Episode 009 | Minerals & Vitamins – All You Need to Know

Transcript:

Hello and a very warm welcome to episode 009 of Elmar’s Tooth Talk: The missing link to total health. I am Dr Elmar Jung.

Today we have part 2 of How you can maintain a strong Immune system. Today is all about supplements.

So, before we start let me tell you, What’s in it for you in this episode:

We talk about:

• What Minerals and Vitamins are.
• Why they are important.
• Why we have to add Vitamins and Minerals to our diet
• What the US government knew already back in 1938.
• Which Vitamins and Minerals are most important?
• How much of each Vitamin and Mineral should you take?
• Which foods are high in certain Minerals and Vitamins?
• Why parents should protect their babies and small children from this common toxin?
• What to look out for when choosing your supplements

Ok, here we go …

Before we talk about which minerals and vitamins you need, why you need them and how much you need, let’s have a look what they actually are.

What is a Mineral?

Minerals are essential inorganic, meaning non-living- nutrients which the body cannot produce itself, hence they need to be added through your diet and through supplementation.

If you look at the abundant vegetation that invaded and colonized the earth’s surface when the era of the dinosaurs began, you will find huge powerful life forms, the largest the planet has ever known. The largest of the dinosaurs was a plant eating herbivore. This Brontosaurus grew to be in excess of 100 tons, yet with a mouth the size of a horse’s mouth and it fed only on a vegetarian diet!

Why were the dinosaurs so huge? It all came down to the nutrient dense, bio-diverse, mineral rich food. The secret of the dinosaurs wasn’t steroids. It wasn’t growth hormones and it wasn’t vitamins. It was what is so often missing from our diets nowadays! MINERALS.

Approximately 96% of the human body is made up of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen which form carbohydrate, protein and fat, as well as vitamins. The remaining 4% is comprised of minerals. Yet minerals are often overlooked when nutrition is considered.

Gary Price Todd, M.D., one of the first nutritional ophthalmologists said, “the human body requires at least 60 minerals in order to maintain a disease and ailment free state”. If this is true, it’s easy to understand why today sickness is so prevalent throughout the world.

The fruits and vegetables you purchase today contain, on average, no more than 16 or 18 minerals. This small number of minerals in plants is due to a mineral deficiency of the soils around the world.

When a plant grows, it draws available minerals from the soil. If the soil lacks minerals, the plant lacks minerals. Dr Todd also said, “Vitamins are basically useless in the absence of minerals”.

We have to look after our soils to grow mineral dense food because in the absence of minerals, vitamins have no function. Lacking vitamins, our body can make use of the minerals, but lacking minerals vitamins are useless.

We know from research that rats and other animals can be fed into a diseased condition and out again by controlling only the mineral content in their food.

And it works the same way with humans.

To put it simple, minerals are the spark plug of life.

Minerals play a major role in every electrical, chemical and hormonal impulse that occurs in your body.

Every biochemical process in the body is driven by enzymes. Enzymes are catalysts – they accelerate chemical reactions. And enzymes NEED minerals to work.

Your body needs minerals

• to absorb proteins and vitamins
• to produce hormones
• to convert food into energy
• to build muscle and the list goes on and on

Plant Derived Minerals

When a plant grows it absorbs minerals via its roots from the ground and converts these minerals from an insoluble metal form into a water soluble organic also called plant-derived or plant-based form. In this plant form we have virtually 100% absorption.

Plant derived minerals, like the ones you get from vegetables or fruit, are totally different to metallic minerals. The size of minerals derived from plants are around 0.01 micron (1 micron is a 1/10.000 centimeter) which is at least several thousand times smaller than the smallest metallic mineral.

Some Medical and Nutritional experts say that minerals derived from plants are so small they go directly to the cellular level and they are immediately effective, because the body doesn’t have to digest them.

What is a Vitamin?

Vitamins are organic molecules derived naturally from both plants and animals which your body needs in small amounts to support its natural functions and stay healthy

Vitamins must be obtained from food as they are either not made in the body at all, or not made in sufficient quantities for growth, vitality and well-being. A deficiency of a particular vitamin can cause disease symptoms which can only be cured by that vitamin such as scurvy and Vitamin C or rickets and Vitamin D.

