Chelsea Caler is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner specializing in helping high-performing women overcome low energy, chronic gut and hormones issues and burnout. She combines personalized functional lab work with holistic lifestyle strategies to rebuild resilience and support whole body wellness so that you can find your zest again.
When it comes to women’s health, discussions about hormones often focus on surface-level strategies: balancing estrogen, supporting progesterone, or managing cortisol. While these approaches are important, there’s a foundational piece that is often overlooked: minerals. These tiny and often misunderstood nutrients are the building blocks for whole-body health, including stress and hormone health. Yet, why is it that most women’s health programs fail to discuss minerals at all?
What are minerals?
Minerals are inorganic elements that are essential for the body because they help carry out important jobs like producing energy, building proteins, detoxification, copying DNA, digestion, and hormone signaling, to name a few. They support almost every major process that keeps our body alive and running smoothly. Our cells are fueled by minerals and amino acids. Unlike amino acids or vitamins (both organic elements), our bodies do not generate minerals internally. Say what? Because of their inorganic nature, we must obtain them through diet or supplementation. Without adequate mineral levels, our bodies struggle to function at the cellular level. Despite their importance, our modern life, characterized by nutrient-depleted soils, chronic stress, and environmental toxins, leaves many women severely deficient and imbalanced in key minerals.
Most people associate minerals like zinc and magnesium with boosting energy and supporting immune health, but their role in the body goes much deeper. Minerals are essential for energy production at the cellular level, detoxification pathways, hormone signaling, and maintaining emotional stability. For example, they regulate processes like adrenal and thyroid function, which are critical for sustained energy, while also supporting immune resilience by modulating inflammation and cellular repair. Without balanced minerals, these systems falter, leading to fatigue, hormonal imbalances, and a weakened ability to handle stress.
This intricate connection between minerals and their role is especially significant for women, as even small imbalances can ripple, affecting everything from menstrual cycles to stress resilience and emotional well-being.
Key minerals for women’s hormonal health
Magnesium is essential for regulating cortisol and supporting adrenal health. Without it, stress spirals out of control, and estrogen metabolism falters.
Zinc is crucial for progesterone production and ovulation, while imbalances with copper can lead to estrogen dominance and mood swings.
Calcium and Potassium play pivotal roles in thyroid health, cellular energy, and menstrual cycle regulation.
Iron influences oxygen transport, energy production, and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Copper, while vital in small amounts, can become toxic when unbalanced and contribute to anxiety, fatigue, and hormone dysregulation.
Research continues to shed light on the vital role minerals play in hormonal health, offering deeper insights into how these essential nutrients impact women’s well-being. Here are a few studies that highlight these connections:
A study published in the Journal of Women's Health found that magnesium supplementation significantly alleviated premenstrual mood changes, including mood swings and fluid retention. (PMID: 2067759)
Research in the Journal of Ovarian Research demonstrated that zinc deficiency impairs ovarian follicle development and hormone secretion, highlighting zinc's essential role in female reproductive health. (PMID: 38807213)
Copper dysregulation has been linked in research to increased risks of anxiety, mood swings, and estrogen dominance symptoms, underlining the importance of maintaining a balance between copper and zinc. (PMID: 23946656)
These findings not only validate what I’ve personally seen in clients but also emphasize the importance of addressing the root cause rather than masking symptoms with quick fixes.
HTMA test: A window into hormonal health
In my practice, I utilize the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), which provides a powerful glimpse into your body’s mineral status and serves as a report card on several important body systems. Unlike standard bloodwork, which offers a snapshot of what’s circulating in your body at that moment, the HTMA reveals long-term patterns in mineral imbalances and heavy metal exposure that affect hormone health. When used in conjunction with blood and/or other labs, it can be a powerful whole-body, foundational approach for women.
The HTMA serves as an important piece of your overall health puzzle. I’ve found HTMA to be particularly valuable because it’s non-invasive, affordable, and can be completed from the comfort of your own home. For many clients, the HTMA has proven to be a powerful first step or addition to their personalized health program. By addressing mineral imbalances, clients have experienced improvements in energy, effective hormone support, and relief from chronic pain, digestive distress, mood irregularities, and brain fog. It’s an insightful and practical tool that has unlocked solutions for so many who felt stuck in the cycle of trial and error.
Some patterns I often see with clients include:
Calcium shells: High levels of calcium can form a “protective barrier,” blunting emotional responses while also slowing metabolism and thyroid function. This contributes to inflammation, aches, and pains.
Copper dysregulation: Excess copper, often linked to estrogen dominance, can contribute to debilitating PMS, heavy periods, mood swings, and anxiety.
Heavy metals: Toxic metals like lead, aluminum, or mercury displace essential minerals, disrupting cellular function and hormone production. This can result in brain fog, bloating, skin issues, and other menstrual irregularities or worsening symptoms.
By identifying these patterns, we can craft personalized strategies for mineral rebalancing while addressing other underlying stressors impacting overall health.
Stress is the root
Despite access to the most advanced medical technology and treatments, many people continue to struggle with unresolved health issues. Stress is often the hidden culprit, driving dysfunction at a physiological level. Without addressing the impact of stress on the body, simply treating symptoms will never fully resolve the underlying problems it creates. Chronic stress depletes minerals, dysregulates hormones, and suppresses and disrupts nearly every system in the body. This is why we want to incorporate lab-based insights with mindset work and simple, effective lifestyle strategies to build up function and resilience in the body.
By integrating HTMA with other foundational labs, such as those focused on gut health and hormones, I’m able to create highly personalized health programs tailored to each client’s unique needs. This comprehensive approach addresses not just symptoms but the root causes of imbalances, empowering women to take charge of their health. For those looking for a supportive, community-driven experience, I'm excited to announce the launch of our Energy Evolution 8-week group program, where we go deeper into these principles and work together to build lasting confidence, resilience, and wellness.
Tired of feeling stuck? Take the first step toward a healthier you
Are you a busy, burnt-out woman feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and stuck in your wellness journey? It’s time to simplify.
Our next 8-week group program, Energy Evolution, starts this February! This group program is designed by two health coaches to help you rebuild your health with clear, actionable steps to balance hormones, optimize digestion, and create sustainable routines. We will dive deep into mindset, empowering you to overcome overwhelm, reframe limiting beliefs, and take intentional steps toward creating lasting change. We are going back to basics and giving you simple steps for permanent healthy change!
Plus, as an added bonus, you’ll receive an HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) and a custom 30-day mineral blend to address your body’s unique needs.
Let’s make 2025 the year you put yourself first and embrace simplicity!
Learn more & enroll today; space is limited.
Interested in learning more about working with Chelsea? Fill out an interest questionnaire here.
Read more from Chelsea Caler
Chelsea Caler, Functional Wellness Practitioner
Chelsea Caler is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner who pivoted from a successful career in commodity trading and consulting to functional wellness consulting after her own battle with burnout, chronic health challenges and a profound identity shift. Her mission is to help high-performing women get intentional and simplify their health and wellness journeys. By uncovering and addressing the cracks in the foundation, she supports her clients in rebuilding resilience from the ground up and inside out. Combining functional lab testing with personalized strategies, she makes complex concepts approachable, guiding her clients toward vibrant, sustainable health.
