Natural Calm Magnesium

Question
I was comparing labels on a bottle of Natural Calm which was recently purchased with a bottle from a previous purchase. It appears that we need to take twice as much to get the same effectiveness. Please explain this difference. The bottles we received have less magnesium amounts listed and different directions. It appears that we need to take twice as much to get the same effectiveness. But, why does the new, same size bottle (16 oz.) say that it will last twice as long? Please check the labeling on the bottles and help me with this confusion.

Answer
Thank you for your query. The recommended amount per serving did change to a lesser amount. I wrote a blog post called Magnesium RDA – Is it safe to take more. I would suggest you read that to see how much magnesium, in my opionion, you should take.

Now to answer your question. The recommended daily intake of Natural Calmwas reduced from 600mg to 350. The recommended daily allowance is something the government sets and we believe they are usually on the conservative side. RDAs will vary from country to county with Canada being low at around 200mg and most of the rest of the world closer to 400mg. The European standard just changed from 300mg to 375mg so all our European Natural Calm labels called, Magnesium Supreme, will have to go through a label change to reflect the new RDA.

‘We need an average of 200 milligrams more magnesium than we get from the average diet.’ - Dr. Mildred Seelig, President of the American College of Nutrition

The government also states that 70% of men and 80% of women are deficient in magnesium. Dr Carolyn Dean, author of the Miracle of Magnesium believes that 90% of people are deficient.

If you are magnesium deficient (70-90% are) and are consuming a deficient amount of magnesium in your food (e.g. 200mg/day of magnesium from your food) then taking an additional 200mg per day (from Natural Calm) will keep you in a magnesium deficiency state and in theory keep you from becoming more deficient. If you add an additional 200mg/day (i.e. 200mg of magnesium from food and 400mg of magnesium from Natural Calm) then you getting ahead of the game. Most people consume a lot of acidic foods (soda pop, high protein, high sugar, etc.) which takes magnesium and calcium from your system to neutralize the acid. We are also a very high stressed society and stress depletes magnesium. I doubt that RDAs are based on busy soccer moms, people going through relationship or financial problems or fast paced business owners.

My personal opinion is that we need even more magnesium. I personally take 15 grams a day of Natural Calm and about 5 grams a day of Magnesium Rub. I have three businesses, am successfully married for more than 30 years, raised 4 children, pastor a church of 500 and run a homeless shelter. I also ride my bike a lot and love adventure. So for me around 1,200-1,500 mgs (one very heaping teaspoon) is optimal (and my nutritionist stills says I am somewhat deficient but better than last year).

The manufacturer found the higher therapeutic dosage they recommended on the bottle was rarely used by the general public. They decided to scale it back to the recommended daily allowance in relationship to teaspoons. Since 2 rounded teaspoons (4.5gms) is around 350 they opted to recommend that as 2.25 teaspoons isn’t a practical dose. Putting the dosage in grams as well as teaspoons makes everything more accurate. A teaspoon can mean a level baking teaspoon for one person and a super heaping teaspoon to another.

Governments are also getting more persnickety about supplements, dosage levels and the claims that companies make. Lowering the dosage also helps keep the regulatory officials from salivating. We are the main distributors in the UK for Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality products and I know personally firsthand how the government is making it really hard for supplements like Natural Calm to be on the market and it is pretty obvious how they favour the large pharmaceutical companies. So another reason for lowering the dose would be to list the RDA of the government instead of what we believe is correct.

And just to cover bases, while the manufacturer was switching over the labels, there was ONE run done in the interim that they only listed the common intake amount. The current ones list both the common intake amount and the therapeutic dosage amount. The duration of the bottle (weeks it will supply you) reflects both consumption rates.

So the only thing that really changed was that we lowered the recommend dose which raised the number of doses per bottle (i.e. making it last longer). If you keep taking the dose you were taking, nothing will change for you personally.

Question
We have been trying the Natural Calm powder for a few weeks now. We are not sure if it’s working though. We are looking for something for my 80 year old grandmother who has chronic constipation. She is up to date on all of her colon checks. All is clear.
Do you have any recommendations?
Lynn/PA

Answer
Natural Calm Magnesium Supplement will work to bring chronic constipation relief. You need to keep increasing the dose until her stools become comfortably loose.

