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{Please welcome my good friend Lydia to the site today! Lydia is a Nutritional Therapist and the author of the Divine Health from the Inside Out site. If you’ve followed my site for any amount of time, you know that Lydia is not only a close friend, but she is also my NTP and has been helping me make great progress on my healing journey. She is an INCREDIBLE woman who really knows her stuff when it comes to health, especially the role minerals play in our bodies. Please give her a warm welcome to the site and stop by Divine Health and say hello!.}
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by Lydia Shatney
Divine Health from the Inside Out
Today we are a nation suffering from bad moods, stress, and depression. We don’t get enough sleep, we get “blue” in the winter months, we start to lose our memory, have high-strung parents, hyperactive kids, or kids that can’t seem to ‘pay attention’ in school.
Addictions are on the rise. Moms of multiple children are finding themselves depleted, struggling with postpartum depression, and hormone imbalances. PMS is accepted as a reality we just have to endure.
Let’s face it – we’re in the middle of an epidemic of mood and health ailments. As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I feel the most effective way to address this epidemic is through solid, nutritional therapy practices, including the use of hair tissue mineral analysis. This test paired with a nutritional program dig down to the underlying root cause of the issues.
In this video, Jessica discusses some of her experiences with HTMA and she is also going to be doing more videos as she gets further into her journey. Also, don’t forget to check out her HTMA blog posts:
Did You Know?
- Low body levels of magnesium are associated with suicidal behavior (Banki et al. 1985).
- Copper, either too much or too little, can affect the central nervous system. It has been found that those with Parkinson’s disease usually have severe copper deficiency. [1]
- Low levels of zinc are correlated with depression. The lower the zinc levels, the worse the depression (Maes 1994; Nowak et al. 2005).
- Magnesium deficiency can produce symptoms of anxiety or depression, fatigue, apathy, apprehension, poor memory, confusion, anger and even nervousness [2]
- Excess calcium (through supplementation) can induce serious psychological problems, including fatigue, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, loss of memory and more. [3]
Minerals are basically the spark plugs of life, or keystones to our health. Minerals are the catalysts that keep our “battery” going and enable it to hold its “charge.”
Minerals compose about 4% of the human body. We cannot produce minerals within our bodies, so we must obtain them through our food.
They ultimately come from the earth. Good soil is about 45% minerals; however, our soils today are quite lacking due to synthetic fertilizers, mono-cropping, and more. In the US, our soils contain 86% less minerals than they did 100 years ago (based on a study done in 1992). Minerals are what remain as ash when plant or animal tissues are burned. They come from the earth and will eventually return to the earth.
There are 103 known minerals. At least 18 of these are necessary for good health.
Mineral Imbalance is Epidemic
Individuals who eat a lot of sugar and refined foods tend to excrete minerals in their urine. This is compounded by the fact that a refined diet is low in minerals to begin with. This is even if they no longer eat processed foods but did in the past. If you lost minerals on a mineral poor diet, and never corrected the mineral loss or imbalances purposely you will still have missing minerals in your body.
Stress and over-taxed adrenal glands can increase the loss of hormones, additionally causing a further loss of minerals. It can take several years to re-mineralize the body. For instance, it can take 12 months to replace one mineral (e.g. iron), so to replace more can take awhile.
“99% of the American people are deficient in minerals, and a marked deficiency in any one of the more important minerals actually results in disease.” – Senate Document 264 74th Congress, 1936 [25]
Role of Minerals in the Body
- Minerals act as co-factors for enzyme reactions. Enzymes don’t work without minerals. All cells require enzymes to work & function. They give us our vitality.
- Minerals help maintain the pH balance within the body.
- Minerals actually facilitate the transfer of nutrients across cell membranes.
- Minerals help maintain proper nerve conduction
- Minerals help to contract and relax muscles.
- Minerals help to regulate our bodies’ tissue growth.
- Minerals provide structural and functional support for the body.
To understand more about how minerals work and how they are depleted, read my posts here: The Role of Minerals In the Body and Factors That Deplete Minerals.
Specific Minerals and Their Impact on Mood
Macro-minerals:
- Calcium: Too little absorbed calcium can cause anxiety, hypersensitivity or irritability. Insomnia has been associated with low calcium levels. However, supplementation is not advised. Psychological problems can be triggered by excess calcium supplementation. There must be a balance between calcium and magnesium levels.
- Phosphorous: Symptoms of phosphorous deficiency may include anorexia, along with irritability and anxiety.
- Potassium: Symptoms of fatigue, depression, and other mood changes are some consequences of low potassium levels, with fatigue being the most common. If low potassium levels go unchecked they can progress to nervous disorders, insomnia, and also impair glucose metabolism, which may lead to elevated blood sugar.
