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MINERALS FOR LIFE, A BASIC INTRODUCTION
by Lawrence Wilson, MD
© August 2012, the Center For Development
Everything in the physical world is made of mineral elements. What are they, how do they work, and
why are they important for our health?
There are 92 known stable elements. Scientists believe they were formed billions of years ago by heat
and pressure as the earth changed from clouds of gases into a solid planet.
There is debate over what the elements really are. Some scientists such as Dr. Brian Andersen believe
the elements are frequencies of light, crystallized into form. His book, The Rhythms of Nature, contains an
interesting circular table of the elements. According to the quantum theory, elements are composed of subatomic particles - electrons, protons and neutrons.
Others say that the mineral elements are actually tiny beings who are in various states of pressure and
heat. No matter what they are, they definitely form the basis for all physical matter in our universe.
MINERALS FOR LIFE
Life on our planet is built around a relatively small number of chemical elements. The most important
ones include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, chlorine and phosphorus. These are sometimes
called the electrolytes or the macro-minerals. These are found in the greatest in quantity in our bodies.
Blood levels of these elements remain fairly constant. If they vary even a little, especially the first four, the
person feels quite ill and it is a bad sign.
However, the levels in the hair tissue vary tremendously, usually offering much more information about them
and the metabolic state of the body. The only one we do not measure in the hair is chlorine. It is less important
than the others and harder to measure accurately in the hair tissue. Let us look at these first as they are most
important in many, but not all ways.
Calcium, the structural element, is found mainly in our bones. Calcium also regulates cell membrane
permeability to control nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction. It is important for blood clotting,
and it regulates hormonal secretion and cell division.
Good food sources are dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Smaller amounts are in milk, sardines,
egg yolks, almonds, sesame seeds, seaweed and dark green vegetables. Goat cheese is better than cow’s milk
cheese for most people because cows are often fed or injected with antibiotics, female hormones and growth
hormones.
Magnesium is the bright and shining mineral. Magnesium is named after the Greek city of Magnesia,
where large deposits of magnesium carbonate were found centuries ago. It is required for over 500 enzymes that
regulate sugar metabolism, energy production, cell membrane permeability, and muscle and nerve conduction.
Foods high in magnesium include milk, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, whole soybeans (but not tofu,
tempeh or soy protein), parsnips, wheat bran, whole grains, green vegetables, seafood, kelp and molasses.
Most people need more magnesium than they are eating because food refining strips away magnesium.
Deficiency causes muscle cramps, weakness, depression and fatigue. Magnesium works closely with potassium
and is a calcium antagonist.
Sodium, the volatility and the solvent mineral. It helps regulate blood pressure, fluid balance, transport
of carbon dioxide, and affects cell membrane permeability and other cell membrane functions. Deficiency
causes fatigue and fluid imbalances such as low blood pressure.
Food sources include sea salt, seafood, eggs, beet greens, Swiss chard, olives, peas, and butter. Table
salt is a refined junk food. Most of the minerals have been stripped away, and aluminum is often added as a
flowing agent. Use natural sea salt instead.
Potassium, another solvent mineral and a heart mineral. It is also essential for regulation of the heart
beat, fluid balance and to maintain blood pressure. It is also needed for buffering the blood, and cell membrane
effects including nerve transmission and muscular contraction. Deficiency can cause cramps, fatigue and heart
irregularities.
Good sources are herring, sardines, halibut, goose, most nuts and seeds, watercress, garlic, lentils,
spinach, artichokes, lima beans, Swiss chard, avocados, buckwheat, wheat bran, molasses, and kelp. Be sure to
drink the water in which you cook vegetables to obtain the potassium from the vegetables.
Chlorine, a cleanser. This is a fascinating element that is found in all living tissue. Chlorine is essential
for the function of cleansing the body of debris. It is also exchanged in the stomach to produce hydrochloric
acid, a very necessary acid for protein digestion.
