November 20, 2024 • 43 mins
In this episode of the Love Your Gut podcast, I’m pulling back the curtain on my personal health journey by sharing my latest HTMA results and the postpartum mineral plan I’ve created to support recovery, breastfeeding, and hormone balance.
I walk you through what HTMA testing revealed about my mineral status during pregnancy, including the impact of a challenging first trimester, and how I used this information to prepare for postpartum. I’ll explain the role of key minerals like magnesium, potassium, and sodium in postpartum recovery, why mineral balance is essential for preventing hair loss and stabilizing energy levels, and how I’m supporting myself to feel my best as I navigate this new chapter.
If you’ve ever wondered how to optimize your mineral levels for postpartum recovery—or how HTMA testing can provide insights to guide your health—this episode is for you! Download my free mineral guide to get started on your own journey toward mineral balance and thriving postpartum health.
Links from the episode:
- Join the email list for our HTMA Black Friday sale
- Get 1:1 support for your GI symptoms
- Blog: What is HTMA testing?
- Blog: Top minerals for gut and hormone health
- Podcast Episode about Mold
Connect with Dr. Heather
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Heather Finley (00:03):
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Hello, and welcome back to thenext episode of the love your
gut podcast.
I am really excited for today'sepisode because it's one that I
have been asked about quite abit and it's been highly
anticipated.
(01:08):
So I am going to go over my ownhair mineral analysis results.
As many of you know, I am atleast at the moment of recording
this, I am 30.
Nine tomorrow, I'll be 39 weekspregnant.
So maybe by the time this isout, I'll have a baby.
But I chose to do an HTMAA, ahair mineral analysis test on
(01:32):
myself to prepare forpostpartum.
And so this is hopefully goingto be a really interesting
episode to any of you trying toconceive pregnant postpartum
really any stage of life,because I'm going to talk about
some of the trends that I foundon the test.
And honestly, regardless of ifyou are planning to have a baby
(01:52):
or pregnant or not, I thinkyou'll find this super
interesting just to learn whattypes of insights you can get
from this test and then how I amactually moving forward to
support myself.
So I want to ask you thequestion, have you ever felt
sick?
completely worn out.
Like no matter what you'redoing, you just cannot get your
(02:15):
energy back.
Or maybe you've wondered whymanaging stress or blood sugar
sometimes feels like an uphillbattle.
This was honestly my storybefore I found HTMAA, which
stands for hair mineral, herhair tissue mineral analysis.
And I want to share Why this hasbeen such a powerful tool for me
(02:38):
and how it might help you too.
So there's lots of questionsoftentimes on what is HTMAA and
how is this different from bloodwork?
So I want to break down reallyclearly for you.
What HTMAa is so HTMAa is alittle bit different than blood
work because it's more of a longterm health snapshot hair will
(03:01):
hold on to minerals and reallyjust gives us a picture of how
our bodies have been handlingminerals over the last few
months.
So it's like checking the fuelgauge for essential minerals
that keep things going.
Moving in our bodies, everymetabolic process in our body
relies on minerals, which issuper interesting.
(03:23):
And you have to consumeminerals.
We cannot make minerals.
So unless we're getting themfrom our diet or supplementing
with them, our body cannot getthem.
So minerals really do tons forus.
They create energy.
They also actually help usmanage stress.
I know I talk a lot about stresson Instagram and on this podcast
(03:47):
as well, and how stress canreally be the root cause of GI
issues, hormone issues, etcetera.
And I know that can be a reallyfrustrating thing to hear, but
what if stress reduction wasn'tjust about meditating all day
long or doing an adult coloringbook, which don't get me wrong.
Those things can be helpful.
(04:07):
What if the reason that you feelfrazzled and stressed actually
goes back to your mineraldepletion?
We have seen so many successstories with clients and I've
actually shocked a couple of myfriends with this as well.
I'll never forget this summer.
I was home one weekend justputzing around the house and my
(04:30):
phone dinged and I got a textfrom a friend and she said, is
this mineral magic or am Imaking this up?
But I've had my period usually,you know, things are really
stressful in my business rightnow.
And usually I'd be like snappingat everything and I'm not, is
this just a coincidence?
And I was like, no, it'sabsolutely not.
(04:50):
Minerals give us energy.
They help us manage stress.
And really, if we don't have theright balance of minerals, it's
like you're driving on fumes.
So you're always just runninglow and feeling drained.
And obviously most people whohave been pregnant know how
challenging pregnancy can be.
(05:12):
But it's, you don't even have tohave gone through pregnancy or
postpartum to feel depleted.
Honestly, some of the mostdepleting times of my life were
well before I had children.
They were after I spent 18 yearsof my life Being a competitive
swimmer, and then training fortriathlons, not feeling myself
(05:33):
correctly, having digestiveissues that prevented my
absorption and prevented me fromactually absorbing minerals,
which is another piece of thepuzzle.
You can't absorb minerals ifyour digestion is suffering.
But then the other side of thecoin is we can't even make
stomach acid.
(05:55):
Without adequate minerals.
So it ends up being a catch 22,which is why we run HTMAA with
our clients.
Pretty much every client we workwith, we suggest an HTMAA,
especially because we tend towork out, work with clients who
are super burnout, who havetried everything.
(06:15):
You know, it's really never.
Someone's first rodeo, wheneverthey work with us, unless
they're starting with an HTMAA.
So I want to just break down mypersonal journey with HTMAA how
it's really just been a gamechanger for me.
So when I first started testing,I was dealing with extreme
fatigue and burnout.
This was coming off of apostpartum Journey with my
(06:37):
second child.
So for those of you that aremaybe newer to this podcast or
newer to me I have a six yearold.
I have an almost three year oldand then like I said, I'm
basically 39 weeks pregnant withmy third after my second I Felt
really good until I did it andDid not realize at the time that
(06:58):
I had a baby Mold in my body andwe had mold in our house.
So about four months postpartum,I hit this wall where I was
like, you know, my baby issleeping again.
Why do I feel so bad?
And that's when I started goingdown this rabbit hole of what
else could be going on?
We found the mold.
We obviously remediated themold.
(07:20):
I have a whole podcast episodeon mold.
So I will link that in the shownotes in case you're interested.
We're thinking that might be thecase for you.
But really, HTMAA helped me tojust understand where my body
was so depleted, likely frompregnancy and postpartum, as
well as from mold and what Ineeded to do to feel energized
again.
(07:40):
And so I started supporting myminerals.
Based on my HTMAA test afterthat time, I saw huge, literally
huge improvements in my thyroidfunction.
I was able to decrease mythyroid meds, which was crazy.
Balance my blood sugar.
I was having these crazy bloodsugar swings that I'd never had
before.
(08:01):
I felt a lot more resilient tostress.
And these were things thatreally changed my day to day
life as a business owner.
As a mom, I really don't havethe capacity or the desire to be
tired or to feel like I'mfrazzled all the time.
And so this made such a bigdifference for me.
(08:21):
And I knew how much mineralsmattered.
There was a time in my brick andmortar practice before I took
everything fully online that I.
I ran vitamin and mineraltesting in a different capacity
and used it with clients and sawgood results.
But when I switched to HTMAA,the results were even better.
And this was a pivotal point inmy practice when I realized, if
(08:46):
this worked so well for me, whyare we not doing this with every
single client that we have?
And since then, so about threeyears ago, We have, or two and a
half years ago, we have reallyshifted the order of priority
with our clients, where, ofcourse, we're known for gut
health and helping people withSIBO and IBS and all sorts of GI
(09:11):
issues, but everybody,foundationally, Needs minerals,
especially after the last likecollective four or five years of
just stress and trauma that alot of us have been through.
So I decided this time that Iwas going to take a proactive
approach to postpartum.
(09:32):
I've been periodically checkingmy minerals since that moment,
four months postpartum with myson.
And really working on minerals.
As many of, you know, I had amiscarriage last fall.
So last I guess that would befall 2023 and my health kind of
spiraled after that, it was likemy body was trying to purge
(09:53):
Everything which was a goodthing, but uncomfortable at the
same time, I had a miscarriage.
Then I actually got scarletfever, which who even knew that
was still a thing.
Then proceeded to get strepthroat three times, which I had
never.
I hadn't had strep throat inprobably 20 years or longer.
I hadn't even been onantibiotics in that long.
(10:15):
And so it was just this crazykind of six months of my body,
like trying to get into balanceagain after the miscarriage.
So minerals were a huge piece ofmy healing journey there.
I could probably do a wholepodcast episode on that.
But for brevity sake, we'll justsay that Minerals really
supported me throughout thattime.
(10:36):
I did aHTMATMA pretty shortlyactually before the miscarriage
and then a couple months after.
This year, 2024, I have done,I've done an HTMAa test twice,
so I did an HTMAa in March 2024,and then I just did one now.
