Minerals are very important to achieving balanced health. They are the building blocks of our body. They are more important than vitamins. Vitamins are a by-product of some minerals. While minerals will work with a limited supply of vitamins, vitamins will not work without minerals. Our fruits, vegetables and grains are deficient in minerals since they are being grown on depleted soils. We can not get the mineral salts we need from the food we eat. Even if we take mineral supplemetation, often times, it is ineffectively transported into the body. Ionic, electrically charged minerals are a more effective way of absorbing minerals.

In the following text we will discuss a few common minerals. Remember, when taking mineral supplements, it is important that trace minerals are included in your formulation.

CALCIUM'S IMPORTANT ROLE

Calcium is one of the major minerals our body uses to create the basic foundation of health. It is responsible for many biological and enzymatic activities within and without the cells of our body. It helps build our immune systems, vital organs, bones, connective tissue and teeth. Our soils are currently depleted of minerals, therefore our foods are deficient and thus our bodies. This depletion in our soil is a result of the unsustainable farming practices used since WWII and still being used today. Artificially created petro-chemical fertilizers and herbicide/pesticides made from the nerve toxins and chemical excesses, created by a war time industry, continue to wreck havoc on our soils. Toxic chemicals damage and destroy the healthy "living" environment in our soils creating "dead" mineral deficient soil.

Mineral deficiency in our bodies cause our system to become overly acidic and unbalanced. The many degenerative diseases plaguing humanity today are a result of this accumulation of acidity in the body. Healthy people have an alkaline (high) pH and those that are sick have an acidic (low) pH. I have read that upwards of 157 to 200 diseases are linked to calcium deficiency alone. These include: diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis, eczema, alzheimer's disease, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol, muscle cramps, kidney stones, gallstones, gout, indigestion, headaches, chronic fatigue, lupus, hernia and hypertension. This is just a sampling of the most common disease states, so you can see, mineral deficiency is no small matter.

You can read more about acid alkaline balance, and see food charts listing acid/alkaline values for the foods you eat. You can learn about products to support you in maintaining a proper pH level on my environmental toxins page: here.

All stress forces our mineral alkaline stores to be used up, with calcium at the top of ths list. Without replacement of vital minerals our stores are drained. Over time this can lead to deficiencies, degeneration and disease. According to health experts you can get enough calcium to supply your daily needs from 2 gallons of milk, 23 pounds of spinach, plus 17 pounds of broccoli and approximately 23 pounds of cabbage. This seems a bit unreasonable, therefore supplementation seems to be the best likelihood for getting the calcium you need.

The average person absorbs less than 5% of regular calcium supplements and about 20% of chelated calcium supplements. You would need to take 3000 mgs. of calcium daily to absorb 1/4 of that amount.

Everyone seems to agree that adequate amounts of calcium are important for health. Supplementation is needed should the diet be limited in supplying the body's needs and it is apparent that not all calcium supplements are alike. Though they contain high doses of Calcium they can be in an unabsorbable form. Garden of Life's Raw Calcium seem to be an easily assimilated form of Calcium and is highly absorbable.

When chosing minerals it is important to have the many trace minerals needed by the human body as part of the formula. This natural balance is important because all minerals must be present for any one mineral to work properly.

From my point of view chosing foods such as Kale, Spinach, Chard, Beet Greens and Sesame, which are complex natural foods containing high levels of Calcium along with a balance of other minerals, is a good place to begin. When necessary one can supplement with an absorable Calcium if the diet falls short. I hope this information will be of help when you are choosing the right calcium product for you.

POTASSIUM

Potassium is one of the key minerals that helps to keep our bodies flexible and resilient. It works with the soft tissue of the body such as our arteries, working as a detergent to clear out clogs and toxic poisons. It also fights bacteria and viruses. It is as important to our soft tissues as calcium is to our bones and hard tissues. It helps to keep us youthful and supple. Without it we would lose muscle tone and experience premature sagging and aging of our skin.