Chlorine is a member of a group of elements called the halogens. Others in this group are fluoride,
iodine and bromine. The body maintains a delicate balance between all these elements. Today too much
chlorine, bromine and fluoride are overwhelming the iodine and causing deficiencies in our bodies.
Deficiency of this element is non-existent, unlike all the other electrolytes. The reason is that chlorine is part of
salt (NaCl). Most people eat too much, rather than too little table salt, as it is found in almost all prepared and
processed food items today. Thus we do not focus on this element in terms of deficiencies.
In contrast, excessive exposure to chlorine is a severe problem. Too much table salt and chlorinated water are
the main sources. Some bleached flour products are also sources. Environmental contamination of the food,
water and air are constant sources of this element, which is highly toxic in these forms.
Sulfur, a fiery cleansing and joining mineral. It is an important element for digestion and detoxification
in the liver. It is needed for the joints and in all connective tissue. This includes the hair, skin and nails. Most
dietary sulfur comes from sulfur-containing amino acids found mainly in animal protein foods. Good sources
are eggs, meats, and often smelly foods like garlic and onions. Other sources are kale, watercress, Brussels
sprouts, horseradish, cabbage cauliflower and cranberries.
Vegetarians can easily become deficient in sulfur if they do not eat eggs. Deficiency can affect hair,
nails, skin, joints, energy and the ability to detoxify poisons.
Today, plenty of organic or usable sulfur is needed to oppose excess copper in the body. Most people
today have too much biounavailable copper in their bodies, and sulfur is needed to help remove it. Good sources
are animal proteins such as eggs, particularly the egg yolk.
Phosphorus, the most fiery energy mineral. It is required for energy production, DNA synthesis and
protein synthesis. It is also needed for calcium metabolism, muscle contraction and cell membrane structure.
Excellent sources include all meats, along with eggs, fish and other animal proteins. All proteins have
some phosphorus in them. However, red meats and high purine proteins tend to have the most. These include
organ meats, sardines, and anchovies. The latter two are not bad fish to eat. Other fish tend to be too high in
mercury to make them good foods for regular use. Other decent food sources are most nuts and seeds,
chickpeas, garlic, lentils, popcorn, soybeans, and some cheeses.
Animal-based sources of phosphorus are often absorbed better than grains and beans that contain phytates.
These are phosphorus compounds that are not well-absorbed and that actually interfere with the absorption of
calcium, magnesium and zinc, in particular. They are found in most grains and beans. This is why proper
cooking and preparation of breads, beans and other foods is extremely important. Eating these foods raw eating
unleavened bread is not wise for this reason.
THE TRACE ELEMENTS
Though needed in small amounts, trace minerals are absolutely essential for life. They include iron,
copper, manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium, lithium, cobalt, silicon, boron and probably a dozen others that
are less well-researched. Hair and blood are used to measure these elements. However, their levels in the blood
are so low in most cases that blood is not often the best place to measure them, with the exception perhaps of
iron.
Iron, the oxygen carrier and an energy mineral as well. It is required in hemoglobin for transporting
oxygen in the blood, for detoxification and for energy production in the cells. Iron is found in lean meats, organ
meats, shellfish, molasses, beans, whole-grain cereals, and dark green vegetables. Menstruating women and
children on poor diets are most commonly low in iron. For much more information about iron, read Chronic
Iron Toxicity.
Copper, the emotional mineral and intuitive mineral. It is considered a female element because it is
needed more for certain functions in women. It is called the emotional mineral, because it tends to enhance all
emotions when it is high in the body. It is extremely important for women’s fertility and sexual function, and its
levels often varies up and down with the level of estrogen. Copper is also required for healthy arteries, pigments
in hair and skin, blood formation, energy production and for neurotransmitter substances such as dopamine.
Too much copper is common today and causes a wide variety of common symptoms, especially for women but
also for boys and men. Among them are depression, fatigue, acne, migraine headaches, moodiness, ADD,
ADHD, autistic tendencies in babies and children, infertility, premenstrual tension and many others.
