Urinary blockages

Bill,

My apologies, I thought you were still doing the OTC stuff. Magnesium is
quite transitory. It is highly unlikely that what you consumed in the past
would permanently affect you.

Specialists tend to do the tests involved with their specialty. Be sure you
are having a sufficiently broad spectrum of tests.

I'd suggest a Physician that is more a generalist than a specialist. The
appropriate blood tests will spot any abnormalites across a very broad
spectrum. I have one every year at my Physical Exam, and have had it for the
last 45 years. The specific tests are a CMP14+LP (Complete Wellness Profile
14 plus Lipoproteins), and a CBC with Differential Platelet (Complete Blood
Count with Differentials/Platelets).

I'd also recommend a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D assay, as over 9 of 10 of us
oldsters have been found clinically deficient in a vitamin that spans many
bodily systems, due to an antiquated Minimum Daily Requirement (MDR) of 400
IU from the FDA. Correcting that probelm resolved a number of mysterious
symptoms that had been with me for years. I now take 3000 IU (total content
of all supplemental sources), plus any in my diet. Old skin doesn't make
much from the sun anymore.

After 18 months of study of a decade of Vitamin D international research,
the FDA is due to update its recommendation (currently 400 IU/day) in May of
2010. It is widely anticipated they will increase it by at least fivefold.

Allan

--
One asks, many answer, all learn -- Plato, on the 'Forum
---
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Bill,

It is quite possible, as those with long histories of sustained magnesium
intake can develop the symptoms you describe.

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
news
Meggie has long, and very fine hair, but she doesn't seem to shed.....She
developed this lump in her abdomen, and it grew and grew, so we called the
vet. They scheduled her for an operation, and since Meggie had stopped
eating, it was very soon. They told us that if it was contained, they
would remove it, but if it had metastasized, they would just put her to
sleep on the operating table. We were very worried, and waited by the
telephone to find out how it went....When we got the call, they said that
her stomach was huge, and had filled up her entire abdominal cavity, so
they opened it up, and found.......A huge hairball!! So they removed it,
and she would be fine. That was two years ago, and she hasn't had any
problems since, but at $800 a whack, we would a lot sooner put up with her
eating butter out of the butter dish.....:^)

I have heard stories like this before. I was told years ago that cats with
access to grass will use that to get rid of hairballs. The grass tangles
with the swallowed hair, and having a roughness, can be barffed up. They
barff up a mixed tangled ball of hair and grass. I have seen some of my old
outdoor/indoor cats barff up these tangles. Hair alone is too slimy and
slick and compressible, so isn't easily brought up.

I don't recall hairballs being much of a problem years ago.

How old was Maggie when this happened?

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...

(Brevity snip!)


The body easily deals with excess sodium by either excreting it in sweat,
or by eliminating it in the urine. Since cats don't sweat, the urinary
path is the primary one. Anything that promotes more frequent urination is
useful, as the formation of urine is increased, and the concentration of
minerals thus lowered, reducing crystallization and resulting in smaller
crystals that pass out of the body without causing harm.

Allan

This is good to know. I catch the rainwater in large 30g tanks. It goes
fresh into clean milk jugs. I don't do this when it's warm weather as the
frogs take them over. I save loads of jugs of this water in winter for use
all summer.

Something must be knocking this balance off for so many cats to suffer from
these crystals. It doesn't happen in nature, yet for some reason it does in
captivity. It has to be diet related. I started them off on some raw beef
today. I cut it in small chunks and mixed it into their food. They gobbled
it right up. :-) I've got to get to the stores across town and see if I
can find gizzards, hearts etc.

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Kelly,

*Some snips (thanks to this NSP)


You might also find that cats don't like their food salted. Not so much
because of the taste, but being cats, they are inherently cautious and
skeptical of anything different or of any change.

Start slowly, and let them get used to the salt. It doesn't really take
much to increase frequency of urination. If your cat urinates two or three
times in 24 hours as is typical, adding one more urination would probably
be adequate.

That's about then number of times they urinate. And they do a lot when they
go.

The incidence of
hyperthryoidism in older cats is increasing, but I cannot find any
published studies on whether that is better diagnosis, or an
iodine-related issue.

Isn't it ironic that our pets are all starting to suffer the same maladies
us humans are? Some people believe it's all the excess carbohydrates in our
diets. Look what's in the average bag or can of dog and cat food! Look what
us humans consume in the form of breads, rolls, cake, pies, french fries...
sugar, suger and more sugar.

There is no evidence that excessive Mg directly causes any urinary tract
symptoms. However, a _deficiency_ of Mg may lead to excess calcium in the
urine as the body tries to rebalance the antagonists.


See? It comes back to what the animal or person is eating and drinking.

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Excessive amounts of Mg generally produce the same symptoms as low
calcium levels, as Ca and Mg are antagonists to each other, must be
maintained in balance. An excess of one results in an apparent deficiency
of the other. Mg toxicity tends to procuce low blood pressure, heart
irregularities, weak appetite, and chronic diarrhea.

