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Minerals, in my opinion, are perhaps one of the most underrated supplements out there.
Are minerals, in my opinion, more important to take than vitamins?
My answer is a resounding YES.
What are minerals exactly?
Minerals are inorganic substances. They occur naturally in things such as rocks, water, soil and plants.
Minerals are inexplicably important for SO many reasons. They are, in essence, OUR essence.
Minerals have a direct relationship to enzymes; the rocket fuel for enzymes, if you will.
What are some of the key things that minerals aid in?
- Tissue Repair
- Bone Strength
- Nerve Function
- Organ Function
- Catalyst for hundreds of enzymes
- Support in building blood
- Hormone function
- Neurological health
One might make the comparison that minerals are indeed the “frame” of the house. Without a robust frame…..the whole house crumbles.
Your body can take in nutrients all day long from proteins, carbohydrates, fats, sugars etc, but if you don’t have the minerals to ignite these embers of absorption, then very little will convert.
We are all aware of how depleted our soil has become.
We all know that our food is sadly depleted of the nutrients we so desperately need.
Supplementing with minerals = ENERGY.
What happens when we are depleted of essential minerals?
Well- I could give you a long list of symptoms and conditions that ultimately ensue……..but really I’ll just summarize in one word.
What all ill health amounts to: Inflammation.
In the absence of these precious commodities, our bodies lose their vigor.
Think of a tree- in its full glory, it is supple. The branches bend with ease, the greenery has elasticity, its moisture almost makes it glow.
Trees bring up minerals from the earth to generate molecules they need for photosynthesis and respiration (oxygen).
Our bodies present like supple, glowing trees when we are not just taking in but ABSORBING minerals.
Let’s talk absorption.
Ever wonder why so many people are taking chalky forms of calcium and still getting osteoporosis?
I’ve seen this scenario countless times- including my own mother. For years I watched her take her calcium pills and powders, and still the impending bone loss ensued. So sad. She became hunch-back.
What she didn’t understand was that she was absorbing very little from these formulas. In fact, the calcium deposits from these products were causing way more harm than good. This was also drastically increasing her risk of kidney stones.
So, a typical “colloid” mineral supplement, the size is usually somewhere around 10,000nm- or about the size of a red blood cell.
Ionic minerals, however, are about 1,000,000 times smaller.
Yes, you read that right.
What does this mean in a nutshell?
It means it can actually get through the cell membrane.
The vast array of very poor quality supplements that you see on the shelf- you know, the ones that all end in “ate,” such as citrate, picolinate, gluconate, malate, even biglycinate are all man made and very poorly absorbed.
They are suspended in substances that make them unrecognizable to the body. Breaking these powders down is extremely difficult as they are usually made from some cheap form of clay or humic shale.
This “dismantling” into smaller charged particles is less than ideal……it practically cancels out bioavailability.
How are Ionic Minerals Different?
Ionic Minerals are NOT man-made. They are grown in a crystalline form and then harvested.
It is important to note that minerals produced in this fashion are charged.
In fact, ionic means “possesses an electrical charge.”
Without an electrical charge, minerals cannot get through to the cell membrane.
This is why the calcium my mother bought at Wallgreens did nothing for her.
Ionic minerals do not present like ground-up powder; grown from crystals, they are suspended in water.
As they are charged in this form, they are ready to be absorbed instantaneously. Theses electrical particles effortlessly cross into our cell membranes.
Basically, the cells give a warm, open invitation because they themselves are uniquely charged and are full of very specific receptors, open and willing to accept these ionized minerals.
Antiquated Systems
“When the recommended milligram system was set up well over a half century ago, the available minerals were not very absorbable so very high milligrams had to be recommended just to get a little to be absorbed.
When using complex or colloidal elements, it is estimated that the human biology will be able to breakdown and absorb about 1% or at best maybe 5%. So, if the recommended dose is 2,000mg’s daily of a complex element, to derive the approximate need of a mono-atomic element, multiply by 1% probable absorption to get the answer. 2,000 X 1% = 20mg. So, 20mg’s in the right form may be better than 2,000mg in the wrong form.”
Calcium Truths
Basically, Americans in general are over-dosing on Calcium. Most of us naturally consume about 800 mg per day from food.
When we take a calcium supplement, we are ingesting far more than we need. And, if you consume more than 500mg in one sitting, this is potentially causing harm (again- calcium deposits and kidney stones). Excess calcium can also cause muscle spasms and cramping; think contraction.
For calcium to even be absorbed, it should be taken with Magnesium; equal ratios is ideal.
Magnesium Truths
Just the opposite- most Americans are dealing with a magnesium deficiency (think heart-attacks).
In the Functional Medicine world there is an ongoing joke among practitioners that it should be added to our water supply! Certainly a better option than Fluoride.
Labs I see consistently show magnesium deficiency. I put almost every patient I see on a Magnesium supplement. Especially woman, as it decreases anxiety, supports hormone regulation, relaxes the muscles among so many other things. Here is an excerpt from my ‘Conditions’ section:
“Magnesium is responsible for well over 300 biochemical processes in the body. 300! It regulates blood sugar, which in turn can prevent diabetes. It relaxes arteries, which means it has the ability to lower blood pressure. It also prevents calcium build up in the body that could make the arteries harden, as it chelates extra calcium. Of course, it is essential to digestive health because it is necessary for digestive enzyme synthesis. And last but not least- it seriously relaxes the nerves and basically allows the body to take a deep breath. Great for tight muscles and restless leg syndrome as well. This is why you see all these ‘Calm’ type formulas that are ridiculously over-priced…..it’s just Magnesium! Most of those formulas do not even contain a very high quality, absorbable form of Magnesium. If you are taking Magnesium Citrate or most “ate’s”, you are absorbing very little.”
In summary, I have seen Magnesium make worlds of difference in some patients lives.
Energetically speaking, supplementing with Magnesium is like taking a big, long deep breath.
Mineral Supplementation for History of Steroid Use
If you have been on steroids for any significant amount of time, mineral supplementation is essential; for sure in ionic form. Steroids draw minerals out of the bones- especially calcium. Steroid use is the one of the biggest culprits behind Osteoporosis.
Many of my readers have a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and have had to succumb to steroids, some more than others. In this scenario, I suggest doubling the dosing of Ionic minerals for a period of time to remineralize the body.
In Conclusion
It boils down to this:
Colloidal minerals = DEAD
Ionic minerals = ALIVE
Check out these Ionic Formulas:
Minerals of Life (62 Minerals) by Mini-Minerals
Wishing you, as always, glowing vitality. I promise that alkalizing and remineralizing is a step in that direction!