MINERALS FOR LIFE, A BASIC INTRODUCTION

by Lawrence Wilson, MD

© January 2010, the Center For Development

Everything in the physical world is made of mineral elements. What are they, how do they work, and why are they important for our health?

There are 92 known stable elements. Scientists believe they were formed billions of years ago by heat and pressure as the earth changed from clouds of gases into a solid planet.

There is debate over what the elements really are. Some scientists such as Dr. Brian Andersen believe the elements are frequencies of light, crystallized into form. His book, The Rhythms of Nature, contains an interesting circular table of the elements. According to the quantum theory, elements are composed of sub-atomic particles - electrons, protons and neutrons.

MINERALS FOR LIFE

Life on our planet is built around a number of chemical elements. Important elements include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, chlorine and phosphorus. These are sometimes called the electrolytes or the macro-minerals. These are the greatest in quantity in our bodies.

Blood levels of these elements remain fairly constant. If they vary even a little, especially the first four, the person feels quite ill and it is a bad sign.

However, the levels in the hair tissue vary tremendously, usually offering much more information about them and the metabolic state of the body. The only one we do not measure in the hair is chlorine. It is less important than the others and harder to measure accurately in the hair tissue. Let us look at these first as they are most important in many, but not all ways.

Calcium, the structural element, is found mainly in our bones. Calcium also regulates cell membrane permeability to control nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction. It is important for blood clotting, and it regulates hormonal secretion and cell division.

Good food sources are dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Smaller amounts are in milk, sardines, egg yolks, almonds, sesame seeds, seaweed and dark green vegetables. Goat cheese is better than cow’s milk cheese for most people because cows are often fed or injected with antibiotics, female hormones and growth hormones.

Magnesium is named after the Greek city of Magnesia, where large deposits of magnesium carbonate were found centuries ago. Magnesium is the bright and shining mineral. It is required for over 500 enzymes that regulate sugar metabolism, energy production, cell membrane permeability, and muscle and nerve conduction.

Foods high in magnesium include milk, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, whole soybeans (but not tofu, tempeh or soy protein), parsnips, wheat bran, whole grains, green vegetables, seafood, kelp and molasses.

Most people need more magnesium than they are eating because food refining strips away magnesium. Deficiency causes muscle cramps, weakness, depression and fatigue. Magnesium works closely with potassium and is a calcium antagonist.

Sodium is the volatility and the solvent mineral. It helps regulate blood pressure, fluid balance, transport of carbon dioxide, and affects cell membrane permeability and other cell membrane functions. Deficiency causes fatigue and fluid imbalances such as low blood pressure.

Food sources include sea salt, seafood, eggs, beet greens, Swiss chard, olives, peas, and butter. Table salt is a refined junk food. Most of the minerals have been stripped away, and aluminum is often added as a flowing agent. Use natural sea salt instead.

Potassium is another solvent mineral. It is also essential for regulation of the heart beat, fluid balance and to maintain blood pressure. It is also needed for buffering the blood, and cell membrane effects including nerve transmission and muscular contraction. Deficiency can cause cramps, fatigue and heart irregularities.

Good sources are herring, sardines, halibut, goose, most nuts and seeds, watercress, garlic, lentils, spinach, artichokes, lima beans, Swiss chard, avocados, buckwheat, wheat bran, molasses, and kelp. Be sure to drink the water in which you cook vegetables to obtain the potassium from the vegetables.

Chlorine. This is a fascinating element that is found in all living tissue. Chlorine is essential for the function of cleansing the body of debris. It is also exchanged in the stomach to produce hydrochloric acid, a very necessary acid for protein digestion.

Chlorine is a member of a group of elements called the halogens. Others in this group are fluoride, iodine and bromine. The body maintains a delicate balance between all these elements. Today too much chlorine, bromine and fluoride are overwhelming the iodine and causing deficiencies in our bodies.

