Sleeping in Paris - Excess Calcium and Brain Disorders

 

Q: In Paris, some airline crew members have been purchasing a sleep aid (in small tablet form), something called Donormyl, which is supposedly better than melatonin, Excedrin PM and the like. Do you know anything about it? I would appreciate any light you can shed on the subject.

A: Yes, we know of this product. You can purchase it in the U.S. over the counter in a product called Unisom. This OTC product has been heavily advertised on TV in the US The chemical name is "doxylamine succinate." It may be more effective than melatonin in inducing sleep, but it develops rapid tolerance in the body and usually stops working after a few nights. It might be great for your airline pilot friends to take on short layovers in Europe, but it does not produce sustained sleep inducing results.

Q: I read something the other day that indicated that excess calcium causes brain disorders. I am getting about 1500 mgs a day with the Bone Assure and minor amounts from other sources. Do you know anything about this, and is it possible I may be fixing one problem and creating another one?

A: What you read is that excess calcium infiltration into brain cells causes severe aging- related damage. That does not mean you should avoid calcium supplements. To the contrary, if you take too little calcium, your parathyroid gland starts leaching calcium from your bones, and often overdoes it to the point of causing a condition known as hypercalcemia, i.e. too much calcium in the blood.

Magnesium blocks excess calcium infiltration into the cells and magnesium is often referred to as nature's calcium-channel blocker. Vitamin K helps induce youthful calcium metabolism throughout your body. Taking supplemental calcium keeps your parathyroid gland from pulling calcium from your bones and overloading your bloodstream. Too much calcium in the blood can result in calcium infiltration into the cells, a common manifestation of aging. Continue taking Bone Assure, as it is designed to get the calcium to bones, and away from other areas of the body.