strath replied: "Coral calcium has been hyped a lot, but my nutrition prof was not impressed with it. As a supplement in pill form, we'd look for calcium citrate, chelated calcium or (last choice) calcium lactate. A good idea is to buy high-quality products and rotate among brands each time you buy. We are never 100% sure that these "natural" products have in them exactly the ingredients they say, hence the high-quality names and the rotation. At the risk of sounding like a nag, may I add a few remarks: 1) there's something wrong with your 2mg dosage. A minimum dose for an osteoporosis patient would be one gram per day, which is 1000 milligrams. Please pay strict attention to the label on the bottle. You are looking for the "elemental calcium" content, not the milligrams or grams of calcium compound. For example, a 600 mg Ca tablet can actually contain only 150 mg of elemental calcium. Most high-quality manufacturers will specify on the label the milligram content of the compound and also the milligram content of "elemental calcium." If the label does not present this information, it would be best to avoid this product. 2) calcium (Ca) must always be combined with magnesium (Mg). The reason is that a high-calcium or calcium-only intake will result in a net calcium depletion of the bone tissue. The body must always maintain Ca/Mg in a specific balance in the bloodstream. If the human being overdoses on calcium only, the ingenious body will dissolve bone tissue to obtain the magnesium necessary to keep the blood balance. This important fact is sometimes neglected by medical doctors. A common practice is to prescribe 1 or 2 grams of calcium only, while neglecting magnesium. A recipe for disaster. The proportion of Ca to Mg is about 2 to 1. Most high-quality calcium preparations will also present magnesium in the right proportion. Or you can buy them separately. If buying separately, the same caution re "elemental magnesium" will apply. Ideally, you will be looking for something like 1 gram of elemental calcium plus 500 mg elemental magnesium per day. This should be taken in staggered doses during the day, with meals because Ca & Mg absorb better with food. For example, one 500 mg Ca with 200-250 mg Mg with lunch, another with dinner, a third with breakfast if you like. 3) all osteoporosis patients should modify and re-work their entire nutrition program. The goal here is to prevent calcium loss from the bones, rather than simply increasing the oral intake. Can you find someone to work with you, possibly in a low-cost clinic associated with a good school of naturopathy or a nutrition faculty in your area. Your goal here is to change gradually from a diet that burns to an acid ash - this is the typical North American diet - to one that leaves a more alkaline ash. Foods to reduce are meat, excessive protein, junk foods, processed commercial foods, soda pop, excessive sugar, white flour products and coffee. Foods to increase are simple. More vegetables. More fruit. More vegetables. Whole grains. More vegetables. Beans and lentils. More vegetables. 4) more on nutrition. Authorities are divided as to whether calcium from dairy products such as milk, yoghurt and cheese or calcium from dark-green-leafy vegetables is better assimilated by the human body. I mean really good authorities with plenty of academic studies to back up each point of view. What to do when the authorities can't agree? The answer seems simple - keep lots of both in your diet. The dark-green-leafies include broccoli, rapini, chard, kale, beet and turnip greens, and to a much lesser extent the deeply colored lettuces such as oak leaf and romaine. If your nutrition is not very healthy right now, it will take some time to accustom yourself to a better regime, perhaps an entire year. That's why a knowledgeable nutritionist or naturopath could help with support & suggestions. I'd start by visiting my local farmers' market, most cities have them now, and please especially check out the organic produce. 5) a walk on the wild side - something to think about. Wild greens are chock-full of valuable minerals including calcium, magnesium and potassium, and they're brimming with vitamins. Dandelion leaves, for example, contain more minerals and vitamins than spinach. Another high-mineral wild green leaf is nettles, traditionally made into nettle soup or an infusion to drink (combine with fruit juice or your favorite tea if you like.) You can find these wild greens at a local farmers' market, or perhaps at your health food store. You could even learn to find and gather them in the countryside yourself. One interesting herb called horsetail helps to deposit calcium into bone tissue. It grows wild across north America and is sold in health food stores. You'd make it into an infusion (steep for 4 hours or more to extract the minerals.) In the morning, combine with tea & heat as a breakfast beverage. Use this no more than 1 or at the most 2 weeks out of 4, as it contains silica. This is good for your joints in small quantities, but should not be taken daily for long period of time. 6) certain foods are a big caution because they contain oxalic acid. This combines with calcium in the bloodstream and gets excreted as calcium oxalate, so the result of eating these foods is a net calcium loss. These foods are: rhubarb, spinach, sorrel and to a much lesser extent, chocolate. It's OK to have rhubarb 1 or 2 or 3 times a year, when it's fresh, but it's not OK to scarf down spinach 3 times a week while believing it's good for you. Pop-eye was wrong. 7) I'm sure your doctor has gone on and on about how you must do weight-bearing exercises. These build up bone tissue. Walking is just great. It's perfect for you. Please leave that car at home. Could you join a hiking or walking group. They're interesting & fun & a painless way to save your bones. Swimming, by the way, is not considered a weight-bearing exercise, because the water supports the body. Bicycling is not as helpful as walking, because the bike bears the weight, not the human skeleton. 8) re: Fosamax. The questionable news about this is that the bone tissue that results is lacey and brittle. Studies have shown that patients taking this and other similar medications have just as many fractures as control groups, even if their bone readings improve in tests. 9) if you smoke, your doctor has already lectured you about this. It's a real no-no for osteoporosis patients. Wishing you the very best. It's a long year of work, but I personally believe osteoporosis can be avoided. If the disorder is present it can be stopped. I even believe it can be reversed,"