Saturday, May 28, 2005

Chloride: The Forgotten Essential Mineral

Dr. Chris Meletis N. D.





Chloride is an "essential" mineral for humans. It is abundant in ionic trace mineral preparations. It is a major mineral nutrient that occurs primarily in body fluids. Chloride is a prominent negatively charged ion of the blood, where it represents 70% of the body's total negative ion content. On average, an adult human body contains approximately 115 grams of chloride, making up about 0.15% of total body weight.1 The suggested amount of chloride intake ranges from 750 to 900 milligrams per day, based on the fact that total obligatory loss of chloride in the average person is close to 530 milligrams per day. As the principle negatively charged ion in the body, chloride serves as one of the main electrolytes of the body. Chloride, in addition to potassium and sodium, assist in the conduction of electrical impulses when dissolved in bodily water. Potassium and sodium become positive ions as they lose an electron when dissolved and chloride becomes a negative ion as it gains an electron when dissolved. A positive ion is always accompanied by a negative ion, hence the close relationship between sodium, potassium and chloride. The electrolytes are distributed throughout all body fluids including the blood, lymph, and the fluid inside and outside cells.2 The negative charge of chloride balances against the positive charges of sodium and potassium ions in order to maintain serum osmolarity.

Pivotal Roles of Chloride in the Body

In addition to its functions as an electrolyte, chloride combines with hydrogen in the stomach to make hydrochloric acid, a powerful digestive enzyme that is responsible for the break down of proteins, absorption of other metallic minerals, and activation of intrinsic factor, which in turn absorbs vitamin B12. Chloride is specially transported into the gastric lumen, in exchange for another negatively charged electrolyte (bicarbonate), in order to maintain electrical neutrality across the stomach membrane. After utilization in hydrochloric acid, some chloride is reabsorbed by the intestine, back into the blood stream where it is required for maintenance of extracellular fluid volume. Chloride is both actively and passively absorbed by the body, depending on the current metabolic demands. A constant exchange of chloride and bicarbonate, between red blood cells and the plasma helps to govern the pH balance and transport of carbon dioxide, a waste product of respiration, from the body. With sodium and potassium, chloride works in the nervous system to aid in the transport of electrical impulses throughout the body, as movement of negatively charged chloride into the cell propagates the nervous electrical potential.

Deficiency of Chloride
Deficiency of chloride is rare. However, when it does occur, it results in a life threatening condition known as alkalosis, in which the blood becomes overly alkaline. A tedious balance between alkalinity and acidity is in constant flux, and must be vigilantly maintained throughout the entire body. Alkalosis may occur as a result of excessive loss of sodium, such as heavy sweating during endurance exercise, and in cases of prolonged vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms include muscle weakness, loss of appetite, irritability, dehydration, and profound lethargy. Hypochloremia may result from water overload, wasting conditions, and extensive bodily burns with sequestration of extracellular fluids. In a situation in which infants were inadvertently fed chloride-deficient formula, many experienced failure to thrive, anorexia, and weakness in their first year of life.3

Excess Intake?

Excessive intakes of dietary chloride only occur with the ingestion of large amounts of salt and potassium chloride. The toxic effects of such diets, such as fluid retention and high blood pressure, are attributed to the high sodium and potassium levels.4 Chloride toxicity has not been observed in humans except in the special case of impaired sodium chloride metabolism, e.g. in congestive heart failure.5 Healthy individuals can tolerate the intake of large quantities of chloride provided that there is a concomitant intake of fresh water. Other situations in which increased blood levels of chloride are seen include diseases of improper waste elimination that occur in kidney diseases. Excess chloride is normally excreted in the urine, sweat, and bowels. In fact, excess urinary excretion of chloride occurs in high salt diets. Excessive intakes of chloride can occur in a person with compromised health in addition to an unhealthy diet. However, those that follow a healthy diet and lead an active lifestyle may need to consider supplementing their diet with this important mineral.

Chloride vs. Chlorine
The mineral supplement chloride is very different from the gas chlorine. While elemental chlorine is a dangerous gas that does not exist in the free elemental state in nature because of its reactivity, although it is widely distributed in combination with other elements. Chloride is related to chlorine however, as one of the most common chlorine compounds is common salt, NaCl. Chloride is a by-product of the reaction between chlorine and an electrolyte, such as potassium, magnesium, or sodium, which are essential for human metabolism. Chloride salts are essential for sustaining human metabolism and have none of the effects of isolated chlorine gas.

Sources of Chloride

Chloride occurs naturally in foods at levels normally less than 0.36 milligrams per gram of food. The average intake of chloride during a salt-free diet is approximately 100 milligrams per day. Unfortunately, chloride is found commonly combined with undesirable dietary sources. The most common of these negative sources is table salt. Table salt is made from a combination of sodium and chloride ions. Other unhealthful sources include yeast extracts, processed lunchmeats, and cheeses. Healthier sources of chloride include kelp (seaweed), ionic trace minerals, olives, rye, tomatoes, lettuce, and celery, although not in large enough amounts to supply the needs of an active adult.6 In its original form, however, chloride is leached from various rocks into soil and water by years of weathering processes. The chloride ion is highly mobile and is transported to closed basins, such as the Great Salt Lake, or oceans.7

Summary

Chloride is a highly important, vital mineral required for both human and animal life. Without chloride, the human body would be unable to maintain fluids in blood vessels, conduct nerve transmissions, move muscles, or maintain proper kidney function. As a major electrolyte mineral of the body, chloride performs many roles, and is rapidly excreted from the body. Active adults that eat a healthy diet devoid of salt and illnesses in which vomiting and/or diarrhea are profuse warrant the supplementation of additional chloride. Replacement of chloride is essential on a daily basis to maintain regular metabolic function. Chloride is safely utilized by the body, without negative health effects. Of the negative health effects that have been associated with diets high in chloride, these are mainly attributable to the accompanying sodium and potassium, two other electrolyte minerals to which chloride is often attached


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1 Wesson LG. Physiology of the human kidney. New York, NY, Grune and Stratton, 1969: 591

2 Weast RC, ed. CRC handbook of chemistry and physics, 67th ed. Boca Raton, FL, CRC Press, 1986.

3 Kaleita TA. Neurologic/behavioral syndrome associated with ingestion of chloride-deficient infant formula. Pediatrics 1986 Oct;78(4):714-5

4 Beard TC. A salt-hypertension hypothesis. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 1990;16 Suppl 7:S35-8

5 Seelig M. Cardiovascular consequences of magnesium deficiency and loss: pathogenesis, prevalence and manifestations--magnesium and chloride loss in refractory potassium repletion. Am J Cardiol 1989 Apr 18;63(14):4G-21G

6 Altschul AM, Grommet JK. Food choices for lowering sodium intake. Hypertension 1982 Sep-Oct;4(5 Pt 2):III116-20

7 Gelb SB, Anderson MP. Sources of chloride and sulfate in ground water beneath an urbanized area in Southeastern Wisconsin (Report WIS01 NTIS). Chemical abstracts, 1981, 96(2):11366g.


For the best source of chloride, visit us at:
The Wellness Group USA

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Calcium / Magnesium Relationship

Calcium, Too Much of a Good Thing?
The content of this document is edited, and excerpted, in part, from
"The Magnesium Factor"
Authors: Mildred S. Seelig, M.D., MPH, & Andrea Rosanoff, Ph.D


It's not certain which came first, but at the same time the heart disease epidemic of the twentieth century was accelerating, so was the reliance on modern processed foods. There are so many things wrong with such a diet, it's hard to know where to start, but it's high in fat, especially saturated fat; high in cholesterol; high in sugar and also high in salt, just for starters. We hear a lot about these short-comings, but very little is said about the fact that such a diet is also low in magnesium, significant because hearts and blood vessels need magnesium to stay healthy.

Magnesium deficiency underlies much of the disease epidemic that consumes so many of our health-care dollars. Studies have linked low magnesium with many of the major risk factors for heart disease. Other studies show that the average Western processed-food diet is even lower in magnesium than is commonly acknowledged. The negative effects of a low intake of magnesium are exaccerbated by the high levels of fat, sugar, sodium, and phosphate in this type of diet.

Ironically, it can also be worsened by the use of calcium supplements, which has become widespread because of our awareness of calcium's value for bone health, and the exaggerated claims of those promoting calcium as a "cure-all". We'll get back to this phenomenan later in the article.

Unfortunately, the vast amount of research that has been done on low magnesium , and its impact on heart health, has gone unheeded, so much so that much of the heart disease seen today is a direct result of low magnesium consumption. This vitally important nutrient is not only inadequate in much of our processed foods, but also in our water supplies, and just at a time in history when our stressful lifestyle demands that we have more of this important mineral.

We can't possibly consider everything published on the subject in this brief article, but let's look at some of the convincing evidence that magnesium deficiency can, in fact, cause heart disease. Both animal and clinical studies have shown that chronic magnesium depletion has direct consequences for both the heart and the blood vessels. These include the following:

Arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms) and tachycardia (too-rapid heartbeats) due to abnormal shifts of the mineral potassium into and out of heart cells.

Abnormal electrical activity in the heart, shown by electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) results.

Arteriosclerosis (stiffening and inflexibility of the blood vessels).

Constriction of the arteries and spasms in blood vessels.

High blood pressure

Angina (chest pain due to heart disease).

Myocardial infarction (damage to heart cells - better known as a heart attack) due to is-chemic heart disease (an insufficient flow of oxygenated blood to the heart) that 's associated with too much calcium and not enough magnesium in heart cells.

Sudden death due to arrhythmia or infarction.

The formation of blood clots within blood vessels, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Heart valve disorders such as mitral valve prolapse.

Because it's all they know to do, the medical profession has responded to all of these symptoms by treating each one, individually, using drugs, or surgery, or both. The result is, symptoms that may stave off death do get treated, but the treatment doesn't restore health. How much better it would be to prevent much of the damage from this disease, by treating the magnesium deficiency that underlies all of its symptoms. In other words, give the body the simple nutrient it needs for healthy hearts and blood vessels.

Animal studies also show that even low magnesium levels will adversely affect the heart and blood vessels. Clinical studies show that treatment with magnesium, taken at the right time and in the right amount, can lessen heart disease risk factors and even save lives.

