The purpose of this blog post is to explain why a person may feel worse while taking a supplement and how this is actually a good indication of moving in the right direction.

Introduction

Modern allopathic medicine encourages the patient to report straight to the doctor when any negative symptoms occur - coughing, sneezing, rashes, aches and pains etc. We have been trained from birth to analyse any discomfort as a precursor to disease. In some cases, this may be true - but when dealing with mineral balancing, it’s far more complicated than that.

Many people want to heal from their chronic health condition(s), or balance their minerals. However, most people labour under that belief that “when something makes me feel good – it’s good for me; and when something is making me feel bad – then I’m doing something wrong.” They want to heal their own body but do not want to feel worse doing so.

The inability to tolerate a supplement/protocol implies that one cannot continue doing it due to the difficult conditions that occur as a result of taking the supplement. But if one wants to heal, they will often have to overcome and transcend these difficult conditions so that they can reach their full potential. The same rule applies to exercise - physical discomfort is required to attain the next level of fitness. So too, does your health operate in this way - detoxing heavy metals won’t be comfortable or symptom-free.

While balancing mineral levels, in particular, a person may be perceiving the particular conditions or symptoms that manifest as bad, when really it can be often the opposite – these symptoms are good sign that one is on the right path. We call these symptoms ‘Healing Reactions’ or ‘Retracing.’

We find that if one wants to correct their health, whether it is burnout, adrenal insufficiency or whatever the case may be, that there is always ups and downs. The mineral balancing perspective on disease is that most illnesses start as a direct result of mineral imbalances. Whether they be excesses or deficiencies, this effects the cells ability to create energy.

When the body’s cells can create energy with ease, there is a state of health. But when the cells are unable to create energy effectively, there is a dis-ease, or a fall from ease. The result is poor energy metabolism.

However, when it comes to the correction of mineral imbalances, we find that fatigue is often necessary, although temporary, to give the body a rest so it might use the little energy it has to correct deeply hidden imbalances. Energy levels do improve as one continues to balance their mineral levels and detoxify their tissues from toxic elements such as mercury, aluminium, lead, cadmium and arsenic.

In particular I use zinc as an example and its effects at antagonising cadmium in the tissues and its ability to assist in the tissue detoxification of this heavy metal.

Why Does Taking Zinc Make Me Tired?

A common complaint from most of my clients when starting zinc is that they feel either fatigued or depressed, and as a result are hesitant to continue supplementing with zinc.

I am often asked, “shouldn’t I feel better taking a supplement that supports my health?” This is logical and an excellent question.

But in this case - it’s not the zinc!

Zinc is a very important element for health. It is very often used on an Integrative Mineral Balancing Program because so many people have low potassium, high sodium or high cadmium levels on their Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis.

Even though zinc is needed, it is not uncommon to feel fatigue when you begin your personalised supplement program that is designed to balance their biochemistry.

It’s Not Zinc You Can’t Tolerate - it’s Cadmium!

Cadmium has a stimulant like effect that artificially raises sodium levels on a hair test and thus increases the adrenal gland function. This can be one reason why people often have low potassium or high sodium levels. Since cadmium can stimulate the adrenal gland function, it functions as a crutch and increases our energy level. It’s not that zinc that is making you tired - the zinc is encouraging the detoxification of cadmium.

People feel great on stimulants and regularly use them as crutches (Wilson, 2019), the toxic element cadmium being no exception. Cigarettes are high in cadmium (Bernhard, et al., 2006). This is likely one reason why people continue to smoke them, despite the extreme health warnings, because they provide a boost in energy levels by stimulating the production of adrenal hormones and this may allows them to feel better. Conversely, zinc lowers cadmium, and since it takes away this “energy crutch” that provides the artificial energy, an individual often feels feel worse temporarily.

Cadmium has an aldosterone like effect that impacts the kidney causing sodium retention. Thus, if there is a sodium/potassium inversion present (an Na/K ratio < 2.5:1), the ratio may even be worse than depicted on the results on the HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis).

As I wrote in my Biological Replacement of Elements Theory, cadmium and zinc are very similar in structure. This allows cadmium to replace zinc in important enzyme binding sites so that the body can maintain homeostasis when there is a deficit of zinc. A blessing, and a curse! Another toxic element that can take the place of zinc in enzyme binding sites is lead, but we will discuss this in another article.

When you begin to nourish your body on an Integrative Mineral Balancing Program, you begin to correct these compensations that occur. This is true tissue detoxification. Toxic metals, are not “bad”. They are often keeping us alive and functional! Many physicians do not grasp the concept that toxic metals have beneficial aspects in maintaining homeostasis simply because they do not have physiological roles. Cadmium can take zinc’s place and perform many of the same functions, but at a reduced effectiveness.

This is why we do not recommend toxic metal chelation. It can do more harm than good (Smith, 2013). If your body has made a compensation and is using a less preferred element rather than a preferred element, clawing out (chelating) the less preferred element is denying the body’s wisdom and may even make things worse. If you are going to use chelators, it is always a good idea to nourish your body so that the body can replace the toxic metals with the preferred ones.

I have found that nourishment is the safest and most effective way to detox from heavy metals. Since it is natural, it does take a lot longer, but you begin to heal your body on a very deep level and the overall results are incomparable. It is very common for people to poorly eliminate cadmium for two or more years!

The deeper the state of “burnout” or chronic tiredness a person is in, the more likely the body is to hold onto toxic metals such as cadmium to maintain homeostasis. As they begin to improve their glandular function and oxidation rate, they begin to detox heavy metals. In some instances, the body begins to detoxify cadmium from the tissues on an Integrative Mineral Balancing Program and it becomes too intense for the individual, and they keep feeling worse and worse, we call this a metabolic release. This is why we often use lecithin, since it slows the detoxification.  Another method is intentionally slowing the oxidation rate with calcium and magnesium with the product Paramin. Very often, even if we recommend for you to lower your supplement intake, we will still suggest that you take GB-3, or black radish as it supports the body’s elimination of these toxic elements.

I hope that this article encourages you to cope with the uncomfortable symptoms by providing you with information rather than opinion. Always talk to your doctor/mineral balancing practitioner to determine the real meaning behind your symptoms.

Bibliography

1. Bernhard, D., Rossmann, A., Henderson, B., Kind, M., Seubert, A., & Wick, G. (2006). Increased serum cadmium and strontium levels in young smokers: effects on arterial endothelial cell gene transcription. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis and vascular biology, 833-838. Retrieved February 13, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16439709

2. Smith, S. W. (2013, Oct 12). The Role of Chelation in the Treatment of Other Metal Poisonings. Journal of Medical Toxicology, 9(4), 355-369. doi:10.1007/s13181-013-0343-6

3. Wilson, L. (2019, August). CADMIUM, THE PSEUDO-MASCULINE MINERAL. Retrieved February 13, 2020, from https://www.drlwilson.com/articles/CADMIUM.htm