Thirteen vitamins are required by our body, with only four of them being produced within the body itself.

The ones produced by our body are Vitamin K, Biotin also called Vitamin B7 and Pantothenic acid Vitamin B5 are produced in the human intestine. Sunlight on the skin synthesises to produce Vitamin D.

All other vitamins must be supplied via a healthy diet and or supplementation.

B Vitamins as well Vitamin C are water-soluble vitamins. They are easily absorbed by your body but cannot be stored.

The water-soluble vitamins which the body doesn’t need are removed by your kidneys and come out through your urine.

Vitamins A, D, E, K are all fat-soluble vitamins Your body uses bile acids to absorb them. Once they are absorbed, they are stored in body fat. When you need them, your body takes them out of storage to be used.

Why do we have to add minerals and vitamins to our diet?

There are four main reasons for the need of supplementing minerals and vitamins

This deficiency has been caused by millions of years of wind and rain erosion and centuries of unwise farming practices

1. The water cycle and soil erosion are one reason for the depletion of our soils worldwide.
2. Aggressive farming with fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphate, potassium) and pesticides make the plant grow faster and, in the case of phosphates, bind to trace minerals like zinc and make them harder for the plant to assimilate.

Many farmers have little interest in replacing the minerals by adding back mineral-rich compost because they are not needed to make the crop grow faster. So, there is no primary benefit for the farmer to add them.

4. Refining our food to make for example white rice, white flour or white sugar removes up to 90% of the minerals!
5. We need more minerals and vitamins to protect us from toxic stuff that reaches us via polluted air, polluted food and polluted water. A study by Dr. Stephen Davies from London’s Biolab Medical Unit (65,000 samples of blood, sweat and hair over the last 15 years) shows that the level of toxins is increasing while minerals like magnesium, zinc, chromium, manganese and selenium are decreasing and the same goes with most vitamins.

It only takes 3 to 5 years of using the same piece of land for it to be almost completely stripped of its minerals. Farmers say they cannot afford to crop rotate and leave their best growing fields to rest for the amount of time it would take for the minerals to return.

This ultimately has a cumulative effect on our body and adds problems for the future.

In U.S. Senate Document Number 264 published in 1936 it is stated “Our physical well-being is more directly dependent upon minerals we take into our systems then upon calories or vitamins, or upon the precise proportion of starch, protein or carbohydrates we consume”.

In the same year, 1936, the American Government warned all Americans to start supplementing their diets with minerals because the American farmlands had become severely mineral deficient due to over farming. If people didn’t take heed of this warning, they predicted that degenerative diseases caused by mineral deficiencies would reach epidemic proportions in 50 to 60 years.

Now more than 80 years later, this situation is happening worldwide because the same deficiency in farm soils is occurring everywhere.

A full spectrum of plant-based minerals will greatly enhance your chances of good health and therefore should contain at least seventy minerals.

Supplementation

Wouldn’t it be great if we’d get all our Vitamins and Minerals from our food?

That would save us lots of money, time, and effort to source the right ones.

However, due to the circumstances mentioned, the content of minerals and vitamins in our food has decreased considerably over the last few decades. Therefore, supplementation has become essential.

Ideally, we buy supplements derived from food rather than artificially manufactured ones but that might not always be possible.

So, which vitamins and minerals are most important?

From experience I would say that Vitamin C, Vitamin D and K, Vitamin B especially B6 and B12, Magnesium, Zinc, Iodine, Vitamin A and Iron are some of the most important ones as many people are deficient in them.

Vitamin C

First in line is Vitamin C which our body cannot produce itself. Vitamin C is also one of the most important supplements to fight off any kind of infection and keep our immune system strong.

It has been officially recommended by the Shanghai government that Vitamin C infusions slow down or even stop the Coronavirus and research has proven this too.

There are certain foods naturally high in Vitamin C.

