Why Your Minerals Keep Moving But Never Stay Put (And What to Do About It)

josephinefdn
2 days ago
10 min read

You've been following your program faithfully. Taking supplements, doing procedures, eating the diet.

Your retest comes back: some minerals up, some down, some all over the place.

Your practitioner says: "That's normal. Healing isn't linear. You're peeling the onion."

But here's what nobody tells you:

If your minerals have been cycling for YEARS — that's not healing.

That's your body trying to fix something but unable to hold the fix.

The Bucket with a Hole

Your body KNOWS it needs potassium. It raises it. Then loses it. Raises it again. Loses it again.

This isn't about trying harder. This is about finding and fixing the hole in the bucket.

Two Cases That Changed Everything

Case 1: 88-year-old woman

Potassium dropped to 1 after a high of 104.0
Sodium dropped to 4 after a high of 237.0
One month later, March 2023: severe crisis (body pain, bloating, insomnia, loss of memory for 2+ months,)
Minerals surged during recovery (K: 1→5→30, Na: 26.0→75.0)
Everyone said: "Great! She's healing!"
Two years later: Another crisis that nearly killed her
She is still recovering

The cycling had been warning us all along.

Case 2: 61-year-old man

Minerals cycling for years between fast/mixed/slow oxidation
Crashes into Four Lows, then goes back up
Na/K rarely swings above 2.5 — stuck at a dangerous level below 1.0
Never stable, never settling
Now symptoms: severe fatigue, insomnia, BP changes

I fear he's heading toward the same crisis as the 88-year-old.

The Three Things Your Body Needs to Hold Minerals

After 15 years of watching hundreds of cases, I've learned:

All three factors must be in place. Not one. Not two. ALL THREE.

1. Sleep Past 7 AM — Every Single Day

Not about HOW LONG you sleep. About WHEN you wake.

Your cortisol rises 4-5 AM, peaks 7-8 AM.

While sleeping: Aldosterone (retention hormone) listens to kidneys → "retain minerals"

When awake: Aldosterone couples with cortisol → "dump minerals"

Wake at 5-6 AM: You jump into peak cortisol surge, dump minerals for next 2-3 hours

Wake at 7+ AM: You sleep through the surge, body retains minerals

Think of it: Waking at 5-6 AM = jumping into flooding river. Waking at 7 AM = waiting until flood passes.

The rule:

In bed by 9:30-10 PM
Don't get out of bed before 7 AM
If you wake to pee, go right back to bed
Can't fall back asleep? Stay horizontal, eyes closed, room dark
Not "most days" — EVERY DAY

"I wake naturally at 6 AM!"

You're in sympathetic dominance. After 2-4 weeks staying in bed until 7 AM, your body will retrain. Yes, you'll feel MORE tired at first — that's your body finally allowed to rest instead of running on adrenaline.

The 88-year-old woman slept past 10 AM. Her sleep timing was excellent. But she still had two crises. Why? Sleep alone isn't enough.

2. Copper-to-Zinc Ratio Must Be Right

Too much zinc blocks copper. Without usable copper, your body can't hold minerals stable.

The 88-year-old woman's story:

Sleeping great ✓
Taking 4.5mg copper daily from SBF ✓
But also taking 48mg zinc (10.7:1 ratio) ✗

Before her potassium dropped to 1:

Taking 2 Limcomin + 2 SBF daily = 3mg copper
NO zinc supplements (only dietary zinc, ~10mg)
Ratio: approximately 3:1 (zinc:copper)
Sleeping great ✓
Copper absorption unblocked ✓

When K dropped to 1, the protocol was changed:

Copper removed completely (0mg)
Zinc added at 45mg
New ratio: infinite (all zinc, no copper)

One month later: Severe health crisis.

Her body had been maintaining on 3mg copper with minimal zinc interference. When copper was removed entirely and replaced with 45mg zinc, she collapsed within 30 days.

This reveals two critical truths:

At age 88 with K at 1, she needed MORE copper, not less
Standard protocol rules ("remove copper when Na/K rises") failed catastrophically for extreme age and depletion

Standard Eck ratios (10.7:1, 12:1) work for many people.

But at extreme age (60+), severe depletion (K under 3), or years of cycling — they may need adaptation:

Moderate cases: 6-8:1 ratio
Severe/elderly: 2-4:1 ratio (or even lower zinc, like she had before the change)

The lesson: When someone elderly with critically low minerals is already on a LOW zinc, HIGH copper ratio and minerals are declining — the answer is NOT to remove copper and add massive zinc.

Ask your practitioner: What's my ratio? Given my age and cycling pattern, should we lower zinc?

3. Strict Carbohydrate Control

Every time you eat carbs:

Blood sugar rises → insulin spikes
Insulin forces potassium into cells temporarily
Blood sugar drops → body dumps potassium out
Result: endless mineral cycling

Most people over 60 have insulin resistance (even undiagnosed):

Belly fat won't budge
Energy crashes after meals
Carb cravings
High blood pressure

The 88-year-old woman: Excellent sleep timing ✓, taking copper ✓ (blocked by zinc), but NOT strict with carbs ✗

That alone sabotaged everything.

