Episode 3: Stress burns through essential nutrients that your body can't make

Click here to learn more about Antidote!

As mentioned in the first episode of this private podcast, diets are a leading cause of essential nutrient deficiencies (obviously processed/packaged foods don't come as a surprise, but under-eating is another major player).

But even if you only ate a variety of organic food, many fluorine based pesticides are still allowed, which come with a myriad of health issues that we touched on in episode 2... but chemical exposure aside, you still wouldn't be getting the necessary amount of minerals from your food alone to see the results in energy, brain function and overall quality of life that I keep talking about.

Another major reason for mineral deficiency today is stress!
Sure, stress is a normal part of life and certain amounts can actually be beneficial, but when stress becomes chronic, and to be clear, we've never been under this amount of prolonged stress before in history, it takes a major toll on your wellbeing.

One of the ways that stress affects the body is by depleting essential vitamins and minerals.
 
When you're under stress, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that helps you cope with the situation. However, elevated cortisol levels can cause your body to use up vitamins and minerals more quickly than usual.  

For example, stress can deplete your body's supply of vitamin C, which is essential for immune function, adrenal health and wound healing.
It can also lead to a deficiency in B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, (known as B1, B2, B3) which are important for energy production and nervous system function.
Other minerals affected by stress include magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, copper, sodium, potassium...  to name a few.

Over time, imbalances in these nutrients can lead to a range of health problems, including energy struggles, immune dysfunction, hormone and mood disorders. That's why it's important to find ways to manage stress, prioritise a healthy diet, and supplement strategically.  

Now, meet Frank, a stressed out CEO who was constantly on the go. Always in a hurry, rushing from one meeting to the next, Frank rarely took a break, other than to hit the gym a few times a week. He recently realised he'd been feeling tired and run down, so decided to seek professional help. Good on ya, Frank!  

Turns out his stress levels were depleting his body's supply of vitamins and minerals faster than he was able to top them up. Frank was shocked to learn that his busy, active lifestyle was actually making him sick!
He started out his career like a sportscar leaving the dealership, but without regular servicing and premium fuel, the car stops running efficiently and ends up costing a fortune to keep on the road.

Frank decided to take some time off and prioritise his stress levels; he started eating a healthier diet focusing on quality animal protein, healthy fats like butter and coconut oil, and increasing fruit and veg.

Frank started a supplement protocol to replenish essential minerals and is learning how to meditate. His energy is through the roof, his sleep quality is better than ever, and he hasn't felt rundown since... Frank still can't believe what a difference these simple changes have made and says he'll never forget the importance of topping up his nutrients! He learned the importance of taking care of himself and now enjoys a healthier, happier life.

But Frank nearly missed out on these improvements.
Had we not been acquainted, he would have gone to the doctor, they'd run some standard blood tests, everything would have come back normal, and he would've shrugged it off and gotten on with it... this would have led to a compound effect of stress and undetected nutrient deficiencies, his health would have continued to deteriorate, even with an improved diet and meditation practice.
He needed to replenish those minerals!

Common effects of stress on your 
- Body: headache, muscle tension or pain, fatigue, libido changes, upset stomach, sleep problems
- Mood: anxiety, restlessness, lack of motivation or focus, feeling overwhelmed, irritability or anger, sadness or depression
- Behaviour: overeating or undereating, angry outbursts, drug or alcohol misuse, tobacco use, social withdrawal, exercising less often

I believe it should be mandatory within mainstream medicine to do proper mineral testing--the only mineral that gets any real attention is iron--but full iron panels aren't often done anymore, which is a huge issue.
Why?
Firstly, you cannot test iron status with just ferritin (which is stored iron) or serum iron levels alone.
Secondly, conventional ranges are terribly broad, meaning you'll still be considered normal even though you may feel like you're knocking on death's door.
Aside from that, I'm now seeing an epidemic of anaemia, and not just in women! It's often incorrectly diagnosed as iron deficiency, when in reality it's a copper deficiency. Copper is required for iron recycling and converting iron into haemoglobin.
In order to pick up on this, you need a full iron panel...  but you may be shocked to discover that many doctors and haematologists don't order full tests or know how to properly interpret the results... remember. they aren't trained to identify deficiencies like copper or B vitamins in these labs despite being essential for healthy iron and red blood cell production.

As a result, they can make matters worse by prescribing iron tablets or infusions, which come with their own risks, and this excess iron can get stored in tissues because of recycling issues... copper deficiency is common today from high dose zinc supplementation, which has an antagonistic effect on iron.

That isn't meant to confuse you, and only touches on ONE aspect of iron regulation, so don't assume this is your situation as there are many other factors to consider!

I just wanted to emphasise that minerals work in a matrix, they have antagonistic and synergistic properties (meaning some work together and some work against each other for absorption).
 
Furthermore, standard blood testing for minerals isn't the most accurate, it needs to be RBC or red blood cell of whatever minerals you're testing, which isn't common practice. You could ask your doctor for RBC mineral testing, but don't hold your breath.

This is why I use hair tissue mineral analysis or HTMA in my practice--it's not just about the levels of minerals, but the ratios with other nutrients that gives us major insight into how your body is functioning--but no need to get ahead of ourselves, this isn't even the starting point.  

I recommend all my clients start their journey to optimal health with Antidote, I designed the protocol to cover deficiencies that have become impossible to avoid and make the biggest impact on your quality of life. Only you can be responsible for your health.

You've already learned that doctors aren't trained in preventative or root cause medicine so please don't expect them to solve your problems. If you'd like to upgrade your energy, brain function and cellular health, join us inside Antidote.
It's the fastest way to get long-term results in less than 2 minutes a day. I hope to see you on the inside!  

This brings us to the 4th and final final episode of my secret podcast, where you learn about the essential element that is single-handedly the most important link to glandular cancers like thyroid, prostate, breast all the way to miscarriage; infertility; low IQ, brain fog, trouble learning and more!
See you there.