I was using Amazon to find Mg supplements. This one doesn't have Ca in it as far as I can tell:

http://www.amazon.com/Source-Natural...dp/B000GFJJKQ/

Same with some others.

I've only just started taking a low doze (150mg, about 50% RDA) Mg sup, just one a day because I am also taking multi vit and Zinc sups. The main ingredients are, Mg Oxide and Amino Acid Chelate then Sulphate.
Does this sound ok????????????

Thoughts please

Any supplement listing magnesium oxide + other types, will turn out to be mostly oxide.

Try to find one without oxide listed. Oxide is not absorbed we know now from studies, and remains in the bowel and acts like a laxative. It is a waste unless you are constipated.

To get into the blood stream you need chloride form delayed release called SlowMag, or its generic ... OR
a chelate that is listed alone. (no oxide with it). I have called manufacturers of supplements when oxide is listed with other ingredients and they cannot tell you what the ratios are in those mixtures. Assume it is oxide. Oxide is cheap and is used in most supplements.

citrate
gluconate
malate
taurate
lactate
carbonate

are examples of chelates.

I just hit Chp 4 "Magnesium and Calcium" in that book. Here are some select quotes:

Calcium and magnesium are opposites in their effects on our body structure. As a general rule, the more rigid and inflexible our body structure is, the less calcium and the more magnesium we need.

Both are required for optimum body function and health.

Calcium causes muscles to contract, while magnesium helps them relax.

Magnesium is essential for proper calcium absorption and is an important mineral in the bone matrix.

Thats good to know.
I've just had a look at all of my sups and can see listed on my zinc (15 mg one a day) magnesium Stearate as the last ingredient, and also listed midway on my one a day Multi Vit and iron sup.There's no % listed however for the Mg stearate on either of them. Can this be used to up my Mg intake as I'm not sure exactly how much is in it OR what exactly it is??????
I've done alittle research( very brief )....Is Magnesium Stearate just used to coat tablets OR is it also used to supplement?????
All this supplementation can be quite complicated.
Many thanks for the advice...... I'll make sure my next lot of sups are not basically oxide based.

Magnesium stearate is not absorbed. It is a filler added to powders so they will flow easily thru the tablet compression machine. It is sort of a powder lubricant. Your body cannot absorb it, and it passes out of your digestive tract in the stool.

If you dissolve a product with magnesium stearate in it, in a glass of water, you'll find that the stearate remains as a residue.
In capsules it even floats on the surface of the water.

Ok thanks, I guess I'm on the hunt for a good Mg sup then...... without the oxide.

im tempted to buy slowmag

mag glycinate has worked well for me

my mag serum levels are a 2.0 (2.2 was too high for me) and theyve been that awy for 4 months now but my rbc mag is still 4.6 (4.2-6.8 range)

you'd think with a serum that high my rbc would be higher by now

Red blood cells I believe receive their electrolytes when they are formed and the electrolytes remain in them until they are recycled. The average life is 3 months.

Over time if you are good in serum levels, the red cell content may increase. But it will be a slow process. Other areas of the body use magnesium too...muscles, nerves, and bone.