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body and 90% of people are deficient so your grandmother is absorbing the magnesium in Natural Calm magnesium supplement as a mineral to her body; which is a good thing. When you receive more magnesium than your body requires, the excess gets eliminated through the colon. It then hydrates the colon (i.e. adds water) and your stools become softer. Too much excess magnesium will make your stools watery. Most laxatives are made from magnesium. They mostly use magnesium oxide which is hard for your body to absorb. Using Natural Calm magnesium supplement give your body the much needed magnesium and, if you take enough, it will give you chronic constipation relief. So your body benefits in two ways; fights magnesium deficiency and constipation relief.

You need magnesium to absorb your calcium. If you don’t get enough magnesium then the calcium will be stored in your body. This can cause problems like arthritis and kidney stones.

Too much calcium can be constipating and sometimes Natural Calm magnesium supplement will cause the excess stored calcium to be released (which is a good thing) and cause constipation. This constipation is very temporary and soon Natural Calm will bring constipation relief.

So have your grandmother continue with taking Natural Calm magnesium supplement and keep increasing her dose slowly until her bowels are comfortably loose.

Yes! Taking Natural Calm magnesium supplement while nursing is actually recommended by Dr. Dean. In her book, The Magnesium Miracle, she recommends that lactating/nursing/breastfeeding mothers should take about 600mg of magnesium due to their increased need for more magnesium. You really cannot take too much magnesium supplement, unless you have serious kidney problems, because your body will eliminate the excess magnesium through your colon. What you will notice: if you do take too much Natural Calm magnesium, your stools would be loose. Our recommendation is to increase your Natural Calm magnesium supplement slowly until your stools are comfortably loose. Then you are at the optimal level for maximum magnesium absorption.

Mama Calm is a Natural Calm magnesium supplement that is formulated especially for mothers-pregnant or nursing/lactating/breastfeeding. Raspberry-lemon flavor Mama Calm contains folic acid and zinc for proper DNA formation. (Thousands of studies have shown that folic acid is vital for a healthy and successful pregnancy. Zinc and magnesium are equally necessary for proper DNA formation, mood functions and relaxation.) Mama Calm also provides Vitamin C. Magnesium provides relaxation and comfort. So Mama Calm helps you get four important nutrients; zinc, vitamin C, Folic Acid and magnesium. Mama Calm and Natural Calm contain no sugar or artificial sweeteners and have zero carbs.

For more information, go to www.calmnatural.com/mama-calm

This is an update to an earlier post.

Consumers Lab is not a lab but a media company and has no lab facilities of their own. The manufacturer does check each batch to ensure quality control. The ConsumerLabs report and the way they conducted and handle it has caused me to lose respect for them. In my opinion, they are more interested in sensationalizing information in the interest of selling me a report than actually trying to help me with factual information.

The manufacturer of Natural Calm decided to have an independent report done by a third party, specializing in Prop 65 compliance. The purpose of this report was to have an outside company review and give findings for what the company already knew: their products are Prop 65 compliant. An independent company, “Environ” created a report using 3 different labs. The conclusion of the report was that, “At suggested use, a person would not be exposed to lead levels requiring a warning as stated by California proposition 65.” This is a professional way of saying the product is compliant with the most stringent heavy metal standards in the world. It is also worth noting that this report was over 50 pages, and included all information, testing methodology and test results. Had ConsumerLabs requested such information from the company, they would have happily provided such, rather than embarrassing their own credibility by launching an unfounded email accusing the company of having ‘holes’ in their report.

Two of the three labs could not detect any lead. I.e. if there is lead in the product, it is below what their equipment was able to test. The first lab’s lowest detection level is 0.5ppm (parts per million). The second lab’s lowest detection level is 0.05 ppm; 10 times more accurate. All of their tests could not detect lead in the samples, i.e. the reported level was <0.05 ppm. I am not sure what the detection level of the third lab was, but it did detected lead at 0.02 and 0.03 ppm. All three labs used Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and Mass Spectroscopy (MS) to test the samples submitted.

