Pause, Rest, but never give up!
Let’s continue with the STARTS of the Root Cause Protocol developed by Morley Robbins. Remember this is, and I quote, “a lifestyle program, one that is designed to always provide you with the important minerals and other nutrients that your body will always need, especially in the face of continued stress. To that end, the STARTS are designed to be followed indefinitely, continually providing you with the key nutrients missing today in the standard Western, highly process diet, which is laden with so much unhealthy, refined and processed foods, unhealthy fats, and excessive iron fortification.”
You should continue with Phase 1 and all the stops when adding Phase 2, and then of course continue everything when adding Phase 3.
PHASE 2: Supporting Nutrients
1. START Eating organic ancestral whole foods and drinking mineralized filtered water
2. START Taking Mother Nature's sources for B vitamins
3. START Taking wholefood vitamin E complex
4. START Taking boron
5. START Taking cod liver oil
Let’s go over each of these in turn.
1. We have covered ancestral eating and removing processed foods extensively here, here and here.
2. Synthetic B vitamins are pretty nasty. You don’t want to take B vitamins isolated and on their own. They require each other to work correctly, plus the synthetic versions are made from coal tar derivatives (gross). Morley recommends 3 sources: Bee Pollen (get local), take 1/2-1 tsp daily. Stabilized Rice Bran (1-2 teaspoons) you can get it here. Grass-fed beef liver (there it is again!), take 3000 mg a day at least. Beef liver not only is high in B vitamins, but as we have discussed, retinol and bioavailable copper as well. Get it here or here.
3. What can Vitamin E uniquely do? Stop lipid peroxidation. Kind of a big deal. This is critical to fighting oxidation in our tissues. It also helps your immune system by increasing your interferon and interleukin molecules, and is key for your CoQ10 production, which benefits your mitochondria. You want a supplement that contains all the tocophenols mixed like this one. Take about 400 IU at a time with lunch.
4. Boron not only binds up oxygen, but it helps regulate iron as well, among many other benefits. 1000-3000 mg taken with breakfast is the suggested dose. Get it here.
5. Finally, my favorite! Cod Liver Oil is something I have given my kids since they were tiny. In fact, it was in their homemade formula I made them as a supplement to breastfeeding when they were infants. I have been through many different brands, and we have now found the brand that we feel is the best ever, by a company called Rosita, get it here. Cod Liver oil is your very best source of retinol (real vitamin A), which we have already discussed is crucial for your metabolic function, the activities of your bioavailable copper and vitamin (hormone) D, and all the processes that we have described that may be hampered if you have fatigue. You need your retinol levels to be 3 times that of your Vitamin D levels for optimal metabolism. Take 900 mcg/3000 IU daily. Children need it, too! Give them 400-700 mcg daily depending on their weight. Take the entire dose with your first food of the day.
NOTE: Both cod liver oil and Vitamin E naturally thin the blood, so if you are on blood thinner medication, take after discussion with your practitioner.
Make sure that you have successfully implemented the phase 1 STARTS, and that you feel your body has adjusted adequately before you begin phase 2. Listen to your body, and expect to feel more energized when you are ready to move on. Some detoxification is expected, but as your body acclimates to these key minerals and compounds that it has been missing for so long, it will reward you exceedingly.
Don’t give up!