(10:57):
I got the results back about aweek ago.
So when I completed the test, Iwas.
probably 36 ish weeks pregnant.
So I ran this test, like I said,I did it because I wanted to
give a proactive approach as asoon to be mom of three, I knew
postpartum third time around,especially with two youngish
(11:20):
children definitely differentand definitely less margin for
rest, less margin for all thethings that I got to do the
first time around, especially,and even the second time, like
things just obviously getbusier, the more children you
have.
I wanted to be fully prepared asI recover from birth.
I want to breastfeed this childas well.
(11:42):
And just hopefully reduce someof the postpartum hair loss that
usually hits me around three tofour months.
I know that's a big thing thatmany women experience and many
women do not enjoy.
I will keep you posted on that.
I've never intentionally done anHTMAA before the hair loss
starts, so we'll see if it's alittle different this time
(12:03):
around.
Just reflecting on my pregnancyjourney I, like I said, had come
off of six months of just someup and down health stuff.
Stuff that really hadn't beenthe case for me for a long time.
But like I said, I really thinkthat my body was just trying to
like purge and prepare for ahealthy pregnancy.
(12:23):
And so even though gettingscarlet fever wasn't fun and
being on antibiotics was not funit did, I think helped set me up
for success to feel better now.
The first 20 weeks of pregnancy,historically, this has been the
case with all my pregnancies,are really rough.
I'm really sick.
My diet gets really limited.
(12:43):
I live, my team always jokeswhen we see the simple meals,
crackers and protein shakes, weknow you're pregnant because
that's pretty much what I liveon.
For a long time when I'm a firstpregnant, I'm extremely
nauseous.
I vomit.
And so it's really kind ofsurvival mode for me for those
first 20 weeks.
This has been the casethroughout every single
(13:04):
pregnancy, like I mentioned.
So I was really honestly justdoing what I could, especially
because I had two other childrento take care of.
I'm thankful.
I have a very equal and helpfulhusband.
And doing what I could.
Trying to make sure that thingswith the business were running
correctly, obviously couldn'tjust stop my whole life for 20
(13:25):
weeks.
Made it through.
I was doing probably one to twomineral mocktails a day.
Like I mentioned, I had done anHTMAA in March.
This was like right during thetime that I got pregnant.
And so typically what I would doafter I get an HTMAA is I would
custom blend a mineral powderfor myself.
(13:47):
This is something that we do forlots of our clients.
They find it extremelyconvenient.
It also can be actually a lotmore cost effective because we
can replace a multivitamin.
We can replace liver support.
We can replace lots of kind ofadjunctive Supplements and put
it into one powder that they cantake one to two scoops of a day,
(14:09):
just depending on what theirdoses.
And I've done this severaltimes.
I've probably done two to threeat this point, custom mineral
powders.
I find them extremely helpful.
They're very potent and it'sjust really convenient.
I honestly think that you cansave quite a bit of money doing
this too, because when you startlooking at some of the mineral
(14:31):
products that are on the market,which Definitely love things
like pickable cocktail andelement and redmond relight and
all those things are fun to haveI know many of you love seeing
the little mineral mocktailsthat I come up with And share on
instagram, but for conveniencesake the powder can be really
helpful, but I just knew Basedon previous pregnancies that
(14:54):
there's absolutely no way that Iwas just going to be able to
tolerate something like that.
So I ended up opting not to do acustom blend and to just try to
do mineral mocktails as I could.
So I did lots of mineralmocktails that had higher
potassium, higher sodium, whichwere two things that I knew that
I really needed based on mytests.
(15:15):
And supported myself that way.
Also, once I was not nauseousanymore, really focused on the
food side of things as well.
Like I said, the first 20 weeksI was just trying to eat what I
could.
So thankfully, The last 20 or Iguess 19 weeks have been a lot
easier.
I'm able to eat a much widervariety of foods now.
(15:36):
I really don't have foodaversions.
I can actually tolerate likefresh produce and protein and
meat and been able to exercisehow I would like to and drink
mineral mocktails and do all thethings.
So I still do mineral drinkseach day to keep up my energy.
And now towards the end ofpregnancy, I'm adding in Nora
(15:58):
tea.
So if you're unfamiliar withNora tea, this is nettles, oat
straw, red raspberry leaf, andalfalfa.
These four herbs can help getyour body ready for labor.
They're also super mineral rich.
And actually nettlesspecifically is a.
herb that we recommend a lot oftimes to our clients who
(16:18):
struggle with histamine issues.
If they're having allergysymptoms, any kind of histamine
breakdown issues, nettles issuper rich in minerals, but also
can be really supportive forthat.
So that's what I've been doingis one to two mineral mocktails
a day.
Again, higher sodium, higherpotassium, definitely adding in
magnesium, especially at nightand the Nora tea to help get my
(16:41):
body ready for labor as I waspreparing to do this HTMAA.
I, HTMAA really for me isn'tjust a test, it really helps to
help me know what my body needs.
I really think it's one of thebest tools for how to support
yourself through big lifechanges.
Such as pregnancy andpostpartum, you know, if you've
(17:03):
just come out of a reallystressful time of your life, GI
issues, hormone issues.
So really if you're looking foranswers, especially with energy
or stress, HTMAA is really thebest place to start.
It's really easy to getdistracted by like really fancy.
Stool test and don't get mewrong.
I love stool testing.
We use it with our clients orhormone testing or whatever it
(17:25):
might be.
But foundationally, if yourminerals are out of whack,
you're not going to respond aswell to some of those things.
So let's get into my own HTMAAresults and what they mean for
health.
So When you're looking at anHTMA test, which obviously this
is a podcast, you can't see myresults, but definitely check
out my Instagram over the nextcouple of days and my blog as
(17:47):
well, which I'll link in theshow notes where I have some
like tangible screenshots ofthings that you can actually
see.
But there's tons of minerals onthis test.
It tests all the main mineralsas well as heavy metals.
And what you really want to lookat first is the four core
minerals.
So these are calcium, sodium,potassium, and magnesium.
(18:10):
So looking at my test, I was notsurprised.
Pregnancy is one of the mostdepleting things when it comes
to minerals.
I was low in three out of fourof my core minerals, even though
I've been supporting them.
And I guess the other thing thatI didn't mention is I have
definitely been taking aprenatal probiotic and some
(18:31):
other things as well.
So it's.
I was getting all of that andstill some of my minerals were
low, which just shows how muchyour body needs.
So specifically for me, mysodium, potassium and magnesium
were low.
This really isn't too surprisinggiven the demands of pregnancy,
but it does help explain, youknow, perhaps like some of the
(18:55):
symptoms I might have.
Towards the end of pregnancy,just like feeling a little bit
more tired, a little bit moreworn out.
Sometimes a little bit ofdizziness, etc.
Nothing extreme nothing crazy.
Honestly, I'm very lucky to feelas good as I do this pregnant.
So sodium specifically, sodium Ithink the 90s made us extremely
(19:16):
scared about sodium.
But sodium isn't just about likesalt.
It's really key for energy,hydration, and how our muscles
work.
And when sodium is low, you canfeel super fatigued and mentally
foggy.
I know for me, my blood pressuretends to run on the lower side
of things.
So sodium is something that Idefinitely need to include.
(19:38):
Obviously, this is wherepersonalization comes in because
that might not be the case foryou.
So sodium is something that Ireally want to focus on,
especially mineral rich Saltcooking with stuff like Redmond
relay or Redmond Redmond realsalt, sorry.
Celtic salt, et cetera.
It's going to have a lot ofother minerals in it as well.
(20:00):
But sodium really helpsourselves to be hydrated.
If you've ever drank water allday and you still feel thirsty,
perhaps you need more sodium.
This is something that we see aton with our clients.
We.
I actually see a lot more lowsodium on HTMAa testing than we
do high sodium.
(20:20):
The next one was potassium.
So potassium is like your energybooster.
It's what helps you be theenergizer bunny.
And I can speak so specificallyto this.
Whenever I have a mineralmocktail that is high in
potassium, especially in theafternoon, I feel like I have So
much energy and it definitelyworks way better than like a
(20:44):
second cup of coffee.
You might be reaching for thatsecond cup of coffee at 2 PM,
but what about potassiuminstead?
So potassium, like I said, it'slike your little energizer
bunny.
It's a muscle helper.
When you feel low, you mightfeel weak.
You might have poor digestionbecause potassium helps with
muscle contraction.
So if you struggle to empty yourbowels, potassium could be key
(21:05):
here.
Or if you just feel thatconstant, like running on empty
feeling.
Potassium is something thathistorically for me has been low
and I've had to reallydiligently support and seeing
kind of fluctuations in that.
Most people do not get enoughpotassium and this is a trend
that we see with a lot of ourclients.