Six different products were tested; Natural Calm Plain, each of the three flavors, Calm plus Calcium Plain and its Raspberry-Lemon flavored formulation.

So in conclusion, we believe there is no lead issue in Natural Calm. Heavy metals should be a concern to all of us, from cooking with aluminium pans, to mercury in fish but because today’s lab equipment is able to show infinitesimal results, we will always be able to find minute amounts of heavy metals in almost everything we test.

Question
I have recently purchased Natural Calm to help treat constipation. Would you please respond with information about how this product should be taken, long term effects of your product - if any and what other supplements would work well with your product.

Answer
Many people purchase Natural Calm to help treat constipation. Most laxatives are made from magnesium oxide which is a low cost source of magnesium. Natural Calm is a high quality, highly absorbable form of magnesium called magnesium citrate.

Most people are magnesium deficient and the main purpose of taking Natural Calm is to supplement your body with magnesium. Magnesium is necessary for good bone development (your bones are 2:1 Calcium:Magnesium), nerve function (allows you to relax and reduce anxiety) and muscle function (low magnesium is responsible for muscle aches). Low magnesium levels can contribute to constipation.

After your body gets the optimal level of magnesium it needs, it will put the excess into your colon. When it enters your colon, the net effect is that it hydrates your colon; i.e. makes your stools watery.

By taking a high quality magnesium, like Natural Calm Magnesium Citrate, you have the added benefit that your magnesium deficient body can get a nutrient it really needs and then put the excess to the colon. A low cost form like magnesium oxide will mostly go straight to the colon as the body will not be able to use it much as a nutrient.
We believe that you should increase your magnesium intake until your stools become comfortably loose. Then you are at your optimal level. You may need to increase or decrease your levels as your stress levels, brain usage and physical activity change. Often you need to start at a lower lever until your body gets used to it and then slowly increase.
We believe that it is important to make sure that you are consuming enough water, as water is necessary for all bodily functions including elimination. Having magnesium hydrating your colon and not having enough water to hydrate it will find your efforts counterproductive.

Fiber is also a big factor in keeping you naturally regular. Vegetables are an excellent source of food fiber, as well as flax seed.

We do not believe that Natural Calm should be used as a laxative substitute for a poor diet.

Natural Calm works well with the Liquid Organic Life Vitamins

There are no negative long term effects of using Natural Calm if used as directed.

Questions

How much Natural Calm can I take?
How much Natural Calm should I take?
What is the upper limit of intake for my weight?
Why does the US version have 150% of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance)?
Does Natural Calm have any side effects?
What is the toxic level of Magnesium?

Answer

Natural Calm is made from a proprietary blend of Magnesium Carbonate and Citric Acid. Hot water is needed to activate the two products to create Magnesium Citrate, a highly bioavailable source of magnesium. Natural Calm is a low cost powder with a high effectiveness of a liquid. All minerals need to be in an acidic solution to be absorbed and magnesium citrate is very absorbable in a liquid form.

The questions above have more to do with magnesium intake as Natural Calm is a magnesium supplement.

Magnesium is the 4th most abundant mineral in our body and necessary for over 300 body functions.

RDA

The RDA for an adult is around 400mg. This number is selected as a safe number for the average person; one RDA for all adults whether you are 250lb or 100lb, active or not. We believe the number is on the low side of what most of us need. You do need a starting point and an idea of what is typical, even if it is on the lower side.

Magnesium Requirements

There are many factors that will vary our magnesium needs.

• The more stress you are under, the more magnesium you need.
• The more you use your brain in thinking, the more magnesium you use.
• The more active you are the more magnesium you use up.
• The larger frame you are, they more magnesium you require.
• Prescription drugs (and illegal drugs) and alcohol require extra magnesium
• Your bones are 2:1 calcium/magnesium ratio while your brain is more like 2:1 Mg:Ca

Magnesium Intake

Magnesium is found in many food sources but over processing depletes the magnesium in our foods as most of the magnesium ends up in the water we cook with. There is less magnesium in our foods now than in the 1950s due to over farming, increased yields, less top soil and no magnesium fertilisation. It is our opinion that we are not consuming as much magnesium in our foods as we think.