In addition to the live animal and clinical studies, research has found that there exists very low levels of magnesium in the heart muscle of people who have died of heart disease. In one study, the hearts of such individuals had 24 percent less magnesium than did the hearts of people who had died in accidents. Other studies on cadaver hearts classified by cause of death - heart disease vs accidents - showed that the "heart-disease" hearts had anywhere from 12 to 27 percent less magnesium than the other hearts. Beyond that, damaged areas of hearts from people who had died of heart disease had 40 to 50 percent less magnesium than undamaged areas of the same hearts.

In other studies, cadaver hearts from people who had lived in areas with hard drinking water had higher amounts of magnesium in them - 6 or 7 percent higher, on average, than cadaver hearts from soft-water areas. Maybe this is why death rates from heart disease are lower in hard-water communities. But it wasn't until the late 50's that
epidemiological studies (research on populations) pointed to the association.

Beginning with a Japanese study, done in 1957, and followed by more studies from places like South africa, England, Finland, and the United states, among others, they all revealed that, when the hardness of drinking water went up, the rate of death from cardiovascular disease went down. It was obvious that there was something about hard water that protected people from heart disease death.

Continued research soon showed that the protective water factor, in most cases, was none other than magnesium. Calcium, another hard water component, can also be protective because it makes water less corrosive and less likely to leach toxic trace minerals, such as cadmium and lead, out of metal pipes. Calcium also shares its direct effect - interfering with the absorption of fat from the intestines - with magnesium. But, the studies proved it was now time to take magnesium seriously.

Magnesium is a vital structural component of all muscle cells, and the heart is mainly muscle. Heart muscle, when healthy, contains even more magnesium than other muscles do. And when magnesium levels drop, they can drop more in heart muscle cells than in other muscles.

Each molecule of myosin (muscle protein) has an atom of magnesium in it. Muscles therefore have to have magnesium to work. About 27 percent of the body's magnesium is in muscle tissue. If a magnesium deficiency begins to affect the heart's muscle cells and the "nervous conduction system" of the heart, this organ, which must beat regularly and continuously, may run into trouble.

The availability of magnesium within the heart affects the rhythm of the heart, both directly and indirectly, by controlling potassium and calcium levels. This also affects the conduction system. A low level of magnesium in the heart muscle cells can bring on heart arrhythmias, ranging from the merely disturbing, such as palpitations, to the severe, including disturbances that can be life-threatening.

Blood vessel muscle cells need healthy amounts of magnesium to relax properly after each contraction. They can become stiff and inflexible if their magnesium gets too low. Magnesium is a necessary catalyst for all sorts of life reactions. For example, among the enzymes that have been studied intensively, over 350 of them need magnesium, directly, to do their jobs properly. Zinc is required for about 200 enzymes; copper, for less than 20; and selenium, for only 10 that have been identified in animal studies so far. Without adequate magnesium, these enzymes either will not act or will act at the wrong rate or at the wrong time - or both.

In addition to the more than 350 enzymes for which magnesium is directly necessary, it is indirectly required for thousands of others. One especially important reaction that needs magnesium is the one that controls the molecule adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is present in all the living world. You can think of it as life's batteries - a substance that can store and release energy back and forth, like a switch. But to do so, it needs magnesium.

Again, literally every energy-consuming reaction in life involves ATP, but it needs magnesium to proceed. This is what puts the number of enzymes that need magnesium into the thousands. Truth be known, it would be very difficult to over-estimate the importance of magnesium in enzyme function, both directly (as a co-factor), and indirectly (via ATP reactions).

Muscle contraction requires energy, and thus requires ATP, and magnesium. The pumping heart is a muscle that alternately contracts and relaxes. The contracting and dilating of blood vessels are due to muscles contracting and relaxing. All of this activity requires magnesium, both directly and indirectly, through ATP. It's no wonder that low magnesium levels can negatively affect the heart and its blood vessels.

In addition to all of its enzyme functions, magnesium is an important component of cell membranes. As a result, it is vitally important in regulating what goes into, and what comes out of, all the body's cells. This makes magnesium crucial to mineral balance. In simple solutions, such as salt water, all dissolved minerals are evenly dispersed. This is not so in living cells, where they're distributed differently, depending on their functions. This specialized distribution requires energy, and it's absolutely vital to life processes and health. Calcium and sodium ions, for the most part, are kept outside the cells, while magnesium and potassium are kept inside the cells. These four minerals are the most plentiful in the body, and collectively they are known as electrolytes.

When the level of magnesium within the cells falls below normal, calcium and sodium rush inside, while potassium and magnesium leak out. This can cause big problems. If this occurs in heart muscle cells, normal function is impaired, and there is a tendency toward excess contractility, the shortening and thickening of functioning muscles. During cardiac surgery, this can cause what doctors call a "stone heart." In the arteries, this phenomenon can lead to stiffness and high blood pressure; drastic results, indeed. Doctors routinely prescribe calcium-channel-blocking drugs, like Captopril, to forestall this abnormal movement of calcium into cells because it is so dangerous for hearts and blood vessels. Magnesium is nature's calcium-channel blocker.


Magnesium and Calcium, A Delicate Balance is Required



Magnesium and calcium are very similar in their chemistry, but biologically, these two elements function and react very differently. In effect, they are two sides of a physiological coin; they have actions that oppose one another, yet they function as a team. For example:

Calcium exists mainly outside of cells, whereas almost all magnesium is found inside cells.

Calcium excites nerves, whereas magnesium calms them down.

Calcium (along with potassium) is necessary for muscle contractions, whereas magnesium is necessary for muscles to relax.

Calcium is necessary for the blood-clotting reaction, which is so necessary for wound healing, whereas magnesium keeps the blood flowing freely, and prevents abnormal coagulation within blood vessels, where clotting reactions would be dangerous.

Calcium is mostly found in bones and gives them much of their hardness, whereas magnesium is found mainly in soft structures.

Bone matrix, the soft structure within bone, contains protein and magnesium, and gives the bones some flexibility and resistance to brittleness.

The normal concentration of magnesium ion inside cells is easily 10,000 times more than that of intracellular calcium ions - under healthy conditions. But if the amount of magnesium in a cell falls, for any reason, calcium ions flow into the cell. With this abnormal situation, a couple of things happen:

Higher than normal calcium inside a cell excites a lot of reactions. It puts the cell into hyperactive state. Heart and blood-vessel cells are especially excitable because they need to react rapidly during sudden stress situation. As such, they are truly vulnerable to deficits in magnesium that allow abnormal rises in calcium, with resulting hyperactivity.

Sometimes, a hyperactive state is just what you want. It is the essence of the body's "fight-or-flight" reaction to danger. Without calcium, there is no muscle contraction, and without muscle contraction there is no fight or flight.

But in usual circumstances, you don't want excess muscle contractions. The muscles would soon cramp, bringing on severe muscle pain. To relax, the muscles need magnesium. Magnesium, physiologically the opposite of calcium, relaxes muscles. Under normal, healthy cellular conditions, magnesium levels inside muscle cells are high and calcium levels are low, so that the muscles can relax. This is just one way in which calcium enhances and allows the fight-or-flight reaction while magnesium calms it all down.

If calcium levels inside a cell get especially high because of low magnesium, the cell physically changes. High calcium tends to make things stiff and hard. But if soft tissue begins to get hard, it's a real problem - and the problem is calcification. In artery and heart cells, the stiffness caused by calcification hampers proper function and can be an important aspect of heart disease.

If magnesium intake is low, a high calcium intake can make people more vulnerable to heart disease than are people who do not have a high calcium intake.

The current promotion of calcium-rich foods and supplements to protect our bones encourages the consumption of calcium. This is fine as long as magnesium nutrition is adequate. But calcium intakes that are unduly high, relative to magnesium, can intensify the problems caused by the low magnesium content of most modern diets.

Clearly, calcium is an important essential nutrient, but it must be guarded and controlled, and balanced by adequate magnesium if it is not to cause damage to the cells, and the body as a whole.

For years, even though in nature the ratio does not exist, we have been encouraged to consume twice the amount of calcium as magnesium. This can be dangerous, for the reasons outlined above. A large and growing segment of researchers believe that the growing phenomenon of heart disease is the direct result of too much of a good thing ... calcium. In nature, magnesium can appear in ratios of 17:1 of calcium. We also know that the human body can only assimilate 12.5 mg of organic calcium per day. Women, in particular, are often encouraged to take 800-1500 mg of calcium, daily, in spite of this fact. Of course, most calcium is inorganic, and almost worthless, anyway.

The Wellness Group USA takes the progressive position that most Americans are over-dosing on poor calcium, rather than properly-dosing on natural, organic calcium that is guaranteed to be fully and properly utilized by the body. We offer New Life Living Liquid Minerals, from nature. They're organic, double charged with Fulvic acids and other proprietary technology, and found in ratios dictated by the Creator, not propagated and promoted by self-serving interests. 8-10 drops of New Life Liquid minerals, daily, among other benefits offered by minerals, can promote clarity of thought, and increased energy, something most people really need today. Try them, you'll really notice the difference. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

The Wellness Group USA

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Warning About Orange Juice & Calcium

If you're one of the many people who rely on fortified orange juice for most of your calcium intake, beware! Reuters reports that researchers from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska have found that your body may be absorbing much less calcium than the juice label would indicate. It's important to note that the label isn't misleading. The juice does contain the amount of calcium listed on the label. The problem is that the calcium may not be well absorbed by your body--so you get much less than you think you're getting.

Previous research has reached similar conclusions. When calcium is added to foods, it can vary widely in how well it's absorbed. Lead study author Dr. Robert P. Heaney, says consumers need to know that their bodies may not actually be getting all the calcium the label claims. It's not clear why the calcium in different foods varies in its "bioavailability," or absorbability, Heaney told Reuters. He says it all comes down to the quality of fortification.

The study: Twenty-five healthy, young women drank two different brands of orange juice that were both fortified with calcium. They drank the two juices on separate days with breakfast. Both juices provided 500 milligrams of calcium; however, one provided it through calcium citrate malate and the other through a combination of tricalcium phosphate and calcium lactate. Through blood samples, the research team then measured how well the calcium from each juice was absorbed.

The results: On average, the absorption of the calcium citrate malate was 48 percent greater than that of the calcium in the other O.J. product. The problem is not limited to orange juice. There is no way for consumers to really know how well calcium in any fortified food or pill supplement is actually absorbed by the body.

