CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS
Although bone meal (ground animal bones) would seem to be the most logical source of calcium for keeping our bones healthy and strong, it contains significant quantities of lead. This is understandable, the U.S. Pharmacist (8#3:27) comments, since lead in the soft tissues is poisonous and the body combats this danger by storing it away in the bones where it becomes biologically inert. Because there is always some lead in the environment, the older animals become, the more lead there is to be found in their bones. For this reason, the FDA advises, bone meal should be used sparingly if at all.
Dolomite is a calcium-bearing ground-up rock that also contains lead, but much less than there is to be found in bone meal. Even so, it can be toxic, especially for children, who are much more susceptible than are adults to poisoning by lead.
To be safe, it is therefore advisable to use pure salts of calcium (such as calcium carbonate, calcium lactate or calcium gluconate) that we can depend upon to be lead-free. Used as a supplement to maintain the integrity of the bones, calcium carbonate needs to be taken in doses of two to three tablets (each of 650 mg) daily. Only about 30 percent of the weight of each tablet is calcium: the rest is carbonate. In calcium lactate and gluconate tablets, the proportion of calcium is even less and, to get enough calcium, one must take several of them every day. Nevertheless, many people prefer them.
Used as antacids, calcium carbonate products are safer, no less effective, and considerably cheaper than aluminum-containing medications.
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