Garden of Life Raw Calcium Supplement for Women and Men - Vitamin Code Made from Whole Foods with Magnesium, K2, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin C Plus Probiotics for Digestion, 120 Capsules

LEAD CONTENT IS QUESTIONABLE, COMPANY WONT RELEASE LABS

UPDATED AT BOTTOM... I called up garden of Life today and spoke to one of their product specialists as they call themselves. I asked a very simple question: how is algaecal different from the sourcing of algaecal plus which was shown by consumer labs to have dangerous levels of lead. The answer? You'll have to contact algaecal. (MORE ON THAT BELOW) I also asked for a copy of their purity labs tests so that I would know what I am ingesting into my body is lead free The answer? We don't release those publicly, only to the FDA. she actually thought a proper substitute would be to just start verbally rattling off the alleged results ðŸ˜‚ I actually had to cut her off This is a potentially harmful product (like algaecal plus was) sold by a company that is not being transparent about it. I'm sure the people at garden of Life mean well but with this Nestle acquisition and with them refusing to honor their commitment of transparency to their customer base I don't feel like risking my health and having to join a class-action 10 years from now. I'm returning this product ASAP. By the way garden of Life - based on what the product specialist was telling me you guys simply meet the fda's upper level limits on lead detection. "ND" is what I am looking for. 0. Zilch. Not simply "pass". ðŸ™„ UPDATE: ALGAECAL AND ALGAECAL PLUS SOURCING ARE IDENTICAL. * Slaps hands together like in my cousin Vinny * "I-dentical..." Garden of Life is lying when they tried to claim otherwise (which they did with me). This is all according to algaecal themselves ( based out of Vancouver). ALSO: I requested any C of A that algaecal might have on heavy metals and purity. It took some jostling but they finally agreed to email it to me. Only problem is that as of this writing they still have not ACTUALLY emailed it to me. UPDATE: I reminded their support via email about my request and they never responded. That is a huge red flag to m

890 persons found it helpful

It worked for me!

August 2016 my doctor told me I had advanced osteoporosis. When I researched the medicine he wanted to give me, it really scared me--all the side effects were so awful. I did some more study and started taking this Garden of Life Raw Calcium. I quit taking omeprazole and took 2 tablets of the calcium every day. Last week, 9 months later, my doctor did a scan and was so surprised. He said my severe osteoporosis had been reversed and I was only in osteopenia!!!! Amazing

273 persons found it helpful

Helped me avoid surgery! 5-star review from a very picky customer!

I am a holistic practitioner and am very picky about the supplements I purchase for my own health needs. I consider myself to be very informed when it comes to quality supplements and other natural forms of healing. In March of 2017, I fell down our basement stairs and was left with a fractured fibula on my left foot and a torn ligaments on the right. I was left completely immobile. After 8 weeks of wearing an Aircast and elevating my fractured leg with NO weight bearing, I returned to the doctor for a re-check. To my dismay, I found out that the bones had not healed at all after 8 weeks. The doctor suggested surgery, but checked my vitamin D first. I was surprised to discover that it was on the low side of normal. I asked that he allow me to attempt to "fix" the problem myself before putting me through a surgery and causing me to be out of work for 3 more months. He agreed to give me 4 more weeks before insisting on surgery to put pins in the fractures. I sat down, did my research, and ordered Vitamin Code's Raw Calcium due to the amount of plant-based Vitamin D3 found in the product and the positive reviews. The doctor had given me a high-potency once per week dose of synthetic Vitamin D and I did not feel comfortable taking it. Instead, I began taking 2 capsules of Vitamin Code Raw Calcium twice daily. It has been 4 weeks. I went for my recheck yesterday and the doctor was amazed at how much progress my bones had made. He attributed it to the prescription of synthetic Vitamin D (which I never took) :) I was released to begin bearing weight on my fractured leg while still wearing the Aircast and am well on my way back to healing. I had no stomach upset or other ill effects from this product. The only effect was that it is healing my bones!!!!!!! I will continue to take this product from now on. I am very impressed with the results. It just saved me from a risky, costly surgery, and months of missed work

122 persons found it helpful

No more osteoporosis! It really worked when combined with exercise.

I waited two years to write this review since I first started taking this particular calcium supplement. About two years ago, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in my lumbar spine with a T-score of -2.7 even though I was only 57 years old. After doing some research, I decided to try this Garden of Life raw calcium supplement. For the next two years, I took three capsules a day (with some skipped days if I forgot), but I combined this with strength training exercise once or twice a week. For the strength training I mostly used Suzie Hathaway's "Safe Strength Training for Osteoporosis Prevention" video which is truly excellent. And I combined this with aerobic exercise another two or three days a week. I had been wondering, all this time, whether the effort was worth it. I had my DEXA scan last week and my T-score in my lumbar spine had gone from -2.7 to -1.5! I was AMAZED and so thankful! Who wants to have osteoporosis in ones 50's?! I feel I should mention the machine they used for the DEXA scan had been replaced and upgraded, but it is highly unlikely that the change in machine could have made THAT much difference. So, I can testify that this actually works! I plan to keep up the effort and, hopefully, reverse even the osteopenia in a few more years! I did not take the S tablets (other than just a few times early on) because I read that, although they do grow bone, they can make the bone brittle. So, my results were achieved with just this raw calcium and exercise. I also like taking this calcium better than the normal kind you get at a grocery store because it's smaller, shaped like a capsule, and I only have to take three a day. I usually taketwo at one point in the day and one a a differernt point, spacing them out. Thank you, Garden of Life, for making a truly excellent supplement