What can you do? Heaney recommends getting your calcium from natural sources, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, kale, turnip greens, and broccoli. The study findings were published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

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This article offers some good advice, as well as some poor advice, and a glaring omission that can compromise the intent of the article. First, the article completely ignores the basic fact that there are two types of calcium found in nature (organic and inorganic). The calcium additives intended to fortify the orange juice (calcium citrate malate and a combination of tricalcium phosphate and calcium lactate), are inorganic. His statement to Reuters that, "It's not clear why the calcium in different foods varies in its "bioavailability," or absorbability", reveals a weakness in Dr. Hearney's understanding about his subject matter. The answer is found in the fact that the human body can only recognize and utiliize one type of calcium: organic calcium.

The good advice appears as part of the statement recommending "getting your calcium from natural sources, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, kale, turnip greens, and broccoli". However, animal dairy products contain inorganic calcium, which is not recognized, nor utilized by the body. Independent medical studies (those not funded by the Dairy Council), have concluded that excessive calcium found in the blood stream will not be recognized. Instead, this inorganic calcium from animal sources are removed from the blood and collected in the kidneys. This can lead to the development of kidney stones, and the loss of organic calcium from the bone matrix, resulting in a net loss of calcium brom the bones, which, in turn, causes a weakening of the bone that results in osteoporosis.

As early as 1995, The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) began lodging complaints with the Federal Trade Commission against the Dairy industry, focusing on what they consider deceptive ads for milk and milk products that imply that calcium intake is the answer to the bone loss associated with osteoporosis. Additionally, research conducted by PCRM revealed that milk consumption later in life actually contributes to calcium loss. Around the world, countries with lower calcium intake have a significantly lower bone fracture rate than countries with the highest intake.

Dr. Colin Campbell, Ph.D, professor of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, has studied nutritional bio-chemistry for forty years. He is the director of the largest study of diet and disease in medical history, and supports the necessity of organic calcium intake. He agrees with Dr. Heaney, the author of the Creighton University study, as regards consuming "kale, turnip greens, and broccoli", as well as other fruits, vegetables and grains as a source for organic calcium.

SUMMARY: Excessive calcium intake does not fool hormones into building more bone, any more than delivering an extra load of bricks will make a construction crew build a larger building. With very few exceptions, Calcium supplements, and calcium from animal sources (milk) provide ineffective, inorganic calcium, and the body does not utilize this form of calcium. Furthermore, inorganic calcium promotes a net calcium LOSS, creating the potential for disaster over time in the unsuspecting individual.

For a very good source of organic calcium,(as well as every other organic mineral) visit my friends:

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Saturday, May 21, 2005

The Root Of All Disease

Condensed Manuscript of E. G. Heinrich's Book

What would you say if many of the world's most respected health organizations have suggested that a lack of minerals may be the "Root of all Disease"? Would you be alarmed or maybe skeptical or would you want to learn more of the facts so you could make your own decision? Regardless of your reactions, it is necessary for you to understand the importance of minerals in relation to good health.

Minerals, as we know them, are locked in the crust of the earth. As land dwellers, our main link with minerals is through a diet of plants, which are able to extract and assimilate metallic minerals from the soil as they grow. Our secondary link is from meats of animals that eat plants. Minerals are extremely important for our well-being, yet they have always been taken for granted, and few of us have given them a second thought. Until a few years ago, no one knew of or cared about the importance of these essential building blocks. Now that minerals are enjoying tremendous success in the marketplace it is only prudent that users learn more about them. Mere knowledge of minerals and their differences may shed new light on how you perceive minerals.

In order for us to understand the importance of minerals, we need to first understand how minerals are composed. Vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids are all compounds of the chemical element known as carbon. Minerals from the earth are elements which are not carbon and which are not bound to carbon. These minerals participate in a multitude of biochemical processes necessary for the maintenance of health in human beings and animals which inhabit our planet. Nearly everything on our planet is comprised of minerals. Your lamp shade, furnace, wallpaper, flooring and your automobile would not exist if there were no minerals. There would be no life without minerals! Minerals control millions of chemical and enzymatic processes which occur in the human body at all times. This knowledge should make us aware of the importance of minerals for mankind's survival.

Although most of them are very rare, there are more than 100 mineral elements found on earth. Four of these, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen, make up 96% of our body. The remaining 4% of our body is basically made up in part of the other 70 or more minerals which are no longer readily available to us, as I will demonstrate further on.

The scientific community grouped minerals into two categories. Those that are considered to be required in our diets in amounts greater than 100 milligrams per day are called major minerals. Those that are considered to be required in our diets in amounts of less than 100 milligrams per day are called trace minerals. There are only seven major minerals. They are calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, sodium and chloride. Our bodies should contain significant amounts of each! Trace minerals, on the other hand, are present in the body in very small amounts. It is thought that each makes up less than one-hundredth of one percent of our body weight.

The nutritional experts who represent world governments point to 12 or 13 minerals as being necessary for average health and to another 8 or 10 minerals as possibly providing some benefit. I have always wondered why we have never studied the probable necessity of the other 70 or more minerals on earth! Is it possible these other minerals were overlooked because they just aren't available from the soil in any kind of quantity? In my opinion, this is a very interesting question and one which could be answered with a positive "yes"!

When you think about it, minerals are bound to play an important part in our lives. After all, rocks are the parent material for soil which is the main source of nutrition for plants, animals and ultimately humans. While deficiencies of a single mineral are quite common, what happens if we are marginally low in a number of minerals? The effects can be easily seen when studies are conducted on those persons who are pure vegetarians, those who consume a large amount of junk food in absence of mineral supplements, or those with poor diets in the absence of mineral supplements.

Also, it is a known fact the absorption of many minerals declines with old age. Additionally, stress and exposure to environmental pollution raise our requirements for minerals, especially zinc, calcium, iron and sulfur. In my own personal research I found and am amazed at the number of people who are not aware of the importance of minerals relative to good health. Most of them seem to have resigned to the fact that you've lived a full life if you die at the average age of 76 after suffering from several diseases for years prior to death.

In my estimation, less than one fourth of the people in the world are aware of the important part minerals play for ultimate health, and they are likely not getting an adequate amount without consuming a full spectrum of mineral supplements. This stems from the lack of minerals in our present day foods. To grow and reproduce, crops take up minerals from water and soil, as plants have done for millions of years. According to science, millions of years ago the soil near the earth's surface, where our plants are grown, was saturated with dozens of minerals. At least 84 minerals were available nearly everywhere and some areas of the planet did contain 100 minerals. Science has proven the plants of prehistoric times were rich in minerals because there was an abundant supply for them to feed upon from the soil.

Man developed chemical fertilizers in the early 1900s by making or mining concentrated forms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium rather than using living compounds as they exist in nature. These living compounds include manure or humus, a rich, variegated blend of bacteria, fungi, molds, yeasts, algae, worms, insects and other tiny organisms. Without an abundant supply of these compounds our soils can become barren and in some cases can barely sustain life. The health and survival of all plants, domestic or wild, depends on the health of the soil and its ability to provide a constant supply of minerals.

When man began adding artificial fertilizers nitrate, phosphate and potash to the soil, it was learned that crop yields could be greatly increased. But what appeared to be a blessing has turned out to be a curse. According to the Complete Book of Minerals for Health by Rodale Press, man-made fertilizers upset the delicate balance of minerals and organisms in humus rich soil by killing off the beneficial bacteria, and lacking in the naturally occurring minerals they are less available to plants. Chemical fertilizers can also saturate plant roots with too much of one nutrient, making it difficult for plants or crops to pick up and absorb other minerals they need so much.

Where can we get the minerals we need if they are not available in our food supply? Well, about the only method available is to initiate a program of mineral supplementation. That is, take food supplements containing a large number of minerals. Various mineral supplement formulations can be purchased from hundreds of suppliers under literally thousands of labels. However, what the industry considers a large and adequate supply of minerals usually is no more than 12 or 13 minerals at best!

Most of the more popular mineral formulations available today contain no more than 10 to 15 minerals because they are derived from clay, ground up rock and soil, and ancient sea beds, like the Great Salt Lake in Utah. This type of mineral is known as a metallic hydrophobic mineral! Basically, it will not interact with water because it is not water-soluble. The type of mineral which comes from a plant and has been assimilated or digested by the plant is known as a water soluble, plant derived, hydrophilic mineral.

The few metallic minerals which come directly from the earth are hard to digest or assimilate. Many nutritional experts believe no more than 5% to 8% of metallic minerals (or those from the earth) are actually assimilated by the human body. This lack of assimilation occurs because the hydrochloric acid in our stomach isn't strong enough to totally dissolve metals during the short 15 to 21 hour digestive cycle. The balance, or up to 92%, merely passes through the waste system without benefit.

Minerals, even if they are metallic, are of significant value to balance and metabolize our bodily functions. However, you could not live on soil or rock because it is not alive or enzymatically active like plant derived minerals from raw plants. Plant derived minerals, which have not been destroyed by heat or altered by man-made chemicals are, from a medical standpoint, enzymatically active or living minerals.

What about vitamins? Most of us have been hearing about vitamins since we were children. And even today we hear authoritative sources say, "Be sure to take your vitamins!" Vitamins are sometimes expected to do far more than they are capable. Our bodies can go far longer suffering with a deficiency of vitamins than they can with a deficit of minerals. Did you know all the vitamins in the world would do us little good without minerals? The minerals in our bodies are so important that the body goes to complicated, even desperate lengths to maintain their balance. If a cell is deficient in a single mineral, it will suffer from a loss or imbalance of several minerals.

A vitamin can be broken down into its basic elements which are carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Basically, vitamins are a group of chemically unrelated organic nutrients that are essential in small quantities for normal metabolism, growth and physical well-being. Vitamins must be obtained through diet since they are either not synthesized in our bodies or are synthesized in inadequate amounts. Many people have been misled or have a misconception about vitamins. Thousands have told us they will only use food supplements with "natural vitamins." The so-called natural vitamins do not exist in supplements. Natural vitamins only come in plants. All supplement vitamins are synthesized in a laboratory. Therefore, they cannot be called "natural vitamins." Don't believe anyone who tries to convince you otherwise.