Which one spring to mind for you? Let me guess was it lemon or oranges.

Well, the fruit with the highest content of Vitamin C according to my research is the Kakadu plum, an Australian native superfood that contains about 5300mg Vitamin C per 100 Gramm. That is almost 10 times more than an orange or a lemon.

The Kakadu plum is followed by Acerola cherries. They have 1680mg Vitamin C per 100 Gramm. Guavas have 228 and Kiwis 93 mg per 100 Gramm.

Some vegetables are also high in Vitamin C. Chilli peppers have about 240mg, Kale 120, Broccoli, and Brussel sprouts around 80mg per 100gramm

If you require very high amounts of Vitamin C and can’t get hold of Kakadu plum or Acerola cherry, a supplement is your choice.

There is wide variety to choose from. So, which one is the best? Well, it really depends.

You can go for the cheapest option which is Ascorbic Acid. It is still very effective. It is the one, the father of molecular biology and Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling, consumed every single day.  It is best taken in divided doses throughout the day to keep a high-level of Vitamin C in your body all day long and many people prefer to take it with food to avoid upsetting their stomach.

How much can you take? You’ll find out very quickly if you have taken too much. You’ll feel a funny sensation in your belly and have the urge to find a toilet quickly. Then you know that you have reached your bowl tolerance of Vitamin C.

How much should you take? One to five grams of Vitamin C divided over the day is a good number to start.

Another form of Vitamin C that is very popular due to its quick bioavailability is liposomal Vitamin C.

The benefit of this form of Vitamin C is that it is absorbed into the blood before it can cause stomach upset or loose stool. Its effectiveness is much higher than the previous mentioned Ascorbic acid.

The most effective way of getting lots of vitamin C into your body is via intra-venous Vitamin C infusion. This way the Vitamin C gets straight into your blood where it is needed most. Many clinics use this to support patient’s immune system especially when undergoing dental treatment such as surgery or metal removal. It also helps detoxing your body of heavy metals.

Vitamin D

Next on the list is Vitamin D. Other than Vitamin C, our body can make most of Vitamin D itself through exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is involved in almost every process in the body from a healthy immune system to proper brain function.

With 10 – 30 minutes of sun exposure to your body a few times per week your body can build enough Vitamin D.

However, low vitamin D level is a problem even in countries with sun exposure all year round

and it is estimated that between 50% and 90% of adults worldwide depending on ethnicity and location, are deficient in Vitamin D.

What does Vitamin D do? Vitamin D strengthens your bones which means it helps prevent osteoporosis. It improvs your immune system, boosts brain health, normalises insulin secretion, defends against heart disease, diabetes and even depression.

The best source to build Vitamin D is sunlight. Most people don’t live in areas where they are spoiled with sun and once the sun does shine it might not be the right time to strip off your clothes and get the sun on skin. And as I just mentioned even in countries with sun exposure all year round Vitamin D levels are still a problem.

We know that adequate sunlight exposure to skin and eyes is vital to our long-term health. Therefore, take off your cool sunglasses and let the sunshine in your eyes. Not directly looking into the sun for obvious reasons.

Sunlight’s benefits go far beyond just Vitamin D. it can protect against cancer, heart disease and hypertension.

Fortunately, there is a variety of foods high in Vitamin D you can incorporate into your diet. One tablespoon of Cod liver oil has almost three times the amount of Vitamin D compared to the next on the list which is wild caught salmon followed by mackerel, tuna and sardines, beef liver, raw milk, eggs and mushrooms.

Obviously, with fish you have to be aware the higher the fish ranks in the food chain, the more likely it is also high in heavy metals and other forms of pollutants and toxins.

For non-fish and non-meat eaters this can be a bit tricky.

A good blood level of Vitamin D is around 100-150nmol/L.

How much should an adult take? The dosages seem debatable. The standard recommended for adults is 600 – 800i.U per day. However, because most people are deficient 2.000 – 5.000 i.U are recommended by some experts.

A caveat comes with Vitamin D supplementation. Excessive Vitamin D supplementation, can increase calcium build up in the arteries.