Copper sources include organ meats, nuts, seeds, beans, grains and chocolate. People with high tissue
copper are often bright, young-looking, creative and emotional. This is called the copper personality type. Each
mineral has a personality type. To read more about the personalities associated with each mineral, read
Personality and Hair Mineral Analysis.
Excess copper is more common than deficiency today, due to the use of copper water pipes, birth control pills,
vegetarian diets and stress. For more information about copper, read Copper Toxicity Syndrome.
Manganese, another female mineral and regulator, is also called the maternal element, because in a few
studies, animals deprived of this element did not nurture their young. Manganese is actually a very complex
mineral needed for many body functions. It is involved in cholesterol synthesis and bone growth. It is also
needed for healthy tendons and ligaments, and for fat and sugar metabolism. Manganese sources are nuts,
especially walnuts, bran, corn, parsley, tea and wheat germ.
Most people are deficient in biologically available manganese, as they are in zinc, selenium, chromium
and other vital trace elements today. Most people also have too much of a biologically unavailable form of
manganese.
Zinc, the gentle strength mineral and a very important spiritual development mineral today. It is a male
mineral, so called because it is more essential for men than for women in some ways, although it is certainly
essential for women as well. it is required for hundreds of enzymes in the human body. These include the sense
of taste and smell, vision, growth, sexual development, digestive enzyme production, male potency, prostate
gland health, blood sugar regulation and processing of alcohol.
Zinc is very important for the joints, the skin, wound healing, and to prevent birth defects. Zinc helps
prevent diabetes, acne, epilepsy and childhood hyperactivity, and helps detoxify heavy metals. Adequate zinc
has a calming effect and is needed to regenerate all body tissues.
Refined food is very low in zinc. According to Dr. Carl Pfeiffer, MD, PhD, the entire human population
is borderline zinc deficient. There are very few excellent sources of zinc today. Among the best are red meats,
organ meats and some seafood that I do not recommend because it is too high in toxic metals. Other sources that
are not quite as good are poultry such as chicken and turkey, eggs, wheat, oatmeal, pumpkin and sunflower
seeds, wheat germ and colostrum. Wheat products are not recommended as wheat has become too hybridized
and is a highly inflammatory and irritating food for most people today.
Vegetarians run a high risk of zinc deficiency because they avoid red meats, in most cases. Low zinc, especially
in vegetarians, tends to cause a worsening of copper toxicity. Zinc supplements are essential for everyone today,
although the supplements are not as good as eating high-zinc foods, generally.
Chromium, a blood sugar mineral and a spiritual development mineral. It is also an energy mineral. A
desert rodent called the sand rat develops diabetes when fed a laboratory diet. When returned to the desert, the
diabetes goes away. Extensive research indicates the problem with the laboratory food is a lack of chromium.
Chromium is essential to for insulin metabolism. It can also help lower cholesterol. Chromium
deficiency is very common, especially in middle-aged and older people. Food sources of chromium are brewers
yeast, liver, kidney, beef, whole wheat bread, wheat germ, beets, mushrooms and beer. Unfortunately, most of
these foods are not recommended for various reasons. Chromium can be obtained from supplements, and this is
usually the best way to make sure you get enough each day.
Selenium, a critical spiritual mineral, is required for the development of certain higher brain centers. It
also gives a smooth, flexible and soft quality to the personality and even to the tissues of the body. Selenium is
vital for detoxification and for thyroid activity in the human body, among its many functions. It is also needed
for protein synthesis, helps the body get rid of toxic cadmium and mercury, and is needed for antioxidant
production (glutathione peroxidase). As an anti-oxidant, it may help prevent cancer and birth defects. Good
sources of selenium are garlic, yeast, liver, eggs, wheat germ and brazil nuts. Human milk contains six times as
much selenium as cow’s milk.
Refined food loses a lot of selenium (and other trace elements). For example, brown rice has 15 times as
much selenium as white rice. Whole wheat bread has twice as much selenium as white bread. Everyone should
supplement with selenium today. The best supplement, in my view, is a food-based selenium rather than the
others that are offered today.