There is a harmony between vitamins and minerals and even though vitamins are nearly ineffective without minerals, they both are necessary. Minerals are quite different from vitamins in their structure and the work they do, but the two enjoy an excellent working relationship. According to Rodale's Complete Book of Minerals for Health, "minerals create a healthy environment in which the body, using vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats, can grow, function and heal itself." What is a complete spectrum of minerals? I believe a mineral composition or a mineral solution cannot be considered a "complete spectrum of minerals" unless it contains at least seventy minerals. This large number of minerals has to include many of the "rare earth" minerals or there would not be a total of seventy.

Recently, we've begun to hear a lot about enzymes and anti-oxidants and their importance. Enzymes are extremely important for our metabolic functions, but again they do us little good without minerals. Conversely, some enzymes and vitamins are helpmates to minerals. Some minerals are eager workers, but to perform best they need an enzyme or a vitamin or two to stir them into action. As an example, vitamin C can triple iron absorption. Calcium absorption is impossible without vitamin D. Many minerals act as coenzymes, the so-called catalysts in chemical reactions with vitamins. This means they function as spark plugs, getting chemical reactions going in our bodies' giant chemical laboratories where billions of chemical reactions take place every day.

At this point you may ask yourself a question. Is all this publicity about mineral deficiencies and the lack of minerals really true and if so, which minerals and what kind of minerals should I be taking? In my opinion, at least part of your question can be answered with this little story.

Many movies have been made about the migration of the American settlers in the early 1800s. We all know they had to cross the great plains of the United States. What we don't know or realize is that few of these people settled in one place for a long period. Every few years, they would have to pick up and move. They'd start a small farm in the Midwest such as Iowa, Missouri, Kansas or Nebraska with a milk cow, a couple of pigs, maybe some sheep and a few children. After a few years the children would always be sick, Dad would get constipation and the cow would quit giving milk. The cucumber plants, tomato plants and farm crops wouldn't grow, so they would almost starve. If they were lucky enough to make it through the winter, they'd load all their belongings into a covered wagon and move West with the milk cow in tow. When they found a suitable place they started another farm. In a few years, the children would always be sick again. Mom would get constipated this time. The crops, cucumbers and tomatoes would quit growing and the cow would again quit giving milk. And, if they survived the winter, they'd load everything in a wagon and move farther West again.

What was the problem? The soil was being depleted! Crops and plant growth took minerals out of the soil. The only way to eliminate this problem was to own a piece of bottomland near a river. Only the lucky people farmed the bottom land. When it flooded, they'd get new topsoil and silt and sometimes additional minerals from miles upstream. So, if they were fortunate enough to have bottom land they didn't have to move. Why? Because the fertilizer would come to them during the flood. But if they were out on the prairie with no river or bottom land they would be required to move, otherwise the entire family would become malnourished and nearly starve.

This settling and moving process occurred many thousands of times during the last 175 years. This was necessary because the early settlers were actually strip-mining the nutrients from the soils.

Commercial fertilizers were introduced in 1908. Was the soil depletion problem solved? Not by a long shot! Study any commercial fertilizer by reviewing the ingredients listed on the package. You will see nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) and most times, nothing more. It's a known fact that you can raise most crops and plants with what little nutrients are still in the soil, and NPK. Most farmers never put back more than 6 minerals. In the first place, more than 6 minerals would be nearly impossible to obtain. Secondly, if they were obtainable and if farmers attempted to put that many back into the soil they would soon be bankrupt.

According to Gary Price Todd, M.D., the human body requires at least 60 minerals for optimal health. But, according to dozens of tests we have had run over the years on a wide range of foods, only about 15 minerals are available in any kind of quantity in most of the food we eat today. We know plants can make vitamins, amino acids and varying amounts of fatty acids if they are healthy from being grown in soils containing abundant minerals.

If at this point, if you still do not grasp the fact minerals play an important role in our lives, you might ask the question: what are minerals like calcium, copper and iron from rocks in earth's crust doing in our living, breathing, active bodies? A lot. Let me mention a few examples. Calcium is essential for all organisms and is found in the cell walls of plants, all calcareous tissues and the bones of all mammals. Calcium is the fifth most abundant mineral element in the earth's crust. Calcium is also the most abundant mineral in the human body comprising approximately two percent of the adult body weight. Calcium is a construction worker so to speak. It is a builder. Calcium gives bones and teeth their strength and rigidity, and also helps nerves to function properly. As a construction worker, it builds strong bones. It is important to know that calcium, to be absorbed, must be in water-soluble form by the time it reaches the small intestines. Calcium needs acid for proper assimilation. Without the proper strength acids, calcium is not dissolved and cannot be utilized. This is one reason a complete spectrum of minerals, with a low pH, is so important. But even more importantly, if utilized properly and in early stages after the foundation is firm, calcium will help build strong bones which will endure a life of havoc. To save your daughter or granddaughter from bone crippling osteoporosis in old age, you should begin giving her extra minerals and especially calcium between five and ten years of age. That startling advice comes from new research by pediatrician Steven A. Abrams at Children's Nutritional Research Center in Houston, Texas.

It's critical that young girls get lots of minerals and extra calcium several years before they reach 11. That's because "most bone-forming activity occurs in the years just before and just after the start of puberty," which on average is age 10, says Dr. Abrams. Menstruation begins two or three years later. By age 15, most bone-forming activity has come to a halt, he says. The higher the bone mass, the lower the odds of osteoporosis later in life. As we get older and become less active, bone density becomes a problem. Being inactive accelerates bone loss contributing to osteoporosis. Although it's regarded as a woman's condition, 20% of osteoporosis sufferers are men. Men tend to develop osteoporosis a few years later than women, because initially they have more bone mass. So extra minerals are necessary for everyone at all ages. Remember to supplement your calcium intake with adequate amounts of Vitamin D because calcium absorption is nearly impossible without Vitamin D.

Let's mention Iron! Iron is part of a substance called hemoglobin which carries life-sustaining oxygen to our cells. Iron, along with copper, appears to have participated very closely together in the evolution of aerobic life, maybe as long as three billion years ago! Iron is rather poorly absorbed and the condition most commonly associated with iron deficiency is iron deficiency anemia. Personally, I believe iron is very important regardless of what some health officials and the media reports say, especially if the iron comes from plants. Iron is stored in the bone marrow and liver. Symptoms of iron deficiency include listlessness, fatigue, memory problems and heart palpitations.

Copper, zinc and cobalt, among other minerals are necessary for enzyme activities such as food digestion. Copper also plays a significant role in respiration. Some research suggests that copper, like zinc, may be involved in healing. It is necessary for hair, skin and cell growth. Copper deficiencies have also been linked to lowered resistance to colds.

Sulfur may be one of the most important minerals for humans. It is a non-metallic mineral, widely distributed in nature. It is an important structural atom in many proteins and small organic molecules. Sulfur is involved in the quality and maintenance of many types of tissues and structures within the body including hair, fingernails and skin. It combines with nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen and oxygen to build protein, a main ingredient of muscles, skin and organs. It has been called the "beauty mineral" because it enhances those body externals. Sulfur also plays an important role in the production of insulin. My strictly personal opinion is that none of us gets enough sulfur and I believe the RDA should be increased by at least thirty times. Look for foods and mineral products that contain high amounts of sulfur.

Sodium and potassium regulate water balance and aid in digestion. If it were not for these two minerals we would bloat or swell up with water or we would dehydrate, dry out or die.

Phosphorus is an extremely important essential major mineral, but it receives little attention from many nutritionists because, supposedly, it's abundantly available in all foods. Our bodies contain about two pounds of phosphorus which, when tied to calcium, helps give strength and rigidity to bones and teeth. It also controls energy release. Phosphorus has more functions in the body than any other mineral.

Some people are able to lose weight naturally after they begin to consume a full spectrum of 70 or more minerals on a daily basis. Minerals aid digestion, and people don't eat as much when they digest their foods better. Better digestion means less constipation, more energy, less sluggishness, more motivation, better attitude, etc. Minerals can help to make it happen!

Our body is made up of about 100 trillion cells, each one bustling with activities that depend on magnesium. Magnesium is essential to all living creatures and has electro-chemical, catalytic and structural functions. In fact, next to potassium, magnesium is the most plentiful mineral inside each cell. Magnesium is closely related to calcium in regulating and controlling nerve impulses, especially the heart beat. Magnesium helps deliver energy by activating the production of a special substance called adenosine tri-phosphate which extracts energy from the foods we eat and delivers it to each and every one of those billions and billions of cells in our bodies, whether they are in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, blood or bone. Magnesium is one of the most important major minerals.

Chlorine is another one of the major minerals! Chlorine's intended use from Mother Nature was not to disinfect our water or swimming pools, but to help digest our foods. Chlorine is found in virtually all of our foods. As a part of hydrochloric acid, chlorine rallies the digestive juices of the stomach to help digest proteins. A combination of hydrochloric acid and powerful digestive enzymes gobbles up food particles, mashing them into a semi-fluid pulp called chyme, which is squirted into the upper intestine for final digestive breakdown. Here is something of importance relative to chlorine. Chlorine in water is entirely different than chlorine in food. The chlorine used to disinfect water is an activated form of chloride with absolutely no nutritional value and the chlorination of water may, in fact, cause some serious health problems.

The previous review of some of the more recognizable minerals is important, but we must think about some of the rare earth minerals most people don't recognize. Just because few, if any, tests or studies have been conducted, they should not be overlooked. I truly believe these "unheard of" minerals play a very important part in overall good health. There are about 15 rare earth minerals and they are all available in a good plant derived mineral supplement.

According to our government, the trace elements that are required for human health are iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, selenium and chromium. My experience with minerals over the last twenty years has basically proven we need many more minerals than those proposed by our government. I believe all of the rare minerals are extremely important for protracted health. However, they are not available from 99% of the mineral supplements on the market today!

Minerals initiate, regulate and control every organ and function in our bodies. Heart and blood pressure stabilization is directly related to minerals. Although other factors play a part in high blood pressure, minerals are the key to regulation. When the body or any organ becomes stressed out, it will require more nutrients and oxygen to keep it going. Minerals help the body better utilize the oxygen it receives. When stressed, the heart has to pump blood more forcefully to supply enough blood to the organ that needs it. The stronger the heart is required to pump the higher the systolic blood pressure will be. The diastolic pressure may also go up. To get a true reading, medical professionals require you to be relaxed or at rest. The blood pressure in a relaxed or rest state is called "basal" blood pressure. People in the hypertension state usually have the average systolic pressure above 140 and the diastolic pressure above 90.