Another word of caution. This time regarding sunscreen. Sunscreen interferes with the synthesis and production of melanin. Melanin is the body’s natural sun protection. Aluminium in sunscreen disrupts this synthesis. Maybe the increase in high sun protection factor sunscreen is part of the reason why skin cancer has steadily risen over the past two decades.

Vitamin K

In 1943 the discovery of Vitamin K was worth the Nobel Prize in Medicine. It’s called K because of the German spelling for Koagulation. Interestingly, Dr Dam, the laureate, said that it is very unlikely that Vitamin K does play a role in prevention of tooth decay.

Whereas at the same time Weston Price discovered a fat-soluble vitamin which he named factor X. He found that Vitamin K not only prevented but also healed tooth decay and plays a major role in the shaping of people’s faces. And it turned out that his factor X was factually one form of Vitamin K, called Vitamin K2 MK-4 which is the only form of Vitamin K that comes from animal sources and not from bacterial synthesis.

If you suffer from osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney problems, cancer, cardio-vascular problems or tooth decay it is worth having your Vitamin K2 MK-4 tested.

It is important to stress that is has to be this form of Vitamin K when it comes to supplementation.

The highest content of Vitamin K2 MK-4 is found in Emu oil from select farms in Australia 4200ng/g, goose liver pate 3700, duck fat 1777, egg yolk 352, Ghee 316, butter 216, chicken liver 103.

Obviously, it is important that the animals have been pasture raised or grass-fed otherwise the amount of vitamin K is far lower.

A good supplement for this form of Vitamin K is Cod liver oil with Factor X.

How much should you take?

About 5 mcg pro day is a good guideline. Which translates to about one egg yolk.

Vitamin B

As with Vitamin D, most people are deficient in B Vitamins. There are more than just one, there are eight B vitamins. B vitamins support nerve function, healthy skin and liver as well as eye health and fetal growth and development during pregnancy.

If your diet lacks in fish, poultry, meat, eggs and dairy products, leafy green vegetables, seeds and legumes/beans you are at risk of vitamin B deficiency. If on top you suffer from mood disorders, weakness, poor memory, chronic fatigue, brittle nails, poor dental health including bleeding gums and mouth sores, or anemia you might have your Vitamin B levels checked.

B vitamins are essential vitamins which means our body cannot make them and we also cannot store them, so we must have them regularly in our diet.

Each of the eight B vitamins have their own function. All together they help form blood cells and nerves, give energy and may even help fight heart disease.

Foods high in Vitamin B are organ meats like liver or kidneys, grass-fed meat, wild caught fish such as salmon, mackerel or sardines, free range eggs and pastured chicken and turkey, lamb, raw milk and dairy products, like yogurt, cheese and kefir.

For vegetarians there are leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds, like sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, sea vegetables, like spirulina, beans, legumes and peas and nutritional yeast.

For foods specific to each B vitamin please check out Dr Google ?

If you don’t like either of the foods, a full spectrum multi B-Vitamin supplement, a complex B-Vitamin, is your best choice. Again, look for one that is food based.

Vitamin A

Often overlooked and dismissed when the talk comes to Vitamins is Vitamin A. A fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin D is the most multifunctional vitamin in humans and one of the most difficult vitamins to absorb.

Vitamin A is critical to maintain healthy eyes, neurological functions, skin and hormonal health. It is important for your lungs, liver, kidneys and digestive organs.

Every time a Vitamin D molecule is used in our body, we also use a molecule of Vitamin A.

You are at risk of Vitamin D deficiency if for example your gut doesn’t work properly, you consume high amounts of alcohol or have a low-fat, high-fiber and high-protein food.

Possible signs of Vitamin A deficiency: night blindness, little bumps on skin, dry eyes, itching eyes, insomnia, dry skin,

Food sources high in Vitamin A are carrots – or have you ever seen a rabbit with glasses? That is what most people made to believe. Truth is you’d be lucky to get sufficient amounts of Vitamin D from eating raw carrots. You probably get sufficient Vitamin A from carrots if you cook them and lots of raw butter or ghee to it. But it is the Dairy that helps with Vitamin A.

