A Highly Effective, Cheaper Alternative to Calcium Supplements is Already in Your Kitchen

Photo credit: Chris Salt

The importance of calcium intake is grossly underrated. When you think of calcium, you probably only think of it as a necessity for strong teeth and bones, but this mineral is required for so much more. For example, did you know that the formation of your cells depend on calcium? Your heart rhythm, muscles, nerves, and your mental health also need a supply of this mineral in order to function properly. 
 
The health problems that can manifest from low calcium levels are mind-boggling. Sleep, is one example -- Insufficient calcium levels can prevent you from getting good quality, deep sleep. 

Could you be deficient in calcium?  
Hypocalcemia or "calcium deficiency" is more common than you'd think and it can have devastating effects on your health.


Signs of hypocalcemia
Hypocalcemia can be asymptomatic for some people while others may experience life-threatening symptoms. 

It's important to know all the symptoms, but here are some of the more common signs of low calcium levels.

•  Muscle spasms/twitches, including in your face
•  Muscle cramps
•  Muscle weakness
•  Numbness
•  Shaking and trembling
•  Loss of body control 
•  Tingling sensations in your feet, hands, or lips
•  Seizures 
•  Slow or uneven heartbeat
•  Lightheaded-ness 
•  Cardiac arrest, in severe cases

•  Anxiety
•  Depression 
•  Confusion
•  Anger
•  Hallucinations, including auditory hallucinations

Those last 5 are interesting, if not scary. If you have the signs of calcium deficiency, then first thing you should do is start implementing this important mineral into your diet. 

Let's talk about how you can get those calcium levels up without having to shell (no pun intended) out a fortune on expensive supplements. 

Photo credit: Fetching Photos

For an alternative to expensive, questionable calcium supplements, try getting your calcium from eggshells. 

I know, it sounds horrifying, when you imagine crunching and swallowing something as sharp and glass-like as broken eggshells. 

The truth is, eggshell calcium is made by grinding eggshells into a fine powder, so it's much smoother than chewing on glass shards.

Is eggshell calcium better than a supplement?

Aside from the fact that it's cheaper to use eggshells (and cheaper is sometimes better in my opinion), there are a couple of reasons that eggshells may be a better alternative to calcium supplements.

•  Eggshell calcium (calcium carbonate) is said to be the perfect source of bio-available calcium, according to the research conducted in the1940's by Hungarian physician I. Krompecher. (Krompecher and his colleagues are the folks who developed the basics of therapeutic eggshell use.) The calcium in eggshells is similar to that found in our bones and teeth, so it's no surprise that eggshell calcium is at least a good source of calcium, if not "perfect," as Krompecher found.

*Bio-avaiable means that it's easily absorbed by the body. Some believe that our bodies don't always absorb minerals like calcium when we take them in the form of supplements. There's probably a reason why nutrition obtained from food sources (over supplements) is always the preferred and recommended route.

• Eggshells can contain up to 27 important minerals (like magnesium, phosphorous, silicon) and 20 essential amino acids (such as lysine, cysteine, isoleucine) all of which are critical for healthy bones and teeth. 

•  Store bought supplements often contain questionable ingredients like preservatives, additives, and who-knows-what-else. If you use organic, free-range eggs, you don't have to worry about the questionable ingredients that are found in supplements. Just be sure to opt for organic, free-range eggs.

Diseases That Benefit From Eggshell Calcium 
 

photo credit: Dawn Endico

1. Orthopedic diseases like osteoporosis.
Eggshell powder has shown significantly positive effects in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, according to researchers from the National Institute of Rheumatic Diseases. Furthermore, clinical studies found that eggshell powder decreases pain and osteoresorption (problems caused by decreased bone formation) while increasing mobility in women with senile osteoporosis and post-menopausal women with osteoporosis.

The study authors also noted that healing time was faster when eggshell calcium was used in the treatment of orthopedic problems such as osteoporosis.



2. Arthritis 
Eggshell calcium stimulates the growth of cartilage and decreases pain from arthritis, according to a study conducted on animals.

3. Bone Mineral Density
Another study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that a year of taking eggshell calcium (added to a vitamin/mineral supplement) increased the bone mineral density in healthy, late post-menopausal women. 

4. Plaque and weak tooth enamel
Using an eggshell based toothpaste can strengthen tooth enamel and some folks are even using it to help remineralize their teeth and prevent cavities.

There's some information swarming the Internet claiming that  a dentistry school in the Philippines found that when used overtime, eggshell toothpaste leads to stronger enamel, cleaner teeth, and less plaque formation. I have to be upfront and say that I've had no luck finding any reputable source that mentions this "study."

