to reply to this one. I had fibromyalgia symptoms for years, that I linked to my dental amalgams. I've written here many times. About 19 or 20 years ago or so, I experimented with calcium and magnesium pills, and found that they did alleviate my muscle pains. At the time, the doctor and I talked about this being possibly fibrositis.

Since, I was wary of taking pills, later in life I tried looking for foods that were high in calcium instead. I found that raw brocolli and spinach have always helped me. After I had my dental amalgams removed about 8 years, I got better, first with my teeth not being so loose, plus many other things. Now I run almost 20 miles a week.

Today, when I overdo it with extremely excessive exercise and work, these muscle pains can return. I then have to go back to eating more of my very nutritious foods, like raw spinach. In fact, right now I'm munching on some, just like potato chips while I write this. I don't know if the high calcium in spinach has anything to do why I get better. But it might be a contributing factor.

You can read what I wrote in this FM section just recently, concerning neck pains. With this raw spinach, my herbs, relaxing, cutting back from my work some, I have made great strides just this week. I started a new job 9 days ago that has been stressful (new people, lots of work, new names, procedures etc.). Today, was another good day. I'm so glad those chest, shoulder, and neck pains went away from me. They started the day I began my new job. The timing couldn't have been worse. Well, today I put in a solid, hard 9 hour day, pain free. It felt so good.

Have any of you, followed through with improved diet, exercise, relaxation, herbs, no smoking etc.? Have you noticed some improvement? I think everyone should at least try to improve their lifestyles. It might make a difference with this fibromyalgia. It seems for some, it might not, and might be frustrating for some of you, but then again there might be some of you out there that could benefit.

I know it sounds silly, that someone would munch on raw spinach like potato chips to get better from their muscle pains, but hey it works!!! It all started with me years ago, when I noticed that calcium did help my muscle pains. Also when I had those chest pain attacks, I found that calcium pills helped too.

One time about 19 years ago, I had one of those chest pains while I was having my hair cut during lunch hour. It felt awful, like I couldn't breathe. The pain went all the way up towards the bottom of my chin. I waited there, sitting in my chair, trying to just "grin and bear it", hoping that I wouldn't pass out or something. If I let them know how I felt, I was afraid they would call an ambulance. I knew it was one of those strange things that doctors could not help me with. I somehow survived that remaining 15 minutes, and walked over (while in pain) to a nearby pharmacy store where I purchased some calcium pills. I then walked over back to work (about a 1/4 mile), and swallowed some of these pills with some water. I was so relieved when my chest pains went away rather fast, such that I could work the rest of the afternoon with increased vigor. That was my first discovery that the calcium pills not only helped my muscle pains, but these strange chest pains too. To this day, I do not know why, I just tell you all what I felt, after much experimentation.

From my own experiments, I found that the calcium seemed to be the primary component that provided me relief. Later, I read that having magnesium included with the calcium, was supposed to make this even better.

Last year (almost exactly 12 months ago), I had a huge kidney stone removed, that was derived from too much calcium. Since my diet is so good today (healthy diet without any pills), the doctor (urologist) and I think that this might have been caused from those calcium pills that I took many years ago. I'm telling you all this, so that you be careful with taking too much of anything that you do not understand such as calcium and magnesium supplements, without discussing this with your doctor, if at all possible.

Anyway, that's my contribution to the subject of calcium and magnesium.

SharonMWinner · 01-23-2002, 01:37 AM

Magnesium Malate is a good supplement that does help with muscle pains. I wouldn't buy from an infomercial. Even if the product is good for something, you'll likely pay too much for it. I buy all my supplements from a reputable local health food store, where I know the owner and she knows her products.

la_brat · 01-23-2002, 07:40 PM

There is mention above of abundant calcium intake being the cause of kidney stones. I resently (within the last two months)heard on National Public Radio of a study done on this particular subject. The result was that ingesting calcium did not make a difference to the formation of kidney stones. Kidney stones were made out of the body's available calcium (bones) if unavailable else where. The study was pointing toward animal protein as the possible culprit, not calcium. My gynecologist and the YMCA (I have a yearly health accessment.)recommend 1200 mg a day to prevent loss in bone density. If you are avoiding calcium suppliments, you may want to check with your doctor. Medical opinion has changed dramatically over the last year.