Many common physical, mental and emotional conditions have a similar cause: too much or too little of one or more minerals. Cate Montana investigates
Heather Kneale comes from a medical family, and her first career move was working as a registered respiratory therapist in a Shriners children’s hospital burn unit in Sacramento, California. There she contracted a bacterial infection that went straight to her lungs.
Before long, the asthmatic symptoms were so bad she could barely work. But because she was pregnant at the time, doctors dismissed her symptoms as side effects of pregnancy hormones.
“After I had my daughter, I could hardly get out of bed,” says Kneale. “I kept going to doctors and they kept giving me all these antibiotics, telling me my sputum samples were corrupted, until finally a doctor diagnosed me with an Aspergillus-based type of pneumonia.
“At that point he said, ‘We’ve already given you all the antibiotics and treatments that would help that.’ And then he pretty much said, ‘Get your affairs in order. You have a couple of months to live.’ My daughter was almost two months old at that time.”
Kneale found a doctor who did a hair analysis. “I had done so many blood tests, which all indicated that everything was in normal range,” she says. “My first hair test, however, was alarming.
“My calcium and magnesium levels were off the charts. But it turns out I wasn’t actually high in these minerals. I was experiencing something called ‘bio-unavailable calcium and magnesium.’ I actually needed calcium and magnesium.
“I also had rock-bottom levels of sodium and potassium, indicating really weak adrenal glands and probably thyroid problems. Oh, yeah, and copper toxicity.”
Kneale went on a mineral supplementation regimen. Four months later, her next x-rays at the hospital showed that her lungs were completely clear and the life-threatening pneumonia was gone.
Few people realize that approximately 80 percent of all body functions depend on the body’s ability to maintain a proper mineral balance to operate correctly. Magnesium alone is responsible for over 1,200 different functions in the body, such as enhancing muscle tone and aiding muscle recovery after exercise, working as an antidepressant, lowering blood sugar, relaxing muscles, helping keep calcium in the bones and calming the mind.
There’s also a lot of uncertainty on health websites about just how many “essential minerals” we need to keep our bodies functioning optimally. Some experts say 12. Others say 15 or 21. And yet, as Australian naturopath and mineral balancing expert John Bumpus, ND (mineralbalancing.org), points out, we need a good deal more than that.
“We all require 16 vitamins and 20 essential amino acids,” he says. “But frankly, we need 44 minerals for optimal gene function. So, I guess you can kind of lean in and say if our genes need all those, then maybe all those are the ones we need as a general recommendation.”
Unfortunately, soils are being rapidly depleted of nutrients and minerals, and our food supplies along with them, so supplementation has become a must. But what mineral supplements should you take?
Bumpus says one of the basic things people can do to get a handle on their mineral intake is to download a food app of some kind and enter all the food they’re typically eating. “Do this and you’ll see if you’re meeting the minimum requirements, because all those apps have the recommended daily allowances on there.
“These are your bare minimum acceptable intake levels. If you’re not hitting your RDA minimums and you don’t have any problems with your health, at the very least start taking supplements.
“Even taking the ‘shotgun’ approach and taking a general mineral combination is really good,” he says. “You might be fine doing that. But if you’re experiencing health issues, you need to take a different course.”
Of course, the vast majority of people around the world are already deficient in some of the body’s most critical minerals, such as magnesium and potassium. And lesser minerals, such as boron, lithium and selenium, are almost nonexistent in our food today.
As a result, the body has to make do with what it’s got to handle the thousands of daily functions on its to-do list. That’s how our minerals get out of balance in the first place and we run into trouble.
“The body’s super smart,” says Kneale, who is now a naturopath, mineral balancing practitioner and co-founder of Global Nutritional Healing in California (globalnutritionalhealing.com). “Its job is to do whatever it takes to keep us going.
“Let’s say your body wants to make insulin. Zinc is known to regulate insulin. But what if your body doesn’t have enough zinc?