5. Nutritional Rickets
Some parents use ground eggshells to prevent nutritional rickets and promote healthy bone tissue formation.  Dr. Krompecher, from the Biological Research Institute, began using crushed or ground eggshells to treat rickets in children back in the 40's. According to the study published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, Dr. Krompecher would administer up to 6 grams of eggshells daily to children with rickets.

Note: Low levels of phosphorous and Vitamin D are also known to cause rickets, so don't rely solely on calcium. Eggshells are commonly ground into a fine powder and added to foods for this purpose.

How To Make Your Own Eggshell Calcium
If you're as thrilled as I was to learn a simple way to get of calcium without spending a lot of money, then you'll want to make your own right away. There are a few slightly different ways to go about making eggshell calcium, but each method is pretty simple. If you want to make your own eggshell calcium, pick whichever method suits you and follow the instructions below:

1. Rinse the eggshells, but feel free to leave the nutritious "membrane" (the white papery film attached to the inside of the egg.)

2. Bake or Hard boil the eggs to kill any pathogens. Some people speculate that boiling the eggshells would diminish their mineral content. Reports have stated that this isn't the case except with the potassium content, which will leach out of the shells. Some people opt to bake them, which is what I do. Spread the shells out on a baking sheet and bake at 325 F for 15 minutes.

3. Crush 'em! (Use a food processor, coffee grinder or blender) Personally, this is my favorite part and you'll probably find it odd, but I actually enjoyed crushing them by hand (mortar and pestle style.) There's something a little soothing about the repetitive crunching of the shells. Either that or I had no other option but to crush them by hand, so I've convinced myself it was enjoyable! 

It's much more time consuming to crush the eggshells by hand. I have managed to crush a batch down to powder form, but you'll probably want to use a coffee bean grinder or a food processor if you have one. Just don't use the plastic bag + hammer method. I tried it the first time and it was a total fail. 

As for using a blender, it won't grind them down into a fine powder, but you can mortar and pestle the rest of the way or just toss your eggshell in the blender with smoothie ingredients.

4. Store your eggshell calcium in a jar with a tight lid. Glass baby food jars work well, but the only jar I had on hand was a plastic instant coffee container. Some people store the jar of calcium in the fridge.

How to Make Calcium Citrate:
Calcium citrate is a more easily absorbed form of calcium for some people. You can make calcium citrate easily by adding either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to your eggshells. I only tried making calcium citrate once, but I find the powdered method easier.  

Watch the step-by-step video tutorial by Living The Hedge Witch Life if you're interested in making your own calcium citrate.

How Much Eggshell Calcium Should You Take
 
1 teaspoon of crushed eggshell contains around 800 - 1,000 milligrams of calcium. Or around 400 milligrams per gram. The old study "Eggshell Calcium for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis" published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy says 1 gram of powder contains 370 milligrams of calcium.

Obviously, the daily dosage of calcium will depend on your personal daily needs, so you'll have to adjust your dose accordingly. The most common "dosage" I've heard of people using is between half a teaspoon to  1 teaspoon daily. I'm not one for exact measurements, so I typically just dip my teaspoon in and eyeball it.

How Should You Take Eggshell Calcium?
If you ask me, the quicker and easier, the better. Well, when it comes to taking supplements. 

Most days, I just scoop a small amount of powder out (usually around half a teaspoon) and swallow with water or juice. However, you can add this virtually tasteless powder to many foods and drinks if you really care to.

Most people seem to prefer taking their supplements in smoothies. You can put your eggshell calcium in applesauce, oatmeal, juice, ice cream, thick soups, etc. You can even sprinkle it on your salad or other dishes. Just keep in mind that the powder will give your smoothies/foods texture. If small bits of powdered shell is bothersome, you might have to get creative.

How to Make Natural Toothpaste Using Eggshells 
You can make your own toothpaste using a scoop of your crushed eggshell powder and very few other ingredients. The best part about DIY toothpaste is that the recipes can be tweaked to include ingredients that fit your specific needs and taste.

Here is a quick video that tells you how to make a super simple eggshell toothpaste using coconut oil and eggshells

  

Baking soda and coconut oil are the most commonly used base ingredients. As long as you have those, you'll be able to make your own toothpaste right away.

Warning: Only use calcium carbonate for your toothpaste. Do not use calcium citrate -- it's too acidic for use on the enamel.

Marissa from the Becoming Kindred blog has a simple recipe for those of you who are interested in making your own eggshell-based toothpaste.
 


Note: Always remember that your body needs all its  important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in order to properly utilize them, and calcium is no exception. It works with other vital nutrients and minerals. In other words, calcium can't do much for you if you're deficient somewhere else. 

