Dealing with calcification?

Hey everyone!

My mom is 50, and she had a hysterectomy about five years ago.
She had a brain CT scan back in May, and everything looked pretty fine except for some calcifications. To be specific, here’s what the report said: "A 4mm calcification in the lower lateral part of the right occipital region with no impact on surrounding structures. Small calcifications in the wall of the ICA in the siphon area." Then, just a few days ago, she had a mammogram where they found some calcifications on the left side, which they noted are likely benign. I should also mention she’s been dealing with joint pain—both knees, her left shoulder, and her left hand joints—but we haven't actually gone to a doctor to figure out the cause for that yet.

I'm wondering what these calcifications actually mean. Is there any way to shrink them down through diet or anything else? She's read in a bunch of places that women in her stage of life (given the menopause stuff) are usually encouraged to take calcium supplements for bone health, so I'm curious if that's a good idea here. If she starts taking calcium, could that potentially make these calcifications grow even more?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Noah Ward5 said:Hey everyone!

My mom is 50, and she actually had a hysterectomy about five years ago.
Back in May, she went in for a brain CT scan, and the results were pretty much fine, except they flagged some calcifications. To be exact, here’s what the report said: "A 4mm calcification in the lower lateral part of the right occipital region with no impact on surrounding structures. Small calcifications of the ICA wall in the siphon area." Then, just a few days ago, she had a mammogram where they found what they called likely benign calcifications on the left side. I should also mention she's been dealing with some joint pain—both knees, her left shoulder, and her left wrist—but we haven't really dug into that yet because she hasn't been sent for any specific tests for it.

I'm trying to wrap my head around what these calcifications actually mean. Is there any way to shrink them down, maybe through diet or something? She's read in a million places that women in her stage of life (given the menopause stuff) are usually told to take calcium supplements for bone health, so I'm wondering if that's a good move here. If she starts taking calcium, could that actually make those calcifications grow even more?

Thanks in advance for any help!

I've got a calcification in my knee, and honestly, I think it's starting to spread to the other one because it's already starting to ache. It’s wild—at first, it only hurt when I hit the first step, but now it’s bothering me even when I'm just walking around. My doctor basically told me I need to stay active to "burn it off" and lose a little weight, which should hopefully stop the pain.
From what I've gathered online, you're supposed to take calcium alongside magnesium. The logic is that calcium contributes to the buildup of calcifications, while magnesium supposedly helps counteract that. At least, that's what the internet says.