“Well, it can use iron instead to make insulin. So, the body’s doing everything it can do, but it will start having some diabetes symptoms because iron is not the preferred mineral it needs.
“Another example of the body finding replacement parts is in our bones. The body can use aluminum if it doesn’t have enough calcium to build up the bones. But aluminum is pretty soft.
“Or the body can use lead for the bones if you don’t have enough calcium and aluminum. The body can and will shift to use the minerals you have. But eventually it’s going to start causing problems. That’s when generalized supplementation no longer works and you need help.”
According to both Bumpus and Kneale, the most accurate possible assessment of the body’s mineral balance, ratios, excess and deficiencies is a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA).
“It provides a lot more information than just the amount and balance of minerals in your body,” says Kneale. “A small sample of hair can also provide accurate information about adrenal and thyroid activity, carbohydrate tolerance, energy levels, your metabolic rate and the condition of your immune system.”
As well, practitioners using HTMA can advise patients not only on proper mineral supplementation but also on what foods to eat and which vitamins will properly supplement their body chemistry. But it doesn’t stop there. From HTMA, you can expect feedback on all of the following:
Cell metabolism: It measures activity and nutritional processes (including absorption) at the cellular level.
Energy levels: Minerals are required for energy production within the cells. When depleted of minerals or imbalanced, cells can’t produce the energy needed to maintain bodily functions and extreme fatigue may result.
Oxidation rate: It shows how your body metabolizes carbohydrates and fats and converts the foods you eat into energy.
Hair analysis patterns: Approximately 70 visual patterns are visible on a hair mineral analysis showing combinations of mineral levels and ratios that reveal stress responses. For example, the Four Low pattern is common when the four electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium) are all lower than ideal. In the Four High pattern, these same electrolytes are elevated beyond their normal range.
Glucose tolerance: Minerals including manganese, zinc and chromium and their ratio to potassium and sodium provide information about glucose tolerance and carbohydrate metabolism.
Autonomic nervous system function: It reveals information about the function of organs and glands in the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary processes like breathing, heart rate and digestion. These details are useful for evaluating possible issues with the brain, thyroid, muscles, adrenal glands, kidneys, liver, spleen, stomach, small intestines and colon.
Toxic metals: It detects neurotoxic metal poisoning, such as copper and aluminum toxicity.
Behavior analysis: Mineral imbalances are directly related to depression and anxiety disorders, fatigue, mood swings, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), phobias, insomnia, learning disorders and much more.
One usually doesn’t think of different minerals having different emotional connections and impacts on our lives, but they do. Bumpus points out that every mineral has certain qualities and attributes that affect humans in a corresponding manner, both physiologically and emotionally.
“Iron is pretty strong and can be pretty rigid, right?” he says. “It’s quite reactive to oxygen, though, and it oxidizes and rusts.
“In the same vein, people with really high iron levels can be very rigid individuals. And they can be very reactive. They can yell and be very angry and have a lot of liver stuff going on.”
He also points out that after a person has been on a mineral balancing program for a while, and their body, personality and emotions start to change, it can be quite uncomfortable. “The mineral balance a person has can guide their personality to a point that when we start to change some things, they don’t like it.
“For example, maybe they’ve lived their whole life with an imbalance that made them very quiet and reserved and private. They’re by themselves a lot, and they’re happy that way.
“And then they start to improve their sodium and potassium levels, and their adrenal function gets better, their energy levels increase, and they become more extroverted and start communicating with others more. And suddenly they find themselves in situations they don’t actually like because they’re accustomed to being alone.”
Mineral balancing, he says, truly allows people to discover other aspects of themselves. For example, zinc is very connected with the forebrain and the ability to use reason and logic and create new ideas. But to be truly creative, the mammalian brain, which is very copper dominated, must also be engaged.
“But copper, if too dominant, can make even the most loving and creative person moody and easily triggered into fight-or-flight responses,” Bumpus says. “That’s because the copper is influencing them to respond at a more primal level and they’re not thinking ahead.