Deficiency of this element is non-existent, unlike all the other electrolytes. The reason is that chlorine is part of salt (NaCl). Most people eat too much, rather than too little table salt, as it is found in almost all prepared and processed food items today. Thus we do not focus on this element in terms of deficiencies.

In contrast, excessive exposure to chlorine is a severe problem. Too much table salt and chlorinated water are the main sources. Some bleached flour products are also sources. Environmental contamination of the food, water and air are constant sources of this element, which is highly toxic in these forms.

Sulfur is another cleansing and joining mineral. It is an important element for digestion and detoxification in the liver. It is needed for the joints and in all connective tissue. This includes the hair, skin and nails. Most dietary sulfur comes from sulfur-containing amino acids found mainly in animal protein foods. Good sources are eggs, meats, and often smelly foods like garlic and onions. Other sources are kale, watercress, Brussels sprouts, horseradish, cabbage cauliflower and cranberries.

Vegetarians can easily become deficient in sulfur if they do not eat eggs. Deficiency can affect hair, nails, skin, joints, energy and the ability to detoxify poisons.

Phosphorus is the fiery energy mineral. It is required for energy production, DNA synthesis and protein synthesis. It is also needed for calcium metabolism, muscle contraction and cell membrane structure.

Excellent sources include all meats, along with eggs, fish and other animal proteins. All proteins have some phosphorus in them. However, red meats and high purine proteins tend to have the most. These include organ meats, sardines, and anchovies. The latter two are not bad fish to eat. Other fish tend to be too high in mercury to make them good foods for regular use. Other decent food sources are most nuts and seeds, chickpeas, garlic, lentils, popcorn, soybeans, and some cheeses.

Animal-based sources of phosphorus are often absorbed better than grains and beans that contain phytates. These are phosphorus compounds that are not well-absorbed and that actually interfere with the absorption of calcium, magnesium and zinc, in particular. They are found in most grains and beans. This is why proper cooking and preparation of breads, beans and other foods is extremely important. Eating these foods raw eating unleavened bread is not wise for this reason.

THE TRACE ELEMENTS

Though needed in small amounts, trace minerals are absolutely essential for life. They include iron, copper, manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium, lithium, cobalt, silicon, boron and probably a dozen others that are less well-researched. Hair and blood are used to measure these elements. However, their levels in the blood are so low in most cases that blood is not often the best place to measure them, with the exception perhaps of iron.

Iron is the oxygen carrier and an energy mineral as well. It is required in hemoglobin for transporting oxygen in the blood, for detoxification and for energy production in the cells. Iron is found in lean meats, organ meats, shellfish, molasses, beans, whole-grain cereals, and dark green vegetables. Menstruating women and children on poor diets are most commonly low in iron. For much more information about iron, read Chronic Iron Toxicity.

Copper is a female element because it is needed more for certain functions in women. It is also called the emotional mineral, because it tends to enhance all emotions when it is high in the body. It is extremely important for women’s fertility and sexual function, and its levels often varies up and down with the level of estrogen. Copper is also required for healthy arteries, pigments in hair and skin, blood formation, energy production and for neurotransmitter substances such as dopamine.

Too much copper is common today and causes a wide variety of common symptoms, especially for women but also for boys and men. Among them are depression, fatigue, acne, migraine headaches, moodiness, ADD, ADHD, autistic tendencies in babies and children, infertility, premenstrual tension and many others.

Copper sources include organ meats, nuts, seeds, beans, grains and chocolate. People with high tissue copper are often bright, young-looking, creative and emotional. This is called the copper personality type. Each mineral has a personality type. To read more about the personalities associated with each mineral, read Personality and Hair Mineral Analysis.

Excess copper is more common than deficiency today, due to the use of copper water pipes, birth control pills, vegetarian diets and stress. For more information about copper, read Copper Toxicity Syndrome.

Manganese was called the maternal element, because in a few studies, animals deprived of this element did not nurture their young. Manganese is actually a very complex mineral needed for many body functions. It is involved in cholesterol synthesis and bone growth. It is also needed for healthy tendons and ligaments, and for fat and sugar metabolism. Manganese sources are nuts, especially walnuts, bran, corn, parsley, tea and wheat germ.