Lithium is the brain protection mineral. It is also a more advanced spiritual mineral for the future. It has
a calming, balancing and protective effect on the brain and the entire nervous system. It is found in many
natural foods so it is not necessary to supplement it in many cases. However, anyone who is taking an antidepressant or any brain-altering drug, or is suffering from any brain-related problem may benefit from a natural
lithium supplement such as lithium orotate. The lithium used by medical doctors for bipolar disorder is quite
toxic and should be avoided if at all possible. The natural product is far less potent, but is better absorbed and
much less toxic or perhaps totally non-toxic.
Cobalt, vitamin B12 mineral. It is essential for life as part of the vitamin B12 molecule. Vitamin B12 is
required for the nervous system and blood formation. It is found in animal products. Deficiency causes anemia
and a very severe dementia that can be irreversible.
Deficiency occurs mainly in strict vegetarians and in those with impaired digestion or any disorder of the
stomach. It is commonly deficient to some degree in elderly people whose stomach just does not absorb it very
well. For this reason, I recommend that anyone over age 65 to 70 should get a periodic B12 shot, and perhaps
take some sublingually as well. It is very inexpensive insurance against the serious consequences of a vitamin
B12 deficiency.
Many people take vitamin B12 shots or pills because it makes them feel better. This is not a wise idea, in my
experience. Their blood levels of vitamin B12 are too high, and their hair mineral tests always show elevated
levels of cobalt. It is a biounavailable form of cobalt that has a stimulating effect, but can build up in the liver in
this toxic form. As long as you eat some meat three times weekly, or even just soft-cooked eggs, and take a
good digestive aid, you should not need extra vitamin B12 in most cases.
Iodine, a cleanser and a thyroid mineral (along with manganese). Iodine, however, it is required for all
the cells of the body. It is somewhat more important for women. It is needed to make thyroid hormones, and for
the regulation of metabolism. It is important for women’s breast health, cancer prevention and many other body
functions in somewhat mysterious ways.
Good sources of iodine are all fish, seafood, sea vegetables such as kelp and others. Iodine is also added to most
table salt. This, however, is a junk food that is best avoided. The problem today is not so much a lack of iodine
in the diet as it is an overabundance of iodine antagonists. These are chemicals in the environment that compete
with and replace iodine in the body. They include all fluoride compounds, all chlorine compounds and all
bromides and bromine compounds.
Unfortunately, these chemicals are everywhere today. To reduce your exposure to them, avoid all breads and
baked goods (bromine), avoid tap water, even if filtered with carbon (fluorides and chlorine, perhaps) and avoid
other sources of these minerals such as all fluoride toothpastes and mouthwashes, all fluoride treatments, and
exposure to bleaches and other chlorine-containing products.
Because it is impossible to avoid all the iodine antagonists in the environment, an iodine supplement such as
kelp is recommended for most people. If it makes you jittery, just take less. Do not use other sea vegetables or
too much fish, however, as these are higher in mercury. Prescription and OTC iodine pills or liquids are not as
good, in my view, because they do not contain all the other trace minerals and they are often not quite as easily
absorbed as kelp. Kelp is also a natural food and the body may be more able to regulate how much it absorbs
from kelp better. Taking any single-mineral products can also unbalance body chemistry if it is done for more
than a few weeks to a few months.
Boron may be called the plant mineral. It is very essential for plants, though perhaps less so for human beings.
Boron can help maintain female hormone production and bone integrity. Boron is found in many foods, so
supplements are rarely needed, though they will help some cases of hot flashes, at times.
Silicon, along with selenium, is important for the bones and skin. Food sources include lettuce, parsnips,
asparagus, dandelion greens, rice bran, horseradish, onion, spinach and cucumbers, and in herbs such as
horsetail. Since it is in many foods, supplements are usually not needed. Silicon and selenium also are both
spiritual minerals needed for higher brain activity.
