Of all the nutritional supplements consumed, both past and present, there remains more confusion about minerals than any other. This is specifically true with regards to trace minerals. When you talk about vitamins you have either natural or synthetic and in many cases they are very similar with the exception of the fat soluble ones. Minerals on the other hand have many factors about them which will not only affect their absorption but can make a difference as to whether or not they could build up to potentially toxic levels in the blood and soft tissues.
Factors That Affect Mineral Uptake & Absorption
Tissue samples from animals and humans have shown anywhere from 65 to 75 individual elements, so the first point of concern should be locating a product that provides the full spectrum of minerals. When further evaluating a mineral supplement for human use several factors come to the surface as being relevant. Such factors as pH, electromagnetic circuitry, particle size and source contribute to the final ability of the body to derive benefit from the minerals ingested.
Source
Minerals essentially come from one of two sources, either inorganic, being from rocks, clays, seabeds etc., or organic which means that the minerals have been processed through a plant metabolism. This process alters the mineral in some subtle yet vitally important ways namely with regard to the electrical circuitry. For this reason minerals that come from plant sources containing the full spectrum of minerals would be the best source. After all, humans like all other animals, were created to eat plants, not soil!
Particle Size
There is a law in physical chemistry that states, the smaller the object or particle the greater the surface. This is easier understood if you picture a basketball in your mind and imagine the amount of surface around the outside. Now imagine if that basketball were filled with small marbles. If you measured all the surface around each marble it would be many times greater than that around the big basketball. The amount of surface of a mineral particle is important since the body attacks and breaks down minerals by attaching to their surface. The greater the surface the greater the absorption, hence the smaller the particle the greater the potential for absorption. Colloids are very small particles which contributes to overall absorption due to the immense surface the body has available to acidify and break them down.
pH
PH stands for power of hydrogen and refers to how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The pH scale runs from 0 through 14. The mid point, number 7 is neutral. Everything lower than 7 is acidic and everything higher than 7 is alkaline. In order for minerals to be properly absorbed, they need to be acidic. When we consume inorganic minerals which are always quite alkaline, the body must attempt to acidify them for absorption. This is done in several ways but early acidification of minerals occurs through hydrochloric acid from the stomach. This accounts for why we have greater difficulty absorbing minerals as we grow older. The natural hydrochloric acid production decreases with age and dietary abuse. Organic colloidal minerals are naturally acidic, about 3.0 to 3.5, and this further contributes to their absorption.
Eletromagnetic Circuitry
We have the least data on the final factor that affects mineral absorption. Current research under way at this time will hopefully shed further light upon this mysterious property. Every element has two charges, an ionic charge which is either positive or negative and an electro-magnetic charge which is also either positive or negative. They do not necessarily have to be the same. The ionic charge of an element is always the same and never varies no matter what form the mineral may take. The electro-magnetic energy or charge however can vary with each element depending upon certain circuitry within the atom. If you picture 2 magnets, they are both made of the same material or substance yet one pole is positive and one is negative. All so called inorganic minerals are positive in their electro-magnetic circuitry. When a living plant takes these positive minerals up into its internal biochemistry the electromagnetic circuitry is somehow altered through the biochemical process of photosynthesis, making it negative. This negative electromagnetic energy has been called the 'life energy' because it is opposite of the human electromagnetic circuitry which is positive. Since opposites attract, the negative circuitry is drawn to the body like a magnet!
We can see by this discussion that if a mineral had all of these various factors in the right order, the absorption potential would be increased by many times. The ideal situation for maximum absorption from a mineral supplement would be when it is organic instead or inorganic, colloidal in size rather than just ground or powdered rock, has a naturally occurring acidic pH instead of highly alkaline and is negatively charged electromagnetically instead of positive which repels inside the body. A liquid mineral supplement that possessed all these factors in one would be almost 100% absorbable.
This brings us to a discussion of the many liquid trace mineral products that have recently made their way into the marketplace. Are they all created equal just because they are liquid? What about tablets and capsules that profess to contain bio-available minerals?
Let's address the tablet/capsule issue firstly since it is relatively easy to understand. When we refer to colloidal trace minerals we often use the term 'bio-electrical' or 'bio-available.' The prefix 'bio' in front of a word means 'life', hence life electrical or electrical circuitry that supports & nourishes the living system. All life has one thing in common, it needs moisture to survive. This is especially true when we are considering electrical potential. Any physical chemist can tell you that electro-chemical reactions occur in the presence of moisture or water. The same holds true for these 'life-electrical' minerals. If you totally remove the moisture the element would lose its bio-electrical charge and revert to the inorganic electro-magnetic charge which is positive. Therefore, at the present time, there is no way to accomplish this convenience. Several researchers are working on this but so far have failed. The encapsulated/tableted 'colloidal minerals' we have tested have not retained their bio-electrical charge.