For slow oxidizers (most with low, unstable K):

70% cooked vegetables, 20% protein, 10% fat
50-75g carbs daily MAX (vegetables only)
NO fruit, sweet potatoes, grains, beans, smoothies, hidden sugars

When minerals are critically low: no room to cheat.

For fast oxidizers: Even lower carbs, higher fats. Strict control calms the crisis.

But When Do I Do My Sauna, Coffee Enemas, and Other Procedures?

I hear this all the time.

You're supposed to stay in bed until 7 AM. But you also need to do procedures. How do you fit it all in?

Here's the truth:

The three non-negotiables come FIRST:

Sleep past 7 AM
Correct copper-zinc ratio
Strict carb control

Then find time for everything else.

Why This Order Matters

If you get up at 5 AM to do a sauna and coffee enema:

You lose 2 hours of mineral retention time
Your aldosterone couples with cortisol
You dump minerals for the next 2-3 hours
The sauna and enema can't compensate for this loss

You're working against yourself.

If you sleep until 7 AM +, THEN do procedures:

You protected your retention window
Your body held minerals for those critical 2 hours
Now the sauna and enema support healing instead of fighting mineral loss

Practical Schedule

7:00 AM - Get out of bed (not before)

7:00-7:30 AM - Sauna or coffee enema (choose one)

7:30-8:00 AM - Quick breakfast (slow ox: vegetables, protein)

8:00 AM+ - Start your day

OR if you work:

7:00 AM - Get out of bed

7:00-7:15 AM - Quick prep, breakfast

Evening after work - Sauna, coffee enema, other procedures

The procedures are important.

But they cannot override the mineral retention window.

Sleeping past 7 AM is more important than doing a sauna at 5-6 AM.

Priority Hierarchy

Tier 1 - Absolutely Non-Negotiable:

Sleep past 7 AM (every single day)
Correct copper-zinc ratio (daily supplements)
Strict carb control (every meal)

Tier 2 - Very Important, Fit in When You Can:

Sauna (3-5x/week minimum)
Coffee enemas (3-5x/week minimum)
Pulling Down Procedure (daily, can do in bed before getting up)

Tier 3 - Helpful, Do What You Can:

Red light therapy
Other procedures

If you're trying to do Tier 2 procedures at the expense of Tier 1 factors, you're sabotaging your healing.

Get Tier 1 perfect first. Then add Tier 2.

"I've Always Done My Sauna at 5 AM"

I understand. It's your routine.

But if your minerals have been cycling for years, your routine isn't working.

Try this experiment:

For 3 months:

Stay in bed until 7AM + (no exceptions)
Move sauna/enemas to after 7 AM or evenings
Keep everything else the same

Retest at 3 months.

If your minerals finally stabilize, you have your answer.

The routine that feels right isn't always the routine that works.

Why All Three Must Work Together

Sleep timing alone: Can't fix zinc blocking copper or insulin dumping
Good ratio alone: Loses minerals at 5 AM wake and with carb spikes
Carb control alone: Can't fix sleep loss or copper deficiency

All three together = body finally holds minerals stable.

The Honesty You Need

Two kinds of honesty are required:

1. Are you doing the basic program?

80%+ supplements, diet, procedures?
If not: Get compliant first. No judgment — just reality.

2. If you ARE doing basics, are you doing the THREE FACTORS?

Sleep timing:

NOT: "I sleep 7-8 hours"
YES: "In bed by 10 PM, don't get up before 7 AM, every single day"
Be honest: Waking at 5-6 AM? This is your problem.

Copper-zinc ratio:

Calculate: total zinc ÷ total copper (include food: ~10mg Zn, ~2mg Cu)
Be honest: Over 60 with 10:1 ratio? This might be your problem.

Carb control:

NOT: "I mostly follow slow ox diet"
YES: "STRICTLY 70% veg, zero fruit, zero grains, zero exceptions"
Be honest: "Just a little" fruit or sweet potato? This is your problem.

You can be 90% compliant with basics and 0% compliant with these three factors. That's why you cycle.

Talk to your practitioner honestly. Good practitioners want truth, not lies.

What to Do Now

Step 1: Track wake time for 7 days. If before 7 AM = make this your #1 priority. Stay in bed even awake.

Step 2: Calculate your ratio (total zinc ÷ total copper). If over 10:1 and you're 60+ or cycling, talk to practitioner about lowering zinc.

Step 3: Track EVERY carb for 3 days. Include fruit, starchy veg, grains, hidden sugars. Over 75g daily? Cut back.

Step 4: Give it 3 months with all three optimized. Retest. If still cycling, deeper investigation needed.

Timeline

Weeks 1-2: May feel more tired (body finally resting)

Weeks 3-6: Energy stabilizing, less "wired but tired"

Months 2-3: Retest should show minerals holding better

Months 4-12: Continued stability

If not seeing stability by month 3-4: Something in the three factors isn't right yet. Don't keep doing the same thing for years, hoping it'll work.

