Return guest Amanda Montalvo from @hormonehealongrd joins us once again to share even more information about minerals, a follow-up from episode #182. This time, the stars of the show are cooper and iron. Amanda shares her story of having a copper IUD after being on birth control pills for quite a while. She discussed how her adrenals were shot, Vit A was lacking and copper was in excess causing estrogen to build up. She explains all the nuances of how minerals must be in sync with each other for us to reap the benefits and she addresses the role stress plays in nutrient deficiencies. Amanda deep dives into the hows and whys as only an expert can.  Amanda explains symptoms of copper highs and lows- which are often the same and make look like, symptoms such as mental/emotional struggles, poor detox, acne, high estrogen/PMS symptoms, and even manic episodes. She gives real-world suggestions of how to get and stay "in balance".Mineral issues are a sign of stress and sparkplugs for energy.Hair Mineral Test- have ratios to show imbalances, Thyroid ExampleMinerals can be a big root cause in many health issuesMag burn rate is how much mag your body is using (shows current stress)Blood labs vs other testing optionsCooper- needs to be in sync with zinc 15:1, often people overuse zinc-especially lately and throws this balance offImportance of copper- helps mag make ATP = ENERGYExcessive amounts can build up in wrong places, not be utilized appropriatelyWithout Vit A, copper is useless-can not be converted. Vit A competes with Vit D (over supplementing causes Vit A decrease)Good sources of copper in whole foods with synergistic nutrients- best to get minerals in natural formConventional, functional, and biochemistry iron- differencesCopper and Vit A keep iron in motion/recycling systemLabs should show more of the "whole picture" and must be compared to symptomsResponsible supplementationAbout Guest:Amanda Montalvo is a women’s health dietitian that helps women get to the root cause of hormone imbalances and have healthy menstrual cycles. Amanda started off her education in nutrition with the traditional route, but after dealing with her own health problems after getting off hormonal birth control she quickly realized the value of functional medicine. After healing her acne, balancing her hormones, and learning the value of her menstrual cycle, Amanda found her purpose—to help women create a body in balance and not settle for anything less. How to find Amanda & Mastering Your Mineralshttps://www.hormonehealingrd.com/ https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/c3bd7870f2https://www.instagram.com/hormonehealingrdPodcast: Are you menstrual?How to find Christa & The Less Stressed Life:https://www.christabiegler.com/Join us on Instagraminstagram.com/anti.inflammatory.nutritionist/Shop our Favoriteschristabiegler.com/shopLoving the podcast? Leave us a review!reviewthispodcast.com/lessstressed