The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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  • Recent Comments

    Correlating magnesium with death due to heart disease

    Here are some findings on magnesium levels in drinking water that suggest more magnesium (harder water) is healthier. The data have implications for the calcium/magnesium ratio in supplements.

    In a survey of 25 U.S. cities

    • The lowest death rates from heart disease were in areas where drinking water supplied more magnesium and less calcium than the U.S. average

    Australia vs Texas

    • Australia has the highest cardiovascular death rate in the world
    • It also has some of the world’s softest drinking water
    • Western Texas has the hardest drinking water
    • It also has the lowest cardiovascular mortality rates in the U.S.

    The relationship between death rates from coronary heart disease and the dietary calcium:magnesium ratio in several countries is shown in the figure.

    Note that the magnesium level increases in proportion to calcium as you move left on the horizontal axis.

    What’s a consumer to do?

    Dr. K Sharma, the source of the information presented above states, “The traditional ratio of approximately 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium needs to be upgraded to increase magnesium intake in view of the overwhelming beneficial role of magnesium. The ideal ratio for most people’s needs is an equal ratio of calcium and magnesium.”

    9/1/06 0:32 JR

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