Calmac™ Original, a worldwide best seller and a long time favorite of our customers, supplies calcium and magnesium in a 3:1 ratio (450 mg calcium and 150 mg magnesium).
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and is concentrated mostly in bones and teeth. Magnesium is essential for overall nutrition and plays an important role in relaxing muscles.
I have heard or read about many MMer’s who experience “charlie horses”, muscle cramps, spasms, difficulty sleeping, etc. (And of course Dave experienced this.) This “remedy” if you will, I have used since the early 1980’s.
Back in that day, I had to buy the Calcium and Magnesium in bags and mix them myself with the addition of cider vinegar to get the activation of the two to work together. It was messy, it was a bit gagging, but it was worth it. I mostly used to worry about being stopped by a police officer and have him think I had bags of illegal substances in my car! I was always relieved when I made it home. I was told that pill form supplements weren’t as good because they needed an “acidic” component (the cider vinegar).
I began using CalMac (known as CalMag back then) when a friend shared it with me. She told me that her husband used it daily for bursitis in his shoulder, that it was good for sore muscles, anxiousness, sleep aid, cramps, etc. I had charlie horses in my sleep sometimes that would wake me up out of dead sleep in tremendous agony. Poor Dave would try to quickly figure out which calf it was and with all his strength he would massage it for me to try to get it to stop. Both my grandparents had similar stuff, so I just chalked it up to one of those lovely things you carry forward in the gene pool. Anyway, sign me up! I began using it and had immediate results.
My daughter had difficult menstrual cycles. While all her friends were taking Midol, Aleve, etc., I introduced her to CalMac. Now in a cool prepackaged, all-in-one version (and much better tasting). She loved it and it handled everything for her. As an athlete (indeed both of my children), she also used it routinely after practice, before bed. Of course the commercial version is way more expensive than the way I used to buy it, but it is worth the convenience.
At NutrinaDirect.com they have 3 or 4 versions of their CalMac (one that includes Melatonin) . The ratios are slightly different with each one, and I’m sorry I don’t know the benefits of the different ratios. I have used them all, but I tend to like the original formula to always be stocked, even if I might use the one with Melatonin once in a while.
So here is what you will need to know and understand if you want to give it a try. You can drink it multiple times a day, if you wish. I tend to drink it in the evening or after rigorous exercise (or mowing the lawn on a hot day).
When you make it, follow the directions (but I will give you my own here). IF you have any issues with bowel movements, i.e., loose stools or diarrhea, then you need to reduce the amount you are putting in your individual preparation. It does not mean you have to drink less. It means that you are putting too much in the glass you are making.
What I do is, in my hot pot, I boil the water. I have put a rounded kitchen teaspoon of CalMac in my coffee mug. I pour in a couple of tablespoons of the boiling water to activate the CalMac and stir until clear. I add several ice cubes and pour in undiluted juice. (My daughter puts in the ice cubes and drinks it straight. She says it doesn’t taste bad and she gets it over with quick.)
I have tried to steep it with a tea bag, but it seems to prevent the tea from leeching. So you can make the tea first and then add a premixed CalMac to your tea if you like (there is a lemon flavored version).
When Dave was working with the yoga instructor this summer, I had his CalMac all made for him when he was done. It helped him to not have muscle spasms and cramps when he went to sleep at night. His muscles were seriously atrophied and any stretching of them had some repercussions that were undesirable. But he simply needed some help pushing through or he wouldn’t get anywhere in restoring his strength and flexibility.
As in my previous post about supplements and Velcade, Dave doesn’t take CalMac on his infusion days. You won’t find this in stores, but places that carry a lot of remedies might have it. The Apothecary in Bethesda, MD carries it on the shelf. NutrinaDirect is a long time reputable company that I have bought from for years. Also my grandfather had what today would be called “Restless Leg Syndrome” (except I don’t think he had pain associated with it. It seemed to be involuntary movements). It helped him tremendously, but he just couldn’t be bothered with it unless I was there to make it for him.