Another problem is that most of our diet is acidic and the magnesium and calcium in our diets are used to neutralise the acidic foods.

People tend to be worried about not enough calcium and consume extra calcium. Magnesium is needed to absorb calcium as our bones are 2:1 calcium:magnesium ratio. Many people have excess calcium in their bodies which will cause calcium deposits. Examples of calcium deposits include kidney stones, some forms of arthritis, and bone spurs.

Can I Take Too Much?

If you take too much magnesium, as with vitamin C, the body will use what it needs and eliminate any excess. The excess will go into the colon, causing it to hydrate and the effects are stools that are too loose. i.e. you will get the runs. So you really can not get too much. The only deviation on this is if you have kidney problems. Because the excess goes through your kidneys into your colon, a weak kidney could be a problem. While doctors will warn you about too much magnesium being hard on your kidneys, we want to warn you that too little magnesium will be hard on your heart, and muscles and your body in general. It can contribute to a host of problems (tinnitus, bronchitis, asthma, bone deformities, etc).

So How Much Should I Take?

Well, we believe that you need to educate yourself and get to know your body. Your body will tell you. We believe that you should increase your magnesium intake until your stools become comfortably loose. Then you are at your optimal level. You may need to increase or decrease your levels as your stress levels, brain usage and physical activity change. Often you need to start at a lower lever until your body gets used to it and then slowly increase.

We also believe that 70-90% of the population is deficient in magnesium and needs a lot of catching up to do (could take more than a year). Once you have caught up you can go to a maintenance level.

We recommend 150% of the RDA because we believe that

• Most people are deficient
• That the RDA is on the low side
• Most of the magnesium is going to calcium absorption and neutralizing an acidic diet
• Consuming only the RDA levels will not leave enough to combat insomnia, heart palpitations, muscle aches and other symptoms

Natural Calm is available in North America, Europe, Holland and the UK

Question
I have just started taking Calm Magnesium + Calcium (1 tsp twice a day 5 hours apart). Within 20 minutes of taking it dissolved in water I have intense symptoms of what I can only describe as anxiety (heart racing, sweating, loss of equilibrium, a sense of panic). It eventually subsides.

Other medication I take is low dose of Effexor, Synthroid, hormone replacement (every 3 days), low dose aspirin, Lipitor.

Do you suggest I continue with the Calm?

Answer
When a person is magnesium deficient and consumes adequate calcium, the calcium will not be properly absorbed as our bones are 2 parts calcium and 1 part magnesium. Because the calcium needs the magnesium to get put into our bones and teeth, the excess calcium will often get stored as calcium deposits.

When we get excited, calcium enters our cells and when we relax, the calcium gets replaces by magnesium. When confronted with stress (e.g. a fire, or confronted by a wild animal) we go into a “fight or flight” mode. When we are deficient in magnesium, we lose our ability to relax after a stress. Sometimes, when we get extra magnesium, the calcium “comes out” of the stores to be combined with the magnesium. The extra calcium puts us in a “fight or flight” state causing our heart to race, adrenalin to pump (a stress chemical), and other “I am in danger” feelings and reactions. To build bones, you also need vitamin D. Maybe your reaction is because you are also vitamin D3 deficient. Along with the proper calcium and magnesium ratio, you need vitamin D3 to absorb the calcium and convert it into bone mass.

My suggestion is that you take a straight magnesium supplement, like Natural Calm, and not take any calcium supplements along with it. Also, supplement your diet with about 1,000 mg of D3. If you start slowly, with a low dose (slowly increasing it), you can eliminate the excess calcium by converting it into bone mass, and cause your overall health to improve. Starting at a low dose (1 level teaspoon of Natural Calm) along with vitamin D3, you may not experience the effects you are experiencing.

We also have transdermal magnesium which is a liquid you put on your skin. Your skin absorbs the magnesium and may help you better.