Vitamin D3, Vitamin K, and Magnesium are some of the critical ones needed for calcium to be useful.

Fundamental Chemical-Free Organic Shampoo Review

I've just had the lovely opportunity to try a few products that are available at Earth Turns, who happen to be a very friendly company that carries a variety of really amazing quality products like supplements and natural or herbal products, and even a beauty department. All of the products Earth Turns carry are manufactured under Current Good Manufacturing Process Standards and are natural, safe and effective. I've recently been trying various samples of their product (like the "Relax Already that I recently reviewed) and this new, chemical-free shampoo. 

Before I get into the review for this interesting shampoo, I wanted to take a second to include that Earth Turns has an A+ BBB rating, and at the moment, they're doing free shipping for  US orders! You really can't beat free shipping these days.
 

Fundamental Shampoo is a chemical & SLS-free shampoo with organic ingredients designed to restore hair's shine and body. 

Obviously, as with any natural shampoo, you're going to experience little to no lather. This sometimes means you feel the need to use more product than normal, as I do, so when I dumped an entire hand-full of shampoo in my hair, I was shocked to learn that with the Fundamental Shampoo, that was not necessary! The stuff actually lathers as good as any typical shampoo! So, I kicked myself for wasting so much.

Something I love about Fundamental Shampoo is my hair always smells, feels and looks totally clean, even though I didn't use sulfates to clean it.  The shampoo has a minty scent that does not stay in hair.

 I once thought that natural shampoos that did not contain some sort of harsh sulfate couldn't truly clean my hair. I think we've all been kind of brainwashed as to what the real definition of clean is. It seems we've been thinking that "clean" means stripping all of our skin and hair of anything and everything. If any little natural oil was leftover (which cannot be seen when you first wash the hair with Fundamental Shampoo) is considered dirty.

In fact, my hair feels, looks and smells just as clean as when I use the average drug-store shampoo.

Another plus is that the scent of the Fundamental Shampoo is "acceptable" by either gender (male or female.)

After using the Fundamental Shampoo, my hair was different in texture and appearance. It had more fluff/volume than it normally does, which can be a great thing when hair is flat.

My ends, while they appeared a lot fuller than normal (plus!), they felt a tiny bit drier than they do when I use a good leave-in conditioner, but I made sure to use my leave-in the next night when washing my hair with Fundamental Shampoo  & that helped my ends a lot. I normally always use the leave-in since my ends have some damage, but I skipped when I used the shampoo for the first time because I wanted to be sure I could get the best idea of how this shampoo does. 

I do want to make it clear that I love this shampoo! I really do. My hair actually felt cleaner than it does with other shampoos, and I have been able to skip a day between washes (I normally do that) without my hair looking oily at all the last day. Very impressive.


Benefits of the Ingredients in Fundamental Shampoo
With ingredients like saponified olive oil and coconut oil, the Fundamental Shampoo is nicely moisturizing for hair, and will help with damage and promote shine.

Ginger extract is a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, which makes it great for sensitive skin. Ginger extract may also be a useful remedy for hair loss and can make the hair stronger & healthier. Ginger plus olive oil makes a great dandruff remedy, so since the Fundamental Shampoo contains both, it'll be useful for that too. 

Honey, a natural anti-bacterial is an all-around amazing ingredient for health in general, which is why I try to consume pure, raw honey at least 5 times a week, daily when I can. As for hair, though, honey may be useful for preventing hair loss since it helps hair to retain moisture, and it's conditioning. It also makes hair shiny.

Comfrey Root Extract is an anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, too. It also prevents dryness, is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and may stimulate hair growth. The plant protein Mucilage in Comfrey is a foaming agent, which gives the Fundamental Shampoo a bit of sudsy-ness, it also softens hair.

Grape Seed Extract is an anti-septic and anti-inflammatory that may also be helpful for hair loss. GSE contains antioxidants, which help prevent damage and repair previous damage.

Rosemary Extract, an anti-microbial and anti-fungal with some scientific evidence showing that Rosemary oil may be able to help with hair growth. Rosemary extract will help soothe any scalp irritation and keep it clean while also preventing dandruff

Burdock Root Extract helps promote healthy scalp and hair. The Vitamin A, Mucilage and essential fatty acid content in Burdock helps nourish and strengthen skin and hair. It can also provide relief from itchy, inflamed and dry scalp problems.

What I Love About the Fundamental Shampoo:

• Cruelty Free. Fundamental Earth products have been approved by Leaping Bunny & PETA as cruelty free products.
•  The shampoo contains organic ingredients and vitamins.
•  Is nourishing to hair
• Won't damage hair at all as it's free of toxic chemicals, sulfates, parabens, etc.

