By Heidi Toy
We know the earth is toxic. That’s why on the very first Earth Day in 1970, 20 million people gathered in the streets of America to protest the Industrial Revolution.
As a result, an environmental movement was born, and even though globally we keep trying to give back to the earth, we will never be able to put back into the soil the vital nutrients that humans need in order to detox, fight disease, and thrive. In short, our soil and our water are void of minerals that make a body hum and boost the immune system. They are gone.
Although most people believe that they might be getting an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals from various foods, it has become apparent that even with a “normal” well-balanced diet it is impossible to get all the necessary micronutrients required for optimal body functions because:
• Extensive farming and the use of pest-control chemicals lead to mineral depletion in soil. • Processed foods lack most vitamins and minerals. • Absorption of nutrients decreases with age. • Un-ripened fruits and vegetables (such as they are usually transported to supermarkets) as well as hybrid crops lack certain nutrients and natural flavors.
From this realization come two facts: 1. Everyone is mineral deficient. This includes new-born babies, and the reason why is because their mothers are nutritionally depleted and toxic and they pass the condition on to their children, and 2. The entire population, including babies, are extremely toxic, because without minerals we are not able to detox from the harmful chemicals that have polluted the earth. These are facts that are obvious to anyone who uses hair testing for toxic metals and knows how to remove the heavy metals.
Minerals are the “sparkplugs” of the body and crucial to our health. They are needed for millions of enzymes as co-factors, facilitators, inhibitors, and as part of enzymes themselves.
Minerals have direct correlation to our health and can be analyzed to determine imbalances in the body. A skilled practitioner analyzing a soft tissue (hair is a soft tissue) mineral biopsy, can find hundreds of common and physical health conditions that can be corrected.
One example that I see repeatedly in my practice is women who have an inability to lose weight. They present with classic hypothyroid symptoms yet when they go to the medical doctor to have a blood serum test done, their lab values come back normal.
Minerals are needed to make thyroid hormones; they are also needed to convert the thyroid hormone T4 to T3 (T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone). Mercury (tested for in a hair mineral analysis) can sequester the minerals needed to make this conversion happen. Most people are mercury toxic, specifically if they’ve ever had amalgam fillings. Minerals are needed to detox the mercury.
Thyroid hormone is unable to do its job if the cells’ mineral status is off. Hair mineral testing to determine the cells’ mineral status is the only way to determine the cellular responsiveness to thyroid hormone. Blood testing of minerals is not an accurate way to test, as minerals are not stored in the blood, they are stored in the tissue. This is just one example of how our toxic earth impacts our health.
For the months of March and April my office is offering $100 off the price of hair mineral testing and interpretation to A Second Opinion readers. (This is not redeemable for cash value or with any other service).
Heidi Toy is a Functional Nutritional Therapist, and the owner of “Educated Nutrition”, located in Altoona, WI. Her focus is helping people heal holistically, with an emphasis on digestion, weight loss, depression, female hormone issues, and fatigue.