Hummmmm.....I wonder if this is also true with Humans? I have had
heartburn all of my adult life, and have taken Mylanta for it. Mylanta is
a mixture of Aluminum and magnesium hydroxide, .....

Heartburn is almost always caused by diet. Obesity aggravates it. Rich
foods high carbohydrates and spicy foods also aggravate and can cause it.
You may want to try a more bland and healthy diet.

so I have been ingesting magnesium most of
my life, and my blood pressure is quite low.....Amazingly low for an
overweight 74 year old......Perhaps this is a result of my magnesium
intake?
I also have an irregular heartbeat. (come to think of it)

You may want to check these things out with your Dr. Seriously!

"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...

I am lucky that I have a good health insurance
plan, and I see an endocrinologist for my diabetes on a regular basis.

It sounds like you were on the typical "American" diet all your life.

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...

I'd also recommend a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D assay, as over 9 of 10 of us
oldsters have been found clinically deficient in a vitamin that spans many
bodily systems, due to an antiquated Minimum Daily Requirement (MDR) of
400 IU from the FDA. Correcting that probelm resolved a number of
mysterious symptoms that had been with me for years. I now take 3000 IU
(total content of all supplemental sources), plus any in my diet. Old skin
doesn't make much from the sun anymore.

We just started taking Vitamin D on the suggestion of my husband's Dr at the
VA Hosp. I've been having strange heart symptoms the past few years. All
they tell me is the tests are inconclusive, nothing is really found. It's
very frustrating and I have more tests on the 22nd. My BP goes up and down
for no apparent reason. It used to always be around 120/80. Now it can be
from that to as high as 155/85. Up and down. Sometimes my heart races for
no apparent reason, or pounds. Sometimes it skips a beat. Sometimes when
I'm walking fast or going upstairs it feels like I can feel my heartbeat in
the base of my throat! A strange pounding at the front and base of my neck.
I don't understand why they can't find the cause or problem.

Kelly,

How much do you take? Based on my own eperience, 1000 is not enough. I was
taking 400 in the multivitamin, 400 in the calcium tablet, and 250 in the
fish oil cpsules. Optimum serum 25-hydroxy level is 32 to 100 ng/ml, but
mine was only 18.2. I now take 2000 IU of D3 in addition to the above, and
the level recheck showed it was up to 43. I have more energy, better frame
of mind, lower appetite, have lost 7 pounds without trying, the burning and
tingling in the hands and feet is dramatically reduced, and my blood
pressure is about 10 points lower and more stable. A mystery rash on the
upper back that I'd had for 7 years has disappeared.

I took 6000 a day for two weeks, then dropped back to 3000. It took about a
month for most of the benefits above to occur. It isn't an overnight thing.
Also keep in mind that the dosage levels reported above are for a 200 pound
male. The lowest reported level of adverse effects is at 10,000 per day for
90 days or more, but other studies suggest that 20,000 a day is safe, so
don't be concerned about overdoing it at the levels mentioned above.

A number of clinical studies have shown D to be a major factor in the body's
regulating blood pressure, among many other cardiovascular benefits,
including reducing arrythmia and tachycardia. See:

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/...itamind_01.htm
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin...scular_disease

The first link is the most objective, credible, and complete summary I've
found. The second is more brief and focused on cardiovascular effects.

Let the doctors pursuing your symptoms know that you have started D
supplemtation. They may want to wait for awhile to see if your symptoms
spontaneously improve or resolve.

Hopefully, your symptoms will fade away over time.

Allan

--
One asks, many answer, all learn -- Plato, on the 'Forum
---
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.

"Kelly Greene" wrote in message
...

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...

"Kelly Greene" wrote in message
...

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Kelly,

*Some snips (thanks to this NSP)


You might also find that cats don't like their food salted. Not so much
because of the taste, but being cats, they are inherently cautious and
skeptical of anything different or of any change.

Start slowly, and let them get used to the salt. It doesn't really take
much to increase frequency of urination. If your cat urinates two or
three times in 24 hours as is typical, adding one more urination would
probably be adequate.

That's about then number of times they urinate. And they do a lot when
they go.

The incidence of
hyperthryoidism in older cats is increasing, but I cannot find any
published studies on whether that is better diagnosis, or an
iodine-related issue.

Isn't it ironic that our pets are all starting to suffer the same maladies
us humans are? Some people believe it's all the excess carbohydrates in
our diets. Look what's in the average bag or can of dog and cat food!
Look what us humans consume in the form of breads, rolls, cake, pies,
french fries... sugar, suger and more sugar.

There is no evidence that excessive Mg directly causes any urinary tract
symptoms. However, a _deficiency_ of Mg may lead to excess calcium in the
urine as the body tries to rebalance the antagonists.


