To Your Health
July, 2008 (Vol. 02, Issue 07) |
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The function of organic trace minerals is to be systemic catalysts. They are activators - intracellular "spark plugs." They either "kick off" or "speed up" much of the chemistry that goes on in our bodies.
Without trace minerals, there is no life. They specifically are responsible for carrying much of our nutrition, glycogens, glucose, etc., to our cells.
Most scientists would agree we need three basic ingredients to sustain life: water, oxygen and organically complexed (carbon-based/living) trace minerals. Not even vitamins or enzymes can perform without trace minerals. When trace minerals are insufficient, numerous processes either slow down or come to a halt until the mineral banks can be replenished. Knowing this, it's easy to see why both plants and humans are becoming increasingly susceptible to disease. It's also easy to understand what Linus Pauling, (twice awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine) meant when he categorically explained to the 74th Congress of the United States, "Every ailment, every sickness and every disease can be traced back to an organic trace-mineral deficiency." It has become alarmingly evident that we are severely deficient in one of the most basic components necessary to sustain health - organically complexed trace minerals.
In a way, the problem with depleted soil is similar to the problems of using antibiotics. Antibiotics kill the harmful bacteria that are making us sick, but they kill the friendly flora in the intestinal tract at the same time. Antibiotics appear to cure the infection, but in reality, long-term use might weaken the immune system, making us more likely to suffer from future illnesses. Similarly, as the "good" microorganisms in the soil are wiped out, the vegetation loses its ability to gain the proper balance of minerals from the soil. The end result: Our bodies take on these deficient foods and become impaired and imbalanced.
Potential Solutions
If our soil and crops lack essential minerals, we need to supplement our diets to achieve true wellness. All biological organisms (including humans) require organically complexed trace minerals in order to maintain health and prevent disease. Decades ago, if we had only protected and nourished our soil from hazardous and toxic chemicals, these critical organic complexes would naturally be in the foods we eat today. Unfortunately, they are not.
But will any old multivitamin off the shelves of our grocery or drug store do the trick? The short answer is no. Much like our soil, most supplements available on the market today are full of synthetic chemical nutrients instead of the organic nutrients our bodies need.