- Magnesium: Is a natural sedative and muscle relaxer. Therefore, the more serious the magnesium deficiency, the edgier a person may become. Excess anxiety, short temper, extreme irritability, memory loss, inability to concentrate, apathy and depression, and jumping at the slightest provocation all indicate possible magnesium deficiency. Children low in magnesium can become hyperactive. Magnesium helps to calm nerves and improve mental conditions in those individuals that tend towards anxiousness. Magnesium is particularly sensitive to stress, and is easily depleted by excess sugar consumption (which is a form stress on the body). Alcohol also speeds up the excretion of magnesium, and alcoholics tend to have serious magnesium deficiencies.
- Sulfur: Is present in four amino acids: methionine (an essential amino acid); the nonessential cystine and cysteine (which can be made from methionine); and taurine. Sulfur helps to aid brain function and all cell activity.
- Sodium: Low sodium levels can produce symptoms such as: dizziness, poor memory, and impaired concentration. Excess sodium from processed foods and processed salt can cause PMS symptoms.
- Chloride: Chloride is obtained primarily from good quality salt that is unrefined.
Micro-minerals (or Trace Minerals):
- Iron: An overload can cause issues such as: chronic fatigue, depression, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s diseases. Children who are iron deficient may experience psychological problems, learning disabilities based on hyperactivity or a decreased attention span. Deficiency signs can also include a general state of apathy, irritability, depression, or a lack of enthusiasm for life. Decreased memory may also occur. [4]
- Chromium: Mild deficiencies can cause anxiety or fatigue.
- Iodine: If iodine deficiency goes unchecked for several months or more it can lead to poor mental function.
- Manganese: Poor brain function is a possibility when manganese activities are decreased.
- Molybdenum: A deficiency, though rare, may lead to developmental delays, seizures, visual alterations, and neurological changes. Headaches, night blindness, and an accelerated heart may also be experienced.
- Selenium: Works synergistically with vitamin E. Modern soils are depleted of selenium, and processed foods deplete the body of it.
- Silicon: Is lost easily in food processing. We have yet to identify silicon deficiencies in humans.
- Zinc: Low levels are correlated with depression. The lower the zinc levels, the worse the depression. One study found that patients with low serum zinc also tended to have major depression and those with moderately low serum zinc tended to have minor depression. (Maes 1994; Nowak et al. 2005). Children with zinc deficiencies may show poor appetite, slow development, have learning disabilities, or poor attention spans. [5]
- Lithium: Is used for treating emotional disorders, particularly manic depression. I recommend working with a practitioner closely if lithium is ever needed in supplement form, as too much can be toxic.
- Cobalt: A deficiency is only a concern if not enough dietary B12 is consumed. However, keep in mind B12 deficiency is becoming more common. (Read more: The Importance of Vitamin B 12 & Potential Deficiencies)
- Copper: Increased copper levels have been associated with schizophrenia, learning disabilities, and senility. Depression and other mental problems, premenstrual syndrome, and hyperactivity have also been correlated with high copper levels, often in combination with low zinc levels. For some chemical reactions in the body, the ratio of zinc to copper is more important than the absolute amount of either mineral alone. [6]
Is It Possible To Get Enough Minerals Through Diet?
The last thing I want you to do is read this post and then go out and try to supplement with whatever mineral you may think you may be low in.
That is a very bad idea.
It’s it not a good idea to guess what minerals you think you are lacking in. You simply must test.
Balancing minerals in the body is very tricky business. It is imperative to consume a properly prepared nutrient-dense diet, including good fatty acids, with adequate hydration, and have adequate stomach acid as a base line for good health.
These things need to be in place in order for our minerals in our food to be utilized properly. However, most people already have depleted minerals in their body.
Unfortunately, diet alone is too random of an approach to correct imbalanced biochemistry. Supplementation really is necessary today. While there are some excellent healing diets out there that have great benefit, none of them alone can correct your unique biochemistry. Today’s food is so deficient in some nutrients that even eating very carefully rarely supplies all that the body requires.
Maybe you’ve even followed a specific dietary protocol without gaining the full benefits that it promised to deliver (even after months, or even years, of time following the protocol). I’ve heard this time and time again from countless clients. While dietary plans can have all the best of intentions they can never address individual mineral imbalances.
The best and most ionic forms of a full spectrum of minerals are good quality sea salt and bone broth.
Other great sources of minerals and trace minerals include:
- Good mineral rich water from a well or a natural spring.
- Animal proteins from humanely raised animals living on pasture and grass-fed.
- Wild seafood.
- Properly prepared nuts, seeds, and legumes (Just remember to pair these foods with good fatty acids to ensure you are actually utilizing them well. If you are not well versed on which fats are optimal, please read my post on: ‘What Fats You Should Be Consuming’).
- Raw milk dairy products (not pasteurized or homogenized).
- Cultured dairy and cheeses.
- Pastured eggs are rich in a wide array of nutrients that all synergistically support each other.
- Dark leafy greens, sea vegetables, oysters, even butter and liver.
- Biodynamic or organically raised vegetables (with mineral rich soil).