Most people are deficient in biologically available manganese, as they are in zinc, selenium, chromium and other vital trace elements today. Most people also have too much of a biologically unavailable form of manganese.

Zinc is sometimes called the gentle strength mineral. It is a male mineral, so called because it is more essential for men than for women in some ways, although it is certainly essential for women as well. it is required for hundreds of enzymes in the human body. These include the sense of taste and smell, vision, growth, sexual development, digestive enzyme production, male potency, prostate gland health, blood sugar regulation and processing of alcohol.

Zinc is very important for the joints, the skin, wound healing, and to prevent birth defects. Zinc helps prevent diabetes, acne, epilepsy and childhood hyperactivity, and helps detoxify heavy metals. Adequate zinc has a calming effect and is needed to regenerate all body tissues.

Refined food is very low in zinc. According to Dr. Carl Pfeiffer, MD, PhD, the entire human population is borderline zinc deficient. There are very few excellent sources of zinc today. Among the best are red meats, organ meats and some seafood that I do not recommend because it is too high in toxic metals. Other sources that are not quite as good are poultry such as chicken and turkey, eggs, wheat, oatmeal, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, wheat germ and colostrum. Wheat products are not recommended as wheat has become too hybridized and is a highly inflammatory and irritating food for most people today.

Vegetarians run a high risk of zinc deficiency because they avoid red meats, in most cases. Low zinc, especially in vegetarians, tends to cause a worsening of copper toxicity. Zinc supplements are essential for everyone today, although the supplements are not as good as eating high-zinc foods, generally.

Chromium is called the blood sugar mineral. It is also an energy mineral. A desert rodent called the sand rat develops diabetes when fed a laboratory diet. When returned to the desert, the diabetes goes away. Extensive research indicates the problem with the laboratory food is a lack of chromium.

Chromium is essential to for insulin metabolism. It can also help lower cholesterol. Chromium deficiency is very common, especially in middle-aged and older people. Food sources of chromium are brewers yeast, liver, kidney, beef, whole wheat bread, wheat germ, beets, mushrooms and beer. Unfortunately, most of these foods are not recommended for various reasons. Chromium can be obtained from supplements, and this is usually the best way to make sure you get enough each day.

Selenium is called the spiritual mineral because it is required for the development of certain higher brain centers. It also gives a smooth, flexible and soft quality to the personality and even to the tissues of the body. Selenium is vital for detoxification and for thyroid activity in the human body, among its many functions. It is also needed for protein synthesis, helps the body get rid of toxic cadmium and mercury, and is needed for antioxidant production (glutathione peroxidase). As an anti-oxidant, it may help prevent cancer and birth defects. Good sources of selenium are garlic, yeast, liver, eggs, wheat germ and brazil nuts. Human milk contains six times as much selenium as cow’s milk.

Refined food loses a lot of selenium (and other trace elements). For example, brown rice has 15 times as much selenium as white rice. Whole wheat bread has twice as much selenium as white bread. Everyone should supplement with selenium today. The best supplement, in my view, is a food-based selenium rather than the others that are offered today.

Lithium is the brain protection mineral. It has a calming, balancing and protective effect on the brain and the entire nervous system. It is found in many natural foods so it is not necessary to supplement it in many cases. However, anyone who is taking an anti-depressant or any brain-altering drug, or is suffering from any brain-related problem may benefit from a natural lithium supplement such as lithium orotate. The lithium used by medical doctors for bipolar disorder is quite toxic and should be avoided if at all possible. The natural product is far less potent, but is better absorbed and much less toxic or perhaps totally non-toxic.

Cobalt is the vitamin B12 mineral. It is essential for life as part of the vitamin B12 molecule. Vitamin B12 is required for the nervous system and blood formation. It is found in animal products. Deficiency causes anemia and a very severe dementia that can be irreversible.

