Calcium/Magnesium Ratio
Introduction
To gain a full understanding of the ratio between calcium and magnesium, it is important to consider the different roles these minerals play in the body. Calcium is a non-metallic element that is essential for structural strength, compressive strength, and stability. Excessive amounts of calcium can indicate defensiveness and lead to a defensive or protective posture, which can cause the formation of a "Calcium Shell" in hair tissue. In contrast, magnesium is a metal that is used in thousands of enzymes in the body and is essential for their function. Magnesium is associated with a bright, shiny, hot-burning quality that represents controlled power, while calcium is more sluggish, dull-looking, and heavy.
In addition to its role in structural strength, calcium is also a buffer element, damper, and sedative. It is highly alkaline-forming in most compounds, while magnesium is somewhat more acid-forming but still overall alkaline-forming. Magnesium has excellent tensile strength but not much compressive strength, and it is used in high-tensile-strength fine wires and to make highly flexible, light, and strong bicycle frames.
Calcium is mainly found outside of cells, while magnesium is found in greater quantities inside cells. Calcium is also constipating, while magnesium is a laxative. Calcium tends to dry out or expel water, while magnesium tends to attract water to itself and can cause diarrhea in some cases.
The balance between calcium and magnesium is important for various types of balances in the body, including the balance between structural strength and enzyme strength, dissolution or flexibility, and congealing or cementing quality. This ratio is also related to the lifestyle factors of an individual, including diet, attitudes, and relationships, among others.
In terms of electrical balance, calcium represents compressive pressure or voltage, while magnesium represents tensive and amperage or intensity. An imbalance in the Ca/Mg ratio can lead to a reduction in energy production or electrical output. Finally, calcium represents the more yang, father energy, while magnesium represents a more maternal, yin energy.
Ideal and Good Ranges
An optimal calcium/magnesium ratio for an unwashed hair sample is 6.67:1. Ratios outside the range of 4.5-8.5 suggest a sensitivity to sugars and simple carbohydrates. Ratios between 10:1 and 12:1, or 3:1 and 3.3:1, are indicative of low blood sugar, while ratios exceeding 12:1 or less than 3:1 signify severe sugar and carbohydrate sensitivity. Washing hair samples in the laboratory can distort the calcium/magnesium ratio and affect the accuracy of the analysis.
Ratios exceeding 10:1 or less than 3:1 may indicate calcium precipitation in tissues, leading to various health issues. Magnesium is crucial in maintaining calcium solubility, and an imbalanced ratio may indicate a magnesium deficiency. Highly imbalanced ratios, particularly exceeding 12:1 or less than 3:1, often indicate emotional difficulties.
Dr. Eck, a well-known researcher in hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA), recommended a calcium/magnesium ratio range of 3.3 to 10 for unwashed hair samples. However, I prefer a narrower range of 5 to 8, which I believe indicates optimal health.
Stress
The calcium/magnesium ratio can be affected by various kinds of stress, possibly due to the impact on the adrenal glands and glucose metabolism. Stress can increase cortisol levels, which can raise blood sugar and decrease sugar tolerance. Chronic stress and excessive cortisol and insulin secretion can also cause increased insulin resistance and nutritional depletion.
Stress can cause osteoblastic activity to increase, leading to higher tissue calcium levels as calcium is released from the bones. Additionally, excessive calcium channel activity due to stress can cause a catabolic state, leading to increased cell death and magnesium release from the cells.
An imbalanced calcium/magnesium ratio may also be related to an imbalanced sodium/potassium ratio, which is more related to the effects of stress on energy production than to diet. The calcium/magnesium ratio and the sodium/potassium ratio may be linked because of a direct relationship between calcium and sodium, both extracellular elements, and between magnesium and potassium, both intracellular elements.
Sodium and magnesium are often antagonistic, as are calcium and potassium. Dr Louis Kervan discovered that sodium-magnesium is a common transmutation, potentially influenced by adrenal gland activity. Dr Paul Eck found that the calcium/potassium ratio and the sodium/magnesium ratio are better indicators of glandular activity than simply mineral levels.
