Two week Immune Boost - Survival of the Fittest Part 3: Minerals

Working in the Alternative Medical field, I am considered a "Root Cause" doctor. We look for the original reason behind the result. Most patients I see have symptoms that point to mineral deficiency. It can show up as a multitude of dysfunctions from stress, anxiety and pain to fatigue and premature grey.

Minerals are the key to good health. Minerals also work with each other to make processes work. Minerals plus water make electrolytes, blood and body fluid. Dehydration is only part water, the other part is minerals.  Minerals come from the food we eat which are mineral rich like root vegetables, dark leafy greens and things like soups cooked with bone over a long time until the marrow is released. 

Minerals which the body can use, do not come from spring water which contain un-bio-available minerals or "rocks" in my book.  Think of it this way, Imagine a stream flowing down the mountainside and a plant growing alongside the stream. The plant roots reach down into the mineral rich stream and soak up all the nutrients. The plant then converts the mineral "rock water" into a bio-available mineral rich plant we can eat.

Minerals are stored in the bones and are continually moving in and out of the bones for muscle contraction, neurological processing, repairing, stabilizing hormones, regulating temperature, etc. Literally Minerals are at the root of nearly every process in the body. They are invaluable and not given much credit. In fact, when I ask some of my patients if they take minerals, they often respond that they take a multi-vitamin every morning. Soon they find out from me that vitamins are not minerals. In fact, I don't recommend my patients take them together. Since minerals work mostly at night (when you are not moving) repairing the body, and vitamins are utilized when your body is moving, you would get more out of them by taking minerals at night and vitamins in the morning.

You have probably heard of osteoporosis (translated: holes in bone) or osteopenia (little bone). Basically, it is mineral deficiency leaving holes in the bones or weak bones. These situations usually happen gradually as your body loses it's ability to digest due to lower amounts of enzymes. Essential fatty acids need enzymes to convert into the next stage to break down minerals. When the enzymes are low, they cannot break down essential fatty acids so minerals never get properly converted to a form our bodies can use..

So one of the most important things is to keep your digestive enzymes working so you can convert essential fatty acid, which help mineral processing, which help nearly every process in the body from bones, to neurological /brain processing to hormone regulation, temperature regulation, reduce stress, fluid movement, energy etc. If you find yourself fatigued, with inflammation, pain, PMS, brain fog, hot flashes, stress, headaches, certain types of arthritis etc, you might consider that minerals in general are involved and need to be considered in the repair or healing process.

I prefer plant/food based supplements myself because the results are quick and as humans we are meant to eat food, not ingest chemicals. Most supplements (yes even the "good" ones) are considered nutraceuticals because they are fabricated to mimic nature. Also it has been shown that food-based supplements have 100% absorption, compared to nutraceutical which rated at 10-35% absorption. That would mean if you spend $10 on nutraceutical minerals, you need to take 10-3 times as much or $30-$100 to get the same effect from a plant/food based supplement. YIKES!  So it pays to look further.

For more info on what would be a good choice for multi-minerals during your 2 week Immune Boost diet, please feel free to reach out.
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Patricia J Ahner, AP, LAc, LMT, RM, contact@get-relief.com | get-relief.com