Trace minerals often work in pairs or triplets. The interaction of minerals in the body is a complex and
interesting subject. There are many other trace minerals such as molybdenum, vanadium, bromine, germanium,
nickel, tin, cesium, rubidium, strontium, gold, silver, titanium, tritium and others.
The only way to obtain all these elements is to eat natural foods grown on mineralized soil. Dr. Weston
Price, DDS, studied healthy native tribes around the world. He found they were eating about 4-10 times the
vitamins and minerals of the average American living on refined and processed foods.
TOXIC METALS
Toxic metals are among the worst cause of health problems on planet earth today. They can cause every
imaginable symptom. Sometimes they act like replacement parts in a car or aircraft that can fit in, but do not
measure up to the original parts.
Another analogy is to imagine you live in a wooden house and over the years the wood rots or becomes
damaged. Instead of replacing them with the correct boards, you use whatever is around such as tar paper,
cardboard, twigs or tree branches. Your house might still stand for a while, but it will lose its structural
integrity. When the body is missing vital minerals in the diet such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc,
it absorbs toxic minerals from the environment to keep functioning.
The toxic metals include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, nickel, fluoride, antimony,
beryllium and others. These often function in enzymes to some extent, but not nearly as well as the
physiological mineral. All toxic metals are neurotoxic. They contribute to hundreds of health conditions.
Lead, the dullness and horror mineral. It may contribute to over 100 human conditions, including
neuromuscular and bone diseases, fractures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, anemia, and many others. Some
historians believe the Roman Empire fell because lead water pipes slowly poisoned the people and decreased
their intelligence. Sources of lead include old paint, inks, pesticides, a few hair dyes, solder and other metal
products.
Cadmium, the pseudo-masculine and violence mineral. It can cause high blood pressure, heart disease,
cancer, fatigue, arthritis, violence, infections, back pain and other conditions. Sources are cigarette or marijuana
smoke, refined foods and tap water. Some is also found in most coffee and tea.
Mercury, the mad hatter mineral. This is because it was used in hat-making 150 years ago in America
and those who worked with it became somewhat strange, or mad. It is extremely widespread today and most
people have some degree of mercury toxicity. Major sources are silver amalgam dental fillings, eating any fish
or seafood, especially larger fish such as tuna and swordfish. These should be strictly avoided. Shellfish are
terrible as well and should be avoided. Other sources include contact lens solution, many vaccines including flu
shots, and a few other products.
Mercury toxicity can contribute to hypothyroidism, impaired immune system, digestive problems such as yeast
infections, emotional difficulties, learning disabilities, ADHD and many other conditions. For more on mercury,
read Mercury on this website.
Aluminum, the soft in the head mineral. This is because it is a rather soft toxic metal and is associated
with memory impairment and dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease. Aluminum is widely used in beverage
cans, aluminum foils, antiperspirants, antiacids, and aluminum cookware. Most table salt has added aluminum,
as does most tap water. Peppermint, spearmint and wintergreen are naturally high in aluminum.
Fluoride, the cancer mineral. It is an extremely toxic mineral, except perhaps in tiny amounts found in
foods such as tea. In excess, which is everywhere in America and Great Britain today, it contributes to brown
staining of the teeth, weakened bones, hip fractures, mental impairment, birth defects and cancer.
Fluoride compounds are found in pesticides, air pollution, toothpastes, and are added to many water supplies.
Foods processed with water including baby foods and juices often contain far too much fluoride, up to 40 or 50
times the recommended amounts, which are already too high.
Large, worldwide studies show little or no benefit of added fluoride for tooth decay, contrary to many
news reports. Only the United States and Britain continue the insane practice of adding highly toxic fluoride
compounds to drinking water. For more on this subject, read Water Fluoridation on this website.
Arsenic, the insidious slow death mineral. It was formerly used often to poison people one did not like.
