Calcium: From “Magic Bullet” to Scapegoat—and Back to Science Once celebrated as the superstar solution for osteoporosis, calcium has recently fallen from grace. It’s now routinely criticized—or outright vilified—by both conventional and alternative health commentators. Vitamin C researcher Thomas E. Levy, MD, even titled a book Death by Calcium! So how did one of the most essential minerals in human physiology—and one that most Americans, especially the elderly, are deficient in—end up with such a bad reputation? How Calcium Lost Its Halo The calcium controversy began when it was promoted as a standalone “magic bullet” for osteoporosis. The logic was simple: Weak bones? Take more calcium. When that approach didn’t deliver the expected results, experts added vitamin D: Take calcium with vitamin D. This worked slightly better—but still not well enough. Why? Because calcium never works alone. Calcium Is a Team…

A credible scientist is worried about the high oxalic acid (aka oxalate) content in green drinks and vegetarian diets.  Should you be concerned?  Maybe. Oxalic acid is found in plant foods. It’s also produced by the body in the course of normal metabolism.  Pretty nasty stuff, it’s the most corrosive acid in the body, a pro-oxidant, and it can combine with most minerals and heavy metals to form oxalate crystals. The most well-known of these crystals are kidney stones, but, according to chemist William Shaw, PhD, formerly of the Centers for Disease Control, high levels of oxalate can form crystals just about anywhere in the body, including glands, heart and brain. Like tiny pieces of glass, these crystals cause tissue damage and inflammation and have been implicated in arthritis, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis and a painful condition in and around the vagina called vulvodynia. Fortunately the human body is well-equipped to dispose of oxalate. If you’re in go…