When a person takes in excessive amounts of salt, the body may have to remove the excess to avoid poisoning. The body will need to collect more water because the salt has to be dissolved in liquid. The kidneys will have an additional workload in order to get rid of all the excess salt and water. This means the kidneys will need more energy and nutrients, especially minerals to keep them functioning properly. During the salt and water elimination process the systolic pressure will go up because more blood has to be pumped out of the heart. If the kidneys cannot perform properly due to a lack of nutrients, even when the blood pressure is raised, the body stores the salt water and the ankles or legs will swell. Also, all the excess body tissue, especially fat, will require more energy to feed the extra fat in the body.

Mineral-insufficiency and trace-element-insufficiency problems are actually more likely to occur than are vitamin-insufficiency situations. Those at increased risk of such insufficiencies include people who eat low-calorie diets, the elderly, pregnant women, people on certain drugs (such as diuretics), vegetarians and those eating foods from areas where the soil is extremely deficient in certain minerals. The soil of Alaska, for example, is very rich in selenium, while the soil in certain parts of China and New Zealand is very poor in selenium. Thus, you can eat foods from those areas, eat a perfectly "balanced" diet, take the average mineral supplement, and still develop severe mineral deficiencies or trace-element deficiencies that can only be averted through dietary change and supplementation with a complete spectrum of minerals.

Sub-optimal intake can be due to factors other than soil depletion. These factors are as diverse as the effects of acid rain and the over-refining, over-processing of foods.

Our vulnerability to even minute dietary imbalances in minerals can be appreciated by comparing, to begin with, our daily mineral intake (about 1.5 grams) with our total intake of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids (about 500 grams). Thus our mineral intake represents only about 0.3 percent of our total intake of nutrients, yet minerals are so potent and so important that without them we wouldn't be able to utilize the other 99.7 percent of foodstuffs and would quickly perish.

There has been a strong tendency on the part of some dietetic and medical professionals to discourage people from taking more than the RDA's (Recommended Daily Allowances) daily values of minerals which can be obtained, they say, in the typical American and European diet. Unfortunately, numerous studies have shown repeatedly, that many, possibly most, people on earth are not getting the RDA's for the minerals in their daily diets. Again, this is because most of our raw foods lack minerals and even become more superficial when they are over processed and over cooked. A lack of minerals can place stressful situations upon our resistance to disease. Supplementation, therefore, seems advisable.

As you've already heard, plants can make vitamins and naturally from our mineral experience during the last twenty years, I believe we should be using plant minerals. However, as stated previously, plants cannot make minerals! So, where do we get them? One source could be mineral supplements. We have studied the effects of our minerals for nearly twenty years. We have received thousands of phone calls and letters from our mineral users who proclaim great and unusual benefits from the minerals. FDA and FTC regulations do not permit us to publish information from personal testimonials since you may experience nothing close to the results reported by other persons. However, our trial and error tests and observations of the reactions of thousands of people have convinced us that nothing is more beneficial than a complete spectrum of pure plant derived minerals, especially minerals with a low pH and lots of sulfur. Sulfur aids in the utilization of calcium. It is my opinion that we may not require nearly as much calcium as assumed if we supplemented our diets with a complete spectrum of minerals which come from plants.

Have I captured your attention since the beginning of this article? If so, maybe you can help answer this question. Just how important are minerals for good health? And, do minerals prevent disease? Let me recite a now famous statement from Dr. Linus Pauling, two time Nobel Laureate. Although the following has never been formally published anywhere, I once personally attended a seminar given by Dr. Pauling in which he said, in his opinion, "one could trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency". If his statement is true, and I believe it is, then The Root of All Disease could be a lack of minerals!

Nearly everybody, especially many so-called nutritional experts, misunderstand or don't appear to know anything about plant derived minerals. They group plant derived minerals with metallic minerals which come from oyster shell, calcium carbonate, limestone, soil and clay and sea salts. Supposedly too much of some of these metallic elements have toxic effects on the body. Again, according to Dr. Todd, the human body is not designed to absorb or assimilate and use metallic minerals. The health food industry recognized the metallic mineral absorption problem, of no more than 8%, in the mid 70's. Chelated minerals were developed in the laboratory. This process involved wrapping amino acids or protein around metallic minerals to help the body metabolize them. This did help the problem because these added dissolvers did increase the assimilation to about 40%. However, chelated or not, the fact remains, they are still metallic minerals.

We all know about toxic metals (toxic minerals) and most people have been led to believe the so-called toxic minerals are bad regardless of their source. This is not necessarily true. Let's take aluminum as an example. Aluminum, as found in the earth is a metallic mineral. It has always bothered me to learn that so many of our supposed leaders, intellectuals, doctors and nutritionists know so little about the element. It has been criticized beyond belief. For example, it has been suggested although not proven that metallic aluminum may be extremely harmful. But what about aluminum from food? Did you just have a knee jerk reaction? You're probably asking yourself, "Did this stupid fellow say foods contain aluminum?" Don't be surprised because the answer is yes!

In the first place, all aluminum which comes from food is preassimilated by the plant, and it is naturally tied to hydrogen in the form of sulfate. Plant derived minerals are naturally rich in sulfate. Naturally occurring aluminum sulfate minerals are called alums which are used in styptics and antiseptics. We all know aluminum hydroxide is used extensively as food additives throughout the world. Therefore, if the aluminum you get from plants is harmful, why have you lived so long, and why is it used in food processing or as ingredients in deodorizers, antacids, and face makeup and nearly without exception in many municipal water systems throughout the world? Alum sulfate increases stomach acidity and improves digestion and the absorption of nutrients, stimulates gastric and pancreatic secretion and has a mild diuretic effect. Incidentally, the World Health Organization estimates that the average adult dietary aluminum intake ranges between 10 and 15 milligrams (mg) daily. See if you agree after you hear what I'm about to say!

Aluminum is one of the most abundant minerals on earth, second only to silica. It is in virtually everything we touch, most of the air we breathe, most water we drink and in most food we eat. I am particularly alarmed to learn government officials in some countries either are not aware of or want to suppress the fact that aluminum is also one of, if not the most abundant minerals in many of our foods! The country of Sweden says it is unlawful to consume more than 2 mg of aluminum per day, regardless of the source! We spoke to several well-known laboratory and food chemists about Sweden's legal limits. Needless to say they all had a belly lurching laugh over this. Can you imagine an entire country, in this advanced age, being so uninformed about food? Apparently, the U. S. government is aware of aluminum in food because the U. S. does not have an established limit. If we did, we would have a hard time staying alive. This makes me wonder what foods the Swedish people eat.

We were able to obtain copies of the results of lab tests for aluminum in certain plant foods. The results came from the A & L Laboratory Agronomy Handbook used by many agronomists worldwide. The page headings state "Plant Analysis Guide Nutrient Sufficiency Ranges." I understand the tests are made on plant petals, vines or even the fruit or nut, depending on the type of plant bearing the food. The amounts are listed in parts per billion (PPB). Before I go any further, let me say that PPB and MCG/L (micrograms per liter) are considered one and the same. The test results have a low amount and a high amount which were obtained from different tests on the same food or plant species. Here is what we learned from these tests.

Plant or Food Aluminum in PPB

Bananas 97,000
Coffee 97,000
Asparagus 90,000
Beans 165,000
Celery 190,000
Cucumbers 90,000
Potatoes 100,000
Tomatos 90,000
Soy Beans 75,000

I suppose you are surprised as I was the first time this was brought to my attention. I was even more astounded recently when I was made aware of a book published by the Japanese FDA (JFDA), listing the minerals in every conceivable food. (This book is available. Contact your local bookstore and ask for ISBN #1-56959-904-1). The categories in this book include many species of fish, all edible animal meats, nuts and berries, fruits, vegetables, and all types of beverages. All total, there are more than two thousand listings and every one contained aluminum. Many also contain arsenic and lead. The amounts in this book are relative to micrograms per only three and one-half ounces (3 ½ oz.) of each item.

JFDA Aluminum Amounts in (3 ½ oz) Foods
Plant or Food Aluminum in MCG

Round Herring Sardines 34,000
Shrimp 1,300
Condensed Skim Milk 670
Cheddar Cheese 2,000
Radish 1,500
Figs 1,600
Cocoa 17,000
Pork Products 2,400
Green Asparagus 610
Turnip 1,200
Eggplant 13,000
Sencha Tea 100,000
Bancha Tea 332,000
Oolong Tea 247,000
Nutmeg 113,000

It is interesting to note that a glass of skim milk contains as much aluminum as one half ounce of pure, plant minerals which are leached with only pure, contaminant free water. And what about the teas? Today everyone is touting the benefits of tea. Note, that three ounces of Bancha Green tea contains more aluminum than one quart of pure plant derived minerals which are leached with pure, contaminant-free water. The most interesting fact is all of the consumables listed contain minerals which are negatively charged by Mother Nature. All metallic minerals, including those "washed in" minerals from the sea, have a natural positive charge from Mother Nature. This zeta potential is easily verifiable and indisputable.

The way I calculate the amounts listed on the JFDA Report, people allowed no more than 2 mg per day could not eat more than one thin slice of a banana each day. People allowed 4 mg could eat no more than a very small portion of a potato each day. And what about salads? Apparently, plant derived aluminum is not harmful, don't you think?

I had the opportunity to speak to many people while participating in a National Health Foods show in Anaheim, California in early 1995. I directed a simple question to more than forty people on an individual basis. Several had a PhD in food chemistry, at least eight of them were certified nutritionists, two were medical doctors, four were chiropractors and the balance were health food store owners. My question to each was "would you eat food if you knew it contained aluminum, arsenic, lead or nickel?" Without hesitation each person replied "absolutely not!" I was shocked to learn that so many supposedly well-schooled nutritional people were unaware that these minerals can be found in nearly all the foods we eat.

Nearly all plants contain aluminum, and if your mineral supplement contains little or no aluminum, it is not plant derived. If it is not plant derived, it is also not negatively charged. Therefore, it probably is not very well assimilated or absorbed. According to food chemistry, plant derived minerals are 100% absorbable, so comparing colloidal metallic minerals to plant derived minerals would be like comparing sawdust to oatmeal. Pure plant derived minerals are the result of plants converting hydrophobic metallic minerals to hydrophilic (water soluble) minerals through the root system by a process known to science as assimilation through plant synthesis. By this process the metallic mineral is assimilated or digested by the plant, therefore it can be more easily assimilated by the human body. This side steps the normal digestive time of from 15 to 21 hours as required for the small amount of metallic minerals actually utilized.

