I’ve tried some crazy health hacks over the years, but lately I’ve realized more and more how it’s the simple things that often make the most impact. Minerals are one of those foundational things. They’re not flashy, but we need them for hundreds of processes in the body.
Maybe you’ve struggled with low energy, poor sleep, stress, hormone imbalances, or simply feeling like your body isn’t functioning the way it should. If so, minerals may be a missing piece of the puzzle.
This article wraps up my mineral series and brings together everything I’ve covered about sodium, magnesium, potassium, and humic and fulvic acids. While each of these deserves attention individually, their real power comes from how they work together. Understanding this “mineral matrix” changed how I think about health, energy, and healing.
The Body Is More Electrical Than We Realize
Most of us think of the body as a biochemical machine. We learn about hormones, enzymes, vitamins, neurotransmitters, and nutrients. Those things are all important, but there’s another layer that deserves much more attention than it gets.
Every cell, tissue, and organ relies on electrical communication. The heart beats through electrical conduction. Nerves send electrical signals. Muscles contract because of voltage gradients. Even the brain functions through electrical activity.
Now I see the body as an electrical being first, and biomechanical second. This mindset shift has helped me understand why minerals matter so much. Electricity can’t travel through a vacuum, it needs a medium. When it comes to our cells, that’s water structured around minerals. Distilled water on its own doesn’t conduct electricity, but water with minerals does.
When we begin looking at the body through this lens, many health challenges start to make more sense. Fatigue, sluggish healing, low mood, poor stress resilience, hormone imbalances, and other chronic symptoms may not simply be biochemical problems. Sometimes they can also involve a loss of cellular voltage.
Voltage is like a life force. When our cell voltage is strong, our body can communicate more efficiently. When voltage drops, the body struggles to perform many of its normal functions.
This is one reason I prioritize minerals before many supplements or protocols. While there is certainly a time and place for targeted interventions, minerals help create the environment that allows the body to function properly in the first place.
Understanding the Mineral Matrix
To understand how minerals support the body’s electrical system, it helps to think of them as members of a team rather than isolated nutrients. Each mineral plays a unique role.
Sodium: The Charger
Sodium is often misunderstood, but it’s a critical foundational piece for electrical communication. It helps maintain blood volume, supports nerve signaling, and contributes to the charge outside of cells.
When sodium levels are too low, people can have symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, low energy, anxiety, or difficulty handling stress. When I’m feeling depleted, one of the first things I reach for is more sodium.
Magnesium: The Conductor
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of enzymatic reactions throughout the body. It activates ATP for energy, supports relaxation, and helps regulate the nervous system. Magnesium is like the body’s natural brake pedal. While sodium and potassium help create action, magnesium helps the body relax and recover afterward.
Without enough magnesium, countless processes throughout the body become less efficient. That’s why magnesium deficiency can show up in so many different ways.
Potassium: The Stabilizer
Potassium works primarily inside the cell. It helps maintain cellular voltage, supports insulin sensitivity, regulates heart rhythm, and balances sodium through the sodium-potassium pump. We need a balance of sodium and potassium together for this process to work right.
Unlike sodium, more potassium is not necessarily better. Our body ideally needs a much narrower range. That said, most of us still don’t get enough from modern diets.
Humic and Fulvic: The Enhancers
Humic and fulvic substances aren’t electrolytes, but I consider them important members of the mineral team.
They help transport minerals, improve mineral bioavailability, support the microbiome, and may enhance communication between cells and mitochondria. I often think of them as translators that help minerals do their jobs more effectively.
Together, these elements form what I call the mineral matrix:
- Sodium charges
- Magnesium conducts
- Potassium stabilizes
- Humic and fulvic enhance the entire process
Minerals Role in Hormones
Once I understood the mineral matrix, I began noticing how many body systems depend on it. For example, hormones.
Our bodies need energy to make hormones, and we can’t make energy without magnesium and ATP. Cellular membrane function and voltage really influences our hormone sensitivity. And our ability to clear hormones relies on healthy detox pathways, many of which depend on minerals as cofactors.
I’m not suggesting minerals alone solve hormone issues. Hormonal health is complex. However, I have personally seen improvements in hormone markers and overall well-being as I prioritized mineral intake.
Nervous System Support
The nervous system is another area where minerals play a central role. Sodium helps nerves fire, while potassium helps reset the nerve signal so it can fire again. Lastly, magnesium helps calm the nerve afterward. Without the proper balance of all three, communication becomes less efficient.
This matters because the nervous system is constantly evaluating whether the body is safe or under threat.
Many stress signals are obvious, like emotional stress or lack of sleep. Others are more subtle. Nutrient deficiencies, dehydration, blood sugar instability, and environmental exposures can all be interpreted by the body as forms of stress. Minerals help provide a safety signal to our body to help it function more smoothly.
Minerals and Sleep
Sleep is often one of the first areas where people notice improvements when they begin replenishing minerals. This is because magnesium supports relaxation and potassium helps stabilize nervous system activity. Sodium then supports healthy stress hormone rhythms and fluid balance.