(21:27):
And then the last one wasmagnesium.
So magnesium is the mineral thathelps us relax.
Low magnesium can show up asmuscle tension, poor sleep, even
anxiety.
So having all three low sodium,potassium, and magnesium
definitely explains why I needto focus on building my reserves
back up because I don't want tobe tired.
(21:48):
I don't want to lack energy andI don't want to have digestion
issues.
I'm grateful that.
Like I said, I feel decentlywell now.
But knowing specifically how Ican support my minerals is just
going to help me feel evenbetter.
A positive note is my calciumlevels actually improved quite a
bit over pregnancy.
(22:09):
During pregnancy I actually tendto crave dairy a lot more than
in my quote unquote normal life.
I tend to crave a lot more likecheese, cottage cheese,
fermented dairy, yogurt, kefir,etc.
And that's something that I havebeen definitely eating
especially towards the end ofpregnancy.
So the good news is thatimproved this is, tells me that
(22:32):
my body has had some success,you know, absorbing, balancing
calcium, making sure thatcalcium is in the right place
something that we often see ishigh calcium, and, you know, we
see this sometimes even inclients who have osteopenia or
osteoporosis, it's not that theyactually don't have enough, it's
just in the wrong place.
Another thing that you can getfrom HTMAA, which I find
(22:53):
actually even more helpful thanthe minerals themselves is the
ratios.
There's a lot of differentratios that you can look at on
the test and they all meansomething different.
So I'm going to talk about threeof the ratios that were a little
bit off for me.
And what they mean the minerallevels you can look at but you
really can't take them at facevalue So just because my
(23:16):
potassium was low or mymagnesium was low or my sodium
was low That's helpful.
But what you really want to lookat is how are these minerals
relating to each other?
So minerals are like a symphonyif one of them is off it affects
the whole Symphony.
And so the ratios are where youcan actually dive a little bit
deeper into different systems ofthe body and how they're
(23:38):
functioning.
So the first is the metabolicratio, and that's the calcium to
phosphorus ratio.
This isn't looking at do youhave a specific slow metabolism
or do you have a fastmetabolism, but it just gives
insight into how your body isproducing energy.
So a balanced ratio here isshowing that there's a match
(24:00):
between your body's fuel and ourengine speed.
In a lot of cases.
This ratio is off a lot of timesdue to stress.
Mine was off and this makessense.
Your nutrient demands are superhigh during pregnancy and
especially the first 20 weekswhen I was really sick.
(24:21):
I was likely not meeting mydaily mineral needs even through
taking a prenatal.
That was surely helping.
The mineral mocktails weresurely helping.
But over time you can think ofit like digging a ditch.
You know, if every day you'recoming up like a little bit
short and what you need,eventually you're going to have
a big ditch.
(24:41):
And so that's the beauty ofHTMAA is you can really bring in
a bulldozer and fill in thatditch.
The next one was my blood sugarratio.
So this is the calcium tomagnesium ratio.
It's often referred to as ablood sugar ratio.
If calcium is too high inrelation to magnesium, which is
what was the case for me, it canindicate that our blood sugar
(25:04):
balance is struggling.
And that is something that Inotice sometimes in pregnancy.
I did pass my glucose test, etcetera.
I actually wore a CGM for about10 days, around 28 weeks of
pregnancy.
And I did notice that eventhough my blood sugar was like
definitely in range and therewere no concerns there.
(25:28):
My blood sugar was a lot moresensitive.
So even to things like lack ofsleep or stress, I remember I
was wearing my CGM during one ofthe webinars that I gave this
summer.
And right after the webinar, myblood sugar tanked so fast.
All of a sudden my phone waslike blowing up, the alarms were
(25:51):
going off, like your blood sugaris too low.
And so that definitely you cansee there, like there are so
many other things that affectblood sugar besides what you're
eating.
Obviously I'd had a ton ofenergy and adrenaline going into
this webinar.
I had so much fun.
I love giving webinars and myblood sugar just completely
(26:14):
tanked after I was like, I needto eat.
Now, so this ratio shows to methat I need a bit more magnesium
to help my body handle my bloodsugar a bit more smoothly.
This will help my energy to notdip.
This will also help me to feelmore relaxed, less anxious, and
help me to sleep better when Iam sleeping with a newborn.
(26:35):
If you've ever had a newborn,you know, when you are sleeping,
you want to optimize that sleep.
And then the last ratio that weoften see off in our clients is
the adrenal ratio.
So your adrenals are theselittle glands that sit on top of
your kidneys.
This is looking at therelationship between sodium and
magnesium.
And it reflects how well thebody manages stress.
(26:57):
So that's why it's called theadrenal ratio.
When sodium is low compared tomagnesium.
So again, this is why you can'ttake these things at face value
because it's actually comparingtwo minerals that I was actually
both low in.
It can just suggest that theadrenals are under a bit of
pressure and working over time.
Makes sense, right?
I'm pregnant.
(27:18):
My body is growing organs,growing a human.
That's a huge stress on thebody.
So it's not.
Shocking that my results showthat this ratio is a little bit
off, especially given thenutrients that I probably lost
during those first 20 weeks.
So supporting my adrenals,supporting my sodium to
magnesium ratio is going to bereally important there.
(27:39):
And this can help us too, youknow, if we are custom blending
a mineral powder for someonethen we know how much extra, you
know, magnesium or sodium orpotassium to add instead of just
saying okay, eat more sodium,eat more potassium and being
super vague.
So here's why these results makesense.
(28:03):
Pregnancy is such a huge draw onyour body's resources.
Growing a baby requires a hugesupply of minerals and
nutrients.
And that's even more true if,like me, you've had times where
you couldn't eat a wide range offoods.
Like I said, for the first 20weeks, I was living off of
simple mills, crackers, andprotein shakes and other things.
(28:23):
But those were Kind of mystaples and these results really
make sense given everything mybody's been through and the fact
that I really wasn't startingoff in an amazing place.
I was starting off definitely ina decent place and I had worked
really hard, especially afterthe miscarriage to support my
minerals even through all thatcrazy scarlet fever, et cetera,
(28:48):
et cetera.
I'm interrupting this episodereally quick to tell you about
our sponsor LMNT.
You know that I am a huge fan ofminerals for gut health.
If you struggle withconstipation, bloating, acid
reflux, or even poor energy,often the best place to start is
by replenishing your minerals.
Minerals are the spark plugs ofour body and help us to maintain
(29:08):
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And that's why I'm so excitedfor you to give LMNT a try.
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It's like giving your gut thefuel it needs to thrive.
(29:29):
So here's the exciting part.
If you want to receive a freesample pack with purchase, be
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show notes.
Now back to the episode.
So I'm grateful that I havethese insights so I can focus on
(29:49):
building back up with the rightsupport.
Just a couple other things thatI noticed on my HTMAA copper,
iron, and cobalt.
So these are three otherminerals that we often hone in
on with our clients.
Copper is another mineral thatshowed up in my test results.
It's critical for ironabsorption, hormone balance,
immune support, and duringpregnancy, copper demands go up.
(30:12):
So I'm going to be watching thisclosely to make sure I'm getting
enough and really justsupporting my body with copper
rich foods.
You can.
Really focus on vitamin a tohelp with copper.
There's a lot of things too,that can go into that and then
iron.
So iron is a tricky conceptduring pregnancy.
(30:32):
Iron oftentimes will, especiallyferritin will drop during
pregnancy.
And this is something that I'veresearched a lot because I
noticed this for myself on mylabs, my ferritin was dropping
and I started getting worriedand the more that I realized.
Her research this, I realizedthat hemodilution is really
common in pregnancy.
(30:53):
And so it's really more aboutlooking at iron, vitamin A,
ceruloplasmin, copper, likelooking at the whole picture.
So iron is really vital foroxygen delivery.
We need it even more duringpregnancy.
It can be normal.
You know, you have twice theamount of blood to see changes
in your iron when you'repregnant, but especially
(31:16):
postpartum low iron cancontribute to hair loss.
And so that's something that I'mgoing to keep an eye on as well.
Given the context there.
And then the lastly is cobalt.
So cobalt is a part of vitaminB12.
It supports nerve health.
mood and energy.
And while cobalt needs aresmaller than other minerals, it
plays a huge role in how youprocess stress, which is
(31:39):
important, you know, duringpregnancy and beyond.
And even, you know, the stressof not sleeping consistently or
all the things that just happenpostpartum.
So, that is a little bit aboutmy HTMAA findings.
I want to dive into Why or whatI'm going to do now.
(32:01):
So just keep in mind, my resultsare my results.
And even though maybe you relateto some of the symptoms that I
might have, you really, if youwant to know your.
mineral levels, the best way toknow is to test because there's
so many different patterns thatcan show up on HTMAA, which is
(32:23):
why I love it because HTMAA isso personalized.
