lacking energy has difficulty expressing love, is often depressed, has little self-esteem or passion, and has an inhibited personality.
The thyroid and adrenal glands supply the body with more than 98 percent of its energy. In addition, the efficiency of these glands determines the oxidation type or speed of metabolism. The four main minerals in the body that help to regulate the thyroid and adrenal glands are calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.
OXIDATION BALANCING
Oxidation is the process by which elements in the body chemically combine with oxygen. The oxidation rate is associated with metabolism and is due to the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. In addition, this process also affects the thyroid and adrenal glands to determine a slow, fast, mixed, or normal oxidizer.
Overactive thyroid and adrenal glands create a ‘fast oxidizer’ who needs to be ‘hyped up’ to keep going. This person functions at high speed until he/she suddenly collapses. When both glands are underactive, the ‘slow oxidizer’ is often tired, oversensitive, defensive, anxious, emotionally evasive, and worried about what others think. When one of these glands is overactive and the other is underactive, the mixed oxidizer is on an energy roller coaster. All three paths lead to premature aging and death.
Fast oxidizers are generally deficient in copper, while slow oxidizers have high copper levels or bio-unavailable copper.
Higher than normal calcium and magnesium levels and lower than normal sodium and potassium levels create a slow oxidizer profile with sluggish thyroid and adrenal glands.
Along with balancing body chemistry and correcting the diet, a slow oxidizer will benefit by avoiding change, emotional confrontation, and stress. Animal protein foods, vegetables, iodine, and vitamins B-complex, C, and E are also beneficial.
Higher than normal sodium and potassium levels and lower than normal calcium and magnesium levels create the fast oxidizer with overactive thyroid and adrenal glands. To keep functioning, the body starts to cannibalize tissues for minerals. In this case, increasing protein intake is necessary with supplementation and correcting the diet. High amounts of vitamins C, E, or B complex worsen this pattern (fast oxidizer) because they raise the sodium and potassium levels even higher, which can bring a person closer to a heart attack. Calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, vitamins A and D, choline, inositol, high-quality fats, and heavier proteins are beneficial for a fast oxidizer.
Balancing the mixed oxidizer (temporary state) requires professional assessment to determine if they lean toward a fast or slow oxidizer.
Dr. Paul C. Eck made some significant discoveries by using hair mineral analysis. Contrary to what one would expect, he found that giving a particular mineral can lead to a lower mineral level if synergistic minerals are not in the right amount. For example, giving only calcium to someone with low calcium would result in a lower hair level of calcium because it upsets the balance with magnesium. Both copper and magnesium were needed in the right amount to raise a low calcium level. Another example is that taking zinc does not always increase the zinc level because it lowers the sodium/potassium ratio. Balancing this critical ratio helps the body better utilize zinc.
The ‘balanced oxidizer’ is happy, content, and open with an inner calm and steadiness. This is also the most powerful and productive type of person. The goal of a mineral balancing program, which includes having a hair analysis, is to bring a person into a state of balanced oxidation.
CALCIUM/MAGNESIUM (Ca/Mg) RATIO
The ca/Mg ratio is the blood-sugar ratio. Calcium releases insulin from the pancreas. Magnesium inhibits insulin secretion and is necessary to keep calcium in solution (in the bones and teeth).
Sixty percent of tissue magnesium is in the skeleton, which works with sunshine vitamin D for bone and teeth formation. The rest is within the cells where it performs hundreds of enzyme activities and essential functions such as regulation of cell membranes, muscular contraction, nerve impulse conduction, and calcium balance. It also helps to prevent kidney stones, calcification, and constipation. Magnesium is involved in energy production, glucose and fat metabolism, protein synthesis, and liver activity. It works in synergy with potassium. Excess calcium depletes magnesium and is constipating.
Ninety-ninety percent of calcium is in bone structures. It is also essential for blood clotting, acid/alkaline balance, cell permeability, muscle contraction, and nerve impulses. Lead and cadmium toxicity will displace calcium. Cortisone therapy will lower calcium levels and raise sodium and potassium levels.
CALCIUM/PHOSPHORUS (Ca/P) RATIO
The calcium/phosphorus ratio indicates the autonomic state. Maintaining a proper balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches is critical for the health and healing of the nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system comprises the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, which regulate many functions. The sympathetic branch activates the brain, muscles, thyroid, and adrenal glands. It operates primarily during the day, is associated with expending energy, and is catabolic (breaking down body tissues). It is balanced by the parasympathetic branch, associated with nurturing and regenerating body tissues. The parasympathetic branch is restful, conserving energy, and anabolic, or builds up new tissues. Healing requires sufficient time in a parasympathetic state to permit proper digestion, elimination of toxins, repairing, and rebuilding of the body. A person is more parasympathetic when relaxing, resting, or sleeping. An imbalance in the calcium/phosphorus ratio can disrupt the function of the autonomic nervous system.
CALCIUM/POTASSIUM (CA/K) RATIO
The calcium/potassium ratio plays a vital role in regulating thyroid activity. The thyroid gland is one of the major glands that regulate metabolic rate. A hyperactive thyroid is associated with a fast metabolism, nervousness, irritability, excessive sweating, and oily hair and skin.
A hypoactive thyroid is associated with weight gain, cold hands and feet, lack of sweating, fatigue, dry skin and hair, and constipation. When thyroid and adrenal ratios are abnormal, the efficiency of energy production decreases. A hair analysis does not always correlate with blood thyroid tests because hair analysis is a tissue test. Often blood tests will show normal, but hair analysis will indicate an impaired thyroid function.
SODIUM/POTASSIUM (NA/K) RATIO
The sodium/potassium ratio is the life-death ratio because it is critical. It indicates vitality and the electrical balance within and between the cells. Sodium is an extracellular element, while potassium is an intracellular element. The sodium/potassium ratio is intimately related to kidney, liver, and adrenal gland function. An imbalanced ratio is associated with asthma, allergies, cancer, heart, kidney, liver, or immune deficiency diseases. It is also involved in the balance between aldosterone (mineralocorticoid) and cortisone (glucocorticoid) secretion.