2026 Issue #32

Why Dealing With Stress Actually Matters

Hi Reader,

When I first started studying Nutritional Therapy, one of the very first things I did was have my minerals tested using a hair sample.

The results came back with something I knew but wasn't expecting...

My body was under stress.

Not emotionally.

Not mentally.

Cellularly.

At about the same time, I also completed a comprehensive stool test.

Guess what that showed?

Stress.

I remember thinking...

"How is it possible that stress is showing up in my hair... and my💩?"

The answer is simple.

Your body keeps score.

At the time, I knew my job was stressful.

I knew I was constantly on the go.

But honestly?

I thought I was handling it pretty well.

From the outside, everything looked fine.

I went to work.

I got my workouts in.

I took care of my family.

I checked all the boxes.

What I didn't realize was that my body was paying the price behind the scenes.

My diet wasn't truly nourishing me.

My workouts felt more like punishment than self-care.

My weight wouldn't budge.

I was exhausted more often than I wanted to admit.

Those weren't random symptoms.

They were clues.

One of the minerals that completely changed the way I think about stress was sodium.

Most people think of sodium as something we're supposed to avoid.

But sodium isn't the villain we've made it out to be.

Inside your cells, sodium plays an important role in hydration, nerve function, and supporting your adrenal glands as they respond to stress.

On a Mineral Test, low sodium is one of the patterns I often see in women who have been running on stress for a long time.

Their bodies have been trying to keep up...

Until they simply can't anymore.

That's why I don't look at stress as just a feeling.

I look at what it's doing inside the body.

Is it affecting mineral balance?

Is it changing digestion?

Is it making recovery harder?

Is it contributing to fatigue or stubborn weight?

Those are the questions that matter.

The biggest lesson I learned wasn't that I needed to "stress less."

It was that my body needed more support while I was under stress.

That meant nourishing foods.

Better sleep.

Supporting my minerals.

And learning that rest isn't something you earn after everything is done.

It's part of staying healthy in the first place.

If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, struggling to lose weight, or just feel like your body isn't responding the way it used to...

It may be that your body has been carrying more stress than you realize.

Sometimes the first step isn't guessing.

It's getting the information your body has been trying to tell you all along.

Learn About Mineral Testing

xo,