If I only looked at myindividual mineral levels, I
might miss what's happening witheven my ratios.
And so knowing how to not onlyinterpret the minerals, but also
the ratios is really helpful.
And I can understand exactlywhere I need to focus,
(32:45):
especially as I recover for thisand continue to support my
energy for breastfeeding.
So I'm going to make a custommineral blend for myself.
I actually ordered this lastweek, so I should be getting it
sometime soon.
And I want to make sure thatnumber one, I'm doing this
because I want to make sure I'mgetting everything I need.
(33:07):
Number two, I'm doing it out ofconvenience.
I actually would much prefer todrink something than take pills.
The prenatal that I'm taking,I've cycled between gut personal
full well and needed.
Some of those were gifted.
But they're all prenatals thatI've researched and feel
comfortable taking.
I wouldn't take them if Iwasn't.
But with my HTMAa mineral blend,I can replace my prenatal, which
(33:32):
is nice.
So I don't have to take eightpills a day, which is great.
Cause it's a lot.
But this blend is going toinclude all the minerals that I
need based on my results.
Things like Potassium, sodium,magnesium, copper.
I know that newborn life can bea little bit chaotic and
overwhelming.
And so I'm just trying to makethings simpler.
And then obviously mostimportantly, focusing on really
(33:55):
nourishing foods.
So even though yes, getting acustom blend is convenient and
helpful.
The best way that you cannourish yourself is with food.
So I'm going to make sure thatI'm eating foods that are rich,
especially in the minerals thatI was low in foods like leafy
greens, bananas, nuts, seeds,bone broth, liver.
(34:17):
Liver is something that I'veslowly.
integrated into my diet becauseof copper, because of vitamin a
I like the force of natureblends that have liver in them.
Especially if I do one pack ofthat and one pack of ground beef
making taco meat, you don't evenknow it's there.
I do find that I can't do theleftovers as well because it
does smell.
(34:39):
So I try to just make what weneed for that day.
It's not great for like mealprep, unless you're going to
freeze it.
But getting these minerals isgoing to help my body to get
what I need.
And it's really going to helpwith healing and recovery
minerals, especially the onesthat I mentioned, they help
support cell repair.
(34:59):
They're going to help repair mybody after the stress of
delivery and even magnesium isgoing to help with just muscle
relaxation, et cetera.
And then also help withbreastfeeding and milk
production.
So minerals are essential tomake milk.
(35:19):
I noticed this actually bothtimes with my last two kids,
when I was dehydrated or when Iwas just drinking water and I
was not supporting my body withminerals, my.
milk production would decrease.
So I'm really interested to seehow specifically supporting my
minerals.
Now that I know my specificlevels is going to help even
(35:40):
more.
And then other reasons that I'msupporting this postpartum for
sure.
Mood and emotional wellbeing.
For sure.
Helping with hormonerebalancing.
This can take up to a year foryour hormones really to
rebalance after giving birth thefastest and largest, most
drastic hormone drop that you'reever going to have is after
(36:02):
birth.
And it can be really taxing andchallenging.
Some minerals can help supportthat.
And make sure that hopefullyyou're feeling as best as you
can.
So just to reiterate here,minerals are essential for your
health, regardless of reallywhat you're going through.
These minerals are buildingblocks for the body.
(36:24):
They're foundational to everymajor system in the body from
energy production and hormoneimbalance, hormone balance to
digestion and even stressresilience.
And when you don't have enough,minerals.
It's like your body is missingthe tools that it needs to
function at its best.
So if you're dealing with lowfatigue low energy, constant
(36:48):
fatigue, it can be a sign thatyour body doesn't have what it
needs to make energyeffectively.
And HTMAA or mineral support,even if you just download my
free mineral guide I have theguide categorized by needs.
So yeah.
energy mocktails, sleepmocktails, thyroid mocktails,
etc.
(37:08):
So you can go in and pick whatwould be best for you.
I want to talk about lastly,just some of the misconceptions
or just things that areoverlooked with minerals.
So many people don't realizethey need mineral support.
And like I said, we've reallychanged how we've practiced over
the last two and a half yearsbecause we were seeing clients
(37:30):
that had crazy GI issues.
You know, they'd done this It'slike everything in the body
starts working again, and itsimplifies the process.
So mineral imbalances are often.
(37:50):
way overlooked and are way morecommon.
Because it's really easy to belike, Oh you're a mom.
Of course you're tired or yeah,you're tired because of such and
such, or you're, you need tosleep more, et cetera.
But sometimes really getting inthere, getting in the weeds and
seeing what's going on can helpwith low energy.
Another thing that we've seen athelp with is iron issues.
(38:13):
So if you're taking iron andyour iron is still not going up,
It perhaps is actually not aniron issue.
It is a overall mineral issueand a recycling issue.
We've seen it a lot with thyroidas well.
We get clients that have, youknow, quote unquote, normal
thyroid labs, and then all of asudden they support their
(38:35):
minerals.
They feel so much better inthese like subclinical thyroid.
symptoms go away because eventhough their TSH was normal,
perhaps all the other markerswere off.
So I hope that this wasinteresting to you.
If you're thinking like, okay, Iwant to look at this or just
even learn more about minerals.
(38:57):
Like I mentioned, I do have afree mineral guide.
It has practical tips forsupporting your minerals.
So even starting with foods,mineral rich foods like leafy
greens, nuts, seeds, adding seasalt, obviously, you know,
that's going to be variant,variable on your specific health
(39:17):
conditions.
But whether you're working ondigestion, energy, mood,
supporting your minerals, withmineral rich foods, mineral
mocktails even Epsom salt bathsor ways to get minerals into
your body that way can be reallyhelpful.
So I'll put the link to themineral guide in the show notes.
(39:40):
You can go ahead and downloadthat.
It's free.
There's lots of links in therefor like different mineral
products.
Like I said, it's categorizedbased on Like health condition
or concern.
So if you're struggling withsleep or thyroid issues or
energy, you can pick whichmocktail might be good for you.
Obviously it is a guide.
(40:00):
It is not medical advice.
So please consult your doctor.
If you have concerns or beforetrying something new but that
can be such a great place tostart.
So I hope today's episode justhelps you, I think, first of
all, realize I'm human.
I'm not perfect.
I am on this journey as well.
And I will keep you posted onhow this supports me.
(40:23):
We've seen it support several ofour clients postpartum trying to
conceive during pregnancy, etcetera.
So I'm super hopeful for this,but if you're dealing with
fatigue, GI issues, hormoneissues start with supporting
your minerals.
It really can be life changing.
I'm also super excited becausewhen this comes out, you are not
(40:44):
super far away from our blackFriday offer.
So once a year we put our HTMA abundle on sale.
So the HTMA a bundle includesthe HTMA a test as well as a one
on one consult to go over yourresults.
That's where you can Decide ifyou want to do a custom blend,
you want to do food, you want todo different supplements or a
(41:05):
combination of both.
We can walk you through all ofour recommendations for you.
Some video modules, all thestuff.
So it includes the test as wellas that consult 50 off for black
Friday.
It's the only time of year thatwe put it on sale.
There's only going to be 30spots available because this is
a one on one offer.
So if you're not, if you haven'tdownloaded the mineral guide,
(41:27):
but you want to do HTMAA, goahead and download it.
Cause that will put you on ouremail list so that you're the
first to know the sale will beon black Friday, which fun fact
is actually my birthday.
So even more reason to celebrateand we will be sending out the
email at 9am central time lastyear we sold out in the same
(41:49):
day.
Okay.
Definitely set your alarm writedown all your Black Friday
purchases, put that at the topsince it's going out at 9 a.
m.
But, you know, we've seenclients go from struggling with
daily fatigue and blood sugarcrashes to having energy
improvements.
Like I mentioned, the first,friend who texted me like no PMS
symptoms, no moodiness, we'veseen iron issues resolved.
(42:13):
We've seen chronic GI issuesresolved clients taking like
1200 milligrams of magnesiumcitrate and not going to the
bathroom.
And all of a sudden they supporttheir minerals and their bowels
are moving a lot better.
So just remember that yourhealth.
is worth investing in.
If you're dealing with anyhealth concern, this can be such
(42:33):
a powerful tool.
HTMAA testing is a great placeto start.
I hope that this encourages you.
I will keep you posted on mypostpartum mineral journey.
So follow along on my stories onmy blog on this podcast, of
course and share this with afriend, maybe it would be
interesting for them to read butthanks so much for tuning into
(42:54):
this episode of the love yourgut podcast.
Don't forget to download themineral guide and definitely
keep an eye out for the blackFriday, HTMA a sale.
I'll see you next time on thenext episode of the love your
podcast.
I'm giving you a thumbs upbecause you just finished
another episode of the love yourgut podcast.