If you suffer from zinc or iron deficiency the uptake of Vitamin D from carotenoids is even further limited.

So the best source of Vitamin A is liver once a week or daily Cod liver oil and 2-3 egg yolks.  Other food with good Vitamin A content are raw milk, butter, full fat cheese.

In the vegetable department it is several daily servings of orange / red veggies or fruit such as butternut squash, red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes.

The recommended dietary allowance is 700 – 900 micrograms per day. Men need more than women. However, during breast feeding, the recommended amount almost doubles.

So make sure you have sufficient daily supplies of this very important Vitamin.

Magnesium

Magnesium is one of those essential minerals many people are deficient in. Magnesium plays a central role in just about every bodily process.

About 99 percent magnesium is stored in your bones, muscles and soft tissues and only about 1 percent in the blood.

It is important for regulating your blood pressure, calms nerves, relaxes muscles, supports proper tissue function, helps prevent tooth decay and constipation, and helps you fall asleep. You can also use Magnesium oil and apply it on your skin.

You can choose between different types of Magnesium. Chelate is highly absorbable and it is the one that is found in food. Citrate is mainly used if you require a bit of laxative effect. Glycinate is less likely to cause laxative effects. Orotat is beneficial for your heart and Threonate is good for your brain and mitochondria, the power houses of our cells.

Food high in magnesium are leafy greens such as spinach, or Swiss chard, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, almonds, avocados, figs, yoghurt and bananas.

If none of them makes it on your plate a safe dose to supplement according to research for adults is 400mg daily.

Take Magnesium at bedtime – it helps sleeping.

Zinc

According to the World Health Organisation Zinc is a mineral almost one third of the population is deficient in.

The average dietary intake of zinc (7.8mg) for example is a lot less than the recommended daily average (RDA) of 15mg.

And if a mother is breastfeeding her child, this amount should be 25mg, three times the average intake. This leaves breastfed infants hopelessly deficient in a mineral that is essential for all growth processes including intellectual development.

Ironically, in animals, such a state of mineral malnutrition is well known as a cause for a wide range of illnesses. For this reason, livestock feed is enriched with minerals. NOT SO WITH MAN.

Now there are foods high in zinc however, due to their also high content of phytic acid they are less bioavailable which means the phytic acid inhibits zinc absorption. This is especially important for non-meat eaters.

This inhibiting effect can be minimised by methods such as soaking, heating, sprouting or fermenting.

Zinc is essential for proper growth, intellectual development, strong immune system, food allergies, Leaky gut and thin hair,

Food high in zinc are grass-fed lamb, hemp seeds, grass-fed beef, chickpeas, lentils, cocoa powder, cashews, kefir, mushroom, spinach and avocado.

There are different forms of zinc to choose from. Zinc orotate is the most neutral one. This means it passes through the cell membranes easily, leading to higher tissue concentrations of zinc.

Zinc gluconate however gets absorbed very little by the body.

If you are Copper-deficient ALWAYS take 8-times more Zinc than copper

Again, choose a plant-based supplement. The recommended daily dose is 30mg

Iodine

Another mineral most people are depleted is iodine.

In my practice I like to perform a simple patch test by placing a 2cm square of iodine on the wrist and have the patient check how long the patch remains visible. Most of the time the patch has disappeared after only a few hours when ideally it should be visible for up to 20-24 hours.

Iodine is especially helpful against bacteria, mould, yeasts, fungi, and many viruses. And interestingly, only iodine is capable of killing all sorts of pathogens.

Why is Iodine so important?

Iodine is also important for healthy hormone and blood sugar levels, to support normal functioning of the nervous system and our cognitive.

High amounts of Iodine are important to fight off other elements competing with iodine to connect with thyroid cells. These elements are chlorine, fluorine, bromine and especially mercury.

Chlorine comes into our homes in form of tap water or when we take a shower or bath. Fluorine is found in all sorts of dental products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, dental filling materials to name just a few.

