Many people chalk up the root cause of digestive issues to infections or overgrowths like h. pylori or SIBO. But what conditions in the body encourage these to grow? And what do we do when normal interventions (herbs and killing protocols) don’t work?
We look at the health of the body at a cellular level. Do the cells have enough energy to heal or fight off infections in the first place?
Low cellular energy is the reason why we become vulnerable to infections and why we struggle to clear them.
Cellular and mitochondria health also determine the function of our metabolism, which controls digestion, motility, energy production and elimination. All deeply affect gut health.
Cells need mineral to run well and most of us are deficient. It is these cellular deficiencies and toxicities that make the body vulnerable to infection and unable to clear them well.
When this is the case, working on restoring mineral balance is the top priority. This is will give the body the energy to heal. If the mitochondria (energy producers) in our cells, are depleted, no matter how many antimicrobial, herbs or detox supplements you throw at a health problem, it will likely fail.
The deepest form of root cause medicine addresses cellular health, making sure the body has what it needs to function well and heal. Minerals are a primary component of building healthy cellular function.
This is why I’ve started working with mineral balancing and the hair tissue mineral analysis test (HTMA) which measures mineral levels in the body. We measure the body’s resilience in terms of mineral balance and intervene to give the body what it is lacking. It is not just a questions of replacing minerals. Diet, lifestyle, stress, nervous system, movement and hydration are also key.
I used mineral balancing to heal my gut with zero gut tests or antimicrobials. I did this program 20 years ago and have not had digestive symptoms since. I know how powerful it is and I am teaching about addressing the deepest root cause of gut health on a cellular level.
What causes mineral deficiency
Mineral deficiency is caused by stress and burnout and deepens the state of stress and burnout. So it can become a self perpetuation cycle.
We get minerals from our diet so the quality and diversity of the food we eat is important.
We can focus on getting more minerals from our diet by eating a mineral-rich whole food diet AND we can minimize the factors that deplete minerals.
The four most important minerals for health, energy and metabolism are: Magnesium. Calcium. Potassium. Sodium. They are the foundation for all the other minerals and the backbone of our physical, emotional, hormonal and mitochondrial health.
If these minerals are severely out of balance, the body won’t have the energy to detox or eradicate pathogens. Detox protocols and killing protocols are stressful on the body and require a lot of cellular energy.
Below are the things that deplete these primary minerals and other minerals across the board. It is important to understand that minerals and heavy metals compete for space instead the cell, and can push each other out of the cell.
This means that balancing your primary minerals can be one of the best things you can do for cellular and heavy metal detox.
If your minerals are depleted by any of the factors below, I offer a hair tissue mineral analysis test to clients to measure their levels. It provides information on the health and functioning of the adrenals, thyroid, blood sugar, mitochondria, immune system, nervous system, hormones and metabolism.
Factors that deplete minerals:
Using binders during detox of killing protocol can also rob your body of minerals. Binders like charcoal, zeolite, bentonite clay and more can bind to minerals as well as toxins.
Stress is a huge mineral depleter. There are many forms of stress, aside from anxiety or psychological stress. Stress from overworking, not resting enough, pushing yourself too hard, not sleeping enough, not moving your body enough, calorie restriction, the list goes on.
Severe dietary restriction is a stressor because it can puts the body into starvation mode and alarm mode (hello cortisol and low blood sugar) if you don’t eat enough. But it also limits that amount of minerals that come from cutting out too many food groups. Those who are only eating a handful of foods also reduce mineral intake.
Phytates and lectins are substances that are found in grains and beans/legumes in lesser quantities, in nuts and seeds. They are anti nutrients that bind to minerals and pull them out of the body.
Sweating and exercise is generally great but too much physical activity or sweating from sauna or a heatwave (or all three combined) can deplete sodium and chloride and to a lesser degree potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
A processed food diet or a carnivore diet is going to be low in minerals. Meat has a bit of potassium and magnesium but lacks the other two. Dairy has calcium but often it is not well absorbed. Consuming bone broth is a way to get more minerals on a carnivore diet.
Low stomach acid or blunted villi makes it hard to digest, extract and absorb food and its minerals. Blunted villi can come from the immune system attacking the villi in the small intestine due to food sensitivities like gluten.
Some medications can cause digestion or absorption issues: antacids, antibiotics, laxative and diuretics.
Vegans and vegetarians can experience low zinc and low iron and possibly high copper which can cause anxiety, hormonal chaos, fatigue, chronic colds or infections and insomnia.
Symptoms of a mineral deficiency
Symptoms of a mineral deficiency can depend on which minerals and nutrient the body lacks. But possible symptoms may include:
- Constipation, (low cobalt)
- Bloating, (low cobalt, zinc, magnesium, molybdenum)
- Abdominal pain (low potassium)
- Decreased immunity (low zinc and high or low copper)
- Diarrhea (low zinc)
- Irregular heart beat (low magnesium, low calcium)
- Loss of appetite (low cobalt, zinc, sodium or magnesium)
- Low stomach acid (low cobalt, magnesium and zinc)
- Muscle cramping (low potassium or magnesium)
- Nausea and vomiting (lack of magnesium)
- Numbness or tingling in the extremities (copper, calcium, magnesium or cobalt)
- Poor concentration (iron)
- Weakness or tiredness (low or high copper, low zinc or iron)
- Imbalanced blood sugar (low cobalt)
- High inflammation (low magnesium & calcium and high potassium & sodium)
How to balance minerals
To balance minerals you need to understand the source of the imbalance. What lifestyle factors lead to this? Exposure to heavy metals? Chronic stress? Unresolved trauma? Diet? Lack of sleep or rest? Inflammation from gut infections? Medications? Over exercising?
Measuring mineral levels with a test is always the first step. Knowing your levels is crucial, because supplementing minerals blindly can make the problem much worse. Minerals have a symbiotic relationship so too much of one will deplete the other.
The mineral patterns show us what organs need the most support and provide clues on the type of physical or metaphysical stressors that have caused depletion.
For example, pushing yourself too hard can impact minerals. Bringing attention to this pattern can help address it. Minerals levels measure how stressed the body has been for the past three months. It reveals stress patterns.
The HTMA can measure how the adrenals, blood sugar, inflammation or gut infections, are contributing to stress, even if a person doesn’t feel stressed. It measures the level of burn out, depletion and immune resiliency.
Balancing minerals involves focus on diet and lifestyle. Eating to lower inflammation, supporting blood sugar and nourishing the adrenals (not skipping meals or avoiding caffeine) has a massive impact on mineral health, metabolic health, mood and energy. And closely impact gut health.
To measure your body’s readiness and ability to heal and repair with an HTMA test, email angelaprivin@yahoo.com with your questions.
Angela Privin is proof that IBS is NOT an incurable disease, but a cry for help from a gut out of balance. When the body AND mind are complaining, it’s an opportunity to examine what’s not working and change it. After solving her own IBS mystery almost two decades ago, Angela became as a health coach to help others. Angela uses root cause medicine protocols personalized to the individual to solve each IBS mystery. Her tools are lab testing, dietary changes, supplementation, subconscious mind work and nervous system rebalancing . Learn more here.