I am so excited because blackFriday is just around the
(43:17):
corner.
And honestly, Thanksgiving andblack Friday are some of my
favorite days of the year.
The buzz on Instagram has beenwild with questions about our
black Friday specials.
And guess what?
The answer is a resounding yes.
So make sure that you're part ofour email list to be the very
first in the know about ourfantastic.
Black Friday deals on HTMAA orhair mineral testing.
(43:41):
You do not want to miss out onthese gems.
I promise the link to join ouremail list is in the show notes
below.
And as always remember that whenyou love your gut, it'll love
you back.
And that's what we're all about.
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Hello, and welcome back to thenext episode of the love your
gut podcast.
I am really excited for today'sepisode because it's one that I
have been asked about quite abit and it's been highly
anticipated.
(01:08):
So I am going to go over my ownhair mineral analysis results.
As many of you know, I am atleast at the moment of recording
this, I am 30.
Nine tomorrow, I'll be 39 weekspregnant.
So maybe by the time this isout, I'll have a baby.
But I chose to do an HTMAA, ahair mineral analysis test on
(01:32):
myself to prepare forpostpartum.
And so this is hopefully goingto be a really interesting
episode to any of you trying toconceive pregnant postpartum
really any stage of life,because I'm going to talk about
some of the trends that I foundon the test.
And honestly, regardless of ifyou are planning to have a baby
(01:52):
or pregnant or not, I thinkyou'll find this super
interesting just to learn whattypes of insights you can get
from this test and then how I amactually moving forward to
support myself.
So I want to ask you thequestion, have you ever felt
sick?
completely worn out.
Like no matter what you'redoing, you just cannot get your
(02:15):
energy back.
Or maybe you've wondered whymanaging stress or blood sugar
sometimes feels like an uphillbattle.
This was honestly my storybefore I found HTMAA, which
stands for hair mineral, herhair tissue mineral analysis.
And I want to share Why this hasbeen such a powerful tool for me
(02:38):
and how it might help you too.
So there's lots of questionsoftentimes on what is HTMAA and
how is this different from bloodwork?
So I want to break down reallyclearly for you.
What HTMAa is so HTMAa is alittle bit different than blood
work because it's more of a longterm health snapshot hair will
(03:01):
hold on to minerals and reallyjust gives us a picture of how
our bodies have been handlingminerals over the last few
months.
So it's like checking the fuelgauge for essential minerals
that keep things going.
Moving in our bodies, everymetabolic process in our body
relies on minerals, which issuper interesting.
(03:23):
And you have to consumeminerals.
We cannot make minerals.
So unless we're getting themfrom our diet or supplementing
with them, our body cannot getthem.
So minerals really do tons forus.
They create energy.
They also actually help usmanage stress.
I know I talk a lot about stresson Instagram and on this podcast
(03:47):
as well, and how stress canreally be the root cause of GI
issues, hormone issues, etcetera.
And I know that can be a reallyfrustrating thing to hear, but
what if stress reduction wasn'tjust about meditating all day
long or doing an adult coloringbook, which don't get me wrong.
Those things can be helpful.
(04:07):
What if the reason that you feelfrazzled and stressed actually
goes back to your mineraldepletion?
We have seen so many successstories with clients and I've
actually shocked a couple of myfriends with this as well.
I'll never forget this summer.
I was home one weekend justputzing around the house and my
(04:30):
phone dinged and I got a textfrom a friend and she said, is
this mineral magic or am Imaking this up?
But I've had my period usually,you know, things are really
stressful in my business rightnow.
And usually I'd be like snappingat everything and I'm not, is
this just a coincidence?
And I was like, no, it'sabsolutely not.
(04:50):
Minerals give us energy.
They help us manage stress.
And really, if we don't have theright balance of minerals, it's
like you're driving on fumes.
So you're always just runninglow and feeling drained.
And obviously most people whohave been pregnant know how
challenging pregnancy can be.
(05:12):
But it's, you don't even have tohave gone through pregnancy or
postpartum to feel depleted.
Honestly, some of the mostdepleting times of my life were
well before I had children.
They were after I spent 18 yearsof my life Being a competitive
swimmer, and then training fortriathlons, not feeling myself
(05:33):
correctly, having digestiveissues that prevented my
absorption and prevented me fromactually absorbing minerals,
which is another piece of thepuzzle.
You can't absorb minerals ifyour digestion is suffering.
But then the other side of thecoin is we can't even make
stomach acid.
(05:55):
Without adequate minerals.
So it ends up being a catch 22,which is why we run HTMAA with
our clients.
Pretty much every client we workwith, we suggest an HTMAA,
especially because we tend towork out, work with clients who
are super burnout, who havetried everything.
(06:15):
You know, it's really never.
Someone's first rodeo, wheneverthey work with us, unless
they're starting with an HTMAA.
So I want to just break down mypersonal journey with HTMAA how
it's really just been a gamechanger for me.
So when I first started testing,I was dealing with extreme
fatigue and burnout.
This was coming off of apostpartum Journey with my
(06:37):
second child.
So for those of you that aremaybe newer to this podcast or
newer to me I have a six yearold.
I have an almost three year oldand then like I said, I'm
basically 39 weeks pregnant withmy third after my second I Felt
really good until I did it andDid not realize at the time that
(06:58):
I had a baby Mold in my body andwe had mold in our house.
So about four months postpartum,I hit this wall where I was
like, you know, my baby issleeping again.
Why do I feel so bad?
And that's when I started goingdown this rabbit hole of what
else could be going on?
We found the mold.
We obviously remediated themold.
(07:20):
I have a whole podcast episodeon mold.
So I will link that in the shownotes in case you're interested.
We're thinking that might be thecase for you.
But really, HTMAA helped me tojust understand where my body
was so depleted, likely frompregnancy and postpartum, as
well as from mold and what Ineeded to do to feel energized
again.
(07:40):
And so I started supporting myminerals.
Based on my HTMAA test afterthat time, I saw huge, literally
huge improvements in my thyroidfunction.
I was able to decrease mythyroid meds, which was crazy.
Balance my blood sugar.
I was having these crazy bloodsugar swings that I'd never had
before.
(08:01):
I felt a lot more resilient tostress.
And these were things thatreally changed my day to day
life as a business owner.
As a mom, I really don't havethe capacity or the desire to be
tired or to feel like I'mfrazzled all the time.
And so this made such a bigdifference for me.
(08:21):
And I knew how much mineralsmattered.
There was a time in my brick andmortar practice before I took
everything fully online that I.
I ran vitamin and mineraltesting in a different capacity
and used it with clients and sawgood results.
But when I switched to HTMAA,the results were even better.
And this was a pivotal point inmy practice when I realized, if
(08:46):
this worked so well for me, whyare we not doing this with every
single client that we have?
And since then, so about threeyears ago, We have, or two and a
half years ago, we have reallyshifted the order of priority
with our clients, where, ofcourse, we're known for gut
health and helping people withSIBO and IBS and all sorts of GI
(09:11):
issues, but everybody,foundationally, Needs minerals,
especially after the last likecollective four or five years of
just stress and trauma that alot of us have been through.
So I decided this time that Iwas going to take a proactive
approach to postpartum.
(09:32):
I've been periodically checkingmy minerals since that moment,
four months postpartum with myson.
And really working on minerals.
As many of, you know, I had amiscarriage last fall.
So last I guess that would befall 2023 and my health kind of
spiraled after that, it was likemy body was trying to purge
(09:53):
Everything which was a goodthing, but uncomfortable at the
same time, I had a miscarriage.
Then I actually got scarletfever, which who even knew that
was still a thing.
Then proceeded to get strepthroat three times, which I had
never.
I hadn't had strep throat inprobably 20 years or longer.
I hadn't even been onantibiotics in that long.
(10:15):
And so it was just this crazykind of six months of my body,
like trying to get into balanceagain after the miscarriage.
So minerals were a huge piece ofmy healing journey there.
I could probably do a wholepodcast episode on that.
But for brevity sake, we'll justsay that Minerals really
supported me throughout thattime.
(10:36):
I did aHTMATMA pretty shortlyactually before the miscarriage
and then a couple months after.
This year, 2024, I have done,I've done an HTMAa test twice,
so I did an HTMAa in March 2024,and then I just did one now.
(10:57):
I got the results back about aweek ago.
So when I completed the test, Iwas.
probably 36 ish weeks pregnant.
So I ran this test, like I said,I did it because I wanted to
give a proactive approach as asoon to be mom of three, I knew
postpartum third time around,especially with two youngish
(11:20):
children definitely differentand definitely less margin for
rest, less margin for all thethings that I got to do the
first time around, especially,and even the second time, like
things just obviously getbusier, the more children you
have.
I wanted to be fully prepared asI recover from birth.
