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         When asked this question SNAPS medical advisor Dr. Lynell Braught replied, "How  
         big a book do you want?"   

         There are many benefits to having an adequate amount of calcium. Dr. Braught  
         encourages polio survivors to supplement their diets with calcium because muscle  
         movement is dependent on calcium. When a polio survivor is low in calcium, there will  
         be less muscle function possible. Here how it works:   

         Let's start at the beginning. Only a few people with post polio are able to digest  
         protein. Therefore it is a good idea for people with post polio to supplement their diets  
         with a good quality digestive enzyme to help digest protein.   

         Protein is required by the brain to fire a signal to the spinal cord. The spinal cord  
         needs to send its signal to fire a nerve. That nerve then fires a muscle causing it to  
         move. Without enough protein, the brain cannot send its signal to the spinal cord.   

         Once the spinal cord receives a signal from the brain, the spinal cord relies on calcium  
         for getting that signal to the appropriate nerve. Without enough calcium there are not  
         enough electrons to keep the signal moving along. Therefore without enough calcium,  
         there is little electron firing of the nerve. Little nerve firing means little movement of the  
         muscle. Now you understand why an adequate supply of calcium is so vitally  
         important for maintaining mobility.   

         When choosing a calcium supplement, please keep in mind not all calcium is created  
         equal. Some forms are much better (more useable) than others.   

         The human body can only use minerals that are water-soluble in nature.  
         "Water-soluble" means "fully soluble in water, small enough to enter a cell and in a  
         form the body can use without changing it." Unfortunately most calcium supplements  
         are not water-soluble.   

         Calcium naturally occurs as compound molecules. Some examples are: calcium  
         carbonate, calcium lactate, calcium gluconate, and calcium phosphate. These calcium  
         compound molecules can be quite large in relation to an individual cell. Obviously if the  
         calcium molecule is larger than the cell, it cannot go into the cell. It just doesn't fit.   

         To make it useable the body has to break the large calcium molecules apart.  
         Unfortunately our digestive systems often are not strong enough to break them.  
         Sometimes (as in the case of calcium lactate) the problem is an indigestible  
         compound attached to the calcium. (Nursing infants are able to break down calcium  
         lactate - the calcium found in milk - but as we get older we seem to lose that ability.)   

         Some compound molecules have a strong electrical bond holding the molecule  
         together. If our digestive system isn't strong enough to break that bond, then it remains  
         large and unusable.   

         Another problem is not all forms of calcium are water-soluble. Take calcium carbonate,  
         for instance. It dissolves in the acid in the stomach. Therefore it's absorbable, right?  
         That's what some advertisements claim. Unfortunately it does get absorbed into the  
         blood but it is still not useable at the cellular level.   

         Since calcium carbonate dissolves in the stomach acid, it passes through the  
         stomach wall into the blood. While going through the stomach wall, however, the acid  
         gets stripped off. Since calcium carbonate is not water-soluble, when it enters the  
         watery arena of our blood, it returns to its solid state. In its solid form calcium  
         carbonate is too big to go into your cells. It's like having little rocks floating through  
         your blood! When we have calcium in a large size, it cannot satisfy the body's calcium  
         requirement.   

         One of the most important functions of calcium is maintaining the correct acid-alkaline  
         balance (pH) of blood. The blood pH is critically important because life is possible only  
         within a narrow pH range. Therefore your body will do whatever it takes to keep the  
         blood pH balanced. If that means robbing other areas of the body to get useable  
         calcium, then that's what your body will do.   

         When there is not enough calcium available within the body's cells, calcium is pulled  
         out of bone storage. That is one of the causes of osteoporosis.   

         Not only does large calcium not satisfy the body's requirement, but it can lead to  
         problems. Even though the form of calcium may be too big to be used, it is still  
         recognized by the body as calcium. Therefore the body wants to hold onto it.  
         Sometimes these large calcium molecules get lodged BETWEEN cells and can lead  
         to the formation of calcium deposits.   

         We're all familiar with calcium deposits. They go by names like arthritis, kidney  
         stones, gall stones and hardening (calcification) of the arteries. Many other diseases  
         are traceable to an abundance of large size calcium in the body.   

         Here's a beautiful thing... If we give our bodies water-soluble calcium, after the body  
         gets enough to satisfy its immediate needs, then bone storage gets replenished. As  
         we continue taking the useable calcium, bone density that was previously too low  
         starts increasing and bones become stronger.   

         Once the bone storage has been filled, the body no longer needs to store the large  
         calcium. Therefore the large unusable calcium gradually gets released. Maybe there is  
         still hope for those stiff joints!   

         Getting back to how calcium effects people with post polio: an adequate supply of  
         calcium helps messages sent by the brain to reach nerves to trigger muscles to move.  
         According to Dr. Lynell Braught, supplementing one's diet with water-soluble calcium  
         gives a person the best chance for maintaining mobility and personal freedom.   

         There is still a lot that needs to be understood about post polio. Hopefully in the future  
         researchers will find more answers. For now supplementing one's diet with  
         water-soluble calcium and digestive enzymes appears to be very important.   

         The  minerals we offer are:   

              Fully soluble in water   
              Small enough to enter our cells   
              In a form ready for the body to use.   

         For more information on water soluble minerals, click HERE.