Plant minerals like those obtained from tomatoes, broccoli, potatoes, oranges or any other food grown from the earth are different than metallic minerals. Their size and molecular weight is much smaller than metallic minerals and in most cases the plant minerals are attached to an additional molecule even though they possess the same name.

Dr. Ranville of the Colorado School of Mines particle-sized plant-derived minerals. The results are available to anyone upon request. Basically Dr. Ranville found the plant derived minerals to be anywhere from 10,000 to 200,000 smaller in size than metallic minerals which can be scooped out of the earth. These minerals are only slightly larger than a water molecule. The small size and water solubility is one of the reasons so many nutritionists believe plant minerals are much easier to assimilate or absorb than metallic minerals. The small size of a plant mineral gives it much more surface area. Therefore, the Hydrochloric Acid in the stomach comes in contact with considerably more surface area allowing for much more and possibly 100% assimilation.

The average plant derived mineral is less than 0.00001 micron in size which could conceivably be 1/10,000th she size of a red blood cell. It has been calculated that the plant derived minerals in just one teaspoon would have a total surface area of approximately 55 acres. That's billions of tiny electrically charged minerals. And tests have proven all plant minerals have a natural negative zeta potential or natural negative electrical charge.


In order for minerals to be quickly and properly absorbed through the intestinal membrane, they must be negatively charged. When you eat plants or a plant's fruit you are eating plant derived minerals in an already combined and electrochemically neutralized form. These negatively charged, water-soluble minerals from plants are non-toxic in reasonable dosage. For example, iodine in plant derived form is one of the elements for good health. And this is really interesting; if you drank even 2 grains of free iodine, it would kill you. But in its plant derived form, iodine is not only harmless, it is beneficial. The same is true for plant derived arsenic, lead, aluminum and other minerals considered toxic in their metallic form.

According to science, the surface of the earth has changed significantly since its inception. One of these changes apparently occurred approximately 70 million years ago in an area of the United States which is now known as Emery County, Utah. Supposedly, a glacier or other causes of earth movement buried a large quantity of vegetative matter which may have been a dense growth or a washed in bog of numerous plants which is believed to have accumulated over a 600-year period. Today, The Rockland Corporation controls three leases, which encompass 800 acres of humic shale. They opened the original Rockland Mine in 1986. The company opened the new Rockland Mine in 2002 and it produces a much stronger composition of plant derived minerals than the original mine. On average, the humic shale is about 30 feet thick, providing reserves of approximately 30 billion metric tons which is sufficient to produce at least 1 trillion gallons of liquid minerals. Basically, this humic matter is a prehistoric deposit of plants which was or still is under great pressure from the earth. All of the moisture has been compressed out of the humus (referred to as humic shale) and what remains is nothing more than prehistoric plant derivatives.

According to scientists, humic shale was formed about 70 million years ago when earth's fertile, mineral-rich soils produced lush green forests and wholesome, succulent, wild fruits and vegetables. This was the era when the soils near the earth's crust contained at least 84 minerals. The numerous mineral elements available at the time may explain why the plant eating Brontosaurus reached a body weight of 70,000 pounds, yet had a mouth no larger than a horse.

The prehistoric deposit of humic shale was discovered in 1926. By 1930, trial and error tests revealed that minerals could be extracted from the humus with water through a natural leaching process. Continued tests over the years also revealed that the humus contained numerous minerals, which came from prehistoric plants rather than normally recognized metallic minerals which come from ground up rocks and soil.

Chances are good you and your family lack minerals so daily mineral supplementation may be advisable. I would recommend you consider adding minerals to your family's daily diet, especially to the daily regimen of the young girls. Of course, always check with your own personal health care practitioner before starting on a regimen of dietary supplements. This goes for both adults and children alike. I'm convinced osteoporosis can be prevented if an adequate amount of full spectrum minerals are consumed at a young age. Ask your doctor whether he agrees with me. And while you think about all this, you might recall, according to Dr. Linus Pauling, "The root of all disease" may be directly related to a lack of minerals.
(End of manuscript)

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Friday, May 20, 2005

Fulvic Acids - The Missing Link!

At Last!
From Mother Nature....her most precious and best kept secret!
By: Lyle Loughry,
The Wellness Group USA


It's called the "missing link" to optimum health and nutrition by leading scientists throughout the world. Medical studies show that this health miracle has the ability to significantly change your life for the better. It's so safe, so powerful and so effective, that healers around the world have used it for thousands of years, with amazing results.

This "missing link" is missing from our food chain, and scientists can see that rapidly increasing degenerative diseases, worldwide, may well be directly related to the absence of this substance in the human diet. Experts now know that more than vitamins and minerals are required for health ... this third nutritional element is equally important!

This breakthrough discovery is supported by little-known, and even secret medical research, coming from top institutions around the world; medical schools; hospitals; clinics; and pharmaceutical labs. As you might expect, pharmaceutical companies are rushing to patent synthetic versions of this natural substance, and dozens of patents have already been approved. An estimated 80% or more of our modern-day pharmaceutical drug miracle cures, including antibiotics, are tiny, isolated and concentrated, synthetic fractions of this highly complex, WHOLE and COMPLETE "missing link".

Most of the world doesn't yet know about this medical discovery ... and for some very good reasons

Until recently, many scientists just didn't know it existed, they couldn't detect it, and when they did identify this substance, it was so complex that they couldn't understand it. In fact, it's considered to be the most complex substance in the world. Also, to be candid, some of the medical institutions doing the research are in the business of making enormous profits from developing synthetic, patented drugs, and if they could get away with it, you would never know about inexpensive and natural solutions, like this one. But Mother Nature has them all beat. They'll never be able to match her handiwork, because this substance is far too complex!

While the supplements recommended by The Wellness Group USA are all natural, nutritional supplements (and we make no claims of treatment or prevention of disease), human clinical studies from around the world do show amazing results with nearly every imaginable health condition when even these specialized pharmaceutical preparations are used.

These medical studies are now being uncovered, translated, researched, and finally unveiled for all of the world to see. Once all of the research data is assembled, analyzed, and understood, it points to a profound pattern of serious dietary deficiency, worldwide. The studies show that proper internal and external medical use of even these synthetic extracts can be extremely effective for many health concerns. The majority of studies show success rates as high as 90%, or more. Again, we do not make these same claims for our nutritional supplements. We just want you to know that this valid medical research does exists, and that their successes dramatically point to the same nutrient deficiencies that we talk about all the time.

We'll be the first to tell you that any supplement recommendation from The Wellness Group USA is not a quick fix that's going to solve all of your problems. However, it will give your body some much needed tools, that, through long-term supplementation, can bring about remarkable results.

Massive volumes of agricultural studies point to a pattern of serious deficiency of Fulvic acids in commercial crops, and in livestock. When the deficiency is alleviated, phenomenal results are achieved, including plant resistance to disease and insects; remarkable growth; fruiting; and general health. In the same way, human dietary supplementation, and even topical use with products containing this substance, is bringing about life changing results for so many!

Here is some of what you might notice, and possibly even expect from a consistent long-term plan of dietary supplementation with this nutrient component:

* A Supercharged immune system;

* Exceptional health of the thymus gland;

* A balanced thyroid system, primarily due to helping stabilize the immune system;

* Reduced cravings which can help with over-eating;

* Renewed energy and motivation;

* More balanced blood sugar;

* Over time, your body restored to its optimum potential;

* Parasites, pathogens, and viruses purged from your body;

* Your body cleansed, neutralized, and toxins purged:

* Experience less inflammation and free radical damage;

* Experience increased resistance to colds and flu;

* Feel aches and pains alleviated;

* Notice that you become sick less often;

* Relief from common and seasonal allergies;

* Gain improved resistance to infections and disease;

* Feel increased energy and endurance;

* Notice improved skin, nails, and more youthful complexion;

* Feel improved digestion and bowel function;

* Experience increased circulation and oxygenation;

Think about this: It increases absorption of oxygen and decreases acidity. It quickly destroy acid in the body fluids which, in turn, helps increase the amount of oxygen in the blood. A lack of blood oxygen is a major contributing factor for acidity. Excess body acidity is associated with virtually all degenerative diseases; including cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, kidney stones, tooth decay, sleep disturbances, depressive disorders, and more.

* Feel better and more alert, mentally;

* Experience improved memory and brain function;

* Notice revitalized sexual functions and desire;

* Notice improvement of aging symptoms in the elderly;

* Notice that other supplements and medications work better when taken, concurrently;

Again, think about this: It causes all vitamin and mineral nutrients more absorbable by complexing (refining, purifying, combining and re-refining) them into organic, ionic forms that are easily transported into and through membranes and cell walls. Once the nutrients are dissolved and complexed by the fulvic acids electrolyte, they become bio-chemically reactive, bioavailable, mobile, and readily absorbable. In a nutshell, this means you get greater benefit from all your nutrients, whatever the source, when this "missing link" is present.

* And, to summarize; enjoy a greater sense of well-being, within weeks, within days ... sometimes almost immediately!

Hundreds, even thousands of years of traditional medical research, and now ... even modern medical research ... points directly to all of the above mentioned benefits. So what exactly is this miraculous substance?

It's called Fulvic acids (not to be confused with folic acid, an unrelated vitamin), and they're the powerful driving force in our newly-released, New Life Living Minerals from Nature dietary supplement. Fulvic acids are produced by the action of billions upon billions of microscopic plants, such as yeasts, algae, and fungi, all participating in the process of decomposition of once living matter.

Fulvic acids have been most appropriately referred to by some scientists as Mother Nature's "milk". They not only nourish our bodies, but they transmit immunity and a shield of protection to all living things. This "milk" has been devised by our Creator with the ability to easily penetrate, nourish, and react with every living cell, human, plant, animal, and even microscopic organisms, both good and bad, selectively. Hundreds of advanced studies coming from scientists all around the world proclaim the benefits of Fulvic acids to be "incredible", "amazing", "miraculous", "magical", "phenomenal"!

