Mineral Deficiencies = Heavy Metal Toxicity

If our body doesn’t get the essential minerals it requires from diet, it starts to compensate by absorbing less preferable elements that have similar properties, such as metals. Our bodies do this to ensure vital processes continue, even though this very act of short-term survival compromises long-term health.

If our diet is deficient in iodine, our thyroid gland will latch onto fluorine, chlorine or bromine instead – even though these elements will eventually suppress thyroid function.

If our diet is deficient in calcium, then lead will accumulate in our bones, because lead can substitute *some* functions of calcium – though it leads to brittle bones. The same applies to strontium.

If someone has low adrenal function, their body will absorb cadmium – because cadmium raises sodium levels, which is required to keep the adrenals functioning, and avoid complete burnout. It’s certainly not ideal, but it keeps a person alive in the short-term.

Cadmium, mercury and nickel can displace zinc.

Silver and gold displace copper.

Excess iron displaces chromium – this is why iron overload results in dysfunction of glucose metabolism, diabetes and insulin resistance.

Aluminium displaces boron, and can accumulate in the bones instead of boron. It is possible that some of the health issues found commonly in post-menopausal women may be the result of heavy metals (lead, aluminium, etc) being released due to the fast turnover of bone cells, in the absence of sufficient estrogen.

Arsenic displaces phosphorus.

Mercury displaces selenium.

Tungsten displaces molybdenum.

Berillium displaces magnesium.

According to Dr. Paul Eck: “Heavy metals serve as a back-up system. When the primary nutritional minerals are insufficient to protect the person, Nature uses substitutes”.

On the other hand, if we have adequate intake of essential, preferred minerals in the diet, they compete and displace heavy metals, so they are rapidly excreted from the body. The extent that heavy metals cause toxicity, is the extent that we are deficient in essential minerals.

The #1 Reason Why Menopause Is A Nightmare for 85% of Western Women

In all the time I spent living in the Pacific Islands, in contact with perimenopausal women, I never once noticed anyone suffering symptoms, or heard women discussing it.

My own mother and her sisters were going through the change of life, and on my visits home, I’d often hear them talking about the hot flushes, or joking how they want to lock themselves into a refrigerator.

Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me, and I began asking around the Islander women. They didn’t know of anyone who had suffered symptoms leading up to menopause (officially complete after one year without a period).

And that makes sense, if you understand the process of menopause. During perimenopause, our ovaries gradually cease production of sex hormones, and our adrenal glands take up responsibility. This process begins to happen, gradually, from around 35 – 40yrs old.

As you can imagine, a stressed and depleted pair of adrenals, such as most Western women have, due to chronic stress and over-busy lifestyle, is going to struggle to keep up. Hence why the wheels begin to fall off for so many women, in their late 30’s – early 40’s, as their ovaries begin to wind back production of estrogen and progesterone, and a shortfall becomes evident, because their adrenals are already depleted from years of stress. If not corrected, menopause becomes a nightmare.

85% of Western women report experiencing menopausal symptoms, hot flushes, night sweats, aches and pains, forgetfulness and mood swings.

Of course we cannot discount the added stress of going through menopause in a society that glorifies youthfulness. Many older women say they feel ‘invisible’ and unnoticed. Contrast to more traditional societies where growing older is not resisted, but embraced. Older women become more noticed, more heard, more respected.

Ladies, if we want to go into our ‘golden’ years, vibrant and well, we MUST get a handle on stress. The best diet in the world can not compensate for the damage and destruction caused by chronic stress. We simply were not designed to live lives of constant frenetic pace, over-commitment and juggling a thousand things at once.

We are beings, not doings.

Consider this permission to start carving out time to rest 🙂