Minerals and IBS

The GI Map and SIBO test has been a great tool for finding the root cause of digestive issues that are “not in your head”.

The GI Map stool test (link) looks at the large intestine and stomach, the SIBO breath test checks for small intestinal overgrowth. While providing great information that standard medical tests miss, it doesn’t give the whole health picture, just the status of digestive organs.

These tests may show that you have h. pylori, low stomach acid, poor immunity, bacterial/yeast overgrowth but not what conditions in the body, nervous system or mind has led to these patterns.

There is a test that gives insight on the state of the adrenals, thyroid, toxic load, detox capacity, nervous system, blood sugar regulation, mineral deficiency and mitochondrial health.

All of these things have a huge influence on gut function.

I work a lot with SIBO and h. pylori. These gut conditions cause life-altering symptoms and distress (anxiety and despair), but they are often driven by emotional, psychological or physical stressors.

The Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis test or HTMA test, gives us an insight into these stressors.

The HTMA is low cost (under $100), was the only test I took 20 years ago to solve my IBS puzzle and identifies specific deficiencies and causes of stress.

The Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis test requires a spoonful of hair (about 3 months of growth from the root) and looks at mineral and heavy metal status in the body.

How do minerals shed light on digestive health?

The patterns and ratios of metals and minerals give us many clues to the systems that need attention and rebalancing (physical, habitual and psychological patterns that prevent healing).

Mineral status tells us about our energy and vitality. How much resources the body has to heal.

It tells us about the function of the nervous system (something that can’t be measured on any standard tests). And while there are tests for adrenals and the thyroid function (these tests don’t tell us about the mineral deficiencies that drive them).

Minerals are spark plugs of our body

Minerals are the spark plugs of life because they are responsible for many of the body’s metabolic functions.

One marker on the GI Map describes a person’s resiliency, Secetory IGA. The HTMA goes in depth about why resiliency is off and how to support it.

One example is low or non existent cobalt on the HTMA. This is a sign of low stomach acid, low B12 status and high homocysteine (marker for inflammation). All these things lead to fatigue and low energy.

The levels of 4 minerals: magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium gives us a clue about a client’s emotional states. When they show up in a step down pattern it implies an experience of overwhelm, feeling stuck and helpless like one’s back is up against the wall.

We know that digestive issues are not purely psychological, but most people notice that their emotional state has a huge influence on their symptoms. The HTMA test is a good way to examine the mental and emotional states that drive stress in someone’s life. Not in a generic way but in a very targeted and individualized way based on real time data.

Another example is high calcium on the HTMA. This is called the calcium shell and it shows up as a state of freeze or shut down by the nervous system. This is the result of trauma as the body forms a protective mineral cocoon. This can look like of apathy, isolation, defensiveness, emotional numbness and fatigue. This can also show up physically as joint pain, arthritis or bone spurs.

One of the most important ratio son the HTMA test is copper and zinc. They are antagonists, meaning when one is high it surpasses the other. Zinc is essential for building stomach acid and immune function.

So high copper lowers zinc, which compromises immunity and low stomach acid.

Another interesting marker is iron.

Iron has a big relationship with SIBO, which often causes low iron or ferritin. Caution should be taken around supplementing iron because it can feed bacteria. Low iron can the body’s strategy of storing it in organs and keeping it out of circulation to help help starve bacteria. The body’s intelligence always amazes me, even when we don’t understand why it is doing what it is doing.

Testing for toxic metals is another huge benefit of the HTMA, and it not only tells us what metals are present but how well we are detoxifying them.

Aluminum, for example, which I tested off the charts for on my first HTMA test, is tied to the development of Alzheimer’s and Dementia (which runs in my family). I was able to detox the metal to healthy levels in my next test. This is what I call preventative medicine.

The most important thing about the test is that it gives us a whole picture on how your minerals and metals are working together to create your current health picture.

Balancing your minerals are not as easy as supplementing them, I am learning the techniques to balance and detox to support the nervous system and every metabolic function in the body. This is intelligent balancing, not throwing supplements at the situation and hoping for the best.

I am learning that over supplementing can also cause issues. For example, if you over supplement vitamin D, it can cause calcium build up in the body.

This test is particularly good for healing the adrenals. That is how I healed mine, without any adaptogens. Adrenals need certain minerals to repair and thrive. Along with lifestyle and diet changes.

I am very excited about coming full circle in my healing journey, from suffering for years with no answers to helping other find their way back to health.

I will be offering the HTMA test in January. If you’re interested send me an email at angelaprivin@yahoo.com and I will put you on the wait list. Or email me with any questions you have.

I personally had copper toxicity which causes and is caused by stress, poor nutrition and the birth control pill. Vegetarians are much more likely to have copper overload.

This test is the perfect compliment to the standard gut tests and I am so excited to dig even deeper and provide more thorough answers to help people’s solve complicated health puzzles.