Deficiency can easily occur in strict vegetarians and in those with impaired digestion or any disorder of the stomach. It is commonly deficient to some degree in elderly people whose stomach just does not absorb it very well. For this reason, I recommend that anyone over age 65 to 70 should get a periodic B12 shot, and perhaps take some sublingually as well. It is very inexpensive insurance against the serious consequences of a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Iodine is the thyroid mineral, although it is required for all the cells of the body. It is somewhat more important for women. It is needed to make thyroid hormones, and for the regulation of metabolism. It is important for women’s breast health, cancer prevention and many other body functions in somewhat mysterious ways.

Good sources of iodine are all fish, seafood, sea vegetables such as kelp and others. Iodine is also added to most table salt. This, however, is a junk food that is best avoided. The problem today is not so much a lack of iodine in the diet as it is an overabundance of iodine antagonists. These are chemicals in the environment that compete with and replace iodine in the body. They include all fluoride compounds, all chlorine compounds and all bromides and bromine compounds.

Unfortunately, these chemicals are everywhere today. To reduce your exposure to them, avoid all breads and baked goods (bromine), avoid tap water, even if filtered with carbon (fluorides and chlorine, perhaps) and avoid other sources of these minerals such as all fluoride toothpastes and mouthwashes, all fluoride treatments, and exposure to bleaches and other chlorine-containing products.

Because it is impossible to avoid all the iodine antagonists in the environment, an iodine supplement such as kelp is recommended for most people. If it makes you jittery, just take less. Do not use other sea vegetables or too much fish, however, as these are higher in mercury. Prescription and OTC iodine pills or liquids are not as good, in my view, because they do not contain all the other trace minerals and they are often not quite as easily absorbed as kelp. Kelp is also a natural food and the body may be more able to regulate how much it absorbs from kelp better. Taking any single-mineral products can also unbalance body chemistry if it is done for more than a few weeks to a few months.

Boron may be called the plant mineral. It is very essential for plants, though perhaps less so for human beings. Boron can help maintain female hormone production and bone integrity. Boron is found in many foods, so supplements are rarely needed, though they will help some cases of hot flashes, at times.

Silicon is important for the bones and skin. Food sources include lettuce, parsnips, asparagus, dandelion greens, rice bran, horseradish, onion, spinach and cucumbers, and in herbs such as horsetail. Since it is in many foods, supplements are usually not needed. Silicon and selenium also are both spiritual minerals needed for higher brain activity.

Trace minerals often work in pairs or triplets. The interaction of minerals in the body is a complex and interesting subject. There are many other trace minerals such as molybdenum, vanadium, bromine, germanium, nickel, tin, cesium, rubidium, strontium, gold, silver, titanium, tritium and others.

The only way to obtain all these elements is to eat natural foods grown on mineralized soil. Dr. Weston Price, DDS, studied healthy native tribes around the world. He found they were eating about 4-10 times the vitamins and minerals of the average American living on refined and processed foods.

TOXIC METALS

Toxic metals are among the worst cause of health problems on planet earth today. They can cause every imaginable symptom. Sometimes they act like replacement parts in a car or aircraft that can fit in, but do not measure up to the original parts.

Another analogy is to imagine you live in a wooden house and over the years the wood rots or becomes damaged. Instead of replacing them with the correct boards, you use whatever is around such as tar paper, cardboard, twigs or tree branches. Your house might still stand for a while, but it will lose its structural integrity. When the body is missing vital minerals in the diet such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc, it absorbs toxic minerals from the environment to keep functioning.

The toxic metals include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, nickel, fluoride, antimony, beryllium and others. These often function in enzymes to some extent, but not nearly as well as the physiological mineral. All toxic metals are neurotoxic. They contribute to hundreds of health conditions.

Lead is called the dullness and horror mineral. It may contribute to over 100 human conditions, including neuromuscular and bone diseases, fractures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, anemia, and many others. Some historians believe the Roman Empire fell because lead water pipes slowly poisoned the people and decreased their intelligence. Sources of lead include old paint, inks, pesticides, a few hair dyes, solder and other metal products.