Not All Liquid Minerals Are Created Equal Either
In looking at a market that has been inundated with liquid mineral supplements in the past 24 months alone one might wonder if they are all pretty much the same. A closer examination of their makeup shows us that they are not.
The biggest single factor in evaluating a liquid mineral supplement for efficacy is NOT in the quantitative elemental amounts of mineral contained therein as much as it is how much electrical potential the product is able to impart to the living cells of the body. We live in a country of excesses, where quantity, not quality is king. When considering the delicate biochemistry of the body quality is far more important than mere bulk quantity. Organic, colloidal, bio-electrical trace minerals benefit the living system in large part because of the electrical circuitry which imparts life force energy to the body cells, making them better able to carry on their individual life functions. This electrical potential comes from and is generated by the relationship of one element to another. That is why no single mineral can ever hope to have the same benefit alone as it can have in the presence of the full spectrum of others. This electrical potential is generated by the interaction of one element with another in the sea of electromagnetic activity that is constantly taking place in an organic colloidal solution. This being the case, then the ratio of one mineral to another is of far greater importance than mere quantity alone. The more optimal the ratios of minerals to each other the greater the electrical potential and hence the greater the 'life energy' that is imparted to the living system. When these naturally occurring ratios are disturbed in any way it reduces the amount of electrical potential that may be passed on to the cells of the body. For example if you have a greater amount of one mineral than there would be present naturally, that mineral would impart a greater electrical charge than normally would be present. This in turn would suppress the electrical potential of other minerals related to it and ultimately alter the entire electrical circuitry of the aqueous solution. This altering would make the product far less bio-available than if it had not been altered. When you see liquid mineral products that show an inordinately high amount of certain minerals such as calcium, potassium and others, these minerals have likely been added to the solution in order to boost its elemental quantity. The minerals used to do this are often inorganic minerals which since they are positively charged electro-magnetically, further destroy the delicate life-giving energies that naturally occur in organics in the first place. Buyer beware! We have even seen and tested mineral products that, while they advocate having full spectrum minerals, upon examination contain only 20 to 40% pure mineral water. The rest is such things as aloe vera, fruit extracts, inorganic added minerals, flavorings etc. All these not only take away from the true electrical potential of the organic minerals but may be giving you little more than mineral-poor filler. By sheer volume alone. They deprive your body of a mineral rich solution. If you are using a liquid mineral product that purports to be good for you read the label. See what else is in the bottle besides minerals! If your liquid mineral product tastes delicious we can guarantee that it has been adulterated in some manner. Pure liquid colloidal organic trace minerals are tan to brown in color and are very bitter. Any attempt to mask these characteristics for long periods in the bottle affects both the potency and the electrical charge of the minerals. Know what you are buying.
Non-Toxicity of True Bio-Electrical Colloidal Trace Minerals
A question of constant concern when discussing liquid trace mineral supplements frequently seems to be the presence of what are viewed as harmful or toxic minerals. Since a natural, unadulterated mineral product would contain the full spectrum of elements found in nature, it would of necessity contain those which we have come to think of as toxic. Minerals such as cadmilum, aluminum, arsenic, lead, mercury and others strike terror in our thoughts and we sometimes have difficulty in understanding why they are present in liquid mineral supplements. First we must go back to the concept that all minerals are not created equal. In their inorganic rock state ALL minerals can be potentially toxic because of the body's inability to utilize and break them down. Something as seemingly beneficial as calcium, if very alkaline, can circulate in the blood stream awaiting acidification and can contribute to the raw material that occludes the arteries. Yet properly acidified calcium is not only welcomed by the body but absolutely necessary for life. As our knowledge of human biochemistry proceeds, more and more information will come to light regarding the many micro trace elements and their biological role in the human body. Arsenic for example, was always thought of as a deadly poison and indeed in the inorganic form it certainly is, however recent studies have shown that arsenic is an essential mineral and is even being considered for the RDI list! Many minerals such as molybdenum and even selenium and chromium were, just a few years ago, considered non-essential and even dangerous. The next decade will undoubtedly bring a much greater understanding of the role of the full spectrum of elements naturally present in the human body tissues.