While it seems like your body is reacting negatively to the magnesium, it may be that your body really needs the magnesium along with some vitamin D3.

The prescription drugs you are taking also increase your magnesium requirements.
Natural Calm is available in North America, Europe, Holland and the UK

Question:
Hi, I love your liquid vitamins!

I also take your Natural Calm Plus Calcium and have a question. I noticed there is 500 mg Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Wouldn’t the ascorbic acid erode my teeth since it is liquid? Just as it would if I drank lemon water every day (which I don’t do for that reason)?

And thank you! I noticed you now make the Calm with Organic ingredients! Can’t wait to order my next batch especially now that it’s organic!

Thank you for your time and wonderful products,
- Gwen

Answer
Minerals need to be in an acidic solution to be absorbed by your body. While your stomach has acids in it, it is more preferred to have a mineral, like magnesium, in an acidic solution. It took a number of years to get the optimal blend and that is why we advertise it as a “Proprietary blend”. The proprietary blend is what makes the products have such a high bioavailability. I personally, squeeze a whole lemon into a mug, add warm water, and drink it first thing every morning as a cleanse and to help alkalize my body. I don’t believe my drink is harming my teeth because it is so short lived on my teeth and it helps to alkalize my body. The real problem, I believe is that people who drink acid producing products like soda pop, have acidic bodies and their salvia is acidic all the time. My saliva used to have a pH of 5.8, now it is at 6.8 and I am working to get it to 7.4 which is our body’s optimal pH level. Most of the foods we consume are acidic, like proteins and sugars. Those acidic foods will erode our enamel because they cause our body, including our saliva, to become acidic. Lemons, while they are acidic, they actually alkalize our body; same with the Calm drinks. Please refer to the article http://naturalcalmmagnesium.com/blog/?p=44 where I explain it more.

Question

Peter Gillham Natural Vitality Natural Calm, a powder, was found to contain 0.295 mcg of lead per teaspoon. It suggested a daily dose ranging from 1/2 teaspoon to 3 teaspoons per day which, at the higher end of the range, would exceed the State of California’s limit of 0.5 mcg of lead – above which a warning label is required. Such lead exposure can be easily avoided when taking magnesium, as evidenced by the many other products that did not exceed this limit.
I have good results with this product, but since reading this article have refrained from taking this supplement. Will your company investigate how lead was found in this product? What is defective in the manufacturing process to allow lead in this supplement?

Answer

For an update on this issue please see the most recent post
Thanks for writing us. We expect this issue to be resolved shortly. We saw the ConsumerLabs information two days ago.

First of all, we are not the manufacturer and this post does not represent their views. We are an independant company that happens to sell their products along with other health supplements.

We believe that ConsumerLabs are being alarmist and that Natural Calm is within 100,000 times the FDA safe zone and is totally safe. The rest of this blog is to substantiate that claim.

About ConsumerLabs
ConsumerLabs is not an actual laboratory, but contracts out their test needs to other labs. We have some questions about their testing accuracy and are in communication with them about the results. We are actually in the process of reviewing the data with them. ConsumerLabs is a company who wants members to subscribe. They also solicit for manufacturers to become members. If you are a manufacturer member and have bad results they treat you differently than if you are a non-member. We don’t believe that they are as independent as they try to lead us to believe. We have experience with lab analysis. Hair analysis is one method to detect mineral content in a person’s body. We know from experience it is very hard to obtain a lab that has a consistent reliable reading. My nutritionist regularly checks out his prefered lab to make sure that the results are consistent. One thing he does is send half the sample under one person’s name, and then he will send the other half as a different person. It took him many labs before he trusted one to make decisions based on the results.

ConsumerLabs uses 3rd party labs and from our experience, it is very hard to trust a lab sample. We believe it is in ConsumersLabs best interest to have results that are high so they can have sensational reports to sell. They are in the business to sell reports, not to protect consumers.

