Hey, facts were on your side! I'm here both to learn more and to pass along what I've learned (as well as finding support...), it's sometimes the only contribution I feel I'm making to the "world". I'm just SO glad you're not sore about the PB... lol!

And you had me fooled, I saw the pic you have posted and thought you were a lot younger (and that's why you didn't "worry" about it, lol...) Is that a recent pic? You have a very pretty face...

Is calcium needed, yes. Does this guy say some good things yes. Does he say some bad things, yes. Does he say some very bad things, yes! When he said you can take his coral sea calcium and walk out in the bright sun and you will not get skin cancer was when i knew without a doubt this guy is not just a quack but criminally insane! I knew this guy was off base in the first few minutes. Please everyone don't get your science only from TV. There are many shysters like this guy trying to sell you all the magic solutions to living longer. He said on TV only his coral sea calcium works because it has microorganisms that come with the coral. Dr. Atkins diet caused controversy but at least you can show results in two weeks with many people. I doubt anyone will feel any different taking his calcium or any calcium supplement other than placebo effects. Extraordinary Claims need extraordinary Proof. Please enjoy your fear of getting kidney stones! If you live to 120 then I guess he is right!

Gary, I can agree with you about going into the sun, but I still think he had some very good points. I'm not going to rush out and buy his products, but I will take more calcium.

You said you doubt that we could see any difference from taking calcium, but I beg to differ with you. You will see a big difference almost immediatly if you suffer from leg cramps, and I can tell you that in the week that I've been taking it, my BP had dropped to 124/52. Now I think that shows more than just a placebo effect!

Why do I want to wait 20 years for something to show up that could have been prevented by calcium. Do I want to wait 20 years to get heart disease from eating low fat? I don't think so!

I'll take the calcium and take my chances.

And yes, Raquel, it is a current picture. Taken last summer. Thank you for the compiment.

Carol

Actually I tried to say that we need calcium. I should reword my one statement to say I doubt you will feel any difference between his coral sea calcium and other calcium supplements. If you have the money why don't you take everything every doctor says on TV because you are afraid that in twenty years those doctors may be right. Many hucksters like this guy provide information that is correct along with bogus information and that is how they fool you!. This guy made too many exceptional claims! Why do you even fool with the Atkins diet? I saw a Doctor on TV selling Chromium. You don't have to diet or excersise. Just take his special formulated high dose of Chromium and you will dramatically lose weight!

Hey it is your choice - Go for it!

I would pay more attention to posts by Kristine, Lisa N, and dizzyd.

THANKYOU ATRSY, AND RAQUEL.

In my humble opinion...I think it is great that I am more informed now than I was before this thread was posted, and I feel like I have learned something! It is people like you that keep this board building...

While I did not watch the infomercial and agree with the point that coral calcium is probably not better (BTW, his brand is not the only one in the market, I've seen several at healthfood stores), calcium IS extremely important for health and it's not just to keep little old ladies from breaking their hips either.

I wish to kindly refer you to pages 116-119 of "Dr. Atkin's Vita-Nutrient Solution", since you respect him. I also would like to invite you to find a copy of Adelle Davis "Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit", written many years ago, which is full of medical study references that back up some of the "claims" that you find hard to believe. Miracle? No, but amazing, quite probably. Does this man exaggerate? Well, isn't that the American way to sell anything on TV? At least Carol came here for an opinion, don't "chastise" her as if she had spent her money without thinking! Besides "we" women prefer to prevent while you guys scorn everything until it's too late.

I kicked off my first post with "Is calcium needed, Yes" So I agree with you that calcium does many good things. The Huckster and shyster labels are leveled at the claims that this guys coral sea calcium can cure cancer, cure arthritis, prevent skin cancer and block electromagnetic waves from cell phones. This is terrible news not awesome news. Can't you realize the damage this guy does! The false hopes he raises in cancer patients? The people crippled with arthritis? If there is so much truth to what he says why don't we rush to tell everybody. Maybe my friends Dad should take this sea coral calcium and it will make the lung cancer disappear! Just because Doctor Barefoot said so on TV! Melanoma that spreads is a death sentence. It does not respond to Chemotherapy or Radiation. So just take this calcium and you will be cured! Concern about how much calcium to take is important especially with women (not that it is not important in men).