I’ve noticed huge improvements in my sleep after prioritizing mineral intake and natural light exposure.
The Mineral Connection to Blood Sugar and Detoxification
Blood sugar regulation is another area where minerals have a surprisingly powerful influence. Potassium supports insulin signaling and magnesium improves insulin sensitivity. Sodium helps us keep the right glucose responses during stressful times.
As I’ve focused more intentionally on minerals, I’ve noticed more stable blood sugar and energy levels throughout the day.
One reason I find minerals so compelling is that they’re often a relatively inexpensive intervention compared to many other health strategies. They’re not the entire solution, but they provide a strong foundation.
The Mineral Matrix Role in Detox
Detoxification is another area where minerals shine. My views on what detox is and what it really means has changed over the years. I no longer view detox as something we do to the body. Rather, detoxification is something the body already knows how to do remarkably well. The goal is to support the processes that are already there and minerals help make that possible.
The liver relies on magnesium-dependent enzymes. Potassium supports waste transport at the cellular level. Sodium contributes to hydration, circulation, and lymphatic movement. Humic and fulvic acids help bind unwanted compounds and support their removal through the body’s natural pathways.
When viewed together, minerals become much more than nutrients. They become tools that support communication, transport, and energy production throughout the body.
Why We’re So Mineral Deficient in Modern Life
One reason I believe mineral deficiencies have become increasingly common is that modern life depletes minerals faster than ever. Stress is a major factor. Whether that’s stress from emotional challenges, environmental exposures, inadequate sleep, overtraining, or under-eating, the body uses minerals to respond.
The more stress we have, the more minerals we use.
Certain life stages dramatically increase these needs as well. Pregnancy and breastfeeding require enormous amounts of minerals to support both mother and baby. Sweating through exercise, sauna use, or hot climates also increases mineral losses.
Mineral Changes in Food, Water, and Environment
How we grow and produce food is also a problem. Modern farming and soil depletion means significantly fewer minerals in many foods. Produce has lower potassium and magnesium levels than ever before in history. Even if we eat a clean, whole foods diet, we’d have to eat way too many calories to get high enough nutrient levels.
Filtered water presents another challenge. Filters like RO and distilled water are devoid of the minerals our body needs to function and stay hydrated. While filtration is often necessary, when we remove minerals from water, we also need to intentionally replace them elsewhere.
Then there are environmental factors. Certain chemicals, including glyphosate, can interfere with how well we can use minerals.The result is a perfect storm. Modern life increases mineral losses while at the same time reducing mineral intake.
This helps explain why many people feel noticeably better when they begin replenishing minerals consistently.
What I Personally Do
Everyone’s health needs are a little different, but we all need nutrition in some way. Here’s what I personally do. First thing in the morning I grab my jar of salt water on my nightstand and head outside for some morning sunlight. I really prioritize sodium and aim for at least 5 grams a day, often more. I also salt my food to taste and opt for clean salt sources.
Additionally, I drink mineralized water throughout the day. This often includes trace minerals, humic and fulvic substances, and occasionally more salt. I continue to support minerals and eat whole foods throughout the day, stopping a few hours before bed. Staying hydrated is important but so is supporting good sleep and not getting up all night to use the bathroom!
For potassium, I focus on whole foods like fruits, root vegetables, and coconut water. I also replenish electrolytes after workouts and sauna sessions. Magnesium is one of the few supplements I take every day. I use Magnesium Breakthrough, magnesium baths, topical magnesium, and magnesium-rich foods whenever possible.
One lesson I’ve learned is that stress management may be just as important as taking minerals. Stress is one of the biggest mineral thieves, and supporting the nervous system helps preserve the minerals we have.
What I Use For the Mineral Matrix
The exact details will look different for everyone, but the principle remains the same: consistently replenish what modern life depletes. Here are some of the products I rely on every week or day to support my mineral status.
Minerals as Safety Signals
One of the biggest shifts in my health journey came when I stopped viewing the body as something that needed to be fixed. Instead, I now see it as something that needs support and is always on my side. Our bodies already know how to heal, detoxify, balance hormones, and regulate energy. Often, it simply needs the resources to do those jobs effectively. That’s why I think of minerals as safety signals.
- Sodium supports blood volume and electrical communication.
- Magnesium supports relaxation and recovery.
- Potassium stabilizes cellular function.
- Humic and fulvic substances help reduce burdens that may contribute to stress responses.
Together, they help create an internal environment where the body feels nourished, supported, and resilient. Once those pieces are in place our body can focus on healing.
Final Thoughts on the Mineral Matrix
If there’s one message I want to pass along, it’s that minerals aren’t optional, but foundational. Every cell and major system relies on them. And in a modern world that constantly depletes them, many of us simply aren’t getting enough.
For me, focusing on these minerals and substances have been one of the biggest needle movers for me in my health journey. And combined with sunlight, quality sleep, gentle movement, and stress reduction, minerals helped put my body in a safe place to heal. Minerals aren’t the entire answer, but they’re a big part of it when it comes to vibrant health.
Do you prioritize getting enough minerals daily? If not, what are some things you might want to change? Leave a comment and share below!
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