See? It comes back to what the animal or person is eating and drinking.



Hyperthyroidism Has been increasing due to the flame retardant materials in
our furniture and our carpets they did a major study and found that we are
causing the problem in our fur balls

Here is part of a post that i did at the beginning of the year called Could
Your Carpet be Hurting Your Cat?

Right now there is proof that the fire retardant materials found in our
furniture and our carpets is causing hyperthyroidism in our pets. I posted
his awhile ago in another groups

TAMPA - Chemicals in your carpeting could be killing your cat. In August,
the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency shared some scary
news: research scientists had found a link between flame-retardant chemicals
included in carpet-production and feline hyperthyroidism.


FOX 13 in Tampa Bay decided to dig deeper and get more information for
cat-owners locally from Tampa's Florida Veterinary Specialists.


"It's a disease that wasn't diagnosed with any frequency 30 years ago, but
is actually more and more diagnosed now," Dr. Anthony Ishak explained, a
veterinarian and small animal internist at FVS.


Co-worker Cari Sadler seconded, "We see it all the time - all the time."
Government scientists studied whether or not chemicals in carpeting could be
a cause of the disease.


"Some of the flame retardants that have been so pervasive in the carpet
industry and in the furniture industry - for obvious reasons trying to
prevent house fires from getting out control - but those could have a role
in increasing the incidence of this disease," Ishak explained.


Sadler is also 'mom' to several cats at home. In an interview, she said two
of them suffer from the disease, which is the leading cause of death in cats
eight and older. She recalled what it was like when the cats got sick.


"I noticed an overnight weight-loss almost. I was feeling him - and I'm very
particular about watching my animals of course - working here even more so -
and one night I was petting him and I felt his hip bones," Sadler said.


Her cats lost weight from Feline Hyperthyroidism because the disease makes
cats' metabolisms speed up, due to an imbalance in their thyroid glands. The
increased metabolic activity can cause damage to their internal organs and
sometimes death.


But, there is some good news about Feline Hyperthyroidism. If your
veterinarian catches it early enough, it doesn't have to be a fatal disease.
In fact, it can be cured.


"It was probably more fatal before we had effective treatments for it,"
Ishak said. "So now that we do, it's becoming a less fatal disease."


He added that with just a blood test, any vet can diagnose Feline
Hyperthyroidism. The disease can be managed with pills or creams.


And, at Florida Veterinary Specialists, doctors have developed a new
treatment that actually eradicates the disease in most cases. It's a
radioactive Iodine treatment called I-181 treatment.


But to protect your cat in the first place, should you run around the house
pulling up the rug?


The FVS team told FOX 13 no, explaining that this latest research from the
federal government provides just one possible explanation of many.


And, Ishak continued, "They're already taking some steps in the human
population - eliminating some of these flame retardants from production -
from more recent stuff and shifting to other that we think might be safer."

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Kelly,

How much do you take? Based on my own eperience, 1000 is not enough. I was
taking 400 in the multivitamin, 400 in the calcium tablet, and 250 in the
fish oil cpsules. Optimum serum 25-hydroxy level is 32 to 100 ng/ml, but
mine was only 18.2. I now take 2000 IU of D3 in addition to the above, and
the level recheck showed it was up to 43. I have more energy, better frame
of mind, lower appetite, have lost 7 pounds without trying, the burning
and tingling in the hands and feet is dramatically reduced, and my blood
pressure is about 10 points lower and more stable. A mystery rash on the
upper back that I'd had for 7 years has disappeared.

WOW!!! I'm so happy you had such good results from a supplement. I'm taking
1000 is plus 500mg calcium. I also drink at least 2 cups of fat-free milk
each day. I probably should increase the calcium.


I took 6000 a day for two weeks, then dropped back to 3000. It took about
a month for most of the benefits above to occur. It isn't an overnight
thing. Also keep in mind that the dosage levels reported above are for a
200 pound male. The lowest reported level of adverse effects is at 10,000
per day for 90 days or more, but other studies suggest that 20,000 a day
is safe, so don't be concerned about overdoing it at the levels mentioned
above.

A number of clinical studies have shown D to be a major factor in the
body's regulating blood pressure, among many other cardiovascular
benefits, including reducing arrythmia and tachycardia. See:

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/...itamind_01.htm
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin...scular_disease

The first link is the most objective, credible, and complete summary I've
found. The second is more brief and focused on cardiovascular effects.

Let the doctors pursuing your symptoms know that you have started D
supplemtation. They may want to wait for awhile to see if your symptoms
spontaneously improve or resolve.

Good idea - I'll tell them! Thank you so much for all this excellent
information. I'm going to these websites now.


Hopefully, your symptoms will fade away over time.

Would you believe I feel better already? :-)


Allan

--
One asks, many answer, all learn -- Plato, on the 'Forum
---
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.

"Kelly Greene" wrote in message
...

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...