Today it is easily detectable with hair analysis, so that is not done much. Too much arsenic contributes to liver
and kidney damage, weakness, diarrhea, muscle spasms, headaches and other symptoms. Sources include
pesticides, beer, tap water, table salt, paints and other chemical products.
It is common in our food supply, unfortunately, because of its use in pesticides that have now poisoned the soil
in many areas. Organic agriculture is better, but does not guarantee an arsenic-free product.
MORE MINERAL BASICS
Here are some axioms about the vital topic of minerals:
The body always has a preferred mineral in each metalo-enzyme binding site. Nutritional balancing science
restores the preferred mineral in millions of enzymes in the body, and that is how it improves your health at
very deep levels.
Each mineral literally has personality traits associated with it. This fascinating topic is discussed in some detail
in the textbook, Nutritional Balancing And Hair Mineral Analysis (2010 edition) and in the article entitled
Personality And Nutritional Balancing.
Minerals display a quality called movement. This means that minerals tend to move or vibrate a person in
certain ways. This is a complex physics topic that is discussed in a separate article entitled Minerals And
Movement.
Most everyone alive today was born deficient in vital minerals and with excessive levels of toxic metals. This
occurs because mothers are deficient and toxic.
Any woman even contemplating having children some day ought to begin now to replenish her vital minerals
because deficiencies and toxicity are so widespread.
Practically all our food today is lower in trace minerals than it was 100 years ago. This has been documented in
books such as Empty Harvest. The reasons have to do with modern agriculture and are explained below. Studies
on healthy primitive tribes by Dr. Weston Price, DDS found they were eating 5 to 10 times the amount of
minerals than modern people eat.
When vital minerals are deficient in the diet, the body picks up toxic metals from the environment. Thus, eating
plenty of the vital minerals is essential to reduce the buildup of toxic metals.
Today we are exposed to levels of toxic metals and toxic chemicals never before seen on this planet. This is due
to industrialization, mining and environmental pollution.
Stress causes our bodies to use more minerals. Zinc is eliminated within minutes of a stressful situation.
Calcium and magnesium are eliminated in the urine as part of the fight-or-flight reaction. Simplifying your life,
slowing down and reducing stress are most important to maintain healthy mineral levels.
DIET AND MINERALS
Minerals, unlike many vitamins and other substances, cannot be manufactured within our bodies. We must eat
them daily in our diets. Furthermore, one must eat organic food to even approach the amount of minerals our
bodies require for optimum health. A study in the Journal of Applied Nutrition found that organic produce
purchased randomly at Chicago health food stores had an average of five times the mineral content compared to
conventional produce.
Using sea salt, rather than so-called table salt, helps one to obtain trace minerals. Most of the minerals are
refined out of common table salt. Good quality sea salt usually does not raise blood pressure or harm the body
in any way. Refined table salt, however, is a junk food. It often contains added toxic metals as well such as
aluminum.
Other mineral-rich foods are organic vegetables, especially root vegetables. Whole organic grains, nuts and
seeds, fish and good quality meats are other good sources of minerals. Fruits are not as good sources, as they are
mainly water, fiber and sugars.
Kelp is another excellent source of minerals that I recommend for everyone.
Cooking and Minerals. Eating cooked food is actually much better for obtaining minerals than raw food. This is
because cooking helps break down the fiber in food, releasing the minerals and allowing better utilization of the
food. Also, cooking often concentrates the food, permitting one to eat less and still obtain the same quantity of
minerals. Cooking usually does not destroy the availability of minerals. A little raw food is excellent to obtain
certain vitamins lost in cooking such as vitamin C. However, more than this tends to cause mineral deficiencies
in my experience. To get more minerals, cooked food is much better. We simply do not have the kind of
digestive system that a cow or horse has – with four stomachs and so on – to be able to get enough minerals
from raw food. I used to be a fan of raw foods, as they are good for fiber and vitamins, for example. However, I
was forced to change my mind when the hair tests and other methods started showing how mineral deficient
everyone who lives on raw food becomes.