"If the Creator felt that it was necessary to design something to solve multiple problems, and if this Creator wanted to show us the magic and miracle of pulling 'rabbits from a hat,' then an outstanding job was done with the design of fulvic acids! --Dr. William R. Jackson, Ph.D.

ONE OF MANY REASONS for these exclamations of excitement involve the effects that Fulvic acids have when they are dissolved in water (or combined with body fluids). Fulvic acids are the smallest, most complex, most highly refined, naturally-occurring water soluble substances on Earth. Tiny amounts remarkably transform the molecular structure of water, making it intensely more active and penetrable.

Fulvic acid then assists water in its job of dissolving and transporting. It helps carry nutrients into the cell and waste products away from the cell, while also helping to neutralize toxins and invaders. An example of the penetrability of Fulvic acids is their dramatic ability to even penetreate deadly ultra-microscopic viruses.

Viruses are super small, and they live deep inside the cells of plants, animals, and humans. Viruses even live inside other microscopic disease-causing organisms, where they "hitch-a-ride", so to speak. Viruses encapsulate themselves within an impenetrable protein barrier where defense mechanisms cannot get to them. Along comes the Fulvic acids to help dissolve their barriers, penetrate their strongholds, and neutralize the viruses and their poisons. Fulvic acids also help to make the viruses vulnerable to attack by the immune system. But this is only the beginning. Fulvic acids also have the amazing ability to alert the immune system to the virus or disease invader ... AND to regulate and strengthen the immune system, itself!

Every living organism on Earth; plant, animal, and you and me , experiences a lifelong battle against viruses, infections, and disease, and we've been losing this battle in recent years, in case you hadn't noticed. This intense battle for survival continues, and even becomes more intense among soil-based microscopic plants, during decomposition. Billions upon billions of defense mechanisms are produced, passed down, and recycled at every stage of life ... and through many stages of decomposition. As these substances are recycled, they continually become smaller and smaller and more refined (naturally).

At very last, they become water soluble, turning into Fulvic acids. Fulvic acids are the FINAL stage of decomposition of all once-living things! The plant defense mechanisms that ultimately become Fulvic acids are nearly immortal. Because those defense mechanisms are so highly protective, they remain intact, and do not break down during decomposition ... nor do they get used up. They just become more highly refined, and take on unusual properties. These protective substances are tiny fragments of DNA, the building blocks of Fulvic acids. They have imparted health and longevity to every generation of living organism along their path of existence, and even now, they continue to pass it on to us.

When Fulvic acids are dissolved and combined with water, the water is literally transformed. Its molecular structure is changed, and it becomes more organized. Scientists have noticed that the water also becomes "energized" and is able to transmit unusual biological "messages" to living organisms. Scientists even go as far as to describe this fulvic water phenomenon as "memory".

Colostrum, a nursing mother's first breast milk, carries an unknown substance that scientists call transfer factor (not to be confused with commercial products of a similar name). This transfer factor carries "messages" to alert the offspring's immune system to known disease invaders. Fulvic acids, likewise, carry a message of warning ... a "memory", if you will, of past battles with disease invaders. The battle scars are indelibly etched within the Fulvic acid's refined molecular structure, which, as I said earlier, is made up of tiny fragments of DNA, even including remnants of DNA from past invaders.

Fulvic acids appear to be "alive" with nature's own energy, and they're intimately tied to the very spark of life . They are the world's most complex enzymes, and enzymes are described by scientists to be like "living entities", builders having function and life-like qualities. Yet fulvic acids are more than just enzymes, they are, in essence, "nourishment" from our Creator... meant to give life, energy, health, immunity, and renewal to the entire Earth; humans, plants, animals, and all living organisms.

They also assist in cleansing the entire surface of the Earth of pollution, pesticides, and toxins of all kinds. Thousands of scientific studies exist to prove it. Russian scientists used Fulvic acids to clean up the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, including the soil, animals, and people exposed to the radiation. According to Dr. William R. Jackson, who I quoted earlier, "fulvic acids annihilates radiation!" It's truly amazing stuff!

Today, and it's been true for many years, Fulvic acids and related humic substances are seriously depleted from our agricultural soils, crops, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meats, and foods of all kinds. Truth is, they're COMPLETELY lacking in the modern human diet. That's very serious, because we're talking about the most important health and medical discovery ever in history. Nearly every plant, animal, and human disease can, in some way, be linked to the deficiency of Fulvic acids! Clinical studies show that negative side effects from it are virtually non-existent. No problems have ever been reported by any of the scientific literature. Extensive laboratory, pharmaceutical, and clinical testing has proven Fulvic acids to be absolute SAFE for human internal and external use.

Fulvic acids are nature's bridge between "dead" mineral elements, (found in most other mineral supplements, today), and living organic matter. Being "organic" means the minerals are not "dead" mineral elements, but are actually powerful bio-active, life-like enzymes, made up from very complex combinations of powerful phytochemicals. Research shows that these complex substances have amazing "fountain-of-youth-like" health properties, and true fulvic acids, found in nature, are extremely absorbable.

Historical medical use is ongoing, and dates back thousands of years in remote regions of the Himalayas, China, and Russia, where people today still have the longest recorded life-spans. Little-known, United States Government studies shows that Fulvic acids naturally supply a massive broad spectrum of powerful antibiotic and anti-viral components, equal or even superior to those known and produced by the pharmaceutical industry today.

Fulvic medications are not found in high, single component concentrations, like the drugs are, but contain tiny amounts, including billions that have yet to be discovered, or indeed, may never be discovered! Yet, unlike the drug company's chemical antibiotics, the Creator has designed things so that disease pathogens will never become resistant to this naturally-occurring substance. Recently, when European governments banned antibiotics in animal feed, Fulvic acids WERE FOUND TO WORK EVEN BETTER. Yet, all of this is still only the very tip of the iceberg!

Scientists have determined that it takes over 3 tons of living plant matter to produce just one quart of this substance in the concentration provided in our New Life Living Minerals from Nature! We use only "ancient" fulvic acids from "ancient" beds, perfectly balanced with the other ingredients found in our New Life Living Minerals, and New Hope 'Liberated' Vitamins products.

However, for Fulvic acids to act properly, they must have a fuel so that it can become hyperactive. Fulvic acids are active substances, as we have explained before, but for Fulvic acids to perform to their potential, they must be supercharged with ionic frequencies.

As in a cold nuclear fusion process, when minerals, recharged with proper ionic frequencies, are introduced to Fulvic acids, the minerals become a fuel for the Fulvic "reactor". The reactor recharges the fuel (minerals), and the minerals, working in conjunction with the Fulvic acids, refuel the reactor (Fulvic acids). This is where the energy comes from when New Life Liquid Minerals are consumed.

Just as important as its role of a reactor, Fulvic acids also becomes the perfect chelator, responding to electric signals given out by the cells in terms of what the cell needs. The Fulvic acids then attract and carry (chelate) the needed chain of minerals to their designated pathways all throughout the body, into every tissue and every cell, immediately .. and super-effectively, and all at the speed of light.

While the Fulvic acids, in conjunction with the minerals, are providing the exact nutrition, or if you will, the frequency each and every cell requires, it's also adding light energy throughout the entire human system. As part of our S.E.T. proprietary process, Fulvic acids are formulated to act in conjunction with our energy-charged minerals.

It's virtually impossible to find this technology in other mineral and vitamin supplements. Fulvic acids, without recharged minerals, don't work. Minerals, without Fulvic acids, can't be chelated to form the correct molecular chains. They will have no purpose; and they'll just become waste. If you are taking minerals that do not carry the proper ionic frequencies, and are not in proper form, then you're purchasing a rock collection, not nutrition.

New Life Liquid Minerals have the proper form, the proper proportion, and the correct cellular language, and they contain a perfectly balanced, 16.6% concentration of Fulvic acids in every bottle. New Life Liquid Minerals, and New Hope Liberated Vitamins are real ... and vital nutritional supplements. Get the perfect Reactor ... and the perfect Chelator... Fulvic acids, from nature's perfect storehouse.

Friend, if you're determined to pursue wellness like never before, and you should be, start with the basics, minerals and vitamins. There's no better place to start than with the New Life Liquid Minerals and the New Hope Liberated Vitamins, both right straight from nature. They'll help you like nothing else can, in that pursuit.

We wish you wellness.

The Wellness Group USA

http://www.vitallywell.net

http://self-improvement.vitallywell.net

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Calcium, Too Much of a Good Thing?

The content of this document is edited, and excerpted, in part, from "The Magnesium Factor"Authors: Mildred S. Seelig, M.D., MPH, & Andrea Rosanoff, Ph.D



It's not certain which came first, but at the same time the heart disease epidemic of the twentieth century was accelerating, so was the reliance on modern processed foods. There are so many things wrong with such a diet, it's hard to know where to start, but it's high in fat, especially saturated fat; high in cholesterol; high in sugar and also high in salt, just for starters. We hear a lot about these short-comings, but very little is said about the fact that such a diet is also low in magnesium, significant because hearts and blood vessels need magnesium to stay healthy.

Magnesium deficiency underlies much of the disease epidemic that consumes so many of our health-care dollars. Studies have linked low magnesium with many of the major risk factors for heart disease. Other studies show that the average Western processed-food diet is even lower in magnesium than is commonly acknowledged. The negative effects of a low intake of magnesium are exaccerbated by the high levels of fat, sugar, sodium, and phosphate in this type of diet.

Ironically, it can also be worsened by the use of calcium supplements, which has become widespread because of our awareness of calcium's value for bone health, and the exaggerated claims of those promoting calcium as a "cure-all". We'll get back to this phenomenan later in the article.

Unfortunately, the vast amount of research that has been done on low magnesium , and its impact on heart health, has gone unheeded, so much so that much of the heart disease seen today is a direct result of low magnesium consumption. This vitally important nutrient is not only inadequate in much of our processed foods, but also in our water supplies, and just at a time in history when our stressful lifestyle demands that we have more of this important mineral.

We can't possibly consider everything published on the subject in this brief article, but let's look at some of the convincing evidence that magnesium deficiency can, in fact, cause heart disease. Both animal and clinical studies have shown that chronic magnesium depletion has direct consequences for both the heart and the blood vessels. These include the following:

Arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms) and tachycardia (too-rapid heartbeats) due to abnormal shifts of the mineral potassium into and out of heart cells.