“So, there are a lot of emotional connections like that. For example, mercury can also cause a lot of fear. Aluminum can cause a lot of brain fog. I know that’s not an emotion, but certainly everyone includes it when I talk to them. Our world is governed by minerals.”
Kneale relates the story of a patient suffering from schizophrenia and obsessive/compulsive disorder. She heard voices and was on high medication. Her initial hair test revealed elevated zinc—which can be a hidden copper toxicity indicator.
“After four months on the program, sure enough, her retest showed copper toxicity,” says Kneale. “It was twice the ideal level. She also showed mercury eliminating. After six months, she was no longer hearing voices and felt mentally and physically better than she had in decades.”
Besides mineral levels, high and low ratios between certain minerals can have emotional and psychological impacts (see ‘How minerals can influence you,’ below).
Mineral balancing aims to balance out our cells’ ability to create energy, which is all about the body’s metabolism—the process by which it converts food into energy. Cells use various enzymes to oxidize nutrients, including carbohydrates and fats, catalyzing the cellular release of energy.
The rate at which the cells in the body release energy varies from person to person. People who are “slow oxidizers” display a range of symptoms, from general fatigue and a lethargic pace of life to introversion, apathy, depression, anxiety, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, sweet cravings, constipation, and withdrawal from social interactions. They tend to gain weight in the hips and thighs.
Physiologically, slow oxidation rates are linked to high ratios of calcium and potassium and low ratios of sodium and magnesium, and indicate an under-performance of the thyroid and adrenal glands.
Fast oxidizers, on the other hand, are outgoing, energetic and extraverted. They are also prone to high levels of nervousness and anxiety, mood swings, aggressiveness and even paranoia. They tend to gain weight in the stomach region.
Physiologically, fast oxidation is characterized by low calcium-to-potassium and high sodium-to-potassium ratios. If these ratios are highly imbalanced, it can lead to low overall calcium and magnesium levels, creating muscle spasms, irritability and nervous system complaints. Fast oxidation is a sign that the thyroid and adrenal glands are overperforming.
The symptoms below can point to a possible imbalance, although only testing can confirm you have one.
Calcium
Low (hypocalcemia): Muscle aches, cramps, spasms, numbness, tingling, fatigue, extreme fatigue, abnormal heart rhythms, brittle nails, coarse hair. Super low levels can cause convulsions, arrhythmias and death.
High (hypercalcemia): Stomachache, vomiting, constipation. Long-term high levels can weaken bones and lead to kidney stones.
Copper
Low: Fatigue, weakness, general illness, brittle bones, memory loss, learning difficulties, peripheral neuropathy and other neurological disorders, anemia, low white blood cell count, low blood platelet count.
High: Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headaches, jaundice, kidney failure, metallic taste, anemia, liver damage, heart failure, brain damage.
Iron
Low: Can show up as general weakness and fatigue, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, headache, cold feet and hands, brittle nails, sore tongue
High: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dehydration, low blood pressure, rapid heart beat, seizures, liver damage, death.
Magnesium
Low (hypomagnesemia): Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, weakness, numbness and tingling, muscle cramps, seizures, irregular heart rhythms, personality changes, coronary spasms.
High (hypermagnesemia): Although an estimated 80 percent of the world suffers from magnesium deficiency, symptoms of high magnesium include muscle weakness, confusion, difficulty breathing, arrythmia, and cardiac arrest.
Phosphorus
Low (hypophosphatemia): Arthritis, fatigue, weak muscles, fragile bones, tooth decay. Associated with low protein consumption.
High (hyperphosphatemia): low calcium levels in the blood.
Potassium
Low (hypokalemia): Abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, low blood pressure.
High (hyperkalemia): Fatigue, general weakness, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, irregular heartbeats, cardiac arrest.
Selenium
Low: Hair loss, infertility, muscle weakness, fatigue, brain fog, thyroid dysfunction
High: Hair loss, gastrointestinal problems, neurological impairment, paralysis
Sodium
Low (hyponatremia): Nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, muscle weakness, fatigue, irritability. In severe cases, it may cause seizures, coma, death.