If you are already eating a clean nutrient-dense diet, including clean filtered and electrolyte water, yet still have unexplained health issues, hair analysis can open up a whole new vista for the solving of your own particular problem by recognizing your unique biochemical individuality.
Even if you are not experiencing more serious health concerns, abnormalities in the biochemistry and nutritional deficiencies can result in subtle issues that show that things are not as right as rain.
Simply taking a look at your skin, hair, or nails can show you that there are indeed mineral imbalances going on that, if left unchecked, can develop into bigger problems down the road.
In other words, various mineral imbalances, revealed via tissue mineral analysis frequently lead to metabolic dysfunctions even before major symptoms manifest.
Hair Mineral Analysis is an invaluable screening tool which allows a correct program of both diet and supplements to be designed for each individual’s specific needs – no more guessing!
You may be apprehensive at the thought of committing the time, money, and effort to helping yourself and investing in a hair mineral analysis program. Or worse, you think you can do this on your own more quickly and efficiently.
I know how you feel because I felt the very same way.
I DID end up doing it on my own. After spending two decades of my life, I finally figured out that hair analysis was the key place to start, but I also sacrificed my quality of life along the way.
I’m willing to support you with a much more efficient way [via HAIR ANALYSIS] so you can start living your life feeling normal again!
Supporting the Thyroid & Adrenals Through Herbs
When it comes to supporting the adrenals and thyroid (because they are very closely linked), caffeine may not be your best friend. While those with sluggish adrenal glands tend to feel run down and in need of a regular pick-me-up (like coffee and other caffeinated beverages), in the long run, caffeine can do more harm than good while you are healing. I go into the “whys” around caffeine and your adrenals in this detailed post here. In addition to the caffeine, there are other constituents, molds, and mycotoxins that can show up in coffee that some people find they react to.
When I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease and adrenal fatigue, one of the first things that had to go was coffee. To be honest, I never drank coffee because of the caffeine. I drank coffee for the taste and aroma, as well as the emotional experience I felt to my morning cup of joe. For me, it was a ritual that I looked forward to every day (and sometimes multiple times a day). Whether I was brewing it at home or going to my local coffee shops, the experience was one that I clung to tightly.
But, when I was faced with new health struggles, I knew I had to do whatever I could to support my body and give it the tools it needed to heal. Giving up coffee and caffeine was one step in this direction.
And it sucked.
I turned to the coffee substitutes on the market in a desperate attempt to recreate the ritual I had grown so fond of, but nothing ever tasted the way I wanted it to. Nothing ever gave me that same experience that my cup of “real” coffee did. I knew there had to be something better, but I simply could not find it on my health food store’s shelves.
Necessity is the mother of invention so that is why I created my own coffee substitutes. They were made with organic, sustainably harvested herbs with zero grains, zero gluten, and zero caffeine. Just herbs. Herbs that not only tasted delicious but supported my body’s function, like liver detox, bile production, digestion, etc. In my mind, if I can get something to not only taste amazing but do amazing things for my body, then it’s a no brainer!
I sold these pre-made blends on Etsy for awhile and the demand was more than I could keep up with. People literally LOVED these blends and were stunned at how much like coffee they actually tasted. Customers who had been dealing with a variety of chronic illnesses had given up coffee to heal their bodies, but like me were deeply missing their morning cup of joe ritual.
After careful consideration and work with some highly experienced advisors, I decided to stop selling the pre-made blends and instead share my proprietary recipes in the form of an eBook. That way I could arm people with the knowledge and recipes they needed to make their own caffeine-free, gluten-free, grain-free blends in the comfort of their own home.
That is why I created the best-selling DIY Herbal Coffees eBook: A Complete Guide To Making Delicious Herbal Coffees to Support Healing & Stress Relief. Now in its second edition, this ebook features all of my proprietary herbal blend recipes to you can craft a homemade herbal cup of “coffee” at home.
In addition, you get a ton of researched information about coffee’s impact on the health of those dealing with issues like adrenal fatigue, blood sugar dysregulation, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, and any other chronic illness.
Lastly, you get access to your own personal coffee shop. I show you how to recreate your favorite coffee shop drinks and pastries with wholesome, nourishing real food ingredients. No junk here.
This book truly is a comprehensive guide to supporting your health, reducing your stress, and bringing a little something special back into your healing journey. You can learn more and download your own copy of this revolutionary wellness guide here, or simply click on the image below.
Sources
- ‘Trace Elements and Other Essential Nutrients: Clinical Application of Tissue Mineral Analysis’, Dr. David L. Watts, pg. 81
- ‘The Magnesium Miracle’, Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., pg. 45
- ‘Trace Elements and Other Essential Nutrients: Clinical Application of Tissue Mineral Analysis’, Dr. David L. Watts, pg. 59
- ‘Staying Healthy with Nutrition’ by Elson M. Haas, M.D., pg. 194
- ‘Staying Healthy with Nutrition’ by Elson M. Haas, M.D., pg 213
- ‘Staying Healthy with Nutrition’ by Elson M. Haas, M.D., pg. 181
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