Abnormal electrical activity in the heart, shown by electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) results.

Arteriosclerosis (stiffening and inflexibility of the blood vessels).

Constriction of the arteries and spasms in blood vessels.

High blood pressure

Angina (chest pain due to heart disease).

Myocardial infarction (damage to heart cells - better known as a heart attack) due to is-chemic heart disease (an insufficient flow of oxygenated blood to the heart) that 's associated with too much calcium and not enough magnesium in heart cells.

Sudden death due to arrhythmia or infarction.

The formation of blood clots within blood vessels, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Heart valve disorders such as mitral valve prolapse.

Because it's all they know to do, the medical profession has responded to all of these symptoms by treating each one, individually, using drugs, or surgery, or both. The result is, symptoms that may stave off death do get treated, but the treatment doesn't restore health. How much better it would be to prevent much of the damage from this disease, by treating the magnesium deficiency that underlies all of its symptoms. In other words, give the body the simple nutrient it needs for healthy hearts and blood vessels.

Animal studies also show that even low magnesium levels will adversely affect the heart and blood vessels. Clinical studies show that treatment with magnesium, taken at the right time and in the right amount, can lessen heart disease risk factors and even save lives.

In addition to the live animal and clinical studies, research has found that there exists very low levels of magnesium in the heart muscle of people who have died of heart disease. In one study, the hearts of such individuals had 24 percent less magnesium than did the hearts of people who had died in accidents. Other studies on cadaver hearts classified by cause of death - heart disease vs accidents - showed that the "heart-disease" hearts had anywhere from 12 to 27 percent less magnesium than the other hearts. Beyond that, damaged areas of hearts from people who had died of heart disease had 40 to 50 percent less magnesium than undamaged areas of the same hearts.

In other studies, cadaver hearts from people who had lived in areas with hard drinking water had higher amounts of magnesium in them - 6 or 7 percent higher, on average, than cadaver hearts from soft-water areas. Maybe this is why death rates from heart disease are lower in hard-water communities. But it wasn't until the late 50's that
epidemiological studies (research on populations) pointed to the association.

Beginning with a Japanese study, done in 1957, and followed by more studies from places like South africa, England, Finland, and the United states, among others, they all revealed that, when the hardness of drinking water went up, the rate of death from cardiovascular disease went down. It was obvious that there was something about hard water that protected people from heart disease death.

Continued research soon showed that the protective water factor, in most cases, was none other than magnesium. Calcium, another hard water component, can also be protective because it makes water less corrosive and less likely to leach toxic trace minerals, such as cadmium and lead, out of metal pipes. Calcium also shares its direct effect - interfering with the absorption of fat from the intestines - with magnesium. But, the studies proved it was now time to take magnesium seriously.

Magnesium is a vital structural component of all muscle cells, and the heart is mainly muscle. Heart muscle, when healthy, contains even more magnesium than other muscles do. And when magnesium levels drop, they can drop more in heart muscle cells than in other muscles.

Each molecule of myosin (muscle protein) has an atom of magnesium in it. Muscles therefore have to have magnesium to work. About 27 percent of the body's magnesium is in muscle tissue. If a magnesium deficiency begins to affect the heart's muscle cells and the "nervous conduction system" of the heart, this organ, which must beat regularly and continuously, may run into trouble.

The availability of magnesium within the heart affects the rhythm of the heart, both directly and indirectly, by controlling potassium and calcium levels. This also affects the conduction system. A low level of magnesium in the heart muscle cells can bring on heart arrhythmias, ranging from the merely disturbing, such as palpitations, to the severe, including disturbances that can be life-threatening.

Blood vessel muscle cells need healthy amounts of magnesium to relax properly after each contraction. They can become stiff and inflexible if their magnesium gets too low. Magnesium is a necessary catalyst for all sorts of life reactions. For example, among the enzymes that have been studied intensively, over 350 of them need magnesium, directly, to do their jobs properly. Zinc is required for about 200 enzymes; copper, for less than 20; and selenium, for only 10 that have been identified in animal studies so far. Without adequate magnesium, these enzymes either will not act or will act at the wrong rate or at the wrong time - or both.

In addition to the more than 350 enzymes for which magnesium is directly necessary, it is indirectly required for thousands of others. One especially important reaction that needs magnesium is the one that controls the molecule adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is present in all the living world. You can think of it as life's batteries - a substance that can store and release energy back and forth, like a switch. But to do so, it needs magnesium.

Again, literally every energy-consuming reaction in life involves ATP, but it needs magnesium to proceed. This is what puts the number of enzymes that need magnesium into the thousands. Truth be known, it would be very difficult to over-estimate the importance of magnesium in enzyme function, both directly (as a co-factor), and indirectly (via ATP reactions).

Muscle contraction requires energy, and thus requires ATP, and magnesium. The pumping heart is a muscle that alternately contracts and relaxes. The contracting and dilating of blood vessels are due to muscles contracting and relaxing. All of this activity requires magnesium, both directly and indirectly, through ATP. It's no wonder that low magnesium levels can negatively affect the heart and its blood vessels.

In addition to all of its enzyme functions, magnesium is an important component of cell membranes. As a result, it is vitally important in regulating what goes into, and what comes out of, all the body's cells. This makes magnesium crucial to mineral balance. In simple solutions, such as salt water, all dissolved minerals are evenly dispersed. This is not so in living cells, where they're distributed differently, depending on their functions. This specialized distribution requires energy, and it's absolutely vital to life processes and health. Calcium and sodium ions, for the most part, are kept outside the cells, while magnesium and potassium are kept inside the cells. These four minerals are the most plentiful in the body, and collectively they are known as electrolytes.

When the level of magnesium within the cells falls below normal, calcium and sodium rush inside, while potassium and magnesium leak out. This can cause big problems. If this occurs in heart muscle cells, normal function is impaired, and there is a tendency toward excess contractility, the shortening and thickening of functioning muscles. During cardiac surgery, this can cause what doctors call a "stone heart." In the arteries, this phenomenon can lead to stiffness and high blood pressure; drastic results, indeed. Doctors routinely prescribe calcium-channel-blocking drugs, like Captopril, to forestall this abnormal movement of calcium into cells because it is so dangerous for hearts and blood vessels. Magnesium is nature's calcium channel blocker.

Magnesium and Calcium, A Delicate Balance is Required


Magnesium and calcium are very similar in their chemistry, but biologically, these two elements function and react very differently. In effect, they are two sides of a physiological coin; they have actions that oppose one another, yet they function as a team. For example:

Calcium exists mainly outside of cells, whereas almost all magnesium is found inside cells.

Calcium excites nerves, whereas magnesium calms them down.

Calcium (along with potassium) is necessary for muscle contractions, whereas magnesium is necessary for muscles to relax.

Calcium is necessary for the blood-clotting reaction, which is so necessary for wound healing, whereas magnesium keeps the blood flowing freely, and prevents abnormal coagulation within blood vessels, where clotting reactions would be dangerous.

Calcium is mostly found in bones and gives them much of their hardness, whereas magnesium is found mainly in soft structures.

Bone matrix, the soft structure within bone, contains protein and magnesium, and gives the bones some flexibility and resistance to brittleness.

The normal concentration of magnesium ion inside cells is easily 10,000 times more than that of intracellular calcium ions - under healthy conditions. But if the amount of magnesium in a cell falls, for any reason, calcium ions flow into the cell. With this abnormal situation, a couple of things happen:

Higher than normal calcium inside a cell excites a lot of reactions. It puts the cell into hyperactive state. Heart and blood-vessel cells are especially excitable because they need to react rapidly during sudden stress situation. As such, they are truly vulnerable to deficits in magnesium that allow abnormal rises in calcium, with resulting hyperactivity.

Sometimes, a hyperactive state is just what you want. It is the essence of the body's "fight-or-flight" reaction to danger. Without calcium, there is no muscle contraction, and without muscle contraction there is no fight or flight.

But in usual circumstances, you don't want excess muscle contractions. The muscles would soon cramp, bringing on severe muscle pain. To relax, the muscles need magnesium. Magnesium, physiologically the opposite of calcium, relaxes muscles. Under normal, healthy cellular conditions, magnesium levels inside muscle cells are high and calcium levels are low, so that the muscles can relax. This is just one way in which calcium enhances and allows the fight-or-flight reaction while magnesium calms it all down.

If calcium levels inside a cell get especially high because of low magnesium, the cell physically changes. High calcium tends to make things stiff and hard. But if soft tissue begins to get hard, it's a real problem - and the problem is calcification. In artery and heart cells, the stiffness caused by calcification hampers proper function and can be an important aspect of heart disease.

If magnesium intake is low, a high calcium intake can make people more vulnerable to heart disease than are people who do not have a high calcium intake.

The current promotion of calcium-rich foods and supplements to protect our bones encourages the consumption of calcium. This is fine as long as magnesium nutrition is adequate. But calcium intakes that are unduly high, relative to magnesium, can intensify the problems caused by the low magnesium content of most modern diets.

Clearly, calcium is an important essential nutrient, but it must be guarded and controlled, and balanced by adequate magnesium if it is not to cause damage to the cells, and the body as a whole.

For years, even though in nature the ratio does not exist, we have been encouraged to consume twice the amount of calcium as magnesium. This can be dangerous, for the reasons outlined above. A large and growing segment of researchers believe that the growing phenomenon of heart disease is the direct result of too much of a good thing ... calcium. In nature, magnesium can appear in ratios of 17:1 of calcium. We also know that the human body can only assimilate 12.5 mg of organic calcium per day. Women, in particular, are often encouraged to take 800-1500 mg of calcium, daily, in spite of this fact. Of course, most calcium is inorganic, and almost worthless, anyway.

The Wellness Group USA takes the progressive position that most Americans are over-dosing on poor calcium, rather than properly-dosing on natural, organic calcium that is guaranteed to be fully and properly utilized by the body. We offer New Life Living Liquid Minerals, from nature. They're organic, double charged with Fulvic acids and other proprietary technology, and found in ratios dictated by the Creator, not propagated and promoted by self-serving interests. 8-10 drops of New Life Liquid minerals,(Go to "Products" button) daily, among other benefits offered by minerals, can promote clarity of thought, and increased energy, something most people really need today. Try them, you'll really notice the difference. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

The Wellness Group USA
http://www.vitallywell.net