Although there are many other factors involved, maintaining
a good balance of vitamins and nutrient minerals is crucial
for good health.
In recent months the news has contained scare stories about
excesses of vitamins and minerals. Much of it is
scare-mongering and misinterpretation of scientific
research.
Critics of "higher than RDA" doses of vitamins claim that
because the body excretes certain vitamins, we may have
"over-dosed" in some way. This is as unreasonable as saying
that excreting urine means that we have over-dosed on
water. You will drink water; it will perform many vital
functions, and then leave your body as urine. This does not
mean you have taken an "excess" of water. Likewise, when
certain vitamins are excreted, it's because they have
fulfilled a vital function and are no longer required.
For instance the B-vitamins stain urine a bright yellow
when they are excreted. Take "too much" vitamin C, to what
is known as "bowel tolerance", and the body will "protest"
with diarrhea. This sign of vitamins being excreted does
not necessarily mean they were taken to excess.
But there are legitimate concerns about excess nutrients
too. The body will manufacture many vitamins, and we have
seen from a couple of examples above that it has the
capacity to excrete what is no longer needed. Turning from
vitamins to minerals, although these are essential in the
right amounts, did you know that excess mineral intake can
negate the beneficial intake of vitamins?
It is a question of maintaining the correct balance.
Although the body can excrete surplus amounts of certain
vitamins, it cannot get rid of many possible mineral
excesses. Nor can it produce vital trace minerals in the
first place, which is why many people take a
multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. A practice I am strongly
in favour of.
However, as well as deficiencies of vitamin and mineral
causing health problems, many symptoms of ill-health are
associated with vitamin and mineral excesses. For example:
* Too much zinc can reduce the effectiveness of vitamin D
* Too much calcium can reduce the effectiveness of vitamin
A and magnesium
* Too much copper has been associated with headaches
* Too much iron has been associated with hypertension,
arthritis and headache
Zinc, calcium, copper and iron were specifically chosen for
the "problems" above, because all four are generally
considered beneficial and essential for good health. And
indeed they are - so long as they are in balance with the
other minerals in the body.
Mineral imbalances can arise from poor diet, stress,
pollution and - it has to be admitted - from taking an
inappropriate mix or quantity of supplements. Too many
people simply assume that it is "good" or even "harmless"
to take huge quantities of supplements. While I approve of
supplementation, it is not the case that more is
necessarily better.
You need to ensure your mineral balance is correct, which
is not easy; so you would be well-advised to see advice.
But from whom?
If you consult a conventional medical practitioner you may
find them unsympathetic to the idea of supplements at all.
If you consult a complementary therapist, many simply
recommend a whole cocktail of supplements, with the best of
intentions, but if it is prepared "from their head" it may
be ineffective, or even have ill-effects such as the ones
mentioned above.
A safer approach is to use an objective tool and base your
supplement program on the results of a scientifically
validated test such as a Hair Mineral Analysis, or HMA.
Hair contains all the minerals present in the body and, in
most cases, reflects the quantity of these elements in your
tissues. Analyzing the hair provides excellent information
on longer-term nutritional status and how well your body is
functioning. Blood or urine tests are biased towards
information about your mineral levels at the time the test
is taken.
For instance, a blood test may indicate a high potassium
level if you've just eaten a banana, even though you would
benefit from a potassium supplement.
Furthermore, the hair analysis report picks up and
addresses mineral imbalance by including computerized
ratios of beneficial and harmful minerals. These would take
hours to calculate by hand, even if a practitioner had
access to sufficient research to make the calculations. The
HMA computer programme has had the necessary information
programmed in by a specialist in Hair Analysis.
It is these ratios, rarely mentioned outside the field of
Hair Trace Mineral Analysis, which will determine the
effectiveness of your supplement programme. And the report
uses the information determined from analysis of your
recent hair growth to formulate a supplement regime
tailored to your current bodily status.
Diagnosis by a qualified medical practitioner is always
essential before resorting to a complementary approach, and
you should NEVER change your prescription without
permission from your GP. But if medical investigations have
failed to find a reason, or suggest an effective treatment
for your symptoms, HMA represents an invaluable and
cost-effective next step to determining whether mineral
imbalances could be a factor.
----------------------------------------------------
Joy Healey qualified as a nutritionist in 2000, at the
prestigious Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London.
To learn more about Hair Analysis, view a sample report,
and see how to order online, visit
http://www.4-hair-mineral-analysis.com
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