About the Lead Content
To put this in context, lead is found almost everywhere on earth - in air, foods, rivers, seawater, soils and even drinking water. The amount of lead in question is significantly less than would be found in many common foods. Our magnesium is sourced from sea water and sea water has many trace elements in it, including lead. If you analyzed the broccoli you eat, you would be able to pick up some lead in it and be able to report that in a test too. Even testing the air you breathe has a trace amount of lead.

We believe that Natural Calm is well within Federal FDA regulations with regard to naturally occurring lead content and have been following generally accepted industry guidelines for natural products within the state of California.

This is from the United States Pharmacopeia website with a date stamp of April 22 2009: Click here to see the chart.

USP 10 mcg per day based on 50kg body weight
EU 210 mcg/day; JECFA 210 mcg/day; FDA 75-25-6 mcg/day;Health Canada: 17mcg/day; ANSI 20mcg/day; California 15 mcg/day(for carcinogen; 0.5 for reproduction).

California just recently came out with very low standards. The FDA levels are 75mcg, and California is .5mcg, so 150 times less. Both of those figures are also “safe harbor figures” meaning, if you took 1,000 times that amount, you would still be safe. The UK is nearly 15mcg while other parts of EU get up to 210mcg. Canada is 17mcg and the US varies from 75 to 17mcg. So the new ultra low California standard is a brand new challenge that we will face and meet.

Let’s puts it into perspective…
If you took a sugar cube and divided it into 1,000 tiny cubes, then took a tiny cube and divided that into 1,000 and then split that in HALF, you would have half a microgram. We’re over by varying tests from .16 of a mcg to .38 of a mcg…so it’s a speck on a speck on a speck. Not the easiest task to keep at compliant levels; truly it’s an art. Tests vary from batch to batch, and we will work towards ensuring that every batch will meet the new California standard.

The recommended serving size (3 teaspoons) is 50% more than the RDA because we believe that most people will benefit from a higher dose. If you took the RDA serving size, Natural Calm would be within the ultra low California only limit. ConsumerLabs could have pointed that out, but being an alarmist company, we believe that they like to instill fear to sell reports and they prefer to be sensational.

Apparently more 350 products were black-listed on their magnesium list. Most were up to 50 times the legal amount. We Natural Calm was over by just .16 and we are not sure that Natural Calm really is over by the .16.

So in conclusion, Natural Calm is very safe in regards to lead levels and the company is working on reducing the lead further to be consistently below the new ultra low California standard.

Here is the company’s official statement

We saw the ConsumerLabs information two days ago. ConsumerLabs is not an actual laboratory. They contract out with other labs. We have some questions about
their test and are in communication with them and we are reviewing the data.

To put this in context, lead is found almost everywhere on earth - in air, foods, rivers, seawater, soils and even drinking water. The amount of lead in question is significantly less than would be found in many common foods.

We are well within Federal FDA regulations with regard to naturally occurring lead content and have been following generally accepted industry guidelines for natural products within the state of California.

We expect this issue to be resolved shortly.

For an update on this issue please see the most recent post

Question
On your website, you mention natural calm and calm plus for insomnia and RLS, of which I suffer from both. . I also have osteopina and I am wondering if the Osteo Calm will also aid in the help for insomnia and RLS? What do you suggest that I take?
thanks.. I appreciate your help. I am just getting started with your products and am excited about the possibilities. thanks!

Answer
Osteo Calm will also help to combat insomnia and restless leg syndrome (RLS). The reason is because of the magnesium in the Osteo Calm. When you take calcium, it actually depletes your magnesium because it takes magnesium to absorb your calcium. Osteo Calm has extra magnesium so that it is not all used up in absorbing the calcium and is available in your body to help you combat insomnia and restless leg syndrome (RLS).

If you suffer from insomnia and restless leg syndrome (RLS), what you might want to do is buy one bottle of Natural calm and take that first to build up your magnesium levels before building up your calcium levels. Keep increasing your Natural calm level until your bowels are comfortably loose, then you are getting the maximum of magnesium your body can absorb. If you can afford it, buy both and take osteo calm in the morning and natural calm in the evening. Once you feel you are sleeping well and your restless legs syndrome is at bay, then only take the osteo calm on a regular basis and keep Natural Calm around for those extra stressful times.