You're holding this book because something is wrong-and no one has
been able to explain it.
You've been to doctors. You've had tests. Everything came back
"normal." But you don't feel normal. You feel exhausted, foggy, anxious,
achy-like your body is working against you.
This book is about the gap between what tests are designed to catch and
how people actually feel day-to-day. It focuses on minerals-nutrients
that are often under-consumed, under-tested, and overlooked when
symptoms don't rise to the level of disease.
Minerals are not the answer to everything. But for
many people, they're a missing piece. That piece might be yours.
This isn't a book you have to read cover to cover. It's designed to meet
you where you are-whether you're barely functioning and need the
simplest possible next step, or you're stable and ready to understand
how everything fits together.
Start where you are. Not where you think you should be.
Jose, Pauline: - Dr. Jose earned her MD from the University of the East, Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in Manila, and holds a BA from the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. Her medical journey continued in New York City, where she completed her residency in family medicine at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. She previously served as a clinical instructor at UCLA's Department of Family Medicine, blending deep academic knowledge with compassionate, practical patient care.For nearly 15 years, Dr. Jose has dedicated her practice to wellness-centered care, believing true healing goes beyond merely treating illness-it involves nurturing balance in body, mind, and spirit. Since 2010, she has passionately empowered individuals and families to achieve vibrant, lasting health.
Stephenson-Laws, Joy: - Joy Stephenson-Laws, JD, is a healthcare attorney with over forty years of experience and a certified wellness coach. She is the founder ofProactive Health Labs, a national nonprofit helping people take chargeof their health-especially when doctors can't figure out what's wrong.Her path to writing about minerals was personal.Joy grew up on a farm in Jamaica, where she learned early that soilquality determines everything. Plants in poor soil got sick. Animalswithout the right minerals got weak. She also grew up watching hermother take pills religiously for every ailment-and then take more pillsto treat the side effects of those pills. Her mother followed her doctors'advice without question, never educating herself or asking why. Sheultimately died from complications of diabetes and hypertension, conditions that might have been managed differently with betterinformation and a more collaborative approach to her care.Years later, as a healthcare attorney in California, Joy saw the samepatterns-in her clients and in herself. Exhausted, anxious, dismissedby doctors who said their labs were "normal." Doing everything rightand still feeling terrible. That search for answers-and the lessons fromwatching her mother-led her to the connection between minerals, stress, and the nervous system. It also convinced her that we musteducate ourselves, formulate the right questions, and work with ourdoctors as partners rather than passive patients. This book is the result.Through Proactive Health Labs, Joy and her team have publishedhundreds of evidence-based articles helping people understand theirbodies and advocate for their health. That educational library isavailable free at phlabs.org/education.She first explored this topic in Minerals: The Forgotten Nutrient, cowrittenwith three physicians. That book was thorough but technical-written for people who wanted the science. This book is different. It's for the person who's exhausted, foggy, and needs answers they can actually use. Joy lives in California, where she continues her advocacy work and plays golf-not because she wants to be a golf professional, but because it teaches her to breathe, stay present, and forgive herself when she misses.
