Calcium Deficiency and Hypocalcemia in a Collapsed Society

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on nutritional needs and deficiencies that you might wish make sure you have covered in your food storage supplies and plans.  No medication or supplement, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.
 

Calcium is important for strong bones and teeth.  Most of us remember that from grade school.  Lack of calcium will result in osteoporosis and other things as horrible as the zombie apocalypse.  We remember that from watching all those commercials on TV.

Not only does deficiency in calcium cause osteoporosis, but it also results in poor blood clotting and stunted growth and rickets in children.  A severe deficiency, hypocalcemia, manifests with symptoms such as confusion and memory loss, depression, hallucinations, muscle spasms, numbness or tingling in the hands and/or feet, weak and brittle nails, and, of course, brittle, easily fractured bones. Calcium regulates blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart rhythms, and muscle contractions.

The risk for calcium deficiency increases with age, due to a variety of factors:  insufficient dietary intake, medications that prevent the uptake of calcium, hormonal changes (primarily women), and intolerance to calcium-rich foods, mostly dairy products.  Consuming too much protein can also cause a calcium deficiency (so that plan to live off what you can shoot may not work out so well).  Insufficient vitamin D consumption also plays a role.  If vitamin D intake is inadequate, calcium cannot be absorbed either.  They work together.

Risk factors for calcium deficiency include hypoparathyroidism, malnutrition, malabsorption, low levels of vitamin D, pancreatitis, celiac disease, chronic kidney disease, gastric bypass surgery, and veganism.  Being a post-menopausal woman is the greatest risk factor of all.  Women need to increase their calcium intake as they age, especially before menopause begins, because decreasing estrogen levels cause bones to thin faster. And along those lines is having amenorrhea, when body fat levels drop so low that women cease menstruating.  This happens with extreme athletes and women who do not get enough to eat.

Yeah, you need to consume calcium every day.  However, you won't see signs of deficiency if you miss a day or two or five.  The body maintains proper calcium levels by taking calcium from the bones.  But if the bones become depleted, then you've got troubles, real troubles. 

Unfortunately, calcium deficiencies are best diagnosed with lab tests, which are not likely to be available post-collapse.  Great care needs to be taken if you suspect a calcium deficiency, because over-treating with supplements may cause kidney problems.  Calcium deficiency solutions include taking calcium, vitamin D (increases the calcium absorption rate in the body; getting in the sun, without sunscreen, is also helpful), and/or magnesium supplements.

Calcium supplements work best when they are taken with food, with the maximum dose per meal being 500 milligrams.  If more is needed, take it with another meal.  Calcium supplements are available in three forms:

• Calcium carbonate, which has the most calcium and is the least expensive;
• Calcium citrate, which is the most easily absorbed by the body; and
• Calcium phosphate, which is easily absorbed and does not cause constipation.

Foods rich in calcium are dairy products, canned sardines in oil, canned salmon, almonds, pistachios, white beans, black beans, wheat grass, cooked collard greens and broccoli, kale, dandelion leaves, okra, and eggshells. Eggshells can be washed, dried, ground into powder, and then mixed into food or water, if necessary.

There are a number of medications that can have a negative consequence when taken with calcium.  Calcium is essential to basically the entire operation of most every cell in the body.  It's just not something to be messed with, however minor you think your problem is.  You really need to consult with a physician, even if in a grid-down situation.  These medications include, but are not limited to, the following:

• some antibiotics, especially the tetracyclines (anything that ends in -cycline) and the fluoroquinolones (anything that ends in -floxacin), as their absorption may be decreased by calcium;
• diuretics, which may increase or decrease calcium levels in the blood, depending on which particular diuretic is being used;
• antacids containing aluminum;
• digoxin;
• estrogen medications;
• blood pressure beta blockers.

Links to related posts:
Dietary Deficiency and Consequences--Vitamin A
                                                                Vitamin B1
                                                                Vitamin B2
                                                                Vitamin B3
                                                                Vitamin B5, B6, B7
                                                                Vitamin B9
                                                                Vitamin B12
                                                                Vitamin C  
                                                                Vitamin D
                                                                Iodine  
                                                                Iron
                                                                Magnesium
                                                                Potassium  
                                                                Zinc

For further reading:
https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/two-types-of-calcium-deficiency/
https://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health-articles/calcium-deficiency-symptoms-causes-and-treatments/
https://draxe.com/calcium-deficiency/
https://www.webmd.com/diet/supplement-guide-calcium#1
https://www.healthline.com/health/calcium-deficiency-disease