Everyone should be skeptical of miracle cure claims and the motivations of a Doctor selling wares in an infomercial.

Look at the fiasco with shark cartilidge and vitamin C. Linus Pauling said large doses of Vitamin C would prevent cancer and he died from cancer. Most research is inconclusive about how much Vitamin C is really needed. Ground up shark cartilidge was thought to prevent and cure cancer. This was based on one flawed study and the assumption that sharks do not get cancer so now millions of sharks are slaughtered to feed this bogus frenzy and guess what, sharks do get cancer!

It is extremely difficult to get good information from all the hype in the supplement industry.

You are right in that men do not typically do what is necessary to protect themselves. Now please reference scientific studies that support your statement that everything Atrsy said is true. Please cover that calcium cures cancer, arthritus, prevents skin cancer, and cures anything that is wrong with you! Welcome to LA LA land in nutrition!

I thought she had said "prevent" not cure and because I easily forget I went back and read her first post, and you're right. I know nothing at this point that "cures" cancer. And like I said, I didn't see the infomercial.

OK, let's all agree that Bob Barefoot's calcium probably doesn't "cure" cancer. We all know that somewhere out there there is something that does, it just hasn't been discovered yet.

Let's also understand that I didn't rush out and plop down my money for his books or products! I'm not that stupid. But I do listen for the parts that make sense to me. I wouldn't spend 2 hours a day with my face exposed to the sun if someone paid me.

But I have bought lots of items through demos at fairs, etc and found them to be excellent products. I bought those Ginsu knives over 30 years ago and they are still as sharp as the day I bought them and I can cut a groove in a hammer head and then slice a tomato with the knife. I use them to saw wood and they stay sharp. I believed that demo and it was true. There are other items that I also found to be great. I do keep an open mind. I use my own judgement, and I have not too often been wrong.

I liked most of what this man was saying and therefore I will take the calcium to prevent future problems. I come from a family of 7 children and so far 3 have died of cancer and one other has had surgery for cancer. Heart disease also runs in my family. If there is even a slight chance that calcium will prevent these problems for me, I will take it. That is not to say that I won't get something else.

Because I read and follow "quacks" like Atkins, I have managed to stay the healthiest of all my siblings. I also look much younger than my actual years. You, Greg, do not approach life with an open mind. You seem to think that ideas must be backed up by studies and proof before they should be accepted. Where do you think they get that proof?

Raquel, I just came from the drug store where I looked at the cod liver oil. I didn't buy it because the lable listed Vitamin C and D and Magnesium (I think) but it only listed that it contained calcium but not the amount. Is there a difference in brands? How do you know how much calcium there is in cod liver oil if it's not listed?

I will also try to find the other types of calcium you listed. Are the oyster shell pills good? I plan to do some shopping for this sometime this week.

Thanks,

Carol

PS: Greg, as for false hope for cancer patients, isn't false hope better than no hope? They need a reason to keep living, even though the odds are against them.

Dr. Atkins himself recommends calc. hydroxyapatite and calc. citrate as the most absorbable. I've also read that the lactate and gluconate forms are very good but might require greater amounts. I take citrate (in liquid form mixed with magnesium & vit. D - but I still take the CLO) because it's cheaper. I've also taken a combination that was mostly gluconate called CalMac (similar to the CalMax advertised on another infommercial) that I found at a healthfood store for $16.00. It's a powder that you first have to dissolve in hot water, then mix into a beverage or tea if you like; they also have a lemon-lime flavored one.

The cod liver oil you found appears to have been "fortified" to enhance its effect, if they don't list the calc. amount is b/c it's only a trace and probably not enough to influence your total. CLO only contains vits. A & D and,of course,"EFA's" (essential fatty acids).

