MODERN STARVATION

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Millions of people are so mineral-deficient today that the condition deserves the name modern starvation. It is not protein or calorie starvation, as seen in the television programs about Africa, for example. Instead, it is a serious deficiency of vital minerals in the body such as zinc, chromium, selenium, manganese, calcium, magnesium and others.

This article helps explain the nutritional state of millions of people today, especially in the Western nations. It also helps explain why the current health care system is not working well, and costing more and more.

WHY IS THIS OCCURRING?

The causes of modern mineral starvation are a combination of factors that include:

1. A food supply that is lower in minerals than any time in recent history. The reasons for this are the use of hybrid crops that produce up to 10 times as much food per acre. However, more minerals are not added to the soil, so each stalk of grain, vegetable or fruit contains fewer minerals. Also, crops are fertilized with NPK chemical fertilizers that grow large crops, but lack trace minerals.

2. Diets of processed foods. Most food processing reduces the nutritional content of the food quite drastically. Among the most important examples are the refining of whole wheat to make white flour, refining of rice to make white rice, and refining of sugar cane to make white sugar. In each of these cases, the mineral content of the food is reduced by 50% or more.

In some cases, such as eating sugar, the more that is eaten the more deficient in minerals one becomes because minerals are needed to digest the food.

3. The use of chemicalized “foods” that contain no nutrition at all and often interfere with proper digestion of food. These include such items as soda pop, and many processed items such as candy, cookies, ice cream and other food items that are basically chemicals.

4. Impaired digestion that prevents adequate absorption of the minerals in the food we eat. This problem is extremely common.

5. Stress that increases the need for vital minerals.

6. Poor quality eating habits that impair the digestion and absorption of minerals. These habits include eating on the run, eating in your car, eating too quickly and other common habits.

7. The very widespread use of medical drugs, vaccines and over-the-counter remedies. These provide no nutrition, and actually deplete nutrients in many cases.

8. Mothers who are mineral-starved are giving birth to children who start out life quite mineral-deficient. Most quickly become even more mineral-starved due to the factors discussed above.

SYMPTOMS OF MODERN STARVATION

Unlike the starving African children, those with modern starvation do not have hollow-looking eyes and a bloated belly. Indeed, they may look like anyone else, or they may even be obese. Most, however, do not look that healthy, even if they are naturally attractive.

They are often diagnosed with conditions such as adrenal exhaustion, hypothyroidism, multiple chemical sensitivity, chronic candida albicans infection, Lyme disease and other less common diagnoses. Certain diseases such as cancer and diabetes, however, are also very common.

Their babies are more often born with developmental delays, birth defects, and develop attention deficit, autism, infections and other rather severe symptoms.

Many have mental and emotional difficulties. Most are very fearful and depression is common. Brain fog, mood swings, panic attacks and dozens of other mental and emotional symptoms are also common.

In fact, modern starvation can cause almost any symptom depending upon which minerals are deficient, and in which parts of the body the deficiencies lie. It also depends upon which toxic metal replaces the vital minerals in each enzyme binding site. Symptoms can be confusing and unusual, even defying standard medical diagnostic categories, at times.

Indeed, many of those with modern starvation have visited with a dozen or more doctors, naturopaths, nutritionists and others with little success. This is one of the most frustrating situations imaginable.

THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF MODERN STARVATION

Modern mineral starvation always causes a vicious cycle that subtly worsens the situation. A person may first become mineral-starved due to modern eating habits, an illness, or even just due to having been born with significant mineral deficiencies.

This causes impaired digestive enzyme production. Zinc and other trace minerals are absolutely required for digestive enzyme production. This results in reduced absorption of minerals from food, which worsens the mineral starvation, and the cycle continues, usually without one’s knowledge or understanding.

MODERN STARVATION AND TOXIC METALS

Millions upon millions of enzymes in the human body depend on the availability of minerals such as magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, iron, copper and others. If these minerals are not available in the correct form and quantities, these metallo-enzymes, as they are called, do not function properly.

In this situation, the body goes for second best, which means that it attempts to power the enzymes with minerals that are not as good, but will function in the enzymes to some degree. These less preferred minerals are the toxic metals, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, nickel and others.

An analogy is the use of an inferior replacement part in an automobile or other machine when one cannot find the original factory-designed part. It may function, but it does not work nearly as well. Get enough of these “replacement parts” in your body, and one develops serious illness.

MODERN STARVATION AS SEEN ON HAIR MINERAL TESTS

At times, modern starvation is not obvious from a hair mineral analysis. However, often there are indicators including:

1. More than 3 poor eliminator patterns. This means the body is not removing its toxic metals adequately. One reason for this is that the body cannot let go of its toxic metals because they are needed.

2. Low energy patterns, such as four lows, very slow oxidation rate, or a low sodium/potassium ratio.

3. A calcium shell pattern. This indicates a person is sort of ‘hiding out’, often because one’s energy is so low.

4. A bowl or yin deficiency pattern. This is also often due to severe nutritional deficiencies.

HANDLING MODERN STARVATION

Modern starvation does not respond well to symptomatic healing methods, which includes the use of medical drugs, herbs, chelation, homeopathy, the use of electrical machines, or most other methods. These methods have value, but they are not deep or thorough enough to reverse the changes that occur with modern starvation.

Nutritional balancing. This much newer healing system is designed to counter mineral starvation. At least 10 methods are used to quickly remineralize the body.

These include a diet very high in cooked, not raw vegetables, and the use of sea salt, bone broth, and spring or carbon-only filtered tap water. It also involves a drastic improvement in digestion, use of a powerful digestive aid, and a few other supplements - but not too many because most will upset digestion a little.

Other program aspects include stress reduction and avoiding toxins that interfere with mineral absorption. All these methods must be combined in an integrated way so that one aspect does not interfere with any of the others.

It is a unique synthesis of the most modern biochemical and physiological sciences combined with older, time-tested principles of health and healing. I learned it from a very smart doctor, Paul Eck, and I have continued to research and improve it over the past 20 years. For more details, please read Remineralizing The Body and Unknown Concepts In Nutritional Balancing on this site.

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