Question: It seems to me that I have read that taking calcium tablets is largely a waste, as the tablets are not assimilated. Is that really the case, and if so, what is the alternative?
- D.S.
Answer: Have no fear. The calcium in calcium tablets is absorbed.
However, calcium carbonate, the most popular calcium supplement, relies on stomach acid for its absorption. With age, stomach-acid production wanes.
If you take the carbonate form with meals, absorption is markedly increased. Food stimulates stomach-acid production.
Read the label on the brand you take. If the label has the letters "USP" - which stand for "U.S. Pharmacopoeia" - you can be sure that its calcium dissolves and is easily assimilated.
There are many natural sources of calcium. Dairy products are loaded with calcium. Other foods with a substantial supply include calcium-fortified orange juice; kidney beans; sardines with bones; broccoli; kale; turnip greens; and tofu. Fulfilling your calcium needs through foods is a good idea, since the foods deliver other essential nutrients.
Question: Recently I heard on television that anyone who drinks skim milk does not benefit from any calcium. Is this true? I want to avoid whole milk because of its fat and cholesterol. What is the better thing to do?
- Concerned
Answer: Skim milk actually has a little more calcium than whole milk - 302 milligrams in an 8-ounce glass, vs. 291. Milk with 1 percent fat has 300 milligrams.
Question: I am a 60-year-old woman of normal weight with a full-time desk job. One day I woke up with a sore tailbone. I had suffered no fall or injury. My doctor says there is no treatment and I can expect the pain to be permanent.
At my insistence, he took an X-ray, which showed nothing.
I live with the discomfort by sitting on foam-rubber cushions. Is there no treatment?
- V.V.
Answer: The tailbone - the coccyx - is a fusion of small, delicate bones at the base of the spine.
Coccyx pain is often a result of a fall. Too-tight jeans also can provoke pain. Often, the pain comes on for no apparent reason.
You can cushion your coccyx in an unorthodox manner. Get a 3-inch-wide belt. Encircle it directly on your skin at the level of the lower third of your buttocks. Use it for three months. I'm fairly sure that by then your pain will have disappeared.
Another approach is injecting cortisone into the coccyx area. It soothes the pain.
Only in the most resistant cases is surgical removal of the coccyx used.
If you're only treading water with homemade remedies, request a repeat X-ray, which might disclose changes not seen on the first X-ray picture.
Question: Is it OK for someone on a low-cholesterol diet to indulge in shrimp from time to time? I have heard that shrimp is loaded with cholesterol. Others say that's bosh. Who's right? I happen to savor the delicious crustaceans.
- M.S.
Answer: Three and a half ounces of shrimp has a hefty amount of cholesterol - 200 milligrams, to be exact. That's almost the same amount contained in an egg yolk.
Shrimp's saving grace is its low content of saturated fat. Saturated fats raise blood cholesterol levels more than high-cholesterol foods do. The fats prime the liver to pump out cholesterol.
You can indulge in your favorite food from time to time without a guilty conscience. Moderation is the key. You can't eat pounds of shrimp daily and not expect changes in your cholesterol levels.