Cadmium is called the pseudo-masculine and violence mineral. It can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, fatigue, arthritis, violence, infections, back pain and other conditions. Sources are cigarette or marijuana

smoke, refined foods and tap water. Some is also found in most coffee and tea.

Mercury is called the mad hatter mineral. This is because it was used in hat-making 150 years ago in America and those who worked with it became somewhat strange, or mad. It is extremely widespread today and most people have some degree of mercury toxicity. Major sources are silver amalgam dental fillings, eating any fish or seafood, especially larger fish such as tuna and swordfish. These should be strictly avoided. Shellfish are terrible as well and should be avoided. Other sources include contact lens solution, many vaccines including flu shots, and a few other products.

Mercury toxicity can contribute to hypothyroidism, impaired immune system, digestive problems such as yeast infections, emotional difficulties, learning disabilities, ADHD and many other conditions. For more on mercury, read Mercury on this website.

Aluminum is called the soft in the head mineral. This is because it is a rather soft toxic metal and is associated with memory impairment and dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease. Aluminum is widely used in beverage cans, aluminum foils, antiperspirants, antiacids, and aluminum cookware. Most table salt has added aluminum, as does most tap water. Peppermint, spearmint and wintergreen are naturally high in aluminum.

Fluoride is the cancer mineral. It is an extremely toxic mineral, except perhaps in tiny amounts found in foods such as tea. In excess, which is everywhere in America and Great Britain today, it contributes to brown staining of the teeth, weakened bones, hip fractures, mental impairment, birth defects and cancer.

Fluoride compounds are found in pesticides, air pollution, toothpastes, and are added to many water supplies. Foods processed with water including baby foods and juices often contain far too much fluoride, up to 40 or 50 times the recommended amounts, which are already too high.

Large, worldwide studies show little or no benefit of added fluoride for tooth decay, contrary to many news reports. Only the United States and Britain continue the insane practice of adding highly toxic fluoride compounds to drinking water. For more on this subject, read Water Fluoridation on this website.

Arsenic is the slow death mineral. It was formerly used often to poison people one did not like. Today it is easily detectable with hair analysis, so that is not done much. Too much arsenic contributes to liver and kidney damage, weakness, diarrhea, muscle spasms, headaches and other symptoms. Sources include pesticides, beer, tap water, table salt, paints and other chemical products.

It is common in our food supply, unfortunately, because of its use in pesticides that have now poisoned the soil in many areas. Organic agriculture is better, but does not guarantee an arsenic-free product.

MORE MINERAL BASICS

Here are some axioms about the vital topic of minerals:

· Minerals display a quality called movement. This means that minerals tend to move or vibrate a person in certain ways. This is a complex physics topic that is discussed in a separate article entitled Minerals And Movement.

· Most everyone alive today was born deficient in vital minerals and with excessive levels of toxic metals. This occurs because mothers are deficient and toxic.

· Any woman even contemplating having children some day ought to begin now to replenish her vital minerals because deficiencies and toxicity are so widespread.

· Practically all our food today is lower in trace minerals than it was 100 years ago. This has been documented in books such as Empty Harvest. The reasons have to do with modern agriculture and are explained below. Studies on healthy primitive tribes by Dr. Weston Price, DDS found they were eating 5 to 10 times the amount of minerals than modern people eat.

· When vital minerals are deficient in the diet, the body picks up toxic metals from the environment. Thus, eating plenty of the vital minerals is essential to reduce the buildup of toxic metals.

· Today we are exposed to levels of toxic metals and toxic chemicals never before seen on this planet. This is due to industrialization, mining and environmental pollution.

· Stress causes our bodies to use more minerals. Zinc is eliminated within minutes of a stressful situation. Calcium and magnesium are eliminated in the urine as part of the fight-or-flight reaction. Simplifying your life, slowing down and reducing stress are most important to maintain healthy mineral levels.