Good quality spring or mineral waters can be excellent sources of trace minerals. Tap water contains minerals,
but almost all of it contains many harmful chemicals as well, and is best avoided.
Distilled water can help remove toxic substances from the body. However, it does not contain minerals and for
this reason I do not recommend it as a long-term drinking water.
Reverse osmosis and bottled “drinking water” also contain no minerals and are damaged by the reverse osmosis
processing of the water. Avoid RO and drinking or purified waters for this reason. Drink only distilled for short
term use or spring water.
Demineralized foods to avoid include white flour, white rice, white sugar, refined ‘table’ salt and all artificial or
chemical foods. These have been stripped of a significant amount of their trace minerals. Skip them all if you
want to maintain adequate mineral levels. Brown or “raw” sugar, honey and maple syrup are better than white
sugar, but are still mineral-deficient.
A digestive aid can help assure that food is broken down thoroughly to obtain the most minerals from the food.
Excellent digestive aids include pancreatin and ox bile. The others are not as good, but may be used as well.
Mineral absorption. Many minerals are absorbed in a particular way. In the stomach, they are mixed with
proteins or amino acids, which serve as carrier substances to assist their absorption. This process requires an
acidic stomach and the presence of enough protein in the diet. The process is called chelating the minerals. In
their chelated form, they are far more absorbable.
This is different from chelation therapy to remove toxic metals. In that process, a drug or other natural
substance is ingested or injected into the body that has the capability of grabbing onto certain minerals and
removing them from the body. I do not recommend this therapy in most case. For more on this topic, read
Chelation Therapy on this website.
MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS
Most everyone today would benefit from a mineral supplement. An excellent and inexpensive one is kelp. It is
available in capsules, tablets or granules, though the taste is not great. Kelp not only contains a great variety of
vital minerals. It also contains alginates, which bind toxic metals that are found in all sea products. Dulse and
other sea vegetables also contain many minerals but contain less or no alginates to protect against toxic metals.
Most people can take kelp. Its high iodine content is wonderful for most people. Occasionally it can cause
nervousness if one is hyperthyroid. Other mineral supplements come in pill or liquid form. For example,
brewer’s yeast is an excellent source of chromium and selenium. Beware of mineral supplements derived from
‘earth deposits’ as many contain toxic metals.
MINERALS AND THE SOIL
The quantity of minerals in our food is directly related to the soil on which the food is grown. Almost all our
food, even organic food, is deficient in minerals for several reasons:
1. Modern agricultural methods often do not replenish all the minerals in the soil. Most modern fertilizers do not
contain all the trace minerals.
2. Most crops are bred for higher yields, better taste or appearance, hardiness or bug resistance. However, they
are rarely bred for a higher mineral content. High-yield crops produce much more food per acre, but the food is
much lower in minerals because the amount of minerals in the soil is the same yet the yield is much greater.
3. Toxic sprays, insecticides and pesticides interfere with microorganisms in the soil that are required to make
minerals usable to the crops. This can significantly reduce the amount of minerals available to the crops.
Organically produced crops tend to have more minerals in them in part for this reason.
BIOLOGICAL TRANSMUTATION
Most scientists believe that once an element forms, it cannot change into another element except using
extreme heat or pressure, as in a nuclear reactor.
Dr. Louis Kervan, a French scientist, performed simple experiments showing that living organisms can
change one element into another at room temperature. For example, hens do not eat much calcium in their diet.
However, their eggs are rich in calcium. In another experiment, seeds sprouted in sealed containers with only
distilled water contain different amounts of elements than unsprouted seeds.
These experiments can be duplicated by any high school student. Dr. Kervan’s book, Biological
Transmutations, is fascinating reading. Unfortunately, the ideas are so revolutionary they are ignored in
mainstream physics and biology.
PRINCIPLES OF MINERAL NUTRITION
1. To obtain vital minerals, eat fresh, natural foods. Refined and junk foods usually have their minerals stripped
away. If you don’t eat plenty of vital minerals, your body will take up toxic metals as substitutes.