When both the calcium/magnesium and the sodium/potassium ratios are low, it is called a double inversion. This can reflect a more severe sodium/potassium ratio inversion, associated not only with carbohydrate intolerance but also immune system weakness, protein catabolism, chronic emotional stress, and adrenal exhaustion.
Similarly, when both the calcium/magnesium and the sodium/potassium ratios are elevated, the high calcium/magnesium ratio may reflect a more severely high sodium/potassium ratio pattern, associated with acute stress, inflammation, and related symptoms.
Emotional Stress
The calcium/magnesium ratio can be influenced by emotional stress, including positive stress. This could be due to stress impacting carbohydrate tolerance, among other factors. Additionally, the "calcium shell" phenomenon, which involves excessively high calcium levels as a protective mechanism during times of stress, may affect the ratio. While magnesium levels typically rise with this phenomenon, there are cases where the calcium/magnesium ratio may also increase.
Copper toxicity, which is often linked to stress, can also impact calcium levels. Although the calcium/magnesium ratio is usually maintained, certain circumstances may cause it to become imbalanced. Addressing emotional factors may be necessary for restoring balance to the calcium/magnesium ratio.
Carbohydrate Tolerance
Dr Eck referred to the Ca/Mg ratio as the "sugar and carbohydrate tolerance ratio". According to him, a high ratio indicated excessive carbohydrate intake in one's diet. Such carbohydrates included fruits, juices, sweets, starches, grains, dried beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and milk. Overeating these foods can disrupt the delicate balance between body structure and movement or solubility, leading to an imbalanced ratio. It's worth noting that overeating refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and refined sugar, can strip away most of the magnesium, thereby exacerbating the imbalance in the calcium/magnesium ratio.
However, it's important to understand that this ratio is not an exact measure of the quantity of carbohydrates in one's diet, as different individuals have varying levels of carbohydrate tolerance. For instance, one person may tolerate a greater amount of carbohydrates than another, depending on their overall health and other factors.
While Dr Eck believed that a ratio above 12:1 or below 3:1 indicated a diabetic trend, this claim has not been scientifically validated. It's possible that he was referring to a chronic ratio that falls within these parameters as a derangement of carbohydrate metabolism, rather than high fasting serum glucose, as a marker of diabetes.
In addition to indicating carbohydrate tolerance, an imbalanced calcium/magnesium ratio has been associated with other health issues. For instance, a ratio that is too high or too low may contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure, muscle spasms, headaches, anxiety, depression, and other health problems. Therefore, it's crucial to maintain a balanced ratio of calcium to magnesium for optimal health.
But I Eat Low Carb
An imbalanced calcium/magnesium ratio is typically indicative of excessive carbohydrates in the diet. While all foods contain carbohydrates to some degree, carbohydrate-rich foods include grains, pasta, bread, potatoes, beans, carrots, peas, corn, fruit, sweets, and sugars such as fructose, dextrose, malt sweeteners, honey, and maple syrup. However, even if patients claim to consume none of these foods, their calcium/magnesium ratio may still be imbalanced, for several reasons.
Many people are not aware or truthful about their carbohydrate intake, as carbohydrates can be hidden in many foods, particularly in prepared and packaged foods, which may contain added sugar, corn starch, barley malt, flour, fructose, or other starches or sugars. Additionally, starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, rutabaga, winter squash, corn, beans, and peas, although healthier than sugar due to their high fibre, vitamin, and mineral content, can still be overeaten. Fruits, fruit juices, wine, beer, mixed drinks, and soft drinks can also be very high in carbohydrates.
If you have already ruled out excessive dietary carbohydrates, there may be other causes for an imbalanced calcium/magnesium ratio to consider.