High (hypernatremia): Excessive thirst, fatigue, confusion, muscle spasms, seizures, mood swings, coma.
Zinc
Low: Hair loss, frequent infections, slow wound healing, loss of taste and smell, diarrhea, eczema-like skin issues, eye problems, delayed puberty, cognitive impairment, immune system dysregulation.
High: Nausea, vomiting, stomachaches, diarrhea, flu-like symptoms, loss of taste, copper deficiency.
The following are some examples of connections between minerals and certain emotions or personality traits.
Aluminum: Forgetfulness. High levels in the body are associated with symptoms such as forgetfulness, childishness and dementia.
Cadmium: Toughness. High levels can induce stubbornness, control issues, tunnel vision and aggression.
Calcium: Protectiveness. Calcium helps with stress. When calcium levels are low, we’re more easily subject to mood swings. When it’s high, we can develop a “calcium shell,” which serves to protect against too much stimulation while reducing awareness and the ability to connect emotionally.
Chromium: Flexibility. Low levels bring mood swings, often associated with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). High levels are, puzzlingly, a sign of chromium depletion.
Copper: Gentleness. Low copper levels can reduce our sensitivity. High copper levels can trigger sentimentality, childlike behavior, fear, extreme emotional fluctuations and even violence.
Iron: Strength. Low iron levels can lead to weakness and low energy levels, while high iron levels may manifest as aggression and rigidity.
Mercury: Fear and emotional imbalances. Excess mercury in the body is related to hyperactivity and emotionalism.
Mineral ratios, or the amount of one mineral compared to another, can also have psychological effects. These are some examples:
Low sodium/potassium ratio: Fearfulness, defensiveness, frustration, resentment, excessive worry, low sense of will, sense of inferiority.
High sodium/potassium ratio: Restless, pushy, often exceeds limits, aggression, stubbornness.
Low zinc/copper ratio: Highly emotional, fearful, panic attacks, depression, anxiety.
High zinc/copper ratio: Apathy, depression, reduced emotions, martyrdom.
Angela Mitchell
Angela found hair testing and mineral balancing after her son, Philip, had a routine examination at one year of age at a clinic that routinely tests blood for the presence of lead. His result came back at 17 mcg/dL when it should have been at zero.
After testing their home, she discovered her family had been exposed to lead-based paints used on the basement walls. “I searched everywhere for all types of detox programs,” says Angela, “and I was told by doctors that when you’re exposed to lead, it’s pretty much permanent. That there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Unwilling to accept this, she continued searching for answers. In the meantime, Philip started to display symptoms of autism. Eventually he couldn’t speak. “He quit talking. He would cry. He was inconsolable and would bang his head on the wall when he got really frustrated.”
Simultaneously, Angela was experiencing her own symptoms. On top of lead exposure, she was dealing with symptoms of mercury poisoning from fillings implanted in early childhood.
“I had a lot of issues like emotional instability, nervous system problems, muscular weakness and extreme fatigue,” she says. “On top of that, I was trying to figure out my own supplementation, and was taking a lot of chlorophyll, which is supposed to be good for you.
“But chlorophyll is a copper supplement that triggers the nervous system, and I became extremely unstable emotionally. I couldn’t tell if I was coming or going. It was pretty bad.”
At that point she discovered a doctor who carried out hair tissue mineral analysis and was given a program of simple nutrients: calcium, magnesium, a multivitamin, a thyroid glandular support supplement, zinc, fish oil, vitamin D and probiotics. Within weeks, her energy levels began to rise, she started to relax more and her emotions balanced out.
“We did a retest, and there was such a drastic change from month one to month six that I decided to put Phillip on it. (At that point he had just turned four.) Within two weeks of being on the program, taking calcium, magnesium and a supplement that combined zinc and copper, he started talking and having fewer emotional outbursts.”
