Show Notes
We were made from our mothers, who were made from the earth, which is made of stardust, which is made of minerals. A well mineralized body heals itself by providing our cellular metabolism what it needs to create energy and clear exhaust. Our ancestors didn't give their mineral status a second thought, but modern humans are almost all imbalanced (with the ill health to prove it), and minerals are wildly misunderstood. Let us remember the elemental interbeing that gives us life, understand the complex tapestry that is our individual mineral balance, and give our mitochondria what it needs to help us thrive. TOPICS: You can't microdose (or heroic dose) your way out of a mineral deficiency- how years of working with entheogenic plant medicines negatively affected Hamid's health
The interplay of trauma symptoms, depression, anxiety, physical health issues, and mineral status
The many reasons we're all mineral deficient
Iron toxicity and why anemia is dangerously misunderstood
We inherit our mitochondria from our mothers, and what your maternal grandmother ate while pregnant with your mom programmed epigenetic changes into the egg that became you, so your biology- on a metabolic level- is looking for the foods your grandmother consumed
Much of what we attribute to good (or bad) genes is actually the result of the mineral status of our mothers early in our lives
For childbearing women, there are consequences to trying to maintain a figure instead of trying to nourish ourselves
Human beings are deeply resilient- even when our genetic and epigenetic inheritance is lacking, even when our minerals are depleted- we can heal and thrive
The exquisitely choreographed transfer of minerals from mother to baby during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding (and how modern childbearing practices disrupt these)
Mother nature doesn't make mistakes & the human mind will never outsmart the life force
Healing from healing- much of what is recommended in the "alternative" health space makes people worse by depleting minerals (including many supplements)
Hamid's mineral mentor Morely Robbins and the Root Cause Protocol
Addressing the underlying mineral deficiency v attacking the disease or diagnosis
Iron carries the frequency of [fe]ar, and copper stimulates [cu]riosity- the correlation between mineral status & reactivity to the world
Iron (which is magnetic) embodies archetypal masculine energy, and needs the feminine archetype of copper (which is electric) to balance it
The whole system relaxes when toxic iron buildup starts to leave the body
Considerations around blood donation
Healing. Takes Time.
The myth of copper toxicity (which rivals the myth of anemia)
The dance between oxygen, iron, copper, magnesium, and ceruloplasmin
Oxygen + iron = rust inside the body
Flower pollen, copper, and fertility
Why the adrenal cocktail is needed if you are supplementing magnesium
Thirst is a cry for minerals, not water
Our bodies were designed to make water and our ancestors did not drink 8 glasses a day
If you're drinking unmineralized water you're irrigating, not hydrating
Why hair grays and/or thins, and the possibility of reversal
The interplay between light, sound, cells, and minerals
Implications of cannabis overuse
The dangers of hapé (tobacco snuff) (also spelled rapé)
Mineral deficiency is involved in all stages of addiction
Just because it's a plant medicine doesn't mean it's good for you
RESOURCES: Hamid's Instagram account @MineralShaman
Hamid's website for deeper dives & to schedule a consultation
Medicine Stories Patreon (2 bonuses for this episode!)
Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy?