Potassium puts toxic poisons and acid crystals into solution so the body can flush them out through the kidneys, and other organs of elimination. When deficient in our diets, the lack of potassium can lead to stunted growth, senility and mental deficiencies. Potassium deficiency can show up as dull hair, luster-less skin, itchy scalp, dandruff, premature balding, nervousness, depression, mental fog, muscle fatigue, cramps and joint pain.

The poor mineral content of our soils along with the extreme processing of our foods have robbed potassium, along with other minerals, from our diet. It is this mineral deficient diet that leaves us under nourished and ripe for many of the ills that plague us today.

I would like to speak of a simple way to get the potassium you need into your diet. Of course, eating whole organic foods such as, fruits, vegetables, unprocessed grains, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds is always a good idea. It will do much to add nutrients to your body, especially when theses foods have not been cooked at high temperatures.
A fresh diet of up to 60% raw foods will contain the vitamins, minerals and enzymes intact so the correct life-giving nutrients may be available to us.

Besides eating well you can add apple cider vinegar (ACV) as a simple way to get beneficial potassium and other minerals into your diet. Apples are a great source of available potassium. We are talking only about natural, undistilled, organic ACV here. This is made from organic apples that have been allowed to mature and undergo the process of natural fermentation. It will not be clear like distilled or synthetic vinegars and it will have a deep rich brown color with cob-web like substances floating around in it. In distilled products the health giving malic acid, enzymes and minerals such as: potassium, phosphorus, flourine (not to be confused with flouride), sodium, sulphur, iron, copper, magnesium and silicon have been destroyed.

Not only will ACV help provide needed minerals, especially potassium into the body, it will also flush toxic waste out of the system. Waste products will be broken down and made harmless. Now this waste can be ushered out of the system by the organs of elimination: the kidneys, intestines, lungs and skin. ACV can be used for all sorts of ailments including: headaches, sore throats, muscle aches, joint pains, sunburns, warts, callouses, corns, dandruff, baldness, acne, bladder irritations, kidney problems, bedwetting, impaired digestion, circulatory problems, arthritis, mucous conditions, prostate problems, female problems, gallstones, constipation and obesity.

In most cases, a ACV cocktail of ½-1 teaspoon of ACV is mixed with ½-1 teaspoon of honey in a 6-8 ounce glass of distilled water. It is taken in the A.M. and P.M. or up to 3 times a day. I must say that even though Patricia Bragg tells us honey is also high in potassium, I find that just a fraction of the amount of the recommended honey is plenty. Why add the extra calories and sugar, especially if you are diabetic or wanting to loss weight. For body purification, you can add 1 teaspoon ACV into 6 ounces of fresh vegeatable juice such as carrot and/or greens. Drink between meals once or twice daily. When purifying, it is a good idea to include doing a water fast one day a week also.

In the case of arthritis, besides eating a 65-75% healthy organic raw foods diet, you can make a ACV cocktail of 1-2 teaspoons of ACV with 1-2 teaspoons of honey blended into 6 ounces of distilled water. Follow this by eating an organic apple. It would also be helpful to include; kelp and alfalfa tablets for their mineral content, one teaspoon of cod liver oil to provide essential fatty acids and a whole food living vitamin-mineral such as Living Multi from Garden of Life, as part of your daily regiment.  More information about Living Multi can be found on my website: here.

For painful muscle cramps which can be caused from precipatated acid crystals getting into the circulation, take 2 teaspoons of ACV and 1 teaspon of honey in a glass of distilled water three times a day.

For a sore throat gargle with 1 tablespoon in a ½ glass of water. For sinus problems and mucous you can have a ACV cocktail in the morning plus make a nasal rinse of 1-2 teaspoons of ACV in a glass of warm water.

ACV can kill bottle bacillus, the germ responsible for baldness. Its high malic acid content and powerful enzymes do the job on this bacteria. It will also stimulate the glands on the scalp to achieve a better level of activity. You can place 2 tablespoons in a cup of water and then work this mixture into your scalp, leaving it on for a minimum of 15 minutes and up to 2-3 hours before shampooing. Do this every time you shampoo in acute cases. It will balance the pH and restore the health of your scalp and hair. It is important to only use non-toxic, chemical free shampoos. See my products page for more information about such products: here.