Age Matters

At 40: Body can handle instability

At 60, 70, 80: Instability becomes dangerous

Cycling is not "peeling the onion" or "development". Cycling is a warning sign.

For 60+ with cycling: Work with practitioner willing to adapt ratios, verify all three factors, monitor closely.

"But I Work — Can't Sleep Past 7 AM"

If you're 40-50 and MUST wake early:

Find ANY flexibility (WFH 1-2 days? Later start some days?)
Make weekends sacred (sleep past 8 AM both days)
Be PERFECT with other two factors (no room for error)
Accept slower progress (6-9 months vs 3-4 months)
If minerals won't stabilize after 12-18 months: choose between job and health

Younger = more metabolic reserve to compensate. At 60+, early waking becomes critical limiting factor.

The Bottom Line

Your body tries to fix potassium. Then loses it. Tries again. Loses it.

That's a bucket with a hole.

Fix the hole:

Sleep past 7 AM (every day, no exceptions)
Right copper-zinc ratio (often less zinc, especially 60+)
Strict carb control (no cheating)

All three. Working together.

That's when real healing — real stability — becomes possible.

The Deeper Truth: Natural Law and Divine Order

We are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). Our bodies — including mineral systems — reflect His divine wisdom.

When minerals cycle endlessly, we're witnessing a departure from the natural order that God established in creation.

Natural Law Written Into Creation

Traditional Catholic theology teaches God wrote His law into creation itself — natural law discoverable through reason.

When we study minerals, sleep rhythms, metabolic function — we're studying natural law.

St. Thomas Aquinas taught: We know truth through divine revelation (Scripture/Tradition) AND reason observing the natural world.

When minerals won't stabilize, we're witnessing the consequences of violating natural law.

Free Will and Consequences

God gave us free will — but not freedom FROM consequences.

When we choose to:

Wake at 5 AM (violating cortisol rhythm He designed)
Eat foods triggering insulin chaos (ignoring metabolic type)
Take ratios that block absorption (working against His systems)

We suffer natural consequences.

Not arbitrary punishment, but inevitable result of violating natural law.

Just as dropping a stone results in falling (gravity), violating body's design results in disease.

This is justice — not vindictive, but restorative — showing where we deviated so we can return to order.

Ignorance and Responsibility

"My people perish for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).

Ignorance doesn't exempt from consequences.

Don't know if 5 AM waking dumps minerals? Still lose minerals.

Don't know zinc blocks copper? Copper is still blocked.

Premature death awaits in the darkness of ignorance — not because God wills death, but because we didn't understand His creation well enough to steward it.

Our Duty

We have a moral duty to understand God's design:

How He created the adrenal system
Mineral relationships He built
To conform our lives to His natural order

This isn't optional.

Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). You'll answer for how you stewarded it.

Willful ignorance is culpable. "I didn't know" — when you refused to learn — is no excuse.

True Science

Modern science is corrupted — divorced from God, claiming autonomy from natural law.

True science, rightly ordered, is the study of God's creation.

When we discover aldosterone-cortisol coupling, zinc-copper antagonism, insulin-potassium dynamics — we're uncovering eternal truths God built from the beginning.

Traditional Catholic teaching honors reason, and the study of nature— created order reveals the Creator.

Fallen World, Divine Design

We live in a fallen world. Original sin subjects bodies to decay, disease, and death.

But God's design still operates in fallen creation. Natural laws still function.

When we align with His design — sleeping according to cortisol rhythms, balancing minerals, eating for metabolic type — we participate in restoration.

Not earning salvation (Christ's work alone), but cooperating with grace to restore order.

When we violate design, we compound Fall's effects with our own disobedience.

What This Means

Everything in this article — sleep, ratios, carbs — is about discovering and conforming to natural law.

When minerals won't stabilize:

Not random
Not bad luck
Not "just detox"

You're violating natural laws God built into creation.

When you conform to His design, healing becomes possible.

Not guaranteed (fallen world), but possible in a way it never was, fighting divine order.

Final Word

Understanding minerals is discovering God's natural law written into creation.

When you conform your life to His design — even when hard, even requiring sacrifice and discipline — you're practicing obedience to natural law.

This is the narrow path (Matthew 7:14) that leads to eternal life.

Premature death awaits those persisting in violating natural law — not as punishment, but an inevitable consequence.

Body and Soul

Physical and spiritual healing both require conforming to God's order:

Physical: natural law in body
Spiritual: moral law in soul

Traditional Catholic spiritual formation—pre-Vatican II Marian devotion, traditional prayer, and the sacraments—addresses both.

I offer Catholic spiritual coaching through the Marian 12-Step Journey, integrating traditional devotion with addressing modern attachments. This work recognizes that healing body and soul requires returning to the order God established before modern confusion.

Remember: Your body is God's creation. Healing means discovering His design and conforming to it.

This is not optional.

This is obedience.