GNC usually sells an inexpensive, decent tasting one and you can get the 2nd bottle at half price. I'm now using Walgreen's brand with cherry flavor added. Healthfood stores also have emulsified ones that come in different flavors. Stores like K-Mart, Walmart and most supermarkets also carry CLO capsules, so keep looking at the labels and you'll find one to suit you.

Again, I agree with your view of trying something if it makes sense to you. The saying "Nothing ventured nothing gained" exists for a reason, right? And in this imperfect world sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Like you, I'd rather hold on to a false hope (as long as it doesn't keep me from the real one, if it exists!) than no hope at all because our state of mind is very powerful when it comes to healing. You and I, Carol, just don't seem to have a problem taking a risk every now and then. I know I've been wrong a few times but I also know I've been so glad I've "ventured" more times than not

The main problem I have is with this guys exceptional claims. I think there is something wrong with somebody making money on people who are desparate when there is no as in zero data to support this guys claims. Again did I say calcium is needed yes. I do not put Dr. Atkins in the same class of Quacks as this Dr. Barefoot. Dr. Atkins doesn't say his diet can CURE cancer! When you say CURE for cancer or arthritis you are stepping into fraudulent grounds. We do not know with certainty that something out there cures cancer. We can say that maybe something does and can hope that something does. I do look at things with an open mind but was also trained as a scientist. Yes I do demand evidence to support EXCEPTIONAL claims. If you do a simple search on yahoo you will also see evidence that calcium supplements can harm your health. It is not easy to determine how much each person needs. If we accept everything that is hawked on TV you risk taking something truly harmfull too. It is fine to have hope for cures. Maybe I don't remember this right but I believe that they found smokers who took beta carotenoid supplements - the supplements accelerated their cancer and they discontinued the trial. St. John's Wort has now been shown to interact negatively with certain drugs. There is way too much hype in the supplement market, too few good studies and data, very little regulation, you can not even trust what you are getting(how much of the active ingredient and fillers) - go ahead try anything to satisfy your hopes !

Oh, Lord, does that ever bring back memories! My father used to take a spoonful of cod liver oil a day- one day I tried one and it was so heinous I burst out laughing! Not only that, but you practically have to boil your tongue to get rid of the taste. I'd do the capsules, unless (like Tom Sawyers' Aunt Polly) you figure that the worse it tastes, the better it must work! It really is a very beneficial supplement, though, all kidding aside.

Oh, Lord, does that ever bring back memories! My father used to take a spoonful of cod liver oil a day- one day I tried one and it was so heinous I burst out laughing! Not only that, but you practically have to boil your tongue to get rid of the taste. I'd do the capsules, unless (like Tom Sawyers' Aunt Polly) you figure that the worse it tastes, the better it must work! It really is a very beneficial supplement, though, all kidding aside.

How was your dad's health BTW? When I was little my mother used to give us a daily spoonful of Scott's Emulsion (which was mild tasting) during "cold season" and I disliked it but she usually gave me something to chase the taste away with. Some of my friends had it too and one even liked it and went for seconds!!!

Years later, when I was 18, I joined a gym and was found 10 lbs. underweight (what an irony!) and one of the supplements recommended for gaining weight "back then" was a cod liver oil that might have come from Germany (called Kepler's Emulsion). I very eagerly went to the drugstore and bought a bottle ignoring my mother's warning that it was thick and fishy tasting. Well, I gagged on it so bad I didn't want to hear about CLO for many years afterwards!

Hi Deb,Have your seen a doctor about your reflux. It can be controlled these days. I took Zantec for years. I have no valve, yes, no valve at the top of my stomach. The only way to fix it is by breaking your ribs and going in surgically. UGGGHH. However, there is a new procedure done by arthroscopic surgery but it isn't perfect yet. My valve broke having a baby which is very coman. Ask your doctor for Nexium, best thing every happened to me. 1 in the morning on an empty stomach and that's it. I once had so much pain my friend took me to emerg thinking I was having a heart attack. Agony. Nexium is great. Good luck, Nancy