2. Eat a variety of foods. It is impossible to get all the minerals one needs on a limited diet. Don’t eat the same
food every day. Vary your proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables. Do not eat fruits, in my opinion. They
contain mainly toxic forms of potassium, for instance, and too much sugar today. This is unfortunate, and I
know most health authorities recommend them, but we find them unnecessary, not a good source of minerals,
and always harmful. An exception is the botija olives.
3. Use supplements. I recommend only kelp and sea salt as excellent mineral supplements for everyone. Avoid
most herbs and other sea vegetables such as dulse. Rice polishing, wheat germ are not bad. Be extremely careful
with so-called colloidal mineral supplements from clay deposits, and also avoid all humic acid or fulvic acid
mineral supplements. These often contain aluminum, lead, cadmium and other toxic metals. Read labels
carefully.
4. Avoid sources of toxic metals as much as possible.
5. Women, for healthy pregnancies and happy children, improve your mineral nutrition before getting pregnant.
Toxic metals and mineral deficiencies are passed on to children.
REMOVING TOXIC METALS
We use a number of methods all at the same time to remove toxic metals and help restore the proper
balance of mineral. This is an important part of the science of nutritional balancing, which is explained in other
articles on this website.
For the methods used to remove toxic metals, read Toxic Metals on this website.
For more information about chelation, a method to remove toxic metals that I find harmful in all cases,
read the article on this site entitled Chelation Therapy.
I also do not recommend natural chelation with products such as Metal-Free, NDF and similar ones.
These are often derived from chlorella, cilantro, zeolite or other sources. They, too, are less effective and
dangerous, as they too remove some vital minerals and deficiencies can develop very slowly and insidiously.
I also do not often recommend high-dose intravenous vitamin C therapy for chelation. It is unnecessary
for this purpose and always disturbs the delicate mineral balance because vitamin C also removes vital minerals
including copper, zinc, manganese and others.
CONCLUSION
Minerals, from calcium and magnesium to the trace elements such as zinc, are perhaps the single most
important group of nutrients. They are required for every body function, from activating muscles and nerves, to
digestion, energy production and all healing and regeneration of the body.
Restoring your vital minerals is a lifetime work, but does not have to be difficult. Mainly it involves recalling
that our food is generally mineral deficient, and our environment contains toxic minerals no matter where one
lives.
Healthful habits of living and eating, and simple supplements such as kelp, are a good start to rebuilding your
body’s vital minerals.
Other approaches, mainly nutritional balancing science based on a properly performed hair tissue mineral
analyses, can help greatly to systematically remineralize the body and remove two dozen toxic metals, along
with hundreds of toxic chemicals from the body.
Resources
1. Andersen, B.D., The Rhythms of Nature, Harmonic Spiral, CA, 1999.
2. Ford Heritage, Composition and Facts About Food, Health Research, CA 1971.
3. Jensen, B., The Chemistry of Man, Bernard Jensen, Escondido, CA 1983.
4. Kervan, C. L., Biological Transmutations, Beekman Publishers, Inc., NY, 1998.
5. Kutsky, R., Handbook of Vitamins, Minerals and Hormones, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., NY, 1981.
6. Pfeiffer, C., Mental and Elemental Nutrients, Keats Publishing, CT, 1975.
7. Price, W., Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, CA, 1945, 1979.
Albrecht, W., The Albrecht Papers, Acres USA, Kansas City, MO, 1975.
Hall, R., Food For Naught, The Decline in Nutrition, Keats Publishing, New Canaan, CT, 1979.
Jensen, B. and Anderson, M., Empty Harvest, Understanding the Link Between Our Food,
Our Immunity and Our Planet, Avery Publishing, 1990.
Price, W., Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Price-Pottenger foundation, CA
1993, J. Applied Nutrition, Vol. 45, #1, pp. 35-39.
Wilson, L., “Minerals for Life” article, at www.drlwilson.com
Wilson, L., Healing Ourselves, LD Wilson Consultants, 2000.