Toxic-Leaching Benefits of Organic Colloidal Bio-Electric Trace Minerals
In the late 1980's an interesting experiment was conducted with regard to high levels of potentially toxic inorganic minerals in the body and the ability of their organic bio-electrical counterparts to naturally chelate or remove them safely. The test was conducted by Gary Price Todd, MD, author of the book Nutrition, Health & Disease. The study involved individuals with a variety of so-called heavy metal poisonings, specifically lead, mercury, cadmium and aluminum were selected and blood samples were taken to monitor the offending mineral. Dr. Todd rapidly discovered that blood analyses were not effective in monitoring this process, therefore it was decided that hair analyses would be employed. Prior to the test, base levels of the offending mineral were established via tissue hair sample. Test subjects were then placed on a program of full spectrum bio-available micro trace minerals in proportion to their body weight. In addition they were given a second product which represented the full spectrum of other nutrients such as vitamins, major minerals and amino acids. It is important to note that high amounts of vitamin C were found necessary in order to obtain an optimal response. Vitamin C was administered at 1 to 2 grams per day. During the study it was observed that several of the individuals with lower levels of toxic metals on their initial hair analysis, initially experienced a notable rise is those same substances as evidenced by their second hair analysis three months later (Figure 1.1). This appeared to indicate that there was a mobilization of the stored toxic metals from the body's soft tissues back into solution which would account for the higher concentration of these substances in the hair. Repeat hair analysis at six months all the way through sixteen months (the end of the study) demonstrated reduced levels of toxic metal in the hair as the natural chelation process took place and the toxic mineral levels were reduced. Physicians and other health care practitioners who wish to use this method on their patients should keep in mind that they will likely experience an initial rise in the offending substances for the first three to even six months depending upon the volume of heavy metal to be removed. Any professional interested in implementing this procedure in their practice may contact the institute for a protocol outline. Subsequent analysis of the results of this pioneer study seem to indicate that there is some type of ionic exchange taking place between the opposite minerals which would support the theory that organic minerals bear an opposite electro-magnetic charge referred to in other studies as the life energies. The Institute of Nutritional Science is preparing to duplicate this study under more controlled conditions, the results of which will subsequently be published in this Journal.
Based upon Dr. Todd's findings those persons suffering from the negative effects of heavy metal contamination should strongly consider the use of bio-electrical colloidal trace minerals as part of their plan to restore their health. Colloidal organic bio-electrical minerals cannot be stored in the body for longer than a few hours; they are much like the water soluble vitamins, therefore they cannot build up to toxic levels in the soft tissues and through ionic exchange. They also assist the body in removing the heavy metal counterparts which can remain in the body for decades.
The Bio-Electronic Test
Biophysicist, Dr Fritz-Albert Popp of Germany conducted an extensive study of the bio-electric properties of a true unadulterated liquid colloidal mineral formula. Conclusions and findings of that study are outlined by Gottfried Lange, MD, a toxicologist from Elmshorn, Germany. In essence Dr. Popp observed that, "All living organisms emit certain electro-magnetic waves. If they are in healthy condition, they emit more. If not, they emit less. This phenomena is common to all forms of cells. These electro-magnetic emissions are called bio-photons." Any substance that is taken into the internal biochemistry of the body can potentially affect this electro-magnetic status either positively by feeding the cell life force or negatively by robbing it of precious energy.
During the test Dr Popp used a super sensitive organism know as Acetabularia Mediterranea, a certain very sensative algae from the Mediterranean Sea. This algae is so sensitive to ecological influences that there are scarcely any of these algae left in the Mediterranean. The test conducted on the liquid colloidal minerals using these organisms is a highly recognized method of determining whether or not a substance is toxic to the living cell or to what degree the substance might serve to enhance the cell's vital life functions.
During the 1930's, studies & applications involving various colloidal minerals alone and in concert with each other were common. At the onset of World War II much of this research ceased and after the war, the use of colloidal chemistry in health and healing became almost non-existent.
Today we are seeing a resurgence of interest in the full spectrum of micro trace elements and the thousands of living testimonials of people from all over the world who are experiencing a richer more healthful existence because of their use. It has long been a concern of this writer who, in private practice as a clinical nutritionist, frequently did not observe or obtain the results with patients through the use of vitamin, major mineral and amino acid therapies that was expected. After we began using the full spectrum of organic colloidal bio-electrical trace minerals in a highly absorbable liquid state, our efforts in every other direction were enhanced ten-fold.
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