I want to breastfeed this childas well.
(11:42):
And just hopefully reduce someof the postpartum hair loss that
usually hits me around three tofour months.
I know that's a big thing thatmany women experience and many
women do not enjoy.
I will keep you posted on that.
I've never intentionally done anHTMAA before the hair loss
starts, so we'll see if it's alittle different this time
(12:03):
around.
Just reflecting on my pregnancyjourney I, like I said, had come
off of six months of just someup and down health stuff.
Stuff that really hadn't beenthe case for me for a long time.
But like I said, I really thinkthat my body was just trying to
like purge and prepare for ahealthy pregnancy.
(12:23):
And so even though gettingscarlet fever wasn't fun and
being on antibiotics was not funit did, I think helped set me up
for success to feel better now.
The first 20 weeks of pregnancy,historically, this has been the
case with all my pregnancies,are really rough.
I'm really sick.
My diet gets really limited.
(12:43):
I live, my team always jokeswhen we see the simple meals,
crackers and protein shakes, weknow you're pregnant because
that's pretty much what I liveon.
For a long time when I'm a firstpregnant, I'm extremely
nauseous.
I vomit.
And so it's really kind ofsurvival mode for me for those
first 20 weeks.
This has been the casethroughout every single
(13:04):
pregnancy, like I mentioned.
So I was really honestly justdoing what I could, especially
because I had two other childrento take care of.
I'm thankful.
I have a very equal and helpfulhusband.
And doing what I could.
Trying to make sure that thingswith the business were running
correctly, obviously couldn'tjust stop my whole life for 20
(13:25):
weeks.
Made it through.
I was doing probably one to twomineral mocktails a day.
Like I mentioned, I had done anHTMAA in March.
This was like right during thetime that I got pregnant.
And so typically what I would doafter I get an HTMAA is I would
custom blend a mineral powderfor myself.
(13:47):
This is something that we do forlots of our clients.
They find it extremelyconvenient.
It also can be actually a lotmore cost effective because we
can replace a multivitamin.
We can replace liver support.
We can replace lots of kind ofadjunctive Supplements and put
it into one powder that they cantake one to two scoops of a day,
(14:09):
just depending on what theirdoses.
And I've done this severaltimes.
I've probably done two to threeat this point, custom mineral
powders.
I find them extremely helpful.
They're very potent and it'sjust really convenient.
I honestly think that you cansave quite a bit of money doing
this too, because when you startlooking at some of the mineral
(14:31):
products that are on the market,which Definitely love things
like pickable cocktail andelement and redmond relight and
all those things are fun to haveI know many of you love seeing
the little mineral mocktailsthat I come up with And share on
instagram, but for conveniencesake the powder can be really
helpful, but I just knew Basedon previous pregnancies that
(14:54):
there's absolutely no way that Iwas just going to be able to
tolerate something like that.
So I ended up opting not to do acustom blend and to just try to
do mineral mocktails as I could.
So I did lots of mineralmocktails that had higher
potassium, higher sodium, whichwere two things that I knew that
I really needed based on mytests.
(15:15):
And supported myself that way.
Also, once I was not nauseousanymore, really focused on the
food side of things as well.
Like I said, the first 20 weeksI was just trying to eat what I
could.
So thankfully, The last 20 or Iguess 19 weeks have been a lot
easier.
I'm able to eat a much widervariety of foods now.
(15:36):
I really don't have foodaversions.
I can actually tolerate likefresh produce and protein and
meat and been able to exercisehow I would like to and drink
mineral mocktails and do all thethings.
So I still do mineral drinkseach day to keep up my energy.
And now towards the end ofpregnancy, I'm adding in Nora
(15:58):
tea.
So if you're unfamiliar withNora tea, this is nettles, oat
straw, red raspberry leaf, andalfalfa.
These four herbs can help getyour body ready for labor.
They're also super mineral rich.
And actually nettlesspecifically is a.
herb that we recommend a lot oftimes to our clients who
(16:18):
struggle with histamine issues.
If they're having allergysymptoms, any kind of histamine
breakdown issues, nettles issuper rich in minerals, but also
can be really supportive forthat.
So that's what I've been doingis one to two mineral mocktails
a day.
Again, higher sodium, higherpotassium, definitely adding in
magnesium, especially at nightand the Nora tea to help get my
(16:41):
body ready for labor as I waspreparing to do this HTMAA.
I, HTMAA really for me isn'tjust a test, it really helps to
help me know what my body needs.
I really think it's one of thebest tools for how to support
yourself through big lifechanges.
Such as pregnancy andpostpartum, you know, if you've
(17:03):
just come out of a reallystressful time of your life, GI
issues, hormone issues.
So really if you're looking foranswers, especially with energy
or stress, HTMAA is really thebest place to start.
It's really easy to getdistracted by like really fancy.
Stool test and don't get mewrong.
I love stool testing.
We use it with our clients orhormone testing or whatever it
(17:25):
might be.
But foundationally, if yourminerals are out of whack,
you're not going to respond aswell to some of those things.
So let's get into my own HTMAAresults and what they mean for
health.
So When you're looking at anHTMA test, which obviously this
is a podcast, you can't see myresults, but definitely check
out my Instagram over the nextcouple of days and my blog as
(17:47):
well, which I'll link in theshow notes where I have some
like tangible screenshots ofthings that you can actually
see.
But there's tons of minerals onthis test.
It tests all the main mineralsas well as heavy metals.
And what you really want to lookat first is the four core
minerals.
So these are calcium, sodium,potassium, and magnesium.
(18:10):
So looking at my test, I was notsurprised.
Pregnancy is one of the mostdepleting things when it comes
to minerals.
I was low in three out of fourof my core minerals, even though
I've been supporting them.
And I guess the other thing thatI didn't mention is I have
definitely been taking aprenatal probiotic and some
(18:31):
other things as well.
So it's.
I was getting all of that andstill some of my minerals were
low, which just shows how muchyour body needs.
So specifically for me, mysodium, potassium and magnesium
were low.
This really isn't too surprisinggiven the demands of pregnancy,
but it does help explain, youknow, perhaps like some of the
(18:55):
symptoms I might have.
Towards the end of pregnancy,just like feeling a little bit
more tired, a little bit moreworn out.
Sometimes a little bit ofdizziness, etc.
Nothing extreme nothing crazy.
Honestly, I'm very lucky to feelas good as I do this pregnant.
So sodium specifically, sodium Ithink the 90s made us extremely
(19:16):
scared about sodium.
But sodium isn't just about likesalt.
It's really key for energy,hydration, and how our muscles
work.
And when sodium is low, you canfeel super fatigued and mentally
foggy.
I know for me, my blood pressuretends to run on the lower side
of things.
So sodium is something that Idefinitely need to include.
(19:38):
Obviously, this is wherepersonalization comes in because
that might not be the case foryou.
So sodium is something that Ireally want to focus on,
especially mineral rich Saltcooking with stuff like Redmond
relay or Redmond Redmond realsalt, sorry.
Celtic salt, et cetera.
It's going to have a lot ofother minerals in it as well.
(20:00):
But sodium really helpsourselves to be hydrated.
If you've ever drank water allday and you still feel thirsty,
perhaps you need more sodium.
This is something that we see aton with our clients.
We.
I actually see a lot more lowsodium on HTMAa testing than we
do high sodium.
(20:20):
The next one was potassium.
So potassium is like your energybooster.
It's what helps you be theenergizer bunny.
And I can speak so specificallyto this.
Whenever I have a mineralmocktail that is high in
potassium, especially in theafternoon, I feel like I have So
much energy and it definitelyworks way better than like a
(20:44):
second cup of coffee.
You might be reaching for thatsecond cup of coffee at 2 PM,
but what about potassiuminstead?
So potassium, like I said, it'slike your little energizer
bunny.
It's a muscle helper.
When you feel low, you mightfeel weak.
You might have poor digestionbecause potassium helps with
muscle contraction.
So if you struggle to empty yourbowels, potassium could be key
(21:05):
here.
Or if you just feel thatconstant, like running on empty
feeling.
Potassium is something thathistorically for me has been low
and I've had to reallydiligently support and seeing
kind of fluctuations in that.
Most people do not get enoughpotassium and this is a trend
that we see with a lot of ourclients.
(21:27):
And then the last one wasmagnesium.
So magnesium is the mineral thathelps us relax.
Low magnesium can show up asmuscle tension, poor sleep, even
anxiety.
So having all three low sodium,potassium, and magnesium
definitely explains why I needto focus on building my reserves
back up because I don't want tobe tired.
(21:48):
I don't want to lack energy andI don't want to have digestion
issues.
I'm grateful that.
Like I said, I feel decentlywell now.
But knowing specifically how Ican support my minerals is just
going to help me feel evenbetter.
