š„ Self awareness, testing and optimal health
A few months ago, after finding out Iām pregnant, I decided to get my minerals checked with the Hair Analysis Mineral Test. I read that postpartum depression and healing in general is connected to our mineral balances. The process of birthing causes you to burn through most of your minerals and itās important to replenish them in order not to go through an emotional and physical roller coaster or to at least minimize it as much as you can. (side note, this is why dieting right after birth in order to bounce back can cause more mineral and nutrient depletion and irritation to your body).
My plan is to test early to see where Iām at now, adjust my levels to optimal before birth. Then test again after birth to replenish whatever I burned through in the process.
Well, my first test came back while I was in the first trimester and boy was it eye opening. I purchased the test with the one hour consultation that my sister in law recommended and I felt like even that wasnāt enough time.
Here were my biggest takeaways
The practitioner said that based off the specific minerals I was low in, my adrenals are stuck in fight or flight mode. I asked her what I can do now to take the pressure off my adrenals since I didnāt have anything external that was stressing me out. I was already on only one single shot of coffee a day but she said based off how stressed my adrenals are, I need to cut it out completely until theyāre back to normal. I need to cut down on my pilates from 5x a week to 2x a week, and not to push myself too hard and make time for things like baths, journaling, stretching, etc. Anything to calm my nerves.
I was still low in B12 - something I learned from my naturopath two years ago and turns out Iām still not at optimal levels even after taking B vitamins. With this knowledge I started taking Beef Kidney supplements (high in B12) and started seeing my energy and focus levels increase.
Low in Manganese which could be the reason for my PMS cramps, clumsiness, etc. Beef kidney is also high in manganese so I am hoping this will show up better at my next test.
I was low in calcium, which makes sense because I thought I was intolerant to dairy and avoided it for years. Turns out I was intolerant to eggs that I was having daily (separate testing with my naturopath). I was eating the very thing that was causing issues and avoiding the thing I needed because I assumed everyone was sensitive to dairy to some degree. This is why I highly encourage testing! Iām glad I discovered this early on in my pregnancy since itās a vital part of growing a healthy baby. I stopped worrying about counting calories and started adding dairy to every meal and drinking raw milk daily.
My zinc to copper ratio was not optimal. She asked if I was vegan or vegetarian for a while because itās common to see in these diets. I was in fact vegetarian for 3 - 4 years and vegan for one. Her recommendation was to continue taking oyster capsules because it will balance out zinc and copper levels better than just taking zinc or copper without getting to toxic levels.
I was thankfully optimal in my sodium and magnesium levels. She said most people are low in sodium because of the type they consume or theyāre told salt is bad. I give this credit to using sea salt daily in all my food and taking Ancestral Minerals supplement daily. For magnesium, I eat foods high in magnesium along with taking magnesium glycinate and magnesium lotion on my legs.
Unfortunately though, my biggest issue was that I was very low in potassium. When she told me this while we looked over my chart together, I started laughing and asked, āis this why I crave potatoes all the timeā? to which she said, āabsolutely, and thatās exactly what you need more ofā. She told me I needed a minimum of 5,000 mg of potassium daily and to track what I normally have then increase it from there. Turns out the max I was hitting daily was around 2,000 mg and those were my best days š¬ She said that if I fixed even just the low potassium and nothing else, that could get my body out of fight or flight mode, fix my gut health and PMS cramps.
When I cut out caffeine, this first week was absolute misery. I never thought I was that affected by caffeine because Iāve skipped a day or two before and never got headaches. But turns out that if you go longer than three days, you start the detoxing process. I had a horrible headache for three days, couldnāt sleep, couldnāt focus. This lasted for almost two weeks before I started feeling a little more like myself.
But hereās what I noticed after those two weeks, I had no idea how jumpy I was before quitting coffee. I noticed I wasnāt easily startled anymore by a door opening, a loud noise, a phone call, or being slightly touched by someone in passing. I was perfectly relaxed and calm which is an odd feeling, especially because Iām already a calm person.
Other things I did to help my adrenals is being aware of what irritates me and what soothes me.
You may recognize some of these things in your own life if itās overstimulating and you may not even realize it like I did.
Taking deep breaths. I noticed Iāve been sighing more often and how good it felt. I started to make sure I was taking at least 3-4 deep breaths a day to relax my nervous system. Shallow breathing is a sign of stress to the body and deep breaths give a signal for the body to relax.
Feeling emotional. If I start noticing Iām getting more emotional, irrational, or sensitive and holding back tears over the small things, I make it a priority to take time for myself to journal and cry just because it feels good to cry. Holding it back will only cause it to happen more frequently.
Stretching. I never made time for stretching in my life until recently, I know itās terrible. And now I make sure stretch for at least 15 minutes a day. It helps me slow down and appreciate it.
Changing ringtone. This one is random but I realized how irritated I would get every time my phone rang or got a text. I finally changed it to something more soothing and noticed my mood change from getting tense to unbothered.
Not waiting too long between meals to eat. I know myself, and I know I get cranky, irritated and my blood sugar drops if I wait too long to eat. I found my perfect timing to be eating every 3 hours for a stable mood, focus and energy throughout the day.
Start the day with breakfast. This is huge, especially for women. Our hormones depend on us to live in a state of safety if we want our menstrual cycles and fertility to be healthy and optimal. Otherwise itās too stressed with continuous fasting and will put your hormone health on the back burner in order to help you survive. If youāre not hungry when you wake up, thatās a sign that your body is suppressing hunger so that you can focus on surviving whatever stress youāre dealing with. Start with something small like yogurt with fruits or eggs and orange juice, then work your way up to 25-30g of protein for breakfast to make sure you have energy throughout the day.
Taking baths or long showers. This was one I avoided but realized I needed to listen to my body if it made me feel so relaxed. My body almost felt like it was buzzing how much it relaxed me and I realized I was depriving it of something it badly needed to relax. Even better, add candles and magnesium flakes in the bath.
Having a bed time routine I enjoy. I noticed I felt more relaxed and enjoyed the process of slowing down an hour before bed and have time for my routine. This meant stretching, washing my face, brushing teeth, and oiling up with a candle lit and just taking it slow.
Making time for things I enjoy. Whenever I push off writing I noticed I get more easily stressed because I know itās something I enjoy doing and soothes me. For some reason I always tell myself itās a waste of time and I donāt need to share my findings with people but once I do, I feel like myself again. This could be anything for you, like reading, writing, painting, building something cool, etc. These are your God given talents/desires and we thrive when we pursue them, even if itās not an income driven hobby.
If you canāt do the testing, I highly encourage you to journal through what makes you tick and what calms you. Are you pushing yourself too hard thatās causing burnout? Are you getting enough nutrients? Are you optimizing your sleep schedule? How does certain food or drinks make you feel? Be honest with yourself and start the healing process! A lot of our stress can come from suppressing emotions and actions, not just external stressors.
If youāre interested in the Hair Mineral Analysis Test, hereās the link and a 5% off discount code: EBN5PERCENT
The test I picked was the $170 option with the one hour consultation. She was also helpful with email followups to help me answer any questions that happened to come up.
FREE version: https://shop.stephencabral.com/free-hair-mineral-analysis-test