• Maintains hair's pH balance.

• Doesn't dry out scalp

I can't say that I would actually go so far as to totally switch to this shampoo at this moment in my life. Mostly just because at $11 something for a full sized bottle, considering how much shampoo my hair uses, it just wouldn't be affordable right now. However, I have checked around and it appears that it's as much as $5 elsewhere online, so I certainly cannot complain about the $11 price for it at Earth Turns, especially with free shipping on top of it. I would certainly jump all over that offer when my usual budget allows just a bit extra spending, though.

Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.

Relax Already - Magnificent Herbal Sleep Aid from Earth Turns

I've had the lovely opportunity to try a few products that are available at Earth Turns, who happen to be a very friendly company that carries a variety of really amazing quality products like supplements and natural or herbal products, and even a beauty department. All of the products Earth Turns carry are manufactured under Current Good Manufacturing Process Standards and are natural, safe and effective. I've recently been trying samples of an herbal sleep aid they carry called "Relax Already." 

Before I get into the review for the Relax Already supplement (which I'm loving, by the way), I wanted to take a second to include that Earth Turns has an A+ BBB rating, and at the moment, they're doing free shipping for  US orders! You really can't beat free shipping these days.

Relax Already is a dietary supplement manufactured in America, by StoneAge Wellness and designed to not only help you sleep, but also to relax your muscles and relieve stress. If you've never used a natural or herbal based sleep product, then you'll be in for a big surprise because ingredients like Valerian root, passion flower and lemon balm are highly impressive sleep and relaxation aids. These ingredients also help relieve stress wonderfully and relax tense muscles.  What I love most about Relax Already is that I can take them and sleep amazingly well, but they don't leave me feeling out of my head or sluggish.  Also that they're so safe, natural and without negative side effects is a main reason I like them. Store-bought sleep aids have always left me feeling really out of it, and the effects leave me sluggish and irritable the next day. With such clean ingredients and effective herbs, Relax Already never leaves me feeling off or sluggish. In fact, I've woken up feeling better than I typically do. And you just can't beat the deep, relaxed sleep that comes about 40 minutes after taking it.

Taking only once capsule of Relax Already put me to sleep gently for about 6 hours before I ever woke up. After waking and having a snack, I went back to bed and read for a few minutes before falling back to sleep for another 4 hours. Waking up was easy and I felt wide awake once I'd slept off Relax Already's awesome effects. I didn't even remember dreaming for those first 6 hours. 

What Makes Relax Already so Effective:
Relax Already contains 100 milligrams of magnesium per serving. Magnesium itself is helpful for getting sleep since it relaxes the muscles.

A serving of Relax Already contains 1150 milligrams of ValFlora, StoneAge Wellness' proprietary blend of Valerian Root, Passion Flower, Lemon Balm, Chamomile & Cramp Bark.  This kind of blend is sure to relax and promote sleep due to Valerian Root being an anti-anxiety herb as well as a centuries old sleep remedy.

Lemon Balm also has anti-anxiety properties and reduces stress, improves appetite, eases pain and discomfort, promotes sleep, eases bloating, gas and indigestion. When combined with herbs like Chamomile and Valerian (just like in the Relax Already supplement), Lemon Balm is soothing, calming and promotes relaxation.  Lemon Balm also has antibacterial properties. It also may improve cognitive function and help with Alzheimer's symptoms.

Passion Flower has a calming effect and has been used as an aid for insomnia and anxiety.

Chamomile, with its mild sedative like effects have also been used for centuries to promote calming, help sleep and reduce anxiety, promote relaxation and reduce stress.

Cramp Bark  is a muscle relaxant and anti-spasmodic Cramp Bark, interestingly enough, also relieves uterine cramping.

Note: Many of the herbs in this product are helpful for digestive pains and discomforts, too.

The rest of the ingredients:
Vegetable cellulose (capsules), rice flour, vegetable stearate.

What I Love About Relax Already:

• No artificial ingredients.
• Safe and impressively effective.
• Vegetarian, and the capsules are made of vegetable cellulose.
• Free of wheat, dairy, soy, corn, sugar and yeast.

•  Earth Turns' Price for the product. It's rare to see a supplement with these ingredients for such a decent price. At the moment, a bottle of 60 capsules is available on Earth Turns for only $11.49. That's coming from me, a big tight-wad.

• The manufacturer of Relax Already, StoneAge Wellness uses tested ingredients for purity and ingredient potency.

•  Relax Already is manufactured to cGMP (current Good Manufacturing) standards. You can read more about what that means here.

How to use Relax Already:

The packet says to take 2 capsules about 30 minutes before bedtime. I find that I only need one capsule to get the job done.

 Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.