Susan Carmack wrote:
> Hi Philip and Paleopeople,
>
> I have been enjoying your posts very much and thank you again for
> your assistance with RLS and bunions.
You're welcome, Susan.
> If you don't mind, I have another question. Sorry for being redundant.
> I cannot understand why I have developed bunions and RLS eating
> paleo. The only time I deviated was accidently eating farmed bison
> and farmed 'wild' boar.
One thing you can do is search the Paleofood archives
http://listserv.icors.org/archives/paleofood.html to look over the posts
on bunions. There are quite a few now.
As I discussed before, bunions take years to develop. You can't get
bunions from eating farmed meats a couple of times. You can aggravate
the condition, but you can't cause it in such a short time period.
> Nutritional Supplements
> Bromelain taken between meals will help break down bunions. A
> calcium/magnesium imbalance can cause bunions.
Mineral imbalance doesn't cause bunions, but it can aggravate the
condition by contributing to calcium deposit buildup (calcification) at
the site of the bunion.
> Increasing magnesium
> to 1,000 to 1,500 mg per day and decreasing calcium can aid bunion
> healing.
Be careful with this; the amount to take depends on your individual
levels. Too much magnesium can give you a severe case of the runs,
flushing, nausea, etc. The usual advice is to start out fairly low (like
250 mg/day) and build up gradually until you're stools start to become
loose, then back off. As time goes on and your serum magnesium levels
increase, you may need to begin dropping the magnesium dosage to avoid
loose stools, etc. Also, it's possible to depress other mineral levels
by taking too much of one. For example, potassium levels can be pushed
down by excessive magnesium, resulting in toe or foot cramps. It's
probably a good idea to take a complete multivitamin and mineral
supplement with the magnesium (but check the calcium levels, because
most contain more calcium than magnesium, which would counteract the
magnesium supplement you're taking--Nutricology has OcuDyne II, which
doesn't contain much calcium).
> I'm told that RLS is due to a calcium/magnesium imbalance. Why would
> I have a Ca/mg imbalance eating paleo?
If you have the imbalance, it likely developed over many years.
Malabsorption is a common contributing factor. People with malabsorption
tend to have gastrointestinal (stomach and/or intestinal problems) and a
need to supplement even if they are eating right (though this can
improve for some over time).
> Please tell me what I could be
> doing wrong. AlI I can think of is that the animals are eating gluten.
> How can I improve my imbalance naturally without supplements?
You're bunions and RLS indicate the imbalance is likely too large to be
quickly remedied by dietary change. You probably do need supplements,
but the problem is doctors don't usually check patient mineral levels
(and the tests for magnesium deficiency are not considered very accurate
anyway--you'll find this out if you search it on the net), except for
potassium sometimes.
I think this was your last post on bunions, Susan...I'll quickly respond
to it in case I didn't before:
<<Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:58:10 -0800
Reply-To: Paleolithic Eating Support List
<[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Paleolithic Eating Support List
<[log in to unmask]>
From: Susan Carmack <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Restless Leg, Bunion
> Hi Paula and Paleopundits,
>>I began to develop bunions after I was eating paleo - not before.
>Me too! I just developed bunions after recently buying some boots
that evidently have too much of a heel for me. Usually I wear flat
shoes.
>>As long as I wear a relatively flat and wide shoe I have no pain, and I
>>think the progression has been very slow.
>I agree again. I had never noticed any pain until I got the boots.>>
The boots aggravated your bunions, they did not cause them. People often
don't realize they have bunions until they experience pain from them,
but the underlying process was likely developing for years before the
first pain.
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