122 persons found it helpful

I highly recommend this esp during pregnancy

I honestly love this calcium supplement. For my 3rd pregnancy, I wanted to make sure I got enough calcium and absorbed it well. I did not get to drink enough calcium during my second pregnancy and depleted my stores due to breastfeeding my first. Well, my dentist saw the evidence in my weaker teeth enamel and I saw it in my baby's teeth as well. They were weak and the enamel easily cracked. I really felt so bad and even guilty for overlooking this very important supplement during my pregnancy. So when I got pregnant again, I made it a point to find the right kind and came across this. This seemed to do it for me and my son's teeth was the proof! He had really white and strong teeth and my dentist was really pleased upon seeing how healthy his teeth were. Will continue taking this even after pregnancy and breastfeeding. I highly recommend this

72 persons found it helpful

Striatum and Gall Stones?

I've taken this for a little less than 2 years. I'm 40, with a compression fracture in one vertebrae due to osteoporosis and have osteopenia in both hips. I was ordered to take calcium and Vitamin D3 supplements. I started taking this the Garden of Life D3 which is a high dosage of D3 when you include the D3 in this product too. I had a dexa scan done when I had my compression fracture in March 2021 and received another scan in Sept 2022. My density did increase in one hip and the vertebrae. It's not quiet normal range but improved. Now here's a few things to reflect on. 1. There's Strontium which will result in your bones appearing denser, and they may. There's a lot of uncertainty if it actually is strengthening the bones or just appears that way in a Dexa scan and secondly there's legitimate concern that Strontium may cause cancer, however note, the same concern applies to nearly all the pharma osteo prescriptions. Rather hardcore side effects with them. 2. I now have 2 confirmed large gall stones. I'm not sure it's due to these products however after digging into some causes of gall stones it seems that calcium supplements maybe linked to gall stones. I'd like to know if other users of this product have got gall stones. Hopefully it's not the case. Personally speaking I'm going to try another product that doesn't have Strontium. I'm going to try just straight calcium and vitamin k of another brand and see how my Dexa comes out in 2023

70 persons found it helpful

Converted non-believer

After hearing about how a lot of vitamins are crap, and how your body doesn't really absorb anything from them, I was NOT enthusiastic on spending good money on vitamins. But I was pregnant, and I knew that there was no way my daily diet was enough for my growing baby's needs. I generally liked Garden of Life's prenatal (I HATE taking pills, and at least it was easier to swallow), so I thought I'd give these a try. I balked at how many I had to take -- recommended intake is 4 per day -- but dutifully went through my first bottle for my baby. When I ran out of the bottle, I procrastinated on ordering more and thought I'd take advantage of a brief break in at least this calcium vitamin, vowing to eat more yogurt in the meantime. After 2 days of not taking the vitamin, I started waking up from insanely painful charlie horses, which are generally caused by a lack of calcium and magnesium. Time to rush order another bottle. As much as I still hate buying and taking vitamins, this stuff really works

63 persons found it helpful

The Best Calcium & Magnesium

This is the best Calcium/Magnesium supplement I've ever had. You should become familiar with the fact there are different forms of the same vitamin; every form has a different absorption rate. Cheaper vitamins use poorly absorbable forms that damage your health and hurt your body. Garden of Life uses a higher quality form of calcium and magnesium among a few other things. Everyone has heard calcium and magnesium are good for bones, BUT they are also necessary to create tons of enzymes and hormones within the body. Calcium and magnesium is also great for athletes - they are responsible for a lot of muscle twitch reactions. You can also tell how much calcium and magnesium are in a runner and weight lifter's body just by how their muscles look (e.g. tense and tight vs. relaxed and soft). I take calcium magnesium because I have hyperthyroidism and cal/mag produces a calming effect on my body. It also helps me to reduce underarm perspiration and odor

59 persons found it helpful

Helps with gut issues!

This seems to have put my sluggish digestive issues back on track, after things came to a screeching halt due a long dose of antibiotics and strong pain meds for a dental abscess. If I cut back on the Raw Calcium, things slow down again. If I keep up with the full dose, I'm back on track. Every time, no exceptions, and no other changes involved. It could be the magnesium, or it could be the enzymes and probiotics. Whatever it is, I want to keep taking it forever

53 persons found it helpful

Great blend but will no longer support Garden of life…after nearly 20 years of buying their products.

I have loved Garden of life products for decades. I'm not sure how I feel about Nestle buying them out since Nestle is huge supporters of GMO products. I will slowly transition the products I use to other brands that don't support destroying our health. This particular blend of vitamins I have bought on and off for years and I do love them. Sad I have to quit

34 persons found it helpful