A rinse can be made for the skin (or hair) by adding 1/3 cup ACV into a quart of water. This will balance the pH, creating a youthful softer, more supple skin. It can also be directly massaged into the skin, at a ratio of ½ cup ACV to a basin of water. You can also make a steam by mixing 3 teaspoons of ACV to a quart of water which has been brought to a boil. Remove the water from the heat then cover your head with a towel, lean over the pot and breathe in the steam.

You can give yourself a facial with ACV too. This will exfoliate (remove old dead cells) from dull skin. To do this, first wash your face with hot water, NO soap. Then apply a hot water soaked towel, that has been rung out, on your face for 3 minutes. Remove the towel, then apply a towel that has been soaked in 2 tablespoons of ACV for every cup of water used. Top this towel off with a dry towel to hold in the heat and relax for 5-10 minutes with your feet up.

To improve digestion, five minutes before you eat, hold a tablespoon of distilled water and 1/3 teaspoon ACV in your mouth for a few seconds. This will start saliva moving in your mouth, preparing you for the digestion of carbohydrates and will cause the digestive juices in the stomach to flow better.

For kidney problems avoiding dairy, animal products, alcohol, caffeine and sugar will be helpful. You want to flush out toxins, acidify the urine and inhibit bacterial growth by drinking 8-10 glasses of liquid that you add 1/3 teaspoon of ACV to. Cranberry juice and herbal teas such as parsley, cornsilk, marshmallow, uva ursi and dandelion root will also be of help. You can also take a sitz bath with 1 cup of ACV added to the warm water. Watermelon, including chewed seeds, also makes a great bladder-kidney flush. You can go on a watermelon-only flush for up to three days to get great results.

A vaginal douche can be made from 2 quarts of warm distilled water and 3 tablespoons of ACV. You can use this as needed since this solution is approximately the same acidity as the vagina. If there is a discharge present you can use it 1-2 times daily until it clears up.

You can also use ACV on salads and on vegetables to experience its wonderful health-giving properties. Try it in your animal feed or water to relieve your pets and farm animals nagging health problems.

You can also prepare for a gallbladder flush by drinking 1/3 teaspoon of ACV in 6 ounces of apple juice, upon rising, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and after dinnner, for one week. I prefer to dilute the apple juice with distilled water. Dilution is especially recommended if you are diabetic or hypoglycemic. The small stones and gravel
will be removed and cleansed due to the solvent action of the malic acid, enzymes, pectins and potassium in the ACV. You can then follow the gallbladder liver cleanse found on my site: here or use the following method, which I feel may not be as thorough in its effects.

This method requires filling an 8 ounce glass with one part organic virgin olive oil and two parts organic apple juice. Add 1 teaspoon of ACV and take this mixture 3 times a day for the first day and 2 times a day on the second day. You may only drink as much apple juice as you desire on these 2 days but NO other liquids. This is not recommended for diabetics because of th high sugar content of the apple juice. Go to sleep on your right side with your right knee drawn up to the chest. On the third day, about mid-morning, eat a raw salad with generous amounts of ACV and organic olive oil on top. You can also eat lightly steamed greens, if you like. When you have a bowel movement you will notice tiny greenish stones in the bowl. Amazing! You may notice feeling nauseated as toxins, bile and mucus dump into your stomach. Should this happen, drink 1-2 glasses of distilled water and regurgitate, if you can. This will help you feel immediately better.

You can read more about the recommended ACV remedies in "The Miracles of Apple Cider Vinegar Health System" by Paul and Patricia Bragg, published by Health Science. Thier phone number is 805-968-1020. They have written many booklets on the Bragg's healthy life style system that you may want to read.

Taking charge of your health may help to keep the doctor away. Remember, our cells are constantly replenishing themselves. You can essentially have a new body in just 11 months. When given the needed building blocks it can be a healthy body ready to serve you.