Spiritual Defensiveness
A hair mineral analysis may reveal a hair calcium/magnesium ratio above 13.5, which can suggest that a lifestyle factor is hindering one's health and needs to be released. This lifestyle factor could be a job, a relationship, a location, a habit, or an attitude. Certain habits such as drug use, including alcohol and marijuana, may skew the ratio and indicate that such lifestyle habits are not harmless as believed. Negative attitudes like anger, resentment, guilt, and general negativity may also contribute to an imbalanced Ca/Mg ratio, suggesting the need to release such attitudes.
The person's defensiveness or stubbornness in defending the lifestyle factor or attitude that holds them back is the real problem. Often, the situation, habit, or attitude may no longer make sense for the person, which may be described as "holding on after the need is over." This pattern is called spiritual defensiveness, particularly referring to lifestyle and attitudes. In rare cases, excessive carbohydrate intake may be a factor in a very high calcium/magnesium ratio.
The calcium/magnesium ratio can be considered a lifestyle ratio, particularly if we include diet as a factor in the lifestyle. Calcium and magnesium indicate more about cellular situations, while sodium and potassium may have more to do with the cell membrane potential, something slightly different.
According to Dr Lawrence Wilson, a calcium/magnesium ratio above 13.5 without an elevated sodium/potassium ratio may signify the need to move on in life, which is called a movement aspect of this pattern. Hair mineral patterns can help identify a movement direction that is occurring or needs to occur to clear the pattern. The bowl pattern and the step-down pattern, both involving a high calcium/magnesium ratio, may reveal more about this ratio.
The bowl pattern often indicates a person's defensiveness due to frustration and hostility, which reinforces a stuck pattern. In contrast, the step-down pattern often indicates a person who is exhausted but feels a need to move on and is doing so. The high calcium/magnesium ratio's protectiveness and defensiveness are used to good advantage to "cover" or protect the person in their effort to move on in life.
Low Calcium/Magnesium Ratio
Interpretation of an Initial HTMA
An acceptable Ca/Mg ratio falls between about 4 and 9.5, but when it falls below about 4, it is generally considered unhealthy and similar to an elevated ratio. This can manifest in several ways:
Feeling panicked, confused, disoriented, or even hysterical, with intense anger or rage. A high Ca/Mg ratio above about 13.5 may suppress or lead to chronic anger. Both an imbalanced Ca/Mg and Na/K ratio can contribute to anger and resentment.
Struggling to cope due to insufficient buffer elements, with life feeling incomprehensible. The lack of calcium as a buffer or dampening element can make it challenging to handle life situations.
A need to move on, similar to a high Ca/Mg ratio, but in this case, the situation or lifestyle factor has become so problematic or harmful that it can lead to an attitude of wanting to die. A low Ca/Mg ratio may be more life-threatening than a high Ca/Mg ratio and more acute.
Giving up, indicated by a low Ca/Mg ratio combined with a low Na/K ratio, leading to a death pattern or double low ratio pattern. This is a "death pattern" where the person wants to die. The step-up pattern, where the first four minerals look like steps going upward to the right, is a more extreme version where death can come quickly, indicating recklessness and a strong desire to harm oneself.
Celebration and overcoming, an odd occurrence when combined with an elevated Na/K ratio, indicating a hill pattern visually, a joy and celebration pattern. In this situation, there is a need to move on, coupled with the ability and willingness to do so, creating joy and happiness as one looks forward to the next phase.
Always an ending of a situation, where all the above are what may be called karmic or movement endings. A simple high or low Ca/Mg ratio indicates a need to move on or change in some way because the need for a lifestyle, habit, attitude, or something else is over
Interpretation of a Retest
If the ratio worsens on a retest, it may indicate a dietary or lifestyle issue that is now more harmful to the person's health. This could happen if the person starts consuming more carbohydrates, or if their oxidation rate increases and they continue to consume the same amount of carbohydrates. Spiritual defensiveness, marijuana use, and negative attitudes can also worsen the ratio.
If the ratio improves on a retest, it may indicate that the person is making progress towards healthier lifestyle choices.
If the ratio decreases from above 13.5 to slightly below, the change is not enough, and if it decreases below 13.5, it indicates that the issue has been resolved.
If the ratio remains the same on a retest, it may indicate that the underlying issue has not been addressed.
