“Minerals are the basic spark-plugs in the chemistry of life”. Dr Henry Schroeder
The minerals in our body serve us well when it comes to vitality*.
There are over 20 minerals your body needs to be able to function well.
There are a few things that interfere with minerals, and whether or not we get enough of them to support our vitality and well-being.
Do you drink coffee or tea? Caffeine interferes with calcium and magnesium absorption.
Do you ever get to the end of the day and really feel like you need a glass of wine to relax? As a society we seem to be busier than ever, so it's easy to feel the pressure and stress of day to day life. When we are under stress our need for Magnesium increases. If that need is not met then we can become even more affected by stressors. So, we can’t “just relax” when we don’t have enough Magnesium to support us which means we feel stress and tension more, meaning we don’t relax! Alcohol can artificially make us relax, giving us some relief from all the stress and tension, but guess what - it can also deplete our Magnesium (and other minerals!), ultimately adding to the increased need for Magnesium.
Are you taking medication? Medication can also affect your ability to absorb minerals from your diet. For example medication commonly used to low stomach acidity (in times of reflux) are known to potentially decrease the absorption of Calcium, Magnesium and other minerals.
Added to this minerals must be in the soil of the plants you (or the animals you eat) consume. We can’t make minerals, and the gut microbiota who help us out with a few key vitamins don’t make them for us. So we must consume them.
As a practitioner I ask my clients to fill out a very extensive questionnaire before their consultation. This gives me a good look at the patterns of symptoms in the body, and which nutrients are best indicated for each client.
There are some interesting challenges that happen when you just go off symptoms though. For example - if you appear to be low in B12, studies show that Calcium might be helpful rather than supplementing with B12.
Some medications can affect B12 absorption and studies have shown that this can be reversed by supplementing with Calcium. This is because calcium is needed for B12 absorption.
This highlights just how important minerals can be for us as they can influence our vitamin status too.
For over 20 years now I have worked with macro minerals**, supporting people with this first before moving on to other nutrients and herbs that are indicated.
Why?
I have found with the people that I help that using minerals gives us a strong foundation to work with.
On a personal level I am extremely grateful for the support of minerals!!
Minerals are not the only thing I take, but I hate to think how much harder my life would be without their supplementation. In fact just recently I did stop a few key mineral formulas, under the advice of another practitioner who saw them as unnecessary. I lasted 3 days before I went back on them!! The difference they made to my ability to move well and have energy was huge! (Sometimes when we take supplements it “looks” like we don’t need them anymore, we find out soon enough that they have been working hard in the background for us. Your house might not “look” like it needs cleaning but that will change very quickly when you stop cleaning it!)
When I was recovering from all the cancer treatments I did, I needed a lot of nervous system and energy support . I was busy “stepping up to my challenges” - and everything was a challenge!! I look back on that time and realise how much the minerals I used helped me. I am so incredibly grateful that I knew about these minerals. I hate to think where I would be without them.
Minerals are not glamorous, but they matter. We depend on them for energy, health and vitality.
Works Cited
Fisher, Leslie. The Clinical Science of Mineral Therapy. Maurice Blackmore Research Foundation, 1991.
Herbert, V. “Increased intake of calcium reverses vitamin B12 malabsorption induced by metformin.” PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10977010/. Accessed 5 October 2023.
Kergoat, MJ. “Vitamin B12 Deficiency Induced by the Use of Gastric Acid Inhibitors: Calcium Supplements as a Potential Effect Modifier.” PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102797/. Accessed 5 October 2023.
“Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc, and Chromium Levels in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Review.” NCBI, 18 June 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7357092/. Accessed 5 October 2023.
“Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited.” NCBI, 28 November 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761127/. Accessed 5 October 2023.
*Magnesium alone is involved in over 300 enzyme reactions, including the metabolism and storage of ATP . (ATP is a molecule found in cells of all living things. It captures energy from food molecules and releases it to fuel other cellular processes. Our bodies make almost as much ATP by weight as we weigh every day!).
**There are larger minerals called macro-minerals and smaller minerals called micro minerals. Micro minerals are also called trace elements. Both are important but focussing on the balance of the macro-minerals has been a successful strategy for many practitioners for decades. Dr Leslie Fisher (founder of Active Elements) is one such practitioner. Dr Fisher wrote a book called “The Clinical Science of Mineral Therapy” in which he details the technical information behind the use of macro-minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Phosphorus.
In one example Dr Fisher teaches us that the enzyme central to energy products (NAD kinase) can be activated by Magnesium (a macro mineral) or Manganese(a micromineral). Magnesium is thought to be more efficient.
Photo by Ibrahim Ifaax on Unsplash
When you start to think in a downward spiral, or become distracted or focussing on negative “unwanted” thoughts - of the past, the present or the future you simply tell your brain “Useful Thoughts Only”
The trick is catching yourself in the act, but I suspect you may have a few (or even many) opportunities each day to practice this technique. The great thing is, even if you realise after quite a while that you have been riding the unhelpful thought train, you can stop at any time and tell yourself - USEFUL THOUGHTS ONLY.
I hear people saying things like “This is my life now”. They say this is a resigned way, as if they are unable to do anything powerful to change their situation. While self acceptance and understanding is important in life, a growth mindset perspective means not knowing is a signal to LEARN rather than quit.
Developing a growth mindset allows you to realise you don’t know something yet and see that as a sign to learn.