A positive note is my calciumlevels actually improved quite a
bit over pregnancy.
(22:09):
During pregnancy I actually tendto crave dairy a lot more than
in my quote unquote normal life.
I tend to crave a lot more likecheese, cottage cheese,
fermented dairy, yogurt, kefir,etc.
And that's something that I havebeen definitely eating
especially towards the end ofpregnancy.
So the good news is thatimproved this is, tells me that
(22:32):
my body has had some success,you know, absorbing, balancing
calcium, making sure thatcalcium is in the right place
something that we often see ishigh calcium, and, you know, we
see this sometimes even inclients who have osteopenia or
osteoporosis, it's not that theyactually don't have enough, it's
just in the wrong place.
Another thing that you can getfrom HTMAA, which I find
(22:53):
actually even more helpful thanthe minerals themselves is the
ratios.
There's a lot of differentratios that you can look at on
the test and they all meansomething different.
So I'm going to talk about threeof the ratios that were a little
bit off for me.
And what they mean the minerallevels you can look at but you
really can't take them at facevalue So just because my
(23:16):
potassium was low or mymagnesium was low or my sodium
was low That's helpful.
But what you really want to lookat is how are these minerals
relating to each other?
So minerals are like a symphonyif one of them is off it affects
the whole Symphony.
And so the ratios are where youcan actually dive a little bit
deeper into different systems ofthe body and how they're
(23:38):
functioning.
So the first is the metabolicratio, and that's the calcium to
phosphorus ratio.
This isn't looking at do youhave a specific slow metabolism
or do you have a fastmetabolism, but it just gives
insight into how your body isproducing energy.
So a balanced ratio here isshowing that there's a match
(24:00):
between your body's fuel and ourengine speed.
In a lot of cases.
This ratio is off a lot of timesdue to stress.
Mine was off and this makessense.
Your nutrient demands are superhigh during pregnancy and
especially the first 20 weekswhen I was really sick.
(24:21):
I was likely not meeting mydaily mineral needs even through
taking a prenatal.
That was surely helping.
The mineral mocktails weresurely helping.
But over time you can think ofit like digging a ditch.
You know, if every day you'recoming up like a little bit
short and what you need,eventually you're going to have
a big ditch.
(24:41):
And so that's the beauty ofHTMAA is you can really bring in
a bulldozer and fill in thatditch.
The next one was my blood sugarratio.
So this is the calcium tomagnesium ratio.
It's often referred to as ablood sugar ratio.
If calcium is too high inrelation to magnesium, which is
what was the case for me, it canindicate that our blood sugar
(25:04):
balance is struggling.
And that is something that Inotice sometimes in pregnancy.
I did pass my glucose test, etcetera.
I actually wore a CGM for about10 days, around 28 weeks of
pregnancy.
And I did notice that eventhough my blood sugar was like
definitely in range and therewere no concerns there.
(25:28):
My blood sugar was a lot moresensitive.
So even to things like lack ofsleep or stress, I remember I
was wearing my CGM during one ofthe webinars that I gave this
summer.
And right after the webinar, myblood sugar tanked so fast.
All of a sudden my phone waslike blowing up, the alarms were
(25:51):
going off, like your blood sugaris too low.
And so that definitely you cansee there, like there are so
many other things that affectblood sugar besides what you're
eating.
Obviously I'd had a ton ofenergy and adrenaline going into
this webinar.
I had so much fun.
I love giving webinars and myblood sugar just completely
(26:14):
tanked after I was like, I needto eat.
Now, so this ratio shows to methat I need a bit more magnesium
to help my body handle my bloodsugar a bit more smoothly.
This will help my energy to notdip.
This will also help me to feelmore relaxed, less anxious, and
help me to sleep better when Iam sleeping with a newborn.
(26:35):
If you've ever had a newborn,you know, when you are sleeping,
you want to optimize that sleep.
And then the last ratio that weoften see off in our clients is
the adrenal ratio.
So your adrenals are theselittle glands that sit on top of
your kidneys.
This is looking at therelationship between sodium and
magnesium.
And it reflects how well thebody manages stress.
(26:57):
So that's why it's called theadrenal ratio.
When sodium is low compared tomagnesium.
So again, this is why you can'ttake these things at face value
because it's actually comparingtwo minerals that I was actually
both low in.
It can just suggest that theadrenals are under a bit of
pressure and working over time.
Makes sense, right?
I'm pregnant.
(27:18):
My body is growing organs,growing a human.
That's a huge stress on thebody.
So it's not.
Shocking that my results showthat this ratio is a little bit
off, especially given thenutrients that I probably lost
during those first 20 weeks.
So supporting my adrenals,supporting my sodium to
magnesium ratio is going to bereally important there.
(27:39):
And this can help us too, youknow, if we are custom blending
a mineral powder for someonethen we know how much extra, you
know, magnesium or sodium orpotassium to add instead of just
saying okay, eat more sodium,eat more potassium and being
super vague.
So here's why these results makesense.
(28:03):
Pregnancy is such a huge draw onyour body's resources.
Growing a baby requires a hugesupply of minerals and
nutrients.
And that's even more true if,like me, you've had times where
you couldn't eat a wide range offoods.
Like I said, for the first 20weeks, I was living off of
simple mills, crackers, andprotein shakes and other things.
(28:23):
But those were Kind of mystaples and these results really
make sense given everything mybody's been through and the fact
that I really wasn't startingoff in an amazing place.
I was starting off definitely ina decent place and I had worked
really hard, especially afterthe miscarriage to support my
minerals even through all thatcrazy scarlet fever, et cetera,
(28:48):
et cetera.
I'm interrupting this episodereally quick to tell you about
our sponsor LMNT.
You know that I am a huge fan ofminerals for gut health.
If you struggle withconstipation, bloating, acid
reflux, or even poor energy,often the best place to start is
by replenishing your minerals.
Minerals are the spark plugs ofour body and help us to maintain
(29:08):
adequate hydration.
And that's why I'm so excitedfor you to give LMNT a try.
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(29:29):
So here's the exciting part.
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show notes.
Now back to the episode.
So I'm grateful that I havethese insights so I can focus on
(29:49):
building back up with the rightsupport.
Just a couple other things thatI noticed on my HTMAA copper,
iron, and cobalt.
So these are three otherminerals that we often hone in
on with our clients.
Copper is another mineral thatshowed up in my test results.
It's critical for ironabsorption, hormone balance,
immune support, and duringpregnancy, copper demands go up.
(30:12):
So I'm going to be watching thisclosely to make sure I'm getting
enough and really justsupporting my body with copper
rich foods.
You can.
Really focus on vitamin a tohelp with copper.
There's a lot of things too,that can go into that and then
iron.
So iron is a tricky conceptduring pregnancy.
(30:32):
Iron oftentimes will, especiallyferritin will drop during
pregnancy.
And this is something that I'veresearched a lot because I
noticed this for myself on mylabs, my ferritin was dropping
and I started getting worriedand the more that I realized.
Her research this, I realizedthat hemodilution is really
common in pregnancy.
(30:53):
And so it's really more aboutlooking at iron, vitamin A,
ceruloplasmin, copper, likelooking at the whole picture.
So iron is really vital foroxygen delivery.
We need it even more duringpregnancy.
It can be normal.
You know, you have twice theamount of blood to see changes
in your iron when you'repregnant, but especially
(31:16):
postpartum low iron cancontribute to hair loss.
And so that's something that I'mgoing to keep an eye on as well.
Given the context there.
And then the lastly is cobalt.
So cobalt is a part of vitaminB12.
It supports nerve health.
mood and energy.
And while cobalt needs aresmaller than other minerals, it
plays a huge role in how youprocess stress, which is
(31:39):
important, you know, duringpregnancy and beyond.
And even, you know, the stressof not sleeping consistently or
all the things that just happenpostpartum.
So, that is a little bit aboutmy HTMAA findings.
I want to dive into Why or whatI'm going to do now.
(32:01):
So just keep in mind, my resultsare my results.
And even though maybe you relateto some of the symptoms that I
might have, you really, if youwant to know your.
mineral levels, the best way toknow is to test because there's
so many different patterns thatcan show up on HTMAA, which is
(32:23):
why I love it because HTMAA isso personalized.
If I only looked at myindividual mineral levels, I
might miss what's happening witheven my ratios.
And so knowing how to not onlyinterpret the minerals, but also
the ratios is really helpful.
And I can understand exactlywhere I need to focus,
(32:45):
especially as I recover for thisand continue to support my
energy for breastfeeding.
So I'm going to make a custommineral blend for myself.
I actually ordered this lastweek, so I should be getting it
sometime soon.
And I want to make sure thatnumber one, I'm doing this
because I want to make sure I'mgetting everything I need.
(33:07):
Number two, I'm doing it out ofconvenience.