Bromine is used as fire retardant for example in carpet backing, upholstery, curtains, furniture, television and many items we use daily. we inhale it.

A brief word of caution for parents, so please pay close attention here:

Babies and young children are particularly susceptible to the toxicity of flame-retardant chemicals. They can ingest significantly more of these chemicals than adults because they play on the floor, then put their hands and other objects into their mouths.

Dust bunnies, by their very nature, collect greater amounts of these chemicals. The more that are around, the greater the exposure. Therefore, pets and little ones crawling on the floor may be most susceptible.

Tests have shown that children typically have three times as much fire retardants in their blood as their mothers.

Flame retardants are also used in baby products, cushioning, strollers and nursing pillows.

Where can we get mercury from? Well from eating fish (best to stick to small fish such as anchovis and sardines or wild caught Alaskan salmon) and it can also come from some medical creams contain mercury. It is or has been used as preservative in vaccinations.

However, the overwhelming source of mercury is from dental amalgam fillings. A topic I have already covered extensively in the first episodes of ElmarsToothTalk.

So yes, Iodine is indeed a very important supplement.

Two drops of Lugols Iodine 15% a day in a glass of water is a very affordable way to supplement this mineral most important to your thyroid.

Food high in iodine are algae, seaweed, unpasteurised dairy products and organic eggs

Of course, you best check with your health practitioner for any kind of thyroid problems before you embark on self-supplementation.

Iron

Often overlooked is a deficiency in iron. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency.

Iron amongst other things prevents anemia, supports energy levels, the immune system and growth and is required during pregnancy to prevent premature birth

Especially pregnant women, infants, and children are at risk of a deficiency.

Food high in iron are Spirulina, liver, grass-fed beef, lentils, dark chocolate, spinach, eggs, red meat, liver, oysters, mussels, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds.

Now that we got the most important Vitamins and minerals covered there is one more point you want to look into before you buy a supplement.

What to look out for when choosing your supplements

You want your supplements to be free from:

• Magnesium Stearate,
• Titanium & Silicone Dioxide,
• Trans fats
• Sugars,
• Soy

Magnesium stearate allows the manufacturers machinery to run faster and smoother and prevents the pills or capsules from sticking to each other. One study revealed that it creates a biofilm in the body which blocks absorption of the nutrients. Research has found that it suppresses T-cells, your body´s natural killer cells, which are a key component of your immune system.

Titanium dioxide adds whiteness and brightness to products and also helps them resist discolouration. Studies have shown that it can lead to problems with the immune system.

Hydrogenated oils, so-called Trans fats, can damage the body in many ways by blocking absorption of essential fatty acids. They undergo a series of chemical processes rearranging its molecules and instead of being liquid at room temperature they are now solid. These oils are more like cellulose or plastic than they are oils.

When eating food that contains hydrogenated oil this will also thicken your blood. Research shows that only minutes after consuming hydrogenated food these negative health effects occur.

These are the main unwanted ingredients. However, there is a long list of other additives your body is better of without.

I have added them to the transcript and won’t bore you spelling them all out.

Di-Calcium Phosphate, Tablet Coating Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Glycerine, Crosslinked Cellulose, Gum, Stearic Acid, Polydextrose,  Iron Oxides,  Stearic Acid, Maltodextrin, Colloidal Anhydrous Silica, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Croscarmellose Sodium, Hypromellose, Glycerol Liquid Glucose, Talc, Sucrose, Silica, powdered, Calcium carbonate (E1700), Acacia, Tragacanthin, white beeswax, Carnauba wax, Shellac, etc

Well that was a rather long episode. However, I wanted to fit all the information about Vitamins and minerals in because there is quite some misconception out there.

So I trust I could bring some more wisdom into your home and as always it was a great pleasure to have you here.

In the next podcast you’ll discover all about cavitations, jawbone necrosis and Nico. How and why they come about, how to detect and determine them and most importantly how to treat them.

This is Elmar’s Tooth Talk, The missing link to total health. Until next time, Bye for now.

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