At this point, I don't think manufacturers have a clue. The toxin is part of the algae, not a contaminant. The algae makes it.

One site I looked at had this comment:
Animals do not eat the algae as a food source, and that is why it builds up in some water sources. THEY know, it is not to be consumed, and it is only humans who have attributed food or other value to it. Even fish, only certain tropical fish eat algae...not all of them. I think the algae eaters have the ability to handle the metabolism better, etc. So the hints are there in nature already IMO.

We double filter our water, up there which removes the algae for drinking.

This toxin discovered is cummulative... so time is also a factor in dilute situations.

wonder where my last reply post went to???????
I wanted to thank you guys for getting me to look at my multi vit. I discovered that it has 500mg of calcium and 1000 units of vit d3 so that is 2 pills that I can quit taking! I found one that I am going to start taking.
"super fruits" by natures plus extended release. ingredients:
acai, goji, pomegranate, mangosteen, noni. I don't eat any fruits except for strawberries not very often so I thought a fruit supplement would be a good idea. It is a huge pill, largest one I take!

I question the chlorella issues. Is the article saying that all algae are bad? spiralina is an algae form. I looked at other "greens" supplements and they all have spiralina or chlorella in them.

I guess I don't know why I take 2 different sources of omega3's, plant based vs. animal based????maybe I read that somewhere????

I take calcium supplements because I don't drink milk and was borderline osteopenia last year so.....

thanks again for your replies.
bizi

Dear Bizi

i'm afraid i replied but it was quite detailed - took me a while to write.

i am hoping they can restore the posts.

==================

My post said, in summary... sorry if i skip all the explanations for now... sigh. if they don't restore the posts i'll explain more tomorrow if needed. although probably much of the "explanatory" stuff is in my very first post, already.

• drop that B50... too much stuff. useless, and your multivit has plenty of b6 and b12 already.

  ------

• add 1/2 as much magnesium as you take calcium. both are needed and, at a 2:1 ratio of Ca:Mg they are complementary along with vitamin D for bone health

  ------

• get tests for
  • calcium
  • iron
  • b12
  
  If your iron comes out high you need to replace your multivit with one that has no iron. excessive iron can cause fatigue - but not only.

your fish + flax oils are fine... they are different oils anyway. EPA dosage is 3000mg/day divided in 3 doses.

however please check the vitamin A and D content in your fishoil caps.

==================

MrsD's post said that so far it is just blue-green algae, and that both chlorella and spirulina are blue-green algae. she added something to the effect that she wouldn't recommend taking the stuff but ultimately it's your call.

~ waves ~

Waves and Bizi,

This is a good list.
Also, Bizi, get tested for hormones.

Eating dairy is not connected to calcium in your body.
(I have been reading population and other studies on this for years because of my meds.)
I apologize for not having links.

M

Hi, Bizi,

Did some reading today about the toxin in chlorella algae.
The decision to take it depends how how risk averse you are.
It also depends on your food options. At one point, I had a difficult time chewing food and bought a container of greens so I could get more greens in my body. I ended up not using the product more than three or four times.

M

Dear Lara,

Yikes!
I found two sites I liked:

1 Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs...r-eng.php#blue

2 I trust information I get from Andrew Weil:
Dr. Andrew Weil on eating well for maximum health
http://www.cnn.com/chat/transcripts/...eil/index.html

M

Thanks for those sites, Mari. Thanks mrsD for more explanation.

Sorry I freaked out a little. Looks worse in the red text though. lol

I was just sitting here thinking to myself about the reasons I was taking it in the first place and then when mrsD mentioned the problems with her skin from the lake water I remembered all the safety signs going up in the lakes where I used to live. Danger signs - do not enter the water type signs. That was because of the algae bloom. Then I was thinking about how it was prescribed to me years ago by a Naturopath and it was years and years ago but I just kept taking it quite blindly without further and newer investigations.

Thankyou all for the information!

bizi, I wish they weren't all so expensive. I guess that's why it's always a good idea for us to double check to make sure we're not taking more than we need and because of that cost we're not paying all that extra money.

We have another kind of algae bloom in the oceans here called the Red Tide. This one is very poisonous, in fact.

We really don't have lots of algae upNorth, as the water is COLD, and always moving, and never stagnant.

I really don't have sensitive skin and I got this as soon as we started going up in June and July. Once the "attack" is over, and I will say it is quite painful, I am clear to go the rest of the summer. It started on my left arm one summer, and spread to both forearms, hands and knees. I met a woman once who told me she lived inland in the woods and had almost an identical thing happen where she lived. That one would be harder to explain, but could be a drug reaction. I don't think mine was medication induced, because when it started I wasn't taking what I take now. shrug...?

I even got it on my ears one June! Oh, that was painful.
No one else in the family up there gets it, only me. Some of the locals get it, esp those who fish. They get it on their hands.

I found some photos of it on Dermis website.

WEll I stopped taking the chlorella and the b50mg complex, less calcium and less vit d. so that was nice taking fewer pills after lunch.
thank you mrs. D....I talked about the blue green algae with donna at the health food store and she said that they only recommend the organic kind. Would that make a difference?
bizi

Dear Bizi,

please consider adding the magnesium in proportion to the calcium you take.

(((hugs)))

~ waves ~