She also gave him trimethylglycine (TMG), a calming amino acid known to help with autistic children who have trouble speaking. By the time he went to kindergarten, Philip was speaking at a level close to what is typical for his age.
By reviewing follow-up HTMA tests, “we saw large amounts of lead coming out of his body, along with large amounts of aluminum and cadmium,” Angela says. “Every so often he would have setbacks and kind of regress, but then he always moved forward within a few days and got better and better. Today he’s a normal 10-year-old boy.”
Eva Vennari
“I’m sorry, Eva, you have chronic fatigue. You have anxiety. You have depression. You have insomnia. You have fibromyalgia. You have IBS. You have degenerative disc disease. You have migraines.
“You’re infertile. You’re going through menopause at 28 and should have a hysterectomy. You have arthritis and will be in a wheelchair by the age of 35. You should take these medications. ”
These are just a few of the diagnoses and suggestions Eva Vennari was given as she searched for answers to the numerous crippling symptoms affecting her body. In the meantime, she was working as a natural stone representative in the architectural field and raising two daughters on her own.
“It was infuriating to feel really sick all the time and get laid off because of my chronic fatigue,” says Eva. “I had to start all over again and again. Finally, I decided it was crazy seeing doctors about a single symptom at a time. I figured there had to be one defining thing that was wrong and fired all 12 of my doctors.”
All told, it took her 16 years to find mineral balancing, and when she did, she says her arthritis was one of the first things to shift.
“My first test showed lots and lots of copper. And I was deficient in zinc. I had lots of mercury and lots of lead that seemed to be shoved in places in my body that were causing inflammation.
“As well, during the rebalancing process, I experienced big emotional releases. I had some emotional wounds that cleared right away, within five days.”
As she progressed over the months, her immune system rebuilt and even appeared to clear out an old virus that her system had never had the energy to eradicate. “I had scarlet fever at the age of 20,” she says, “and I was 36 at the point of undergoing the mineral balancing.
“Sometime after four or five months, I woke up with full-blown scarlet fever. The symptoms lasted for a few days, until my body finally had the energy to kill it off once and for all.”
She laughs. “It’s amazing how the body works. We’re not that mechanical. It’s much more elegant in its design, and there are things going on we don’t know about and don’t need to.
“We have to trust our body’s design. As far as mineral balancing is concerned, it’s all about how these elements work together in the body, just like our relationships in life.”
A lot of functional medicine practitioners use HTMA as part of their holistic treatment programs and can organize testing for you. But if you’re interested in ordering HTMA yourself, here are two companies that work directly with the public. You’ll need to cut a hair sample yourself (ideally get someone to do it for you) and send it off to the company for analysis.
US
Hair Analysis Report
hairanalysisreport.com
Owned by holistic health practitioners Carol Dewey and Alan Ashby, Hair Analysis Report offers HTMA from two different US-based laboratories, Trace Elements Inc. and Analytical Research Labs, both of which are experienced leaders in the HTMA field.
According to Hair Analysis Report, neither lab washes the hair samples before analysis (as other labs do), which is important as washing could skew the results.
Various HTMA options are available to order on the site, from a basic test with no interpretation provided ($120) to a comprehensive analysis that includes up to 20 pages of interpretation, food and supplement recommendations, and a one-hour phone consultation ($174).
There are lots of useful resources on the website, and every HTMA kit includes a “hair weight scale” to make sure you collect enough hair to be tested.
UK
Mineralstate
mineralstate.co.uk
Mineralstate, owned by experienced nutritional therapist Julie Clark, is a British supplier of the hair analysis test by US lab Trace Elements Inc. You can order a basic report (£91.20) or a full report (£105.60).
The full report comes with personalized diet and nutrient recommendations to help you understand your test results and implement a plan to address any imbalances. You can also add a video interpretation—a 30-minute personalized breakdown of your results and recommendations—for an extra fee (£90, or £60 when ordered with the test).
The website has sample test reports available to view as well as a useful video showing you how to cut a hair sample.
Joanna Evans
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