A low calcium/magnesium ratio can also worsen, stay the same, or improve on a retest, indicating progress in correcting lifestyle imbalances.
Tracking the calcium/magnesium ratio over several tests can provide valuable information about a person's diet and lifestyle choices. If the ratio remains extremely high or extremely low over several tests, it may indicate severe but similar patterns.
Patterns involving the Calcium/Magnesium Ratio
The patterns of the bowl and the hill reflect the concept of defensiveness and are determined by the calcium/magnesium ratio.
The bowl pattern is characterized by a high calcium/magnesium ratio and a low sodium/potassium ratio, representing feelings of being stuck and defending a bad situation.
The hill pattern, on the other hand, has a low calcium/magnesium ratio and an elevated sodium/potassium ratio, symbolizing celebration and openness to moving forward in life. It is possible to have both patterns simultaneously, but the effect of their combination varies.
The double low ratio pattern indicates extreme chronic stress, while the step-up pattern is a quick death pattern associated with recklessness and stubbornness.
The double high ratio pattern is associated with aggression and fight-or-flight responses, while the step-down pattern reflects a positive new beginning despite low energy levels.
Nutrients
Zinc, taurine, and vitamin B6 deficiencies can impact magnesium levels as these nutrients work in synergy with magnesium. High-carbohydrate diets can lead to depletion of zinc and vitamin B6 and are often deficient in taurine, which is only found in meat.
Lack of these nutrients can result in magnesium loss or unavailability. It's important to note that high levels of any nutrient element in hair analysis can indicate unavailability or loss of that element into hair tissue.
Moreover, many diets are deficient in magnesium, and this is further aggravated by excessive milk consumption, calcium supplements lacking magnesium, or diets that primarily consist of refined foods. While calcium deficiency receives a lot of attention, magnesium deficiency is also a common occurrence.
Toxic Elements
The calcium/magnesium ratio is a crucial indicator of overall health and well-being. However, this ratio can be thrown off balance by the presence of toxic metals in the body, such as lead and cadmium. These toxic metals can displace calcium from the bones, leading to decreased calcium levels and an altered calcium/magnesium ratio.
One common toxic metal that can affect calcium levels is lead. Lead can accumulate in the bones and increase calcium requirements. It is not uncommon for a person’s tissue calcium to rise to compensate for a lead burden as a means of protection.
Cadmium is another toxic metal that can affect calcium levels by interfering with calcium absorption and utilization in the body.
The presence of these toxic metals may not be immediately detectable on a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis, as they can be stored in deep body tissues. However, with improvements in body chemistry resulting from following a Mineral Balancing Program, these toxic metals will likely become detectable on future tests.
It is important to address the presence of toxic metals in the body, as they can have a range of negative effects on health. By reducing exposure to these toxic metals and implementing a program designed to balance body chemistry, individuals can work to restore the balance of their calcium/magnesium ratio and promote overall health and well-being.
Addressing a Calcium/Magnesium Ratio Imbalance
To address an imbalanced calcium/magnesium ratio, there are several steps that can be taken. Firstly, reducing dietary carbohydrates and correcting the diet according to the oxidation type can be helpful. Along with this, it is important to supplement with sufficient amounts of zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6, and taurine. Additionally, other supplements may be indicated based on other patterns revealed by hair analysis.
Stress reduction is also critical, as severe stress can override any dietary or supplement program. Emotional stress is often a contributing factor to an imbalanced calcium/magnesium ratio and should be addressed accordingly.
In cases where a double inversion is present, or adrenal exhaustion is suspected, correcting the sodium/potassium ratio should be the top priority. As this ratio improves, the calcium/magnesium ratio may also improve, although it may take several months for both ratios to normalize.
If toxic metals are affecting the ratio, diet and supplement programs can be helpful in mobilizing these metals from storage. As toxic metals are eliminated from the body, the calcium/magnesium ratio will often improve. The most preferred method of natural detoxification while on a Mineral Balancing Program is through the Biological Replacement of Elements.