Leah’s Story: How an HTMA Unlocked the Mystery of Her Burnout
It was a notification from my scheduling app at 11pm that a Deep Dive Session was booked at my next available appointment time.
It caught my attention. I peeked at Leah’s questionnaire to review her responses to my intake questionnaire.
“I’m trying to resolve my issues the best I know how. But now, I need help. I have hypothyroidism, high blood iron levels, and skin irritations I can’t seem to get rid of. I get tired easily and sometimes it’s so hard for me to be “on” all the time. I want to know what to do for my body so I can regain my energy and get excited for the day again.”
Can you relate?
It takes a lot for someone to come forward and ask for support, guidance and direction. This is classic burnout, often labelled as overwhelm. I know this even without looking into it further.
The signs?
complaining about fatigue
feeling worse even after more sleep
difficulty handling things like before
unusual weight changes
no energy to follow through
Other signs to pay attention to:
exhaustion upon rising
chronic pressing desire for stimulants
loss of interest in dressing well
completely silent or talking too much
bursting into anger for little/no reason
lose taste for meat, especially beef
How did she get here?
How many times have you told yourself this is the week you consume less caffeine, quit alcohol, stop smoking, wean off that pick-me-up? But the week passes by, and you tell yourself, ‘Okay, I’ll go at it next week.’
This is the initial stage of burnout, and this is your body’s low-fuel warning, telling you to pay attention. Most don’t.
This is why your mineral status matters.
Minerals are the spark plugs and igniters of bodily reactions.
Magnesium, copper, selenium and zinc support energy production and your experience of vitality
Calcium, sodium, and chromium help balance blood sugar levels
Sulfur, zinc and molybdenum influence how you detox
Iodine, selenium and iron levels express thyroid function
Sodium and potassium play a role in stomach acid levels and digestion
Magnesium, copper and manganese play a role in hormone production
Mineral imbalances can act as underlying factors that amplify health issues or even cause new ones.
It’s not your hormones.
Most people think fatigue, anxiety, skin and sleep issues are a result of hormonal imbalances. But hormone balancing won’t work if the mineral foundation is off.
Minerals power hormone production.
For example, low magnesium can impair progesterone production.
Progesterone is responsible for:
balancing estrogen
supporting mood and sleep
regulating the menstrual cycle and
reducing inflammation
When low — often due to low magnesium — it can lead to:
anxiety/irritability
insomnia/poor sleep
irregular/heavy periods
PMS symptoms
What is blamed on hormones is actually triggered by mineral loss.
Hormones are the last thing to shift.
Stop throwing supplements at your symptoms
“I can’t tell if the supplements my naturopath recommended are actually working anymore.”
Supplements may temporarily alleviate symptoms, but they do not address the root cause of the imbalance or deficiency.
This is the same approach as what your conventional doctor would take. You tell them your symptom and they prescribe a pill to mask it.
It still doesn’t address why you’re experiencing symptoms in the first place.
In my Deep Dive session, Leah stated she was taking magnesium to address her poor sleep, mood and fatigue. In her research, she learned it could help.
What she didn’t know was that minerals don’t work in isolation. She was still dealing with symptoms even though she did what she was told would help.
While magnesium deficiency can cause energy issues, simply supplementing without considering other minerals like calcium levels can be ineffective or even counterproductive.
Hear me out.
Calcium and magnesium work together to regulate nerve activity, muscle contractions and mood. If these ratios are not optimized, secondary deficiencies and symptoms like persistent cramps, irritability and changes in blood pressure and heartbeat can occur.
Focusing solely on supplementing symptoms overlooks the human body’s complex, interconnected system and ignores lifestyle, dietary, environmental, and emotional factors that contribute to health issues.
Symptoms come from systemic imbalances, not isolated deficiencies.
If this feels familiar, keep reading — I’ll show you how we uncovered the real cause.
The body requires a holistic approach with structured flexibility
Before seeing me, my client was dedicated to following a rigid protocol of supplements for months, based on initial blood work and a general assessment of her symptoms. She was following the protocol but still struggling.
Like giving a plant fertilizer without knowing what nutrients the soil was lacking, she was making small gains but nothing long-lasting.
Specific mineral imbalances were not addressed, and it was putting unnecessary stress on her body and mind.
And there were other factors influencing her stress levels.
a sudden death in the family
emergency surgery a few months after
diagnosed hypothyroidism
wide blood iron level fluctuations
a demanding full-time job she didn’t want to be a part of anymore
While a comprehensive, whole-body perspective is essential for health and mineral balancing, the strategy must also be adaptable to individual responses, changing conditions and ongoing assessments.
Some mineral imbalances are longstanding and deeply rooted, requiring weeks or months of monitored, targeted intervention.
You have to find what works for you.
The brain seeks certainty; it’s a key need.
So when I work 1:1 with my clients, the personalized protocol provides just enough structure to get started.
Leah knew she hadn’t failed; she just didn’t have the right support … yet.
How a hair tissue mineral analysis test (HTMA) unlocked the mystery of her burnout
Imagine treating leaves of a wilting plant while ignoring the dry, nutrient-deficient soil it’s planted in. The leaves might perk up but the plant will never truly thrive.
An HTMA is a non-invasive laboratory test that measures the levels of various minerals and toxic metals stored in your hair.
It allows us to analyze the “soil” — your cellular environment — and provide targeted nutrients and support your body needs to flourish from the inside out.
The HTMA goes beyond simply measuring mineral levels — it also reveals patterns and ratios that can provide valuable insights into your metabolic function, stress response and more.
Stay with me.
Here’s what Leah’s HTMA test revealed:
She was in an extreme state of parasympathetic dominance and chronic adrenal fatigue.
Sodium and potassium work together to support nerve signalling, muscle function and blood sugar balance
Calcium acts as a brake on the nervous system. When there is too much, fatigue sets in and metabolism slows down
When both sodium and potassium are low — the body struggles to manage stress, regulate blood sugar and maintain steady energy
Her results confirmed she was a slow oxidizer.
This means her metabolism was operating at a reduced pace.
Fuel from food and even added nutrients burn slow because the thyroid and adrenals are sluggish
This explained her dry skin, feelings of overwhelm and inability to “deal with life”.
Heavy metals, particularly aluminum and mercur,y were elevated.
These toxic metals mess with mineral absorption, energy and nervous system health
So even though she focused on eating well, these metals can block the function of essential nutrients like magnesium and zinc which she was already low in.
With this knowing, we created a personalized healing plan focused on rebuilding adrenal minerals, creating safety in her nervous system, detoxing heavy metals naturally and support her cellular energy.
She wasn’t in perimenopause.
She didn’t need more supplements.
She needs strategy, a personalized plan and flexible support backed by real data.
Instead of relying on guesswork, the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis provided actionable insights that allowed me, as her Integrative Health Practitioner, to identify which minerals were out of balance, explain why she was feeling the way she was, and prioritize the steps needed for her current lifestyle.
Ready to get YOUR Hair Tissue MIneral Analysis done?
Connect with me today!
Committed to your success,
Mary Ann, Your Fitness Nurse