Like gold is valuable for your wallet, there are other metals and minerals that are extremely valuable for your health. Let's talk about what those are.
Metals are one type of mineral. There are two types of minerals: major minerals and trace minerals.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a major mineral. Your body needs large quantities of magnesium, but many of us don't get enough. It's needed for our bones, as well as being crucial for regulating blood pressure and blood sugar. It's needed to support your enzymes in doing their work, and without it, your muscles are unable to contract and your nerves can't send their messages throughout your body. Magnesium also helps with the absorption of some of the trace minerals like zinc, manganese and chromium, and converts vitamin D into its active form.
There are many uses and ways magnesium supports our bodies:
Bone health
Congestive heat failure
Stroke
Angina
High blood pressure
Mitral valve prolapse
Arrhythmia
Axiety
Asthma
ADHA
Fibromyalgia
Energy
Glaucoma
Kidney stones
Migraines
PMS and painful menstrual cycles
Research suggests that trace minerals supplements, which I will discuss below, that are rich in magnesium may also lower total cholesterol and the heart hazardous LDL-cholesterol.
Trace Minerals
Every mineral plays a crucial role in hundreds of your body's jobs. Whereas major minerals are needed in major amounts, trace minerals are needed in only trace amounts. However, they are no less important. But are you getting enough?
The trace minerals include zinc, chromium, iron, selenium, copper, manganese, iodine, molybdenum and fluoride. These activate your enzymes and need to be provided by our diet, since none of them are manufactured by our bodies. They come to us through the plants that absorb the minerals from the soil that gets them from the rocks and water. A full spectrum of all the minerals in a balance that is natural to the body is crucial for our health. Since much of our soil has become nutrient deficient, a naturally balanced trace mineral supplement can be helpful.
Zinc
Zinc is needed by every single cell in your body. It is needed for more enzymatic reactions than any other mineral. It is also needed by many hormones, including insulin, growth hormone and sex hormones. Zinc is the most important nutrient for the thymus gland and immunity. It fulfills both roles of a thymus nutrient: preventing the thymus from shrinking, and increasing the production and function of the thymic hormones.
Many people have marginal zinc deficiencies and correcting the deficiency will help you strengthen your immune system, improve wound healing and support sexual function. Zinc is probably the most important nutrient for skin health, soothing skin conditions from eczema to acne. It can also improve your senses of sight, smell and taste. Supplementing this trace mineral will boost everything from your ability to fight a cold, and for men, the ability to produce testosterone and healthy sperm and boost fertility.
Chromium
Chromium is important for blood sugar control. Without sufficient chromium, insulin is powerless to transport glucose into your cells, and blood sugar levels shoot up. This trace mineral is needed to prevent both diabetes and hypoglycemia. Chromium controls fats, can lower your cholesterol and weight, and is priceless for treating acne.
Iron
Iron deficiency is probably the most common nutrient deficiency of all. It is critical for the hemoglobin in red blood cells, and without it, not enough oxygen gets from your lungs to your cells, resulting in exhaustion and anemia.
Selenium
Selenium is an important antioxidant and is critical for glutathione, one of the key antioxidants made on your own body. In this role, selenium is crucial for your immune system. It's also needed for the development of white blood cells, which are a part of your immune system. As a result, not getting enough selenium can lead to a low functioning immune system. It's also important for prostate health and asthma. Insufficient selenium can also lead to free radical damage and all the conditions that come with it such as cardiovascular disease, cataracts and premature aging.
Copper
After iron and zinc, copper is the third most plentiful trace mineral in your body. It's required for several enzymatic reactions, healthy collagen and joints, and a necessary partner of iron in fighting anemia.
Manganese
Like all trace minerals, manganese is needed for many enzymatic reactions in your body. It's important for superoxide dismutase (SOD), another of your body's own crucial antioxidants, and is needed for energy and blood sugar control.
Iodine
Iodine is essential for a healthy thyroid gland. Not enough iodine leads to hypothyroidism and goiters. In addition to being needed for thyroid hormones, iodine also modulates the effects of estrogen.
Molybdenum
Molybdenum is needed by enzymes that are involved in the detoxification, especially sulfites and alcohol. If you struggle with sensitivity to sulfites that are used as preservatives in food, you may be low in molybdenum.
Major and trace minerals are essential to your health and body functioning optimally. If you need help in getting on the right track with your nutrition, contact me today for a free 45-minute consultation.
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