Recuperat-ion. Is it Worth it’s Salt?

[Guest guest]

Recuperat-ion. Is it Worth it’s Salt?

_http://web.mit.edu/london/www/RRR.htm_

(http://web.mit.edu/london/www/RRR.htm)

Recuperat-ion is a mineral supplement for fibromyalgia. It’s inventor has

claimed that he cured his fibromyalgia with it. Is there any reason why this

supplement would work better, or differently, than other mineral supplements?

Let’s look at the minerals it contains: (Note: There is a sugar sweetened

version that contains lower amounts of these minerals).

Mineral

Amount per Packet

Total per day (4 packets)

%RDA (4 packets)

Sodium (mostly Sodium Citrate)

740 mg

2960 mg

128%

Potassium (Potassium Chloride)

200 mg

800 mg

17%

Magnesium (Magnesium Carbonate)

15 mg

60 mg

15%

Calcium (Calcium Phosphate)

15 mg

60 mg

6%

 

Even if one used 4 packets a day of this supplement, one would still not obt

ain a significant amount of magnesium or calcium,. The RDA for calcium is

1000mg, so the amount of calcium in this supplement is especially small. The

RDA for magnesium is 400mg. So with respect to the RDA, there is relatively

more magnesium than calcium. However, many alternative doctors and magnesium

researchers believe that the RDA for magnesium is too low. This is why many

some people recommend taking significantly more magnesium than the RDA. _A

high amount of magnesium intake, using a well absorbed form, is possibly the

key to properly using magnesium to treat conditions._

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=11847944 & q

uery_hl=29 & itool=pubmed_docsum) A small amount of magnesium, is unlikely to

do much, unless your intake is very low to begin with, which is the case for

the average western diet.

The amount of potassium in this supplement may seem like a lot. But the

recommended daily amount of potassium for adults is 4700mg. The 800mg of

potassium which you get in 4 packets of this supplement, is only about 1/6 the

recommended daily amount. Additionally, a diet with a good amount of vegetables

and fruits, can readily reach or exceed the daily recommended amount. (A

medium sized banana contains about 450mg.)

On the other hand, the amount of sodium in these packets is very

significant. The recommended daily amount for the average person is 2300mg.

For

people with salt sensitive hypertension, the recommended daily amount is only

1500mg. 4 packets of this supplement by itself, easily exceeds the daily

recommended amount for the average person. Add in the amount of sodium from

one’s

diet, and the total will be even greater.

Note that the form of sodium contained in this supplement, is mostly sodium

citrate, with only a small amount of sodium chloride. _It is sodium chloride

that increases blood pressure in salt sensitive people, not sodium citrate_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abst

ract & list_uids=8110432 & query_hl=105 & itool=pubmed_docsum) . Other than that,

sodium chloride and sodium citrate appear to have similar effects. Sodium

citrate, however, has a salty sour taste, which is why sodium chloride is the

more common additive in foods.

Sodium intake decreases the production of angiotensin II and aldosterone.

Angiotensin II and aldosterone both help to control the body’s ratio of

sodium

to potassium. Increasing one’s sodium intake, will cause a decrease in the

production of angiotensin II and aldosterone, leading to increased sodium

excretion and water retention. _A study using 4000mg of sodium on normal

subjects demonstrated that significant decreases in angiotensin II and

aldosterone

can occur._

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=9680497 & query_hl=91 & itool=pubmed_docsum) This

study also demonstrated one of the other known effects of sodium, which is that

it can lower the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in

decreased urinary and plasma noradrenaline. Since some studies have shown that

the _sympathetic nervous system is in a hyperactive state in fibromyalgia_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr

act & list_uids=15361323 & query_hl=14 & itool=pubmed_docsum) , and that injections

of noradrenaline causes pain, we wonder whether the reduction of

noradrenaline from increased sodium intake, could be significant enough to have

an

effect on fibromyalgia pain.

Another effect of increasing sodium intake, is a decrease of insulin

resistance. This may be due to the reduction of angiotensin II, as angiotensin

II

is known to increase insulin resistance _Moderate salt restriction has been

shown to aggravate both systemic and vascular insulin resistance_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Ret

rieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstract & list_uids=10371376 & query_hl=94 & itool=pubmed_docsum\

) . One consequence of this, is

that sodium intake increases insulin’s vasodilatory effects, resulting in

improved blood flow in limbs.

If insulin resistance is decreased by sodium intake, then this might lead to

increased intracellular magnesium levels, as _insulin resistance is known to

depress cellular levels of magnesium_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=8861135 & query_hl=20 & ito

ol=pubmed_docsum) . Cytokines, hormones, and neurochemicals, all influence

the intracellular levels of minerals. Taking the best absorbable mineral

supplement, is only going to be of marginal help, if other factors are

interfering with the intracellular levels.

_Another interesting effect from increased sodium intake is increased

cortisol elimination, resulting in lower plasma cortisol levels_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=129

70284 & query_hl=2 & itool=pubmed_docsum) .

One of the more important effects of increased sodium intake for people with

CFS and fibromyalgia, may be the increase in blood volume that can occur.

This can be of help for orthostatic disorders and low blood volume, that lead

to symptoms such as dizziness. Such problems often occur in people with CFS

and fibromyalgia. _It is well known that increasing sodium intake helps

these conditions_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=14981050 & query_hl=148 & itool=pubmed_docsum) .