Hamid's cannabis Highlight on Instagram
Hamid's essay on the dangers of hapé
A very helpful Wise Traditions podcast interview with Morley Robbins Cure Your Fatigue and Slow Down the Aging Process
[Cu]re Your Fatigue by Morley Robbins
Deep Nutrition: Why Your G
More from Medicine Stories
The Lindsay Clancy case has us thinking about the Traditional Chinese Medicine concept of Essence- what depletes it, what replenishes it, and how it is impacted by modern life and motherhood. We talk about how closely spaced births, inadequate postpartum recovery, illness, and chronic overextension can deplete these reserves- and how nourishment, rest, hydration, and mindful use of our energy can help restore them. We also explore the importance of community and finding a sustainable balance between giving and receiving, depletion and replenishment. Ultimately, this conversation asks what might change if women treated conserving and replenishing their vitality as essential to lifelong health. LINKS: Medicine Stories Patreon- bonus conversation w/ Suuzi Join Amber & Suuzi at the Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica Nov 3-8 (last day to sign up is 9/13/26) The first of Suuzi's posts on Essence Suuzi's Mother's Best Liver Pills The Mythic Medicine herb shop (big sale!!) Amber on Instagram Quiz: Find Your Wise Woman Archetype Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
What happens when a daughter watches her mother alter her face? What happens to our sense of rootedness and belonging when we've rejected the face our ancestors gave us? What happens to collective womanhood when we watch our elders cling to the appearance of youth at all costs? In an age of Choice Feminism (whatever a woman wants to do is inherently empowering!), what do we owe one another and the generations rising after us? This is a nuanced and non-shaming conversation. While Rachel and I feel securely grounded in our decisions to retain our original faces, we also acknowledge that there is a lot of room for discussion around these topics and that every woman's participatory threshold is going to fall at its own place along the spectrum of beauty treatments. We spoke in order to make our way through this confusing morass together- as mothers, as women with an audience, as crones in the making who know that there is actually no such thing as anti-aging. LINKS: Medicine Stories Patreon- bonus conversation w/ Rachel Amber's Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica Nov 3-8 Rachel's post that inspired this episode My post on this topic The Mythic Medicine herb shop Rachel's website Quiz: Find Your Wise Woman Archetype Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
In the years since the pandemic, many of us have found ourselves deeply fatigued- not only physically and emotionally, but spiritually. The wellness world that once felt hopeful has become crowded with endless advice, conflicting opinions, and relentless marketing, leaving many people questioning who and what they can trust. As wellness has become increasingly commodified, it has also become harder to distinguish between what is truly nourishing and what simply captures our attention. Many are stepping back from the noise, longing for a slower, more grounded relationship with health. And yet, the desire to feel well has not disappeared. If anything, it has become more sincere. If you've ever felt disillusioned by wellness culture but still deeply long to be well, this one's for you. An off-the-cuff solo episode, I share musings on our collective loss of trust in the wellness industry, where that leaves me as the host of this podcast, and what has remained steady and true for me in the midst of ever-collapsing paradigms. Tell me your thoughts on Substack Girls trip this November Mythic Medicine herb shop
Your body's story is bigger than you. The nutrient status of the woman who birthed you is stitched into your cellular fabric, and that line of mothers stretches far back in time with each woman's story affecting the next. A more expansive and feminine framework for healthcare is quietly being built by women and mothers delving into minerals, mitochondria, and the metabolic imprint of the motherline. Let's share our stories and help one another bring healing and clarity to this tender, sometimes overwhelming, and very personal topic. While many of us are raising children whose bodies carry the cumulative effects of compounding generational nutrient depletion, it is never too late to begin building a legacy of nourishment that can ripple forward through future generations. LINKS: Ashley's post on The Intergenerational Impact of Undernourished Mothers Medicine Stories Patreon bonus conversations Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica Nov 3-8 The Mythic Medicine herb shop The paper Ashley mentioned Minerals in Pregnancy and Their Impact on Child Growth and Development Perdita Finn's book Take Back the Magic: Conversations with the Unseen World Amber on Instagram Quiz: Find Your Wise Woman Archetype Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
Often unseen amidst the tales of triumph, defeat, tragedy, and heroism of the 20th century's World Wars is the dramatic reshaping of food culture, family life, and women's work that these astronomically disruptive events wrought upon millions of people. Join nutritionist Kaleigh Mason and I as we explore the rise of industrialized and processed foods during wartime, the marketing that reframed convenience foods as symbols of progress, and the deeper cultural and generational health consequences of the loss of traditional foodways rooted in ancestry, land, and true nourishment. LINKS: Kaleigh's post that inspired this conversation Medicine Stories Patreon- bonus conversation w/ Kaleigh on Zeolite and detox protocols for children St. John's Wort Buy One Get One Half Off sale 6/3-10 w/ code SJWBOGO at Mythic Medicine Nutrition Elements Patreon Kaleigh on Instagram Amber on Instagram Quiz: Find Your Wise Woman Archetype Amber's Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica Nov 3-8 Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes) Kaleigh's Instagram posts on the Highest Rated Supplements & Worst Rated Supplements based on her 20+ years in the natural health industry