The Legacy of Raymond Francis: Hyper-Calcification of the Body
By John Ortiz, edited by Jonathan Atleson
Raymond Francis was an extraordinary individual that I had the blessing of calling a friend. His legacy includes authoring the following five books:
Never Be Sick Again (2002)
Never Be Fat Again (2007)
Never Fear Cancer Again (2011)
Never Feel Old Again (2013)
He also started and ran a nutraceutical company called Beyond Health, which continues on at beyondhealth.com. Raymond believed he could make superior nutraceuticals with better bioavailability and better quality.
I had a series of conversations with Raymond about calcification in the body and its contribution to disease states. I wanted to figure out why the body hypercalcifies soft tissue, and how we can reverse it.
Raymond and I developed a list of theories as to why the body, in it’s inherent divine programming, would hypercalcify soft tissue:
Deficency
Chronic dehydration
Magnesium deficiency, resulting in long-term magnesium-calcium imbalance
Vitamin K2 deficiency
Lack of D3, causing disordered calcium storage
Toxicity
To control the spread of pathogens or fungus in the body
Toxin storage and/or neutralization
To trigger inflammation in the body to resolve an issue
Management of your pH to keep you in an alkaline state
Lack of movement and/or exercise, which is prevalent in our current society
Hydration
We are born 90% water and our hydration percentage decreases as we age. The whole idea of a Fountain of Youth centers around water. In my thinking, there is a good chance that chronic dehydration could lead to hyper-calcification of soft tissue as emergency H2O is removed from the tissues, leaving minerals behind.
Whenever I, or my clients, feel low-energy or mentally foggy, the first place I look is hydration. Even anger issues might be driven by dehydration — think of the movie The Water Boy.
What type of water should one consume, and how much is optimal? What is the best way to bathe, shower, or sauna?
On the over-hydration side, Traditional Chinese Medicine says that if you drink too much water, you can tire the kidneys; this leads to low Chi and frequent trips to the bathroom. Western Science would say you are flushing out too many electrolytes, which would lead to symptoms similar to “low Chi.”
What about other beverages, like soft drinks, coffees, teas, and sports drinks? The main problem with these water alternatives is that some dehydrate you instead of hydrating you at a cellular level.
What about thirst? Is it an emergency signal for dehydration? Or, as I was taught in Exercise Physiology, is it the body simply telling you that it needs more water? If thirst is not an emergency signal, then perhaps we are over-watering the body by quenching every bit of thirst. If water is good, surely more is better! This could be another example of the Mocebo effect.
Lack of Magnesium
In my article on magnesium, I discussed how chronic magnesium deficiency could lead to calcium deposits where you don't want them. The solution is to increase your magnesium and the type of magnesium you take, and or use topical applications of magnesium.
Lack of Vitamin K2
In one of my conversations with Raymond, we talked about how vitamin K2 plays a role in calcium distribution. Question: could a K2 deficiency cause calcium deposition where it's not ideal?
Lack of Sunlight/D3
Raymond and I discussed the role of the sun’s UV rays to form D3. With his nutraceutical background and company, he was a big believer in supplemental intake of D3.
I told him my reservations were that an obsession with D3 could lead to what I called the Mocebo effect, the idea that more is better. Because D3 is fat-soluble, the body is not able to displace it as quickly as water-soluble vitamins. You could find yourself in the Mocebo Trap: diminishing returns to the point of dangerous toxicity.
Temporary Toxin Neutralization
If you focus on the oral cavity, and if you eat sugar and or grains, you get plaque, bacterial film that causes tooth decay and gum disease. Yet, if you don't brush well, this plaque gets calcified and converted to tartar. That's why when you go to a dentist for a dental cleaning, they're chipping off calcified plaque. This calcification process stops the damaging effects of this bacterial film that can cause tooth decay and gum disease.
Could calcium deposition the body be a similar kind of protection mechanism to stop out-of-control bacterial or fungal infections, and to prevent their spread?
Many people have what's called a Candida Overgrowth, like Thrush or Urinary Tract Infections. Could calcium play a role in slowing the spread of an overgrowth?
My personal theory is once the issue is resolved, the body will simply melt away the excess calcium and put it back in the bones where it belongs.
This could also explain why we talk about blocked Chi in Acupuncture, Tai Chi, and Qigong.
Long-term Toxin Storage
Another theory we came up with was a storage place for various toxins, be they of environmental, dietary, or mental origins. We tend to think of the components in our bones as made up of primarily calcium and phosphorus; these minerals are thought of like stone, with a degree of permanence.
In reality, the parathyroid and calcetonin hormones are constantly taking calcium in and out of circulation in the blood and the bones. Could the body’s wisdom take different types of toxicity and store them in adipose tissue or bone? Could this explain why some people get bone cancers?
Inflammation Trigger
Another theory was that the calcium is inflammatory, which would activate the immune system. An immune response would cause inflammation, ultimately (hopefully) resolving the original issue.
pH Balancing
Another theory we talked about was that calcium is alkaline, which would lead to better oxygenation of the tissues. The ideal pH of the blood should be in the range of 7.4 to 7.6. That allows better oxygen transport between hemoglobin and better efficiency.
Inactivity
Lastly, we discussed the inactivity of our society and the importance of movement, exercise and yoga to maintain fluidity and mobility.
Conclusion
My conversations with Raymond Francis were magical, mystical, and informative that I hope and pray will lead all people to a healthier state, making the world a better place. Our hope is this article will spark further discussions and research in the health community to solve the riddle of hyper-calcification.
I agree that supplemental D3 likely is far from ideal, based upon my recent experience with BPPV (vertigo).
My big takeaway from reading Raymond Francis was that what modern medicine calls biomarkers of aging are in fact biomarkers of inactivity. I did an interview with Lies are Unbekoming where I touched on that. I've added it to the About page of Eclectic Healing.
My latest article about salt has me thinking that the pH balance of blood is pretty much a health foundation. But there's a necessary counterpoint to everything: there is Yin and Yang. Ultimately life is a very intricate balancing act.
Regarding your temporary toxin neutralization heading, in any part of the body that is magnesium deficient, calcium is drawn in. The two are antagonists: Yin and Yang. It turns out that Candida has quite the appetite for magnesium, which would explain calcification of Candida. It locks the magnesium away and calcium is drawn to it. That calcification would also partly explain decreased bowel motility, as the calcifications can interfere with peristalsis. Slower motility will favor bugs that prefer an anaerobic environment.
Candida is the current mountain that I'm climbing (along with biofilms), and I'm just now getting some clarity on the issue after reading far too many gut health books with various complicated rituals for overcoming gut issues.
The thing I'm still wrestling with is low thyroid function. Low thyroid means low body temperature, and fungus loves it when you turn the thermostat down. I'm reluctant to go the route of thyroid supplementation and the need for constant testing. Partly because the body is intelligent enough to do that on its own (it's our job to figure out how to help it do that), and partly because in Chinese medicine it has long been acknowledged that there are individuals who may be naturally Yang deficient, and simply run a bit cold. I suspect I'm one of those individuals.
Anyway, I enjoyed the article. Great food for thought!