For many years, doctors treating CFS and fibromyalgia patients have been

recommending salt as a remedy. _Regarding this, it’s possible that potassium

may

be able to somewhat offset this effect from sodium._

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=9428447 & q

uery_hl=48 & itool=pubmed_docsum) We think then, perhaps that it’s a good

thing that this supplement doesn’t contain a high amount of potassium.

Another possibly important effect from increased sodium intake, is the

resulting decrease in angiotensin II. Angiotensin II has both inflammatory

and

oxidative properties, which can cause or influence a host of problems. Drugs

that block or lower angiotensin II can have numerous benefits for many

different conditions, with new uses seemingly being discovered on a daily

basis.

The elevation of angiotensin II which results from salt restriction, is one

of the reasons why some people believe that sodium restriction should not be

recommended, unless there is a clear reason for it. The increase in

angiotensin II may be one of the reasons that _one study not only didn’t find

any

decreased risk of mortality from a low sodium diet, but actually found an

increased risk of moratlity_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=16490476 & query_hl=95 & itool=pubmed_docsum

) in many of the studied groups.

Even though Recuperat-ion contains very low amounts of calcium and

magnesium, it may still have a significant effect on their balances. Low

sodium

intake increases aldosterone. _Excess aldosterone increases urinary excretion

of

magnesium and calcium_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=15710759 & itool=pubmed_Abstract) .

_And a low salt diet, which increases aldosterone absorption, has been shown to

increase urinary magnesium and calcium_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=12953799 & query_hl=4 & it

ool=pubmed_docsum) .

However, it’s not clear if manipulating aldosterone via salt intake, can

have much influence on mineral balance. This is mainly due to the fact that

sodium itself has it’s own direct effects on mineral retention. It’s been

well documented that salt increases urinary calcium. However, this applies to

salt, and not to all forms of sodium. Sodium citrate has the opposite

effect, as it decreases urinary calcium, improving calcium balance. This

occurs,

due to the fact that the PH of urine affects calcium absorption. Acidic

urine increases urinary calcium. Acidic urine can occur due to a high protein

diet, and this will increase urinary calcium. However, in a study on such a

diet, _it was found that sodium bicarbonate alkalinized the urine, and reversed

the urinary calcium loss_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve & db=pubmed & list_uids=\

6320628 & dopt=Abstract) . _Sodium citrate has

similar effects on PH, and it can also reduce urinary calcium_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=15

92448 & query_hl=61 & itool=pubmed_Docsum) .

Sodium citrate may also be able to affect urinary magnesium via a similar

effect, _as urinary magnesium loss in acidosis conditions has been corrected by

sodium bicarbonate_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=2548071 & query_hl=4 & itool=pubmed_docsum) .

This may be one of the reasons why _one study has shown that the magnesium

balance for the average person is significantly coorelated to calcium

balance, but not to magnesium intake_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=15637232 & query_hl=9 & itool=pubme

d_docsum) . This doesn’t mean that magnesium supplementation doesn’t have

an effect. Hundreds of studies on magnesium supplementation have proven that

it can have an effect on magnesium status. But many of the factors that

affect calcium balance, such as vitamin D and urinary PH, not only affect

calcium retention, but also magnesium. And so perhaps for the average person

with

the average western diet, with low magnesium content, _that an effect that

improves magnesium retention, may be able to significantly change one’s

magnesium status_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed & cmd=Retrieve & list_uids=\

1496118 & Dopt=Citation) .

In any event, we suspect that some of Recuperat-ion’s beneficial effects,

may be due to the alkalinizing property of sodium citrate, which will then

increase calcium and magnesium retention.

_As an aside, it should be noted that the person who created Recuperat-ion,

and who claims to have cured his fibromyalgia with this supplement, was also

diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis_

(http://www.alfredblasi.net/eng/experiencia/ingles.HTM) . Ankylosing

Spondylitis is a form of chronic inflammation

of the spine and the sacroiliac joints. Coexisting conditions such as this,

are commonly found with fibromyalgia. However, many times in such cases, the

fibromyalgia is actually caused by the other condition. _In such situations,

fibromyalgia is secondary to the other condition, and this “secondary

fibromyalgia†is often harder to treat than primary fibromyalgia_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=77

01393 & query_hl=12 & itool=pubmed_docsum) . This is because, unless the primary

condition is treated, it will continue to aggravate the fibromyalgia

symptoms. However sometimes, if the primary condition is properly treated, the

fibromyalgia symptoms will also subside. While other doctors dismissed the

diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis, he obviously did have some sort of other

condition, as when he recovered from fibromyalgia he stated that “my symptoms

of ankylosing spondylitis have also let up, of which I don’t have any

traces. "

As an aside, it’s interesting to note that while Ankylosing Spondylitis can

be just as bad (or worse) than fibromyalgia, it’s documented in the medical

leisure, and on the web, that remission occurs in a small percentage of cases.

However, the treatments that caused this to occur in those people, don’t

necessarily help other cases. This is similar to fibromyalgia. If you search

the web, you will find numerous stories of remission from fibromyalgia, via

different methods. Yet these same treatments don’t cause remission in other

people.

In any event, rgardless of why this person was helped by his supplement, the

medical literature definitely does document several effects from sodium

citrate intake, that may be helpful in treating fibromyalgia, CFS, and possible

other chronic conditions. IMHO, this is more likely the main reason why it

helps.

Mark London

_MRL_ (MRL)

The creator of Recuperat-ion has posted comments about my web page to the

AlfredblasiprotocolFMSCFS discussion group. To read my response, _follow

this link._ (http://web.mit.edu/london/www/Blasi.htm)