I actually would much prefer todrink something than take pills.
The prenatal that I'm taking,I've cycled between gut personal
full well and needed.
Some of those were gifted.
But they're all prenatals thatI've researched and feel
comfortable taking.
I wouldn't take them if Iwasn't.
But with my HTMAa mineral blend,I can replace my prenatal, which
(33:32):
is nice.
So I don't have to take eightpills a day, which is great.
Cause it's a lot.
But this blend is going toinclude all the minerals that I
need based on my results.
Things like Potassium, sodium,magnesium, copper.
I know that newborn life can bea little bit chaotic and
overwhelming.
And so I'm just trying to makethings simpler.
And then obviously mostimportantly, focusing on really
(33:55):
nourishing foods.
So even though yes, getting acustom blend is convenient and
helpful.
The best way that you cannourish yourself is with food.
So I'm going to make sure thatI'm eating foods that are rich,
especially in the minerals thatI was low in foods like leafy
greens, bananas, nuts, seeds,bone broth, liver.
(34:17):
Liver is something that I'veslowly.
integrated into my diet becauseof copper, because of vitamin a
I like the force of natureblends that have liver in them.
Especially if I do one pack ofthat and one pack of ground beef
making taco meat, you don't evenknow it's there.
I do find that I can't do theleftovers as well because it
does smell.
(34:39):
So I try to just make what weneed for that day.
It's not great for like mealprep, unless you're going to
freeze it.
But getting these minerals isgoing to help my body to get
what I need.
And it's really going to helpwith healing and recovery
minerals, especially the onesthat I mentioned, they help
support cell repair.
(34:59):
They're going to help repair mybody after the stress of
delivery and even magnesium isgoing to help with just muscle
relaxation, et cetera.
And then also help withbreastfeeding and milk
production.
So minerals are essential tomake milk.
(35:19):
I noticed this actually bothtimes with my last two kids,
when I was dehydrated or when Iwas just drinking water and I
was not supporting my body withminerals, my.
milk production would decrease.
So I'm really interested to seehow specifically supporting my
minerals.
Now that I know my specificlevels is going to help even
(35:40):
more.
And then other reasons that I'msupporting this postpartum for
sure.
Mood and emotional wellbeing.
For sure.
Helping with hormonerebalancing.
This can take up to a year foryour hormones really to
rebalance after giving birth thefastest and largest, most
drastic hormone drop that you'reever going to have is after
(36:02):
birth.
And it can be really taxing andchallenging.
Some minerals can help supportthat.
And make sure that hopefullyyou're feeling as best as you
can.
So just to reiterate here,minerals are essential for your
health, regardless of reallywhat you're going through.
These minerals are buildingblocks for the body.
(36:24):
They're foundational to everymajor system in the body from
energy production and hormoneimbalance, hormone balance to
digestion and even stressresilience.
And when you don't have enough,minerals.
It's like your body is missingthe tools that it needs to
function at its best.
So if you're dealing with lowfatigue low energy, constant
(36:48):
fatigue, it can be a sign thatyour body doesn't have what it
needs to make energyeffectively.
And HTMAA or mineral support,even if you just download my
free mineral guide I have theguide categorized by needs.
So yeah.
energy mocktails, sleepmocktails, thyroid mocktails,
etc.
(37:08):
So you can go in and pick whatwould be best for you.
I want to talk about lastly,just some of the misconceptions
or just things that areoverlooked with minerals.
So many people don't realizethey need mineral support.
And like I said, we've reallychanged how we've practiced over
the last two and a half yearsbecause we were seeing clients
(37:30):
that had crazy GI issues.
You know, they'd done this It'slike everything in the body
starts working again, and itsimplifies the process.
So mineral imbalances are often.
(37:50):
way overlooked and are way morecommon.
Because it's really easy to belike, Oh you're a mom.
Of course you're tired or yeah,you're tired because of such and
such, or you're, you need tosleep more, et cetera.
But sometimes really getting inthere, getting in the weeds and
seeing what's going on can helpwith low energy.
Another thing that we've seen athelp with is iron issues.
(38:13):
So if you're taking iron andyour iron is still not going up,
It perhaps is actually not aniron issue.
It is a overall mineral issueand a recycling issue.
We've seen it a lot with thyroidas well.
We get clients that have, youknow, quote unquote, normal
thyroid labs, and then all of asudden they support their
(38:35):
minerals.
They feel so much better inthese like subclinical thyroid.
symptoms go away because eventhough their TSH was normal,
perhaps all the other markerswere off.
So I hope that this wasinteresting to you.
If you're thinking like, okay, Iwant to look at this or just
even learn more about minerals.
(38:57):
Like I mentioned, I do have afree mineral guide.
It has practical tips forsupporting your minerals.
So even starting with foods,mineral rich foods like leafy
greens, nuts, seeds, adding seasalt, obviously, you know,
that's going to be variant,variable on your specific health
(39:17):
conditions.
But whether you're working ondigestion, energy, mood,
supporting your minerals, withmineral rich foods, mineral
mocktails even Epsom salt bathsor ways to get minerals into
your body that way can be reallyhelpful.
So I'll put the link to themineral guide in the show notes.
(39:40):
You can go ahead and downloadthat.
It's free.
There's lots of links in therefor like different mineral
products.
Like I said, it's categorizedbased on Like health condition
or concern.
So if you're struggling withsleep or thyroid issues or
energy, you can pick whichmocktail might be good for you.
Obviously it is a guide.
(40:00):
It is not medical advice.
So please consult your doctor.
If you have concerns or beforetrying something new but that
can be such a great place tostart.
So I hope today's episode justhelps you, I think, first of
all, realize I'm human.
I'm not perfect.
I am on this journey as well.
And I will keep you posted onhow this supports me.
(40:23):
We've seen it support several ofour clients postpartum trying to
conceive during pregnancy, etcetera.
So I'm super hopeful for this,but if you're dealing with
fatigue, GI issues, hormoneissues start with supporting
your minerals.
It really can be life changing.
I'm also super excited becausewhen this comes out, you are not
(40:44):
super far away from our blackFriday offer.
So once a year we put our HTMA abundle on sale.
So the HTMA a bundle includesthe HTMA a test as well as a one
on one consult to go over yourresults.
That's where you can Decide ifyou want to do a custom blend,
you want to do food, you want todo different supplements or a
(41:05):
combination of both.
We can walk you through all ofour recommendations for you.
Some video modules, all thestuff.
So it includes the test as wellas that consult 50 off for black
Friday.
It's the only time of year thatwe put it on sale.
There's only going to be 30spots available because this is
a one on one offer.
So if you're not, if you haven'tdownloaded the mineral guide,
(41:27):
but you want to do HTMAA, goahead and download it.
Cause that will put you on ouremail list so that you're the
first to know the sale will beon black Friday, which fun fact
is actually my birthday.
So even more reason to celebrateand we will be sending out the
email at 9am central time lastyear we sold out in the same
(41:49):
day.
Okay.
Definitely set your alarm writedown all your Black Friday
purchases, put that at the topsince it's going out at 9 a.
m.
But, you know, we've seenclients go from struggling with
daily fatigue and blood sugarcrashes to having energy
improvements.
Like I mentioned, the first,friend who texted me like no PMS
symptoms, no moodiness, we'veseen iron issues resolved.
(42:13):
We've seen chronic GI issuesresolved clients taking like
1200 milligrams of magnesiumcitrate and not going to the
bathroom.
And all of a sudden they supporttheir minerals and their bowels
are moving a lot better.
So just remember that yourhealth.
is worth investing in.
If you're dealing with anyhealth concern, this can be such
(42:33):
a powerful tool.
HTMAA testing is a great placeto start.
I hope that this encourages you.
I will keep you posted on mypostpartum mineral journey.
So follow along on my stories onmy blog on this podcast, of
course and share this with afriend, maybe it would be
interesting for them to read butthanks so much for tuning into
(42:54):
this episode of the love yourgut podcast.
Don't forget to download themineral guide and definitely
keep an eye out for the blackFriday, HTMA a sale.
I'll see you next time on thenext episode of the love your
podcast.
I'm giving you a thumbs upbecause you just finished
another episode of the love yourgut podcast.
I am so excited because blackFriday is just around the
(43:17):
corner.
And honestly, Thanksgiving andblack Friday are some of my
favorite days of the year.
The buzz on Instagram has beenwild with questions about our
black Friday specials.
And guess what?
The answer is a resounding yes.
So make sure that you're part ofour email list to be the very
first in the know about ourfantastic.
Black Friday deals on HTMAA orhair mineral testing.
(43:41):
You do not want to miss out onthese gems.
I promise the link to join ouremail list is in the show notes
below.
And as always remember that whenyou love your gut, it'll love
you back.
And that's what we're all about.
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