DIET AND MINERALS

Minerals, unlike many vitamins and other substances, cannot be manufactured within our bodies. We must eat them daily in our diets. Furthermore, one must eat organic food to even approach the amount of minerals our bodies require for optimum health. A study in the Journal of Applied Nutrition found that organic produce purchased randomly at Chicago health food stores had an average of five times the mineral content compared to conventional produce.

Using sea salt, rather than so-called table salt, helps one to obtain trace minerals. Most of the minerals are refined out of common table salt. Good quality sea salt usually does not raise blood pressure or harm the body in any way. Refined table salt, however, is a junk food. It often contains added toxic metals as well such as aluminum.

Other mineral-rich foods are organic vegetables, especially root vegetables. Whole organic grains, nuts and seeds, fish and good quality meats are other good sources of minerals. Fruits are not as good sources, as they are mainly water, fiber and sugars.

Kelp is another excellent source of minerals that I recommend for everyone.

Cooking and Minerals. Eating cooked food is actually much better for obtaining minerals than raw food. This is because cooking helps break down the fiber in food, releasing the minerals and allowing better utilization of the food. Also, cooking often concentrates the food, permitting one to eat less and still obtain the same quantity of minerals. Cooking usually does not destroy the availability of minerals. A little raw food is excellent to obtain certain vitamins lost in cooking such as vitamin C. However, more than this tends to cause mineral deficiencies in my experience. To get more minerals, cooked food is much better. We simply do not have the kind of digestive system that a cow or horse has – with four stomachs and so on – to be able to get enough minerals from raw food. I used to be a fan of raw foods, as they are good for fiber and vitamins, for example. However, I was forced to change my mind when the hair tests and other methods started showing how mineral deficient everyone who lives on raw food becomes.

Good quality spring or mineral waters can be excellent sources of trace minerals. Tap water contains minerals, but almost all of it contains many harmful chemicals as well, and is best avoided.

Distilled water can help remove toxic substances from the body. However, it does not contain minerals and for this reason I do not recommend it as a long-term drinking water.

Reverse osmosis and bottled “drinking water” also contain no minerals and are damaged by the reverse osmosis processing of the water. Avoid RO and drinking or purified waters for this reason. Drink only distilled for short term use or spring water.

Demineralized foods to avoid include white flour, white rice, white sugar, refined ‘table’ salt and all artificial or chemical foods. These have been stripped of a significant amount of their trace minerals. Skip them all if you want to maintain adequate mineral levels. Brown or “raw” sugar, honey and maple syrup are better than white sugar, but are still mineral-deficient.

A digestive aid can help assure that food is broken down thoroughly to obtain the most minerals from the food. Excellent digestive aids include pancreatin and ox bile. The others are not as good, but may be used as well.

Mineral absorption. Many minerals are absorbed in a particular way. In the stomach, they are mixed with proteins or amino acids, which serve as carrier substances to assist their absorption. This process requires an acidic stomach and the presence of enough protein in the diet. The process is called chelating the minerals. In their chelated form, they are far more absorbable.

This is different from chelation therapy to remove toxic metals. In that process, a drug or other natural substance is ingested or injected into the body that has the capability of grabbing onto certain minerals and removing them from the body. I do not recommend this therapy in most case. For more on this topic, read Chelation Therapy on this website.

MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS

Most everyone today would benefit from a mineral supplement. An excellent and inexpensive one is kelp. It is available in capsules, tablets or granules, though the taste is not great. Kelp not only contains a great variety of vital minerals. It also contains alginates, which bind toxic metals that are found in all sea products. Dulse and other sea vegetables also contain many minerals but contain less or no alginates to protect against toxic metals.

Most people can take kelp. Its high iodine content is wonderful for most people. Occasionally it can cause nervousness if one is hyperthyroid. Other mineral supplements come in pill or liquid form. For example, brewer’s yeast is an excellent source of chromium and selenium. Beware of mineral supplements derived from ‘earth deposits’ as many contain toxic metals.

MINERALS AND THE SOIL

The quantity of minerals in our food is directly related to the soil on which the food is grown. Almost all our food, even organic food, is deficient in minerals for several reasons:

1. Modern agricultural methods often do not replenish all the minerals in the soil. Most modern fertilizers do not contain all the trace minerals.

2. Most crops are bred for higher yields, better taste or appearance, hardiness or bug resistance. However, they are rarely bred for a higher mineral content. High-yield crops produce much more food per acre, but the food is much lower in minerals because the amount of minerals in the soil is the same yet the yield is much greater.

3. Toxic sprays, insecticides and pesticides interfere with microorganisms in the soil that are required to make minerals usable to the crops. This can significantly reduce the amount of minerals available to the crops. Organically produced crops tend to have more minerals in them in part for this reason.

BIOLOGICAL TRANSMUTATION

Most scientists believe that once an element forms, it cannot change into another element except using extreme heat or pressure, as in a nuclear reactor.

Dr. Louis Kervan, a French scientist, performed simple experiments showing that living organisms can change one element into another at room temperature. For example, hens do not eat much calcium in their diet. However, their eggs are rich in calcium. In another experiment, seeds sprouted in sealed containers with only distilled water contain different amounts of elements than unsprouted seeds.

These experiments can be duplicated by any high school student. Dr. Kervan’s book, Biological Transmutations, is fascinating reading. Unfortunately, the ideas are so revolutionary they are ignored in mainstream physics and biology.

PRINCIPLES OF MINERAL NUTRITION

1. To obtain vital minerals, eat fresh, natural foods. Refined and junk foods usually have their minerals stripped away. If you don’t eat plenty of vital minerals, your body will take up toxic metals as substitutes.

2. Eat a variety of foods. It is impossible to get all the minerals one needs on a limited diet. Don’t eat the same food every day. Vary your proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables.

3. Use supplements. I recommend only kelp and sea salt as excellent mineral supplements for everyone. Avoid most herbs and other sea vegetables such as dulse. Rice polishing, wheat germ are not bad. Be extremely careful with so-called colloidal mineral supplements from clay deposits, and also avoid all humic acid or fulvic acid mineral supplements. These often contain aluminum, lead, cadmium and other toxic metals. Read labels carefully.

4. Avoid sources of toxic metals as much as possible.

5. Women, for healthy pregnancies and happy children, improve your mineral nutrition before getting pregnant. Toxic metals and mineral deficiencies are passed on to children.

REMOVING TOXIC METALS

We use a number of methods all at the same time to remove toxic metals and help restore your mineral balance. This is part of the science of nutritional balancing, explained in more detail in other articles on this website. The methods are:

1. Reduce Your Exposure To Toxins. Diet modification, breathing clean air and avoiding toxic products help reduce your exposure to toxins. Other methods are removing dental amalgams and moving to a cleaner home or work environment if necessary.

2. Rest More And Reduce Damaging Stress. Detoxification requires energy. Reducing all strenuous activities, including too much exercise, and getting at least nine hours of sleep per night are most helpful.

3. Enhance The Production Of Energy. The elimination of toxins and absorption of vital minerals are normal body functions that require energy. Low energy is often the most important stumbling block to detoxification, especially for slow oxidizers.

The most important way we enhance the body’s energy efficiency is by balancing the oxidation rate. For those familiar with car engines, the effect of this is somewhat like running an engine at the optimal revolutions per minute. Another analogy is that it is like pedaling a bicycle at the right pace so that one has the maximum power.

All enzymes have an optimal rate and temperature at which their efficiency is greatest. Often detoxification procedures are less effective because energy efficiency is very low, like having a great bicycle but pedaling in the wrong gear. A properly performed and interpreted hair mineral analysis from a laboratory that does not wash the hair can assess the oxidation rate and guide its correction with diet and nutritional supplements. We do not like the other methods used to gauge the oxidation rate that are used by some other health professionals, although they can be somewhat helpful.

4. Support The Eliminative Organs. These are the liver, kidneys, lungs, bowel and especially the skin. We support them with herbs for the liver, kidney and bowels, and saunas and coffee enemas. Other methods may be used as well, such as massage, other nutrient supplements, skin brushing, hot and cold packs, poultices, colonic irrigation by a professional colon therapist, liver flushes, homeopathic remedies and deep breathing.

Massage, meditation, visualization and various healing machines such as the Chi Machine and the electrical foot baths are additional methods.

5. Sauna Therapy. A very powerful therapy for restoring the mineral balance is the regular use of a near infrared lamp sauna. It is, in our experience, the most effective type of sauna. It assists all the eliminative organs and dramatically improves the nervous system and the elimination of all types of toxins from the body.

However, any type of sauna will help to sweat out toxic substances, relax the body and improve circulation. Running or playing tennis in the heat of Phoenix, though, is not the same as sweating while resting in a sauna.

Other natural therapies of many types can help balance and strengthen the body. These include chiropractic, colonic irrigation, energy balancing with acupuncture or acupressure and many others. All may help to improve circulation, oxygenation, digestion and elimination and thus help restore and maintain a healthful mineral balance.

5. Supplement With Chelators. Chelators bind toxic metals to facilitate their removal. They include drugs such as penicillamine, EDTA, DMSA and DMPS.

Vitamin C in high doses of 2000 mg/day or more acts as a chelating agent. So do the sulfur-containing amino acids such as cysteine, methionine and taurine in foods or herbs, or as isolated nutrients. Foods high in sulfur include radishes, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, garlic and onions. Minerals may act as chelators, such as molybdenum for copper toxicity and selenium to some degree as well.

However, chelators must be used very cautiously. They remove some vital minerals, which can upset the delicate balance of the minerals in the body. The drugs, in particular, can have terrible side effects if the body chemistry is not examined carefully beforehand.

Therefore, I do not use them much, as I find the synthetic chelators unnecessary and not as safe as natural methods such as sauna therapy and nutrient therapy. For more information about chelation, read the article on this site entitled Chelation Therapy.

I also do not recommend Metal-Free, NDF and similar general products for oral chelation, most of which are derived from chlorella or cilantro or both. They, too, are dangerous when used for longer periods of time. They are fine for a short time, say a month to three months, but not for longer, as they too remove some vital minerals and deficiencies can develop very slowly and insidiously.

I also do not often recommend high-dose intravenous vitamin C therapy for chelation. It, too, is usually unnecessary for this purpose and can disturb the delicate mineral balance because vitamin C also removes vital minerals including copper, zinc, manganese and others. High-dose vitamin C, however, given intravenously to avoid diarrhea, can be lifesaving for an infection, for example, or for some cases of cancer.

CONCLUSION

Minerals, from calcium and magnesium to the trace elements such as zinc, are perhaps the single most important group of nutrients. They are required for every body function, from activating muscles and nerves, to digestion, energy production and all healing and regeneration of the body.

Restoring your vital minerals is a lifetime work, but does not have to be difficult. Mainly it involves recalling that our food is generally mineral deficient, and our environment contains toxic minerals no matter where one lives.

Healthful habits of living and eating, and simple supplements such as kelp, are a good start to rebuilding your body’s vital minerals.

Other approaches, mainly nutritional balancing science based on a properly performed hair tissue mineral analyses, can help greatly to systematically remineralize the body and remove two dozen toxic metals, along with hundreds of toxic chemicals from the body.

Resources

1. Andersen, B.D., The Rhythms of Nature, Harmonic Spiral, CA, 1999.

2. Ford Heritage, Composition and Facts About Food, Health Research, CA 1971.

3. Jensen, B., The Chemistry of Man, Bernard Jensen, Escondido, CA 1983.

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Our Immunity and Our Planet, Avery Publishing, 1990.

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Wilson